Cutting back on social media, reading more books, and investing in myself have been my core focus this September. Grab a coffee or, if you’re like me, chai, and let's catch up!
Life Lately
Business-wise, I haven't noticed any downsides to stepping away from Instagram, but I do miss the community. I miss chatting with you daily, sharing product reviews in the moment, and posting my everyday eats (which I know so many of you found helpful!).
While I'm not ready to return to social just yet, I thought-why not start a monthly update here on the blog? Think of it as a coffee date with your bestie or big sis. 💛 And just like on Instagram, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
🎧 What I've Been Listening To
Burnout, imposter syndrome, and overwhelm all played a role in my social media break. In that space, I stumbled upon the Deep Questions podcast by Cal Newport. It's all about living more intentionally and deeply, and I've been binge-listening to recent episodes. Naturally, the next step was picking up one of his books…
📚 What I've Been Reading
If you, like me, are trying to regain focus and pour energy into meaningful work, Deep Work by Cal Newport is a must-read. I’m halfway through the book, but he shares some strategies that I have already found myself implementing. Strategies such as time blocking and eliminating distractions, aka social media, have been monumental in helping me reclaim my focus.
There are tons of videos on his philosophy, but Matt D'Avella's take is my favorite-it really resonates with how I've been feeling lately.
On a completely different note, I've also been savoring Mariam Jillani's gorgeous cookbook, Pakistan. It's part history, part recipe collection, with beautiful stories woven throughout. A wonderful read, a great gift, and the prettiest coffee table book.
What I’ve Been Watching
And…. in case you’re wondering, I do know how to have fun too! Ali and I binge-watched The Bourne Series with Matt Damon this past weekend. Is it a cinematographic masterpiece? No. But I’m a sucker for thrillers, and I really enjoyed them. There’s definitely a lot of violence, as would be expected, but it’s a clean watch for family movie night, which I really appreciate.
On the other end of the spectrum, I've also been indulging in Pakistani dramas again. Right now, I'm watching an oldie ( I don’t know how I missed it when it first came out)-Ek Jhooti Love Story with Bilal Abbas and Madiha Imam. It follows Salma and Sohail, who both dream of the "perfect" partner, so much so that they create fake Facebook profiles to live out that fantasy. Meanwhile, Salma's older sisters are caught up in the whole rishta process, which adds its own mix of humor and drama. I’m only 8 episodes in and looking forward to seeing how it all unravels!
🍴 What I've Been Cooking
After years of you all making my quick version of Chicken Tikka Masala, I finally developed a simple Tandoori Spice Mix! Let's just say we've been eating all the tandooris in the name of recipe testing-and my family isn't complaining 🙃
I've also been making Harissa Chicken from the cookbook for the boys' lunches. It's such a versatile recipe-perfect in a rice bowl, tucked into a pita, or tossed into a salad. 👌🏼
Thanks to recipe picture updates for the blog, I ended up batch-prepping my Golden Paste recipe the other day. This is especially great for quick Haldi Doodh or Immunity Teas. I sometimes use it in curries, as well! I am the self-proclaimed queen of meal prep after all! 🤪
✨ Skincare Spotlight
I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen-blackseed oil has been incredible for my scalp. After a psoriasis flare-up this summer, I started taking one teaspoon daily and massaging it into my scalp before washes. The results? My flare-up calmed, the rash disappeared, and I managed to avoid any sniffles during travel. Yup, I even took the bottle with me to Spain, and Sami and I stuck to our daily regimen!
The magic of this mighty seed never fails to amaze me. It’s been helping me throughout my Hashimoto’s journey, and it came through in this latest flare-up as well.
Have you tried blackseed oil, or do you have a holy-grail product for skin and hair?
💌 Until Next Time
That's a wrap on my September catch-up! Thank you so much for hanging out on this virtual chai date. It feels so good to share what's been going on in my world, and I'd love to hear what's happening in yours, too. Drop a comment below and let me know what you're reading, cooking, or loving lately-I always enjoy hearing from you 💛
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