❤️Love, MidoriLei – Stuff I share with my besties

3 favorite foodie finds

Just had a friend over tonight for a weight lifting workout, dinner, reflexology session (my treat), and craniosacral treatment (her treat)! We fit in so much tonight!

Anyways we had a yummy noodle stir fry (below) and it reminded me that my bestie recommended –

The best tasting vegan oyster sauce

This vegan oyster sauce has just become a sudden family favorite. Nate will drench the entire dish with more after I’ve already made the meal. You literally have to just saute garlic, onion, and any meat and any veggies and then add this sauce and it’s magical. My kids love it too. Definitely glad I listened to my bestie when she pointed it out on our latest visit to Town and Country. It just makes every stir fry over the top amazing.

An amazing Chat Gpt recipe we have on repeat- sour cream aioli

I’ve written about a garlic broth I drink anytime I feel off that keeps me from getting sick. Well, Nate won’t drink that, so so give him this aioli! It has three raw garlic cloves just like my broth, so it too does the trick! I add it to rice bowls like the above picture or you can dunk sweet potato fries in it or any vegetable fritter. Delish! Even yummier than mayo based aioli.

My go to homemade tortilla recipe

This recipe is so easy and simple and addicting! If I have the time, I always prefer a homemade tortilla. I also swear by this tortilla warmer.

I love talking food! Do you have any favorite random foodie finds? I’d love to know!

A Valentine’s Day gift guide for her

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Do you celebrate? I always love to gift myself something. 🤣 Nate and I are going to brunch while my brother Allan babysits the boys and then Nate is taking the boys and I to motocross. Not my thing, but everyone else is excited!

Here are some lovely things I’m eyeing on my wish list-

A luxurious after makeup spray full of moisture and antioxidants that’s just made of grape water because winter leaves her face feeling tight and parched

Grape water by the French
brand Caudalie

This little luxury is one of those things that feels too extra to just up and buy for yourself. It’s not a toner, serum, cream, or face wash. It’s just luxurious. The best gifts are those that people can’t rationalize getting for themselves but when they are gifted said luxurious, unnecessary item, it feels special!

The most luxurious, coziest, thickest, most substantial house slippers because her feet are always cold

Ugg Scuffette II, the Michelin Star of house slippers?

Have you met a woman whose feet aren’t always cold? I have not. Have you met a woman who would spend $100 on a pair of house slippers? I have not. This is why there’s a need here you see. I was once gifted a pair of luxurious house slippers, better than anything I’d ever owned before, and it was the most amazing treat to be able to retire my former house slippers for the unexpected upgrade!

Dainty every day earrings she can wear around the house and feel cute even in her yoga attire and sweats

The daintiest plumeria studs in silver, gold, or rose gold

How adorable are these studs? I love the idea of a daily earrings that you automatically throw on every day. These would make me smile every time I saw them.

A trinket dish for her to put on her night stand that reminds her what’s really going on in your mind every day

She will need an adorable trinket dish to house said daily earrings right? How cute is this red one with the words, “Spent all day thinking of you.” (Swoon!)

An elegant electric candle warmer with the most amazing candle scent so she doesn’t have a fire risk and she can enjoy her candles much longer

This elegant candle warmer with this candle.

Did you know lighting a candle actually releases soooo many terrible toxins? Stop lighting candles and start warming them! It’s much safer, less toxic, and the fragrance lasts longer.

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Some helpful things I keep in mind when I’m pmsing or on my period

Tonight at a real estate investor’s meetup with my friend

I’m on my period! Hurrah 😒 I’ve been taking a lot of naps this week, because, I remind myself, on my period, I can treat napping as a sport. See below! Here are a few things that I’ve found helpful during that time of the month.

My body doesn’t want to fast when I’m pmsing

I once talked to a friend who said something that stuck with me. She said, “I’ve just come to accept that it’s always going to be harder to stick to my good eating habits when I’m pmsing. Well, it turns out that our body needs to feast during that time, so that makes sense! (See above) Now that I know this about the body, I can eat more during my luteal phase, guilt free.

I will want chocolate

I’ve come to accept this and embrace it and always have a stash of European chocolate at the ready. My favorite is Icelandic milk chocolate!

The cure for hormonal headaches is miso soup

The cause is a drop in estrogen, and the cure is to naturally raise the estrogen using miso! It totally works!

The cure for cramps is to avoid anything with canola oil

I remembered listening to this hormonal guru on a podcast, and I never have cramps since getting rid of seed oils, particularly canola oil.

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My two favorite YouTube exercise channels, my weekly exercise routine, and the podcast that motivated me to lift heavy weights

Hi friends! I’ll start by saying, I hate lifting weights or doing any kind of resistance training. That being said, there’s no going around it, if we want to live long, stay strong, and avoid falling and quickly deteriorating when we get older, we need to lift. Here’s what has helped me –

My two favorite YouTube exercise channels

If you’re a morning person and like to work out as soon as possible so you’re too tired to resist and you can just get it out of the way, you may have also discovered this pet peeve.

I hate when instructors talk during a workout.

I discovered these two channels above because they don’t talk during the workout! It makes for a peaceful morning to not have to listen to anyone huffing, puffing, and yelling at me on the tv.

I also love an at home workout because I’m too lazy to have to wear appropriate clothing and drive to the gym and I’m too frugal to spend on a gym membership.

YouTube workouts save time, money, and effort! Also since I hate lifting so much, I often invite a friend over to suffer through a 30 minute weight lifting session with me while our kiddos play.

My weekly exercise routine

I love weekly hikes with my dog and friends.

I really aim to move my body at least 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Most days of the week, this translates to brisk walking for an hour with my dog, up and down hills around our neighborhood. When he stops to smell something, I do lunges and squats. Most weeks, I do an hour hike with a friend. It’s all uphill half the way, and all downhill on the way down. If I don’t go for a walk, I do a 30 minute session on my favorite exercise machine, the vertical climber. Makes me sweat more than an elliptical, but feels like a better workout. It’s also pretty compact and can fit in my closet when I’m not using it unlike a treadmill or stair climber.

A different perspective – food for thought

I have given up on working out hard like doing HIIT or running. This article sent by my friend has made me rethink strenuous exercise. I’m also relieved because strenuous exercise makes me hate life. 😆

Lastly, I try to fit in 1-3 30 minute weight lifting sessions using the above fitness instructors on YouTube. I lift heavy and move slowly-currently 20lb weights. Here’s why-

The podcast that motivated me to lift heavy weights

This interview with an Orthopedic surgeon changed how I thought about lifting weights.

This podcast episode is one of those things that makes you realize you are a women of a certain age. 😭🤣 After listening to it, I was convinced to lift heavy – meaning I’m fatigued after 6-8 reps. At this point in my life, I want to be as strong and capable as I can be for as long as possible. I don’t just want to live long. I want to live well. Sounds like muscle is the key to that.

Anyways, I’d love to know what you do to stay active! Or what motivates you to move? Comment below!

The best advice I ever read about confidence was from Mindy Kaling…

The only blazer I love is super comfy because it is super stretchy. Here’s a similar one.

Happy Friday! Many many years ago, I read an article on Glamour magazine about confidence featuring Mindy Kaling. It was a really different take, and I found it super helpful! Spoiler alert – there’s hard work involved.

After implementing what she suggests, I can tell you from personal experience- it works!

Here’s my two cents including how it not care what other people think- in this video.

Reframing winter, motherhood, and extroversion

Reframing winter

My period is about to start, and I’m feeling all sorts of low energy and just want to sit in this chair with a heating blanket and veg. Winter months get to me. How about you? One thing that has helped me a bit is reframing winter.

It’s not cold, it’s cozy.

If you can’t change it, embrace it?

Reframing motherhood

It just blows my mind that this picture of Noah was TEN YEARS ago. Everyone always tells you that it goes by so fast, and in the middle of the crazy, sleep deprived years of having a toddler, it’s hard to believe that. Since the first ten years really did fly by, now I realize the next ten years will likely do the same.

Most days, I’m pretty in awe that these two humans are mine and I have the privilege of raising them.

One thing that someone once told me that always blew my mind is that the majority of my life with my kids will be an adult friendship…

But after they move out at 18 or 21, it will be a long distance friendship.

So I’m really getting my fill of hugs and cuddles these days. I know the days of them caring my opinion of them are numbered. My days of influence are numbered.

Reframing extroversion

Did you know that extroversion and introversion have nothing to do with being shy or outgoing? 10 years ago, I discovered that I was 100% extrovert. It didn’t mean that I was 100% outgoing and the opposite of me was 100% shy. All it meant was that I get 100% of my energy by being with others.

Someone who is 100% introverted gets 100% of their energy from being alone. Someone who is a mix of both gets energy both ways, by being alone and by being with others. I find these personality frameworks fascinating! Some might call it too much “navel gazing,” but I truly believe that the happiest people know themselves the best and therefore adjust and cater their lives to suit their individual preferences, needs, and wants. What do you think?

Btw, this is my favorite online personality quiz for these 16 types.

Foodies- the website that lets you bypass paywalls, the class you need to take according to my chef friend, and my favorite pan

Friends don’t gatekeep! Here’s what I’m so glad I’ve learned from other foodie friends.

The website that lets you bypass paywalls

This app or this website- justtherecipe.com

This is one of those things that feels illegal to know about, but it works! Every single foodie I’ve told about this website/app has been extremely grateful. Goodbye NYT cooking subscription or Bon appetit paywall! My bestie told me about this and it just feels like the coolest magic trick! Just copy and paste your paywalled link to this website or app and the paywall magically disappears. Try it!

The most important cooking class to take according to my chef friend

The best investment to my years of cooking has been to take a knife skills class! I had a friend who was a chef and worked at Whole Foods. At the time, Nate and I didn’t have kids yet and we were really into taking cooking classes together as a date. One day, I asked her which class she recommended and she said “If there was only one class I could recommend you take, it would be a knife skills class because it will speed up your time in the kitchen and make cooking more enjoyable.” She was so right! Now, more than 10 years later, I’m so glad I took that class, and I think of her every time I cut a bell pepper or chop up some herbs.

My favorite pan

This is a 14 inch pan my brother just gifted me for my bday. Did you know that a 14 pan even existed? I did not! Now I don’t have to cook my Brussels sprouts in batches! My largest pan was a 12 inch before this one and now I’ve got 2 more inches all the way around to stuff more food! And yes, we’ve been lied to again- ceramic nonstick pans are not good.

Thanks for reading! What are you cooking these days? I’d love to know!

2 Biblical principles of business

This post is for any Christian entrepreneur like myself! Over the 44 years of my life, I’ve learned that God’s principles are opposite of the world’s principles. Here are just two of those.

1. People over profits

The first principle is key to not letting money change you. If you always put people over profits, you will stay ethical, and you will love God over money. In any situation, you can ask yourself, how can I handle this so that I’m loving my client as I love myself?

I speak in detail about this principle in this video- meaning over money

Here are two tests to see if you have meaningful work.

Some Bible verses to meditate on related to this principle-

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money.”

1 Timothy 6:9–10 (NIV)

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation… For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”

Luke 12:15 (NIV)

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.”

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

“You cannot serve both God (love) and money.”

Matthew 6:19–21 (NIV)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…”

Luke 16:13 (NIV)

“No one can serve two masters…”

If you’re a Christian in business, remember you became a business owner to love God by serving people in a way that honors your time, talent, and resources.

If you focus on this and not on money, God can use you.

2. Dividing equals multiplying

The world’s principles again are opposite of the Bible’s. The world will tell you if you withhold, you will keep, if you take, you will receive. The Bible’s principles are if you give, you will receive, and if you withhold, you will lose out. The world has a scarcity mindset because it only sees resources that are visible. Because we know God’s resources are infinite, we can live with an abundance mindset.

Here is a great devotional to read related to this principle.

Some Bible verses to meditate on related to this principle-

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”

2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
‭

Proverbs 11:24–25 (ESV)

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer…”

Acts 20:35 (NIV)

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

If you’re a Christian in business, I highly recommend searching the Bible app for plans under the word “entrepreneurship.” I’m currently going through all of them! It will look like this –

What other Biblical business principles do you live by? I’d love to know!

The SOS getaway

There’s usually a stop to a local thrift store to try on clothes

If you have a best friend who lives nearby like I do, this is an idea for making sure to get away every so often. We get together with our kids and with our families, but there’s nothing like a getaway with just the two of us or us and a couple more girl friends roadtripping to nearby small towns to do our favorite common hobby- puttering. Puttering through quaint towns, we’ve realized, is best done sans hubby and kids who are never quite as enthusiastic with the hobby of puttering. You feel rushed by hubby, you see. You worry your kids will touch delicate ceramics and break them or run through the store, suddenly wanting to play tag indoors. Puttering is best done with other ladies who also enjoy a leisurely putter. 🤣

The details of an SOS

Portland is a great place to putter! We love South Division street which is where it all started.

SOS stands for Help! Get me out of here! I need a break away from all my responsibilities! The rules and details can vary, but for us, it happens 4 times a year, once every season. We have an SOS every winter, spring, summer and fall. We try to roadtrip to nearby towns.We have gone to cute towns like San Antonio, Portland, Gig Harbor, and Poulsbo. It can be one night, two nights, or just a day trip. The point is to have some alone time with lady friends, or your bestie, so you come home feeling refreshed in a way that you can only feel refreshed hanging out with your girl friends.

What to do during an SOS

These are some great activities for an SOS, but of course, tailor it to the needs and wants of your girl friends-

Eat food your husbands don’t usually pick- ours are typically Indian and Mediterranean

My closest friends are all foodies so we like to eat on our SOS trips – this place is southern food at Southern Kitchen in Tacoma, which we love!

High tea is as girly as you can possibly get!

Try something you guys have never had before. This is called a
khachapuri, a Georgian cheese-filled bread, topped with a baked egg and butter.

Find a cool new ice cream spot- this is Indigo Cow’s Hakkaido milk waffle milk Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako MBR

Find the fanciest local grocery and look for an ice cream flavor you’ve never had before (love this flavor!) and indulge in a girl meal (bread, cheese, beef jerky, salami, chocolates etc) late at night watching Bridgerton, drinking wine until 2am.

Find an amazing brunch spot! This is Ida Claire’s in San Antonio where they make their butter in house!

Get dressed up and hit a bar for some fun drinks and apps.

There’s so much more you can do- check out art galleries, thrift stores, plant shops, get gelato, go to every cute gift store in town etc. The point is to get away for at least a day and not cook, not clean, and if you stay overnight, stay up as late as you want talking and catching up, sleep in as late as you want, not make your bed, and truly get a day off from your responsibilities as mother and wife.

It’s the best! Do you do something like this? Would you try something like this? I’d love to know!

P.s we highly recommend spending some time on your road trip on Spotify or Pandora listening to a station that plays songs from your teenage years! We loved 90’s pop on and Pandora.

I haven’t been sick in a year and 8 months ever since I started doing this…

Hubby on the other hand, refuses my magic concoction! 🤣

With lots of friends sick around me, I wanted to share what I’ve been doing for a year and 8 months that has been fail proof every time I feel off, like I’m run down or about to come down with something…

Watch this video for full steps.

Watch this video for the broth I make.

I take this concoction once a day until I feel 100% again. This has been life changing for me! Let me know if you try it and it worked for you! Remember the key is to start as soon as you feel “off.” It is less and less effective the sicker you feel, so start right away! Some signs might be feeling a little bit sneezy, a dry, sore throat or a tickle in the throat, or feeling extremely fatigued and physically exhausted.

P.s. The most powerful combination is this soup plus a midday nap

P.p.s If, like my husband, you can’t stomach raw garlic in this soup (you have to eat the chunks and sediments at the bottom of the cup), then make this delicious aoli and eat with fries or a chicken rice bowl-

Sour Cream Garlic Aioli

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream

2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated

1–2 tbsp olive oil (optional, for richness)

1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

Salt, to taste

Black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Mince or grate the garlic as finely as possible. In a bowl, combine sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt (and pepper if using). Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes to let flavors develop.

Uses

Fries, wedges, burgers Grilled chicken or fish Wraps and sandwiches Roasted vegetables