Morning Brew - ☕️ Veganuary

TOGETHER WITH

Hello, and Happy (belated) New Year! I’m kicking off 2021 with a maximum-two-times-a-week sweatpants rule, actually enforcing iPhone screen time limits, and...veganism (see below). Hit reply, and share one of your 2021 goals/resolutions. I’ll include a few in Thursday’s newsletter, so we can all get in the goal-setting mindset.

— Rachel Cantor

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Hot Topic

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January 2021 is for impulse buys, the unfortunate exit of The Office from Netflix, and of course, trying new things. So, after some deep thinking, I’ve decided to go vegan. January marks Veganuary, a free 31-day vegan eating challenge. With more plant-based alternatives than ever before and 500,000+ people already signed up for the challenge, if not now...when? Anyone want to take up the journey with me? Here are some helpful tips as we venture into the Great Unveganknown:

To follow: Tabitha Brown for cooking tutorials and daily affirmations. I can’t wait to try out out her carrot bacon.
To cook: If you think going vegan means a diet of pasta and plain lettuce, here are 87 vegan recipes that will prove you wrong.
To watch: The Game Changers doc on Netflix. It follows vegan athletes as they train and prepare for upcoming events, and it will blow your mind.

Brain Food

Read

After you read this masterpiece on the bucatini shortage of 2020, you’ll never go to the grocery store without hoarding boxes of the glorified long pasta again.
Igloos, café cabanas, solariums—here are all of NYC’s streeteries and where to find them.
There are a bajillion habit tracking apps, but is an app really the best way to better yourself? IMO: I’ve tried a bunch, and nothing beats a good ol’ bullet journal (but also Notion is an A+ tool, too).
Two New Year’s resolutions that WILL make you happier.

Listen

I found the history of the Eiffel Tower to be really fascinating.
Podcast recs for each of your New Year’s resolutions.

Watch

Soup dumplings were 2020’s ultimate comfort food. Here’s how to make ’em.
I’ve been waiting for this since I was nine.
A cathartic audiovisual poem about collective loneliness in lockdown.
If you let out a good cry on December 31 when The Office left Netflix, you’ll love these extras with never-before-seen footage. The Matrix scene alone is worth the watch.

Good Eats

AlexPro9500 / Getty Images

It’s surprisingly difficult to find vegan taco recipes, but this one is an absolute winner. The vegan chipotle lime cashew crema is *chef’s kiss*. And now that I’m giving this whole vegan thing a try, I’m on the hunt for fresh vegan recipes. Let me know if you have any faves up your sleeve.

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Try It, Buy It

Try It

Cleanse: Inhale positive energy, exhale all the bad stuff with a DIY Palo Santo smudge spray.
Namaste: Flow through a 30-day yoga journey with the internet’s favorite yogi, Adriene.
Ad-free: Download Hijack Your Feed to replace your Twitter ads with your to-dos.
Listed: Subscribe to I Know A Spot—a newsletter roundup of breathtaking homes for sale. A gal can only dream of a Brooklyn brownstone with a spa-like master, backyard garden, and open floor plan.

Buy It

Brew: I’m adding 321 Coffee to my bean rotation. It’s a Raleigh-based coffee shop and nonprofit, founded by a Sidekick reader and staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The beans are smooth, soft, and airy, and roasted in-house.
Munch: I feel like a kid again dipping my NUGGS in ketchup and BBQ sauce. Initially I was very skeptical of these plant-based chicken nuggets, but the texture and taste pleasantly surprised me.
Scrub: For years, I’ve felt insecure about my serious dandruff issues. I’ve tried everything—Head & Shoulders, medicated shampoo, that weird blue stuff—and nothing ever worked until I started using Jupiter. Their paraben-, sulfate-, and phthalate-free products have seriously saved my scalp, and now I don’t give a flake. Bonus: 5% of their profits support mental health initiatives.

Eye Candy

Chris Burkard's Instagram

I’m by no means an amateur astronomer, but when it comes to stargazing spots, this Switzerland lake makes me want to chase the Milky Way. Follow Chris Burkard for more thrill-seeking adventures across the globe.

Happy New Year, and cheers to loads of Sidekick editions hitting your inbox this year. See you on Thursday.

Your internet Sidekick,
Rachel

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Morning Brew - ☕️ Veganuary

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