Quick Thinking
Something new for a new year.
Happy 2025 (officially since last week’s newsletter was a 2024 roundup)! I want to try something new this year and this is the debut. Meet Quick Thinking—a very digestible Monday morning read that gives you a handful of things to ponder throughout the week.
My plan currently is to alternate Quick Thinking with your weekly Thursday newsletter. So, you’ll get two of each, each month. Quick Thinking is a longer version of “Still thinking about”—a segment that appears at the end of every Thursday newsletter. So, if you love clicking those links, hopefully you’ll enjoy a souped-up version of that experience here. My plan is that this new format will provide a refreshing switch up from longer-form-Thursdays and will give me a chance to work on the longer newsletters for a few extra days.
I would love for this to be interactive and I have LOVED every single email from all of you this year. If you have a little something to ponder that you think belongs in this newsletter please share it with me via the comments or by replying to this email.
Let’s go!
[Listen to] FLO
I’ve become exceedingly lazy about finding new music. With work, kids, vocal lessons, and this newsletter taking up my weekly brain space (and any leftover going directly over to fashion Substack) there’s essentially zero time for me to play Russian Roulette on Spotify to *hopefully* stumble upon something I love. But, in a blissful, quiet moment during this winter break I happened upon FLO.
For anyone in your mid-to-late thirties, I think you’ll instantly want to draw comparisons to the girl groups of the early aughts—think Dream, 702, early Destiny’s Child, and Blaque.
I planned to listen to just a couple songs and ended up devouring their entire catalog. Their music is nostalgic and poppy but you can hear the raw talent behind the swaggering lyrics. You’re going to dance without thinking. You’re going to get your dose of R&B harmonies and some sexy, hype, pre-party worthy stuff too. Not to mention guest rappers and vocalists including Missy Elliot (all hail) and Glorilla. That’s your commute listening sorted!
[Read] Adam Grant’s Book list
Adam Grant is one of my favorite follows on Instagram. He’s an organizational psychologist (someone who studies human behavior in the workplace), an author, a professor at the Wharton School, a podcaster, and an all-around very smart human. His Instagram is jam-packed with wisdom (see an example gem below).
He also has a Substack and recently put out a list of ten books to read in 2025. I’ve been feeling uninspired in the book department lately—often re-reading old favorites—but I’m looking forward to trying a few from his list. Validation, Shift, and Defy stood out to me.
[Research] Castor Oil
If you’re on TikTok chances are you’ve seen someone espousing the incredible benefits of Castor Oil when applied to the stomach or when doing “navel pulling” (Putting the oil in your belly button and letting it set for 2 hours. Yes, really.) I was ready to write it off and in no way do I believe the TikTok influencers who claim it will “snatch” your stomach and waistline over night. BUT 2025 is the year we say farewell to bloat and inflammation (or at least I’ve claimed that as my mission for the year). So in the spirit of trying things (as long as there no scary side effects) I ordered a bottle of high quality organic oil and will be testing out this little theory. I’m nothing if not curious.
Turns out navel pulling with Castor oil is based in Ayurvedic medicine. “Navel pulling is derived from the Ayurvedic traditional medicine system practice called nabhi chikitsa, a therapeutic approach to restoring health through the nabhi (navel), which is considered an important marma (vital energy) point,” says Melinda Ring, MD, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University. “In Ayurveda, castor oil is often employed to treat constipation, promote bowel movements, and detoxify the body.”
So, we’re giving this a try. Because….why the hell not?!
[Buy] Clean People
I told you we’re going to cover any and everything here so let’s talk about….laundry. I have a daughter with extremely sensitive skin. In the name of soothing her and avoiding future bouts of eczema and the like, we have tried probably 10-12 laundry detergents in her three short years. And let me tell you, every single damn one of them failed us.
Last year in the fall in desperation yet again after our go-to detergent suddenly started breaking her out I ordered Clean People’s Fragrance Free detergent sheets. They have over 15K reviews and 4.4 stars on Amazon. Plus, they are plastic free which we’re all trying to be in 2025.
Long story short we’ve been using these for over three months now and so far, so good. The clothes are clean, the baby is happy, and I’ll be repurchasing for the foreseeable future.
[Eat] Trader Joe’s salad hack
During the week I can’t be bothered to be creative with lunch. Even though I work from home, I tend to eat the same thing almost every day with two goals in mind: eat a lot of protein and smash my veggie intake goal for the day.
Enter my Trader Joe’s salad. I’ve made it for several people and I’m always asked for the recipe (spoiler alert, it’s not a recipe I just throw shit together). Here’s how to make my Trader Joe’s Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Salad if you need something new to mix up for lunch this week.
You’ll need:
1 bag Southwest Salad Mix (I don’t use the cheese that comes with it or the dressing since I’m allergic to avocado)
1 bell pepper
1 mini cucumber
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
3-4 green onions
Empty the bag of greens into a big bowl and chop up the other veggies to your preferred size. Mix it all together.
For the chicken we’re going to use an air fryer.
Cut up chicken breasts into small chunks. I usually prep 2-4 breasts so I have chicken for the week. You can make more depending on your protein goals/needs.
Season your chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and mix it up. Just eyeball the amounts but be generous with the paprika and garlic powder.
Add 1-2 Tbsp of Frank’s Original hot sauce and toss the chicken to coat it.
Optional: add a sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs to give your chicken a nice crunch. This is a great addition to give the chicken crunch but I’ve left it out before and the taste is still great.
Air Fry the chicken according to your own air fryer’s instructions.
Dress your salad with 1.5 Tbsp of Ranch mixed with at least 1 tsp of Cholula hot sauce (I know Ranch is not the healthiest but you can always skip it and use a different dressing!).
Once your chicken is done throw it on your salad. If you’re feeling indulgent, you can snack on my favorite tortilla chips while you have your salad.
Have a great week!