Following take 1, where I answered my friend’s mom question, “Hi Josh, My son says you make an awesome vegetable stew with seasonal produce. Is there a formula for it?”, she wrote back: I did it!! I got an instant pot and I made a simple stew with: Lentils, acorn squash, kale, spinach, garlic and some Braggs seasoning. I added some nutritional yeast later and topped it off with chopped[…] Keep reading →

My publisher recommended an exercise to help write concisely, which she found at a page called Very Good Copy in an article called This exercise will train you to write more concisely. It says, “If your goal is to write tighter copy—copy that says more in fewer words—try this 15-minute exercise. . . rewrite a Wikipedia paragraph to a third of its original length (e.g., edit ~150 words down to[…] Keep reading →

After making my famous no-packaging vegetable stews for friends who hosted me across the country, one friend’s mom emailed me: “Hi Josh, My son says you make an awesome vegetable stew with seasonal produce. Is there a formula for it?” One of my main goals is to make cooking delicious, economical, healthy food available to everyone, so I’m happy to share. I wrote the following: (EDIT: she acted on the[…] Keep reading →

Walking back from a farmers market with some fresh Brussels sprouts, I can’t believe how indulgent my life is. I meant just to drop off my compost, but they looked so delicious, I couldn’t resist. People call me disciplined, but amid my indulgence, relative to Americans, I’m not. When it comes to voluntary choices to live by one’s passions. Americans across the board sacrifice more and devote more resources to[…] Keep reading →

Chatting with Seth Godin before recording the last week’s podcast episode, I shared with him how I keep secret the incredible ingredient I love cooking with—peanut flour. It’s nearly the last packaged food I still buy, though I’ve found a mill that I think I can crank it out with my hands from peanuts. I haven’t shared why I like it so much, but I make some of the most[…] Keep reading →

When I grew up, people considered orange juice healthy. Now I think people who looked it up generally agree that orange juice makers removed the oranges’ nutrition, leaving what nutritionally resembles soda more. OJ may have some vitamin C, but when did you last hear of someone you know getting scurvy? Removing the fiber from a food usually removes most of its nutrition, which is why I’ll still eat orange’s[…] Keep reading →

Thrive Global featured me and my plogging habit in the subheading. I recommend trying it. My picking up trash has led others to start doing it too, and to find they enjoy it. One even claimed she was dirt-phobic before doing it. 17 Creative Weekend Routines For a Happier, More Successful Week Stargazing, “plogging,” rom-com marathons –– which of these activities will put gas in your tank this weekend? Here’s[…] Keep reading →

People comment that I do things in many areas. A reader asked what ties them together. Since I get the question a lot, I thought I’d answer for easy access. He asked You mention that you write about leadership, education, learning leadership, fitness, personal growth, the environment, and a few related topics. What is the overarching theme that brings all of these topics together? I responded. I’m glad you asked[…] Keep reading →

A new reader and listener asked some questions I get a lot about polluting less and how to start. I’m sharing the answers so people can find them faster. I’ll preview the questions, then share his whole email for context, with my answers. Feel free to scroll down if you just want the answers. Just the questions: Packaging: What parameters did you start with? Do you buy everything at a[…] Keep reading →