Mini-Ep 440: The Whole (Costco) Package

Summary

Forever35 Podcast Episode Summary: Mini-Episode 440: The Whole (Costco) Package

In Mini-Episode 440 of Forever35, hosts Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu delve into personal anecdotes, family dynamics, skincare routines, and practical parenting tips, all while maintaining their signature humor and self-awareness. This episode, released on April 23, 2025, offers listeners an intimate glimpse into the lives of the hosts, enriched by interactions with their audience through voicemails and emails.

1. Embracing Vacation and Family Time

The episode kicks off with Elise sharing her recent vacation experience. She humorously recounts how her newfound sun exposure has caused her freckles to "come out to party."

Elise Hu [03:09]: "Do I look like I got more color from my vacay? Can you tell?"

Elise elaborates on her cautious approach to sun exposure, ensuring she didn’t suffer a sunburn after being out in a swimsuit for the first time in 2025. She contrasts her current sun experiences with past memories of tanning beds, highlighting a shift towards more natural sun enjoyment.

Elise Hu [04:44]: "So now I'm doing the exact opposite."

The conversation transitions to the importance of relaxation and quality family time. Elise describes opting for an all-inclusive Costco vacation package, emphasizing the ease and luxury it provided without the hefty price tag.

Elise Hu [05:07]: "We had a lot of meals together, you know, the seven of us."

Doree echoes Elise’s appreciation for the Costco package, reinforcing the value of accessible luxury in family vacations.

2. Skincare Insights and Product Recommendations

As self-care enthusiasts, both hosts discuss their skincare routines and favorite products. Elise introduces a new serum she received as a birthday gift, praising its effectiveness after sun exposure.

Elise Hu [07:35]: "I love the Mini so much that I'm going to work this serum into my routine."

She contrasts this enthusiasm with her dislike for spray sunscreen minis, citing their inefficiency and limited usage.

Elise Hu [09:16]: "They run out in like two or three uses and so on my three kids we were done with it like maybe the first day."

Doree shares her unwavering loyalty to her beloved Glow Maker serum, labeling it as a "ride or die" product essential to her beauty regimen.

3. Listener Interactions: Gardening and Blood Donation

The hosts engage with their listeners through voicemails and emails, fostering a sense of community and shared experiences.

Gardening Stories: Elise recounts receiving a fiddle leaf fig tree from a listener, expressing her excitement and pride in nurturing her plants. She highlights the therapeutic benefits of gardening, especially with her parents’ involvement.

Elise Hu [20:03]: "It's more meaningful to me because they were touched by my dad's hands."

Blood Donation Encouragement: A heartfelt voicemail encourages listeners to give blood, emphasizing the profound impact it can have on both donors and recipients. The listener shares a personal connection, having benefited from a blood transfusion, which deepens her appreciation for the act of donating.

Listener [22:29]: "Giving blood makes you feel like you are the most helpful person on the planet."

Elise reflects on her own experiences with blood donation, acknowledging its importance and practicality.

Elise Hu [24:17]: "That's a great suggestion."

4. Parenting Tips: Navigating Picky Eaters

Elise and Doree exchange practical advice on managing children’s food preferences, specifically addressing the challenge of picky eating.

A listener from Cleveland offers a strategy for children who refuse to eat prepared meals. She suggests preparing a reasonable dinner and allowing children to opt for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if they dislike the main course. This approach ensures that children still receive nutritious options while fostering a sense of responsibility.

Listener [28:43]: "They were in charge of getting up and getting stuff to make a peanut butter and jelly."

However, Elise notes that this method may not work universally, particularly for children like her own son Henry, who dislikes peanut butter.

Elise Hu [30:03]: "What a shame."

Instead, she shares her daughter's ability to make her own avocado toast, highlighting a different method of encouraging independence in young eaters.

Elise Hu [30:32]: "She just smashes... and she'll scoop out the avocado and then, like, smash the avocado on a bagel."

5. Culinary Inspirations: Dinner Recommendations

In response to listener emails seeking dinner ideas, the hosts share their favorite easy and delicious recipes. A listener recommends several dishes from The New York Times and Smitten Kitchen, including:

• New York Times 5 Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta
• New York Times Crispy Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts
• Smitten Kitchen's One Pot Tomato Farro

Elise appreciates these suggestions, expressing her intent to try them out.

Elise Hu [31:11]: "These are such a good idea."

Doree adds her support by recommending the cookbook Dinner in One, perfect for those who enjoy one-sheet pan or one-pot meals.

Dory Shafrir [33:06]: "It's a very good cookbook."

6. Closing Thoughts: Community and Connection

Throughout the episode, the hosts emphasize the value of community support and personal connections. Whether through shared gardening tips, skincare secrets, or practical parenting advice, Doree and Elise create a warm and engaging atmosphere for their listeners.

Elise Hu [21:36]: "It's more meaningful to me because they were touched by my dad's hands."

Elise Hu [22:29]: "That's a great suggestion."

Mini-Episode 440 of Forever35 exemplifies the podcast's commitment to exploring self-care, family life, and personal growth with authenticity and humor. By intertwining personal stories with listener contributions, Doree and Elise cultivate a relatable and supportive environment for their audience.

Transcript

[Elise Hu]

The sun's out, the air's warming and.

[Dory Shafrir]

The itch to travel is returning. I am headed to Mexico. I'm headed to Cabo in a couple weeks and I'm preparing myself and the family with a first class quality suitcase at an economy price tag from Quince. Ava is going to get a baby pink colored suitcase. It is the carry on kid suitcase 18 inch. It's really going to upgrade our trip and you can treat yourself to the deluxe upgrades you deserve too with Quince's high quality travel essentials at fair prices like lightweight European linen styles from $30 washable silk tops. I have one. I love it. And comfy lounge sets with premium luggage options and stylish tote bags to carry it all. The best part? All Quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quint cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quint only works with factories that use saf, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quint. Go to quint.comforever35 for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q u I n c.comforever35 to get free shipping and 365 day returns.

[Unknown]

Quint.Comforever35 you know, before I lived in LA, I traveled to LA and those trips back and forth showed me that they call it the City of Angels for nothing. The sky is blue, the weather is gorgeous and the food is amazing. Los Angeles chefs and mixologists draw inspiration from their varied cultural backgrounds and the city's diverse neighborhoods, making for a really exciting food scene. From game changing taco trucks to Michelin stars. If you're not a foodie, LA also has diverse cultures and communities that collaborate and mingle, elevating new voices in art, music, film and comedy. Did you know that Los Angeles has more museums and theaters than New York? From trailblazing street art to world class museums, art is everywhere in la. Plus LA knows how to put on a show. The worlds of sports and entertainment collide to create the kinds of events that could only happen here. Wherever you are in the city, you're never far from the next Only in LA moment. Find more ways to love [e-mail] hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu and we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Unknown]

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please remember, we are podcast hosts. We are not experts, and we always encourage you to seek support first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed.

[Elise Hu]

Do I look like I got more color from my vacay? Can you tell?

[Unknown]

Oh, yeah. How was your vacay? It looked. It looked fun.

[Elise Hu]

I definitely got more freckles. My freckles are out.

[Unknown]

Your freckles are out? Full of freckles?

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, they're out to party. Yeah, they've come out. I mean, I did wear. I wore so much sunscreen, I did not burn, thankfully, because I hadn't been out in the sun. This was my first time to, like, be in a bathing suit all of 2025. And so I was very worried about getting that kind of first sun of the season sunburn. Yeah, that's like, right along my swimsuit line and stuff.

[Dory Shafrir]

It hurts.

[Elise Hu]

And so I thankfully did not burn my mother burned shoulder.

[Unknown]

Oh, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

But now it feels like I kind of got some color on my chest, which is nice. The tweens are back into tanning or trying to look tan. Not tanning bed tans. Like my youth.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

I spent a lot of time in, like, those pneumatic tube looking things, tanning in the late 90s and early aughts. Yeah, it was cool. And you would get, like little palm tree stickers or little bunny stickers so that you could see how tan you got in a tanning bed.

[Unknown]

Oh, my gosh.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, yeah. Everybody was, like, golden. Do you remember, like, the early aughts? Lindsay Lohan and.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I do remember.

[Elise Hu]

It was that time and in Texas and then later in Missouri when I was in college, like, Palm beach tan was. Was. Was a big, booming business at the time. But yeah, so now I'm doing the exact opposite.

[Unknown]

Yep.

[Elise Hu]

And vacay was very relaxing. I really needed it.

[Unknown]

Good.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Because remember last time we spoke, I was so fried from Ted being like, sensory overload and cognitive overload.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

And then I came home and my dog had to be hospitalized again.

[Unknown]

Yes. I do remember this.

[Elise Hu]

I was over it, man.

[Unknown]

Real bummer.

[Elise Hu]

It was. It was such a bummer to come off the plane and have to go right away to the vet emergency room. But I did finally get some relaxation in and we did one of those all inclusive Costco packages that I'm so fond of love a Costco package.

[Unknown]

Love a Costco package. Truly nothing better.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And you can choose kind of like how fancy you want it to be. Right. Like, the Costco packages let you design which hotel or, like, which class of airfare you want. And so you could stay at, like, the Ritz or the Andaz. I did something, like a little bit under that. That. But still a very luxury experience. And then since it was already paid for, it's just like, yeah, I'm gonna get all the fries and all of the nachos by the pool. And like, yes, girls, get as many Shirley Temples as you want. Because typically when we eat out in la, I'm like, you can have one beverage.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

Like, this week, you can order a Shirley Temple. Otherwise, we're getting water. Because those drinks are, like, 4.95.

[Unknown]

Totally.

[Elise Hu]

And they. And there's three kids, so it's like $15 just for your Shirley Temples, your Sprite with Grenadine. But last week, I let them go hog wild. I was like, you. You get as many Shirley Temples as you want. Oh, you want more fries? You want. And then the booze was. The booze was also kind of watered down, but also free. So I was like, yes, I'm getting more pina coladas and margaritas. And so it was a really good time, mainly because I talked about this on as my intention in last Monday's episode, but just that I wanted to just pay attention to my family and not be distracted by other things. And so we had a lot of meals together, you know, the seven of us.

[Dory Shafrir]

So it was like the five of.

[Elise Hu]

Us, plus my mom and dad. And, like, my dad and Luna just, like, goofing off together because they both have the same childlike sensibility. My dad is very goofy, Very goofy, and he has a very loud laugh. And then Luna has kind of like that little girl giggle. And so one of the memories that I will. That will stick with me is probably, like, the two of them laughing together, you know, and that was really sweet. Yeah. I think I just really needed it.

[Dory Shafrir]

So that felt great. Shout out again to Costco.

[Elise Hu]

And since we are two friends who talk about serums and haven't brought up any new serums in a while, I brought as part of my Sephora birthday gift. You know, you can get those or you can trade in your points for little mini packs. And so I brought a mini pack of Sulwhasoo stuff. And Sulwhasoo, which is a K beauty brand, has a first care activating serum. And in fact, there's a Roman numeral after it. First care. Activating serum six. It's a V. And then I. So like six, right? And I don't know if there was a five and there's going to be a seven. Sure. But this one is six and it's incredible. It has this like citrusy smell. My skin needed it because after a day in the sun it was like really dry and I found this really like my skin just lapped it up. It was so good. And like now I'm probably gonna have to save even more money on beverages at restaurants to buy a full bottle.

[Unknown]

Oh, shoot.

[Elise Hu]

Because I think, I think the price point is not, not low. I enjoyed the Mini so much that I'm going to work this serum into my routine.

[Unknown]

Oh, I love that.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Unknown]

So the, so the sample worked.

[Elise Hu]

It had the intended effect.

[Unknown]

It had the intended effect.

[Elise Hu]

I need to find out how much it costs though.

[Unknown]

Yeah, you're like, let's, let's not.

[Elise Hu]

Not get ahead of ourselves. Just. I also the, the mini, the mini sized product that I don't recommend are spray sunscreen minis. Spray sunscreen minis run out in like green minis.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

They run out in like two or three uses and so on my three kids we were done with it like maybe the first, first day. And it's just a waste of money really because you spend.

[Unknown]

Yeah, several.

[Elise Hu]

You spend a lot of money on these little minis and then they don't give you enough product.

[Unknown]

No, they, no, they're good for like two trips to the beach.

[Elise Hu]

Right.

[Dory Shafrir]

At most.

[Elise Hu]

And so I'm not gonna do that. That's a mini. That's a mini. No for me going forward. But the girls really do like spray sunscreen for their legs. And we just, we just aborted mission and went to cream. Just went to like applying. Applying.

[Unknown]

That makes sense.

[Elise Hu]

Old fashioned way. So that was kind of my experience with the Minis. Have you been testing anything out lately that you want to shout out?

[Unknown]

You know, I am just still on my. My May love my Glow maker.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Unknown]

You know, I'm just. It's become one of my ride or dies, I gotta say, so love it. That's, that's just like, that's where I'm at right now. Awesome. Before we take a break, a reminder that we have a [e-mail] Forever35. We do a casual chat each week. This week I know there happens to be a lot of dog talk. So if that is of interest, you might want to check that out.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Dory has some very strong feelings about something dog related. That's my tease. That's my tease. Patreon Casual chat.

[Unknown]

Yes. And also please call or text us at 781-591-0390 and email us at forever35podcastmail.com we love getting all of your messages. We play them on the show. We read them on the show. They keep the show going. We love getting them. Please send us everything. Our website is forever35podcast.com we have links there to everything we mentioned on the show. We're also on Instagram @forever35podcast. We do have a [e-mail] newsletter and you can shop our favorite products at shopmy us./forever35 and when we come back, we have a listener who loves one of our advertisers.

[Elise Hu]

Ooh, I haven't heard this voicemail yet.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's exciting. Yep. Good to you. Thank you. All right, we'll be right back.

[Elise Hu]

We'll be right back.

[Unknown]

I recently got a fiddle leaf fig tree from Fast Growing Trees and I'm obsessed. In fact, I'm looking at it right now. It's perfectly at home in my office. It's right by the window. It seems really happy, I'm not gonna lie. And I just loved how it was delivered in this box. Like all nicely packaged, super healthy, highly recommend. If you don't know Fast Growing Trees, it's the biggest online nursery in the US with thousands of different plants and over 2 million happy customers. They have all the plants your yard needs like fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and so much more. They also have indoor plants like the fiddle leaf fig tree that I have. So whatever plants you're interested in, Fast Growing Trees has you covered. Find the perfect fit for your climate and space. Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. You can order online and get your plants delivered directly to your door in just a few days without ever leaving home. Their alive and thrive guarantee ensures your plants arrive happy and healthy. Plus, get support from trained plant experts on call to help you plan your landscape, choose the right plants, and learn how to care for them. This spring. They have the best deals for your yard, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get 15% off their first purchase when using code Forever35 at checkout. That's an additional 15% off at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code Forever35 at checkout. Fast growingtrees.com code Forever35 Now's the perfect time to plant. Use Forever35 to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. Elise I feel like sometimes the thing that makes me not want to make a great meal is like the prep.

[Dory Shafrir]

Mm.

[Elise Hu]

I get it.

[Unknown]

You know what I'm saying? So when I discovered HelloFresh's line of prep and bake meals that come together with minimal mess and only five minutes of prep, I was over the moon because I want my oven to do most of the work, not me. Most recently I made this smoky brown sugar chicken salad with kale, apple, roasted carrots, sunflower seeds and honey Dijon dressing and the prep was as promised, five minutes. Minimal prep, minimal prep. It just all came together so quickly. It made my evening so much easier. They also have their new ready made meals that go from the fridge to your fork in just three minutes. It's the same high quality ingredients and restaurant worthy flavor you expect from Hellofresh, but literally none of the work. But if you're not like me and you enjoy the cooking but not the shopping, HelloFresh can help you save valuable time with fewer trips to the grocery store. Thanks to HelloFresh Market, there's over a hundred add on items that you can add to your weekly box like quick breakfast, packable snacks, beverages and more. Get up to 10 free meals and a free high protein item for [e-mail] forever3510fm. One item per box with active subscription free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. That's up to 10 free HelloFresh meals. Just go to hellofresh.comforever3510FM the sun's out.

[Dory Shafrir]

The air's warming and the itch to travel is returning. I am headed to Mexico. I'm headed to Cabo in a couple weeks and I'm preparing myself and the family with a first class quality suitcase at an economy price tag from Quince. Ava is going to get a baby pink colored suitcase. It is the carry on kid suitcase 18 inch. It's really gonna upgrade our trip and you can treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve too with Quince's high quality travel essentials at fair prices like lightweight European linen styles from $30 washable silk tops. I have one. I love it. And comfy lounge sets with premium luggage options and stylish tote bags to carry it all. The best part? All Quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories. Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to quince.comforever35 for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com/forever35 to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com/35 no matter who you're gifting to this time of year, you don't want to gift them the same old thing again. Sweaters, socks, candles and robes. We love candles and robes. But maybe we've given those gifts too much. Don't be predictable this year. Named the best digital photo frame by wire cutter, Aura frames are guaranteed to mix things up this year.

[Elise Hu]

Aura frames come with unlimited storage so.

[Dory Shafrir]

You can share as many photos as you want from your phone to the.

[Elise Hu]

Person you love via their aura frame.

[Unknown]

Elise I gave an aura frame to my parents so they could just like stay up on all the grandkids and you know the first thing I did when I got back from DC was I put all the photos from our trip onto our aura frame and my parents aura frame.

[Dory Shafrir]

Oh that's so sweet.

[Unknown]

I know. So they could see it. And then Henry loves to watch all the photos on our aura frame. So it's just like the best.

[Elise Hu]

Aura has a great deal for Mother's day. For a limited time.

[Dory Shafrir]

Listeners can save on the perfect gift.

[Elise Hu]

By visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off.

[Dory Shafrir]

Plus free shipping on their best selling carver mat frame. That's a U R A frames.com promo code. Forever 35 support the show by mentioning us at checkout terms and conditions app.

[Unknown]

All right, we are back. And you know we've said this many times on the show going going back to when Kate and I started running ads on the show which was, you know, from the very beginning we always felt like we are only going to run ads for products that we genuinely believe in that we have tried, that we like. It's always great when we hear from listeners who agree with our assessment on our advertisers and this was unsolicited. Just feel like I need to point that out.

[Elise Hu]

So this is not sponsored content.

[Unknown]

This is not sponsored content. All right, here we go.

[Listener]

Hi.

This feels ridiculous but this is actually about one of your recent sponsors, Fast growing Tree. I just wanted to give A personal recommendation. We used them a summer or two ago and we purchased a bunch of trees and plants and some of them got there a little bit late and were like half dead. We contacted them and they immediately sent like replacement stuff and they let us keep what was not well. And some of it, we were able to like resurrect it. It was okay. So it was a really good experience working with them. So I definitely recommend them if you are looking for some trees and plants. And they also had a nice. They kind of were good about on their website telling like how big stuff gets and where you should plant it. So recommend.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, I see now. I feel like Fast Growing Trees, our sponsor, could actually work some of that content, some of that voicemail into one of their ads for this show. Totally. This is so great. And it is garden season and I was actually thinking I was going to shout out on our Running Forever 35 Patreon chat for folks to send in photos of their garden because I came home from vacation and my roses were in full bloom. They are gigantic. They are so big that they are big enough such that Oscar wouldn't even be able to swallow them. They're so big.

[Unknown]

Oh my gosh. Wow.

[Elise Hu]

It's that big. And so yeah, I was thinking I'm gonna do a shout out for those because I would also like to show off the roses. And recently we had Debbie Millman on for a really lovely episode. Shout out to Debbie Millman. And that episode, if y'all haven't heard that Monday episode yet, just about kind of learning to garden at midlife for her and then how she learned to keep things alive and all the metaphors buried within that. But yeah, the fast growing trees makes me super excited about spring and gardening season. My father left this morning. My mom and dad were in town and my dad has such a green thumb that I had to take them to the airport at 8:30. But at 8:20 I was still like.

[Dory Shafrir]

Hey, can you repot this?

[Elise Hu]

And how about moving the banana plant up front? And he's like, that's like serious landscaping, Elise. Like, I'm not gonna move.

[Unknown]

That's really funny.

[Elise Hu]

But he did repot a bunch of succulents and create a little succulent garden for me. And it's more meaningful to me because they were touched by my dad's hands and he's such a green thumb. So thanks dad. Shout out to dad Hugh.

[Unknown]

Shout out to dad Hugh. Thanks, dad Hugh. Very grateful. That's really, that's really sweet. Yeah, I'm I'm looking at my. My. My lovely fiddle leaf fig plant that now lives in my office.

[Elise Hu]

It's helping with that CO2. If you had a CO2 meter, it would drop the CO2 by at least 10 points.

[Unknown]

Definitely. I mean, yeah, I. It's just. It's nice. And, you know, this room gets a lot of sun because there's, like, big windows that face. What is that, south and west? So no, south and east. Sorry. So especially in the morning, it's like, it's getting very warm in here. But now I have, like, one little curtain pulled to the side so that the plant can get some sun and it's kind of nice. All right, we are going to hear another voicemail. We had asked for suggestions of, like, things you could do to kind of, like, make yourself feel better just in the world, because the world is not doing great right now.

[Dory Shafrir]

So chaotic.

[Unknown]

Yeah, the world is chaotic. So here we got it. We got a suggestion here.

[Listener]

Hi, Dori and Elise. I was just thinking about when you asked people to call in. Thinking of putting together a little list of pick me up for this crazy time. And something just popped in my mind that I wanted to share. I think an awesome way to do this, fully acknowledging that there are some crazy rules for why some people can and cannot do this. Some people are not physically able to do this, but if you can, giving blood makes you feel like you are the most helpful person on the planet, like you've done something great for your community. You get great snacks and juice afterwards sometimes, too. The Red Cross will give away gift cards if you do it. Sometimes they're from Amazon, which I'm trying to avoid, but I feel like it's for a good cause, so it's okay. But also, I've always really enjoyed giving blood. Like, I'm someone who has found it relatively easy to do, but I actually was the recipient of a blood transfusion after I had my daughter. And so I just remember being in that hospital bed having the transfusion and just thinking about the people who donated the blood that I'm going get choked up, who were getting the blood that I was receiving and how grateful I was and just how appreciative I was for the community in general. So on just so many levels, I feel like it's just an incredible way to give back. We're still in a blood shortage and it's really super easy to sign up and find a place to do it. And we have a great app now. Anyways, I could go on and on again, fully acknowledging that this is not a possibility for everyone. But if it is a possibility for you, I urge you to find a place to donate soon. Thanks so much. Love, you guys.

[Elise Hu]

That's a great suggestion. I haven't given blood since, like, the drives of college days, you know, I would always participate because it was, like, right on the college campus. And since I've had my kids and I don't know, I guess I just haven't done it. That's a great suggestion. Do you know your blood type? I was talking about this with my parents. I was like, it wasn't until really late in life that I learned my blood type.

[Unknown]

Yes. I always forget what it is and.

[Elise Hu]

But I don't think it matters, right? You can just give blood and they can figure it out.

[Unknown]

I'm B.

[Elise Hu]

Okay. You're B.

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

Do you save it in a spreadsheet?

[Unknown]

No, I just. I was like, I know I have texted my mom asking her what my blood type is, and I just searched my text for blood type. And indeed I found it. And actually it was. It was from 2021. I said, we're discussing blood type and mosquitoes on Forever 35. Because, you know, there's that whole theory that, like, mosquitoes like certain blood types better than others. Wait, what's your blood type?

[Elise Hu]

I'm a. I'm A positive. I'm such a good Asian, A plus. My parents will be so proud. But I didn't learn it until. I think I gave birth in Korea like, 10 years ago, because I just didn't. I don't know. I guess they don't test you for your blood type that often. I just didn't really get my. The whole time I was pregnant with ava in Washington, D.C. i never knew it. But I don't think knowing your blood type matters to giving blood. I think you can just give blood. I want to say because.

[Unknown]

Yes. But the. I used to get blood. O negative is the universal donor.

[Elise Hu]

Universal.

[Unknown]

So, yeah. So. Oh, negative is like more highly valued. Highly valued. Yes. Thank you. That is. That is the term that I was looking for. Like.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Unknown]

I think I can only give to.

[Elise Hu]

Other B. I think it's like that. Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

All of our scientists, Dr. Listeners, are gonna. Are probably just like, they're cringing.

[Unknown]

They're like, oh, my God, be okay about our ignorance. B positive can be given to a B positive. Or a B positive and B positive can receive from B positive, B negative, O positive, and O negative. But B negative can only receive B negative and O negative.

[Elise Hu]

I just am picturing shows like the pit and ER and all these shows where, like, people need blood. It's an emergency situation. Like, do they. I guess they have to know the recipient's blood type before they.

[Unknown]

I'm looking at a chart. AB positive are the universal recipient, but they can only give to other AB positives fast.

[Elise Hu]

In college, I dated a guy who was following the blood type diet, and he was. Which was a book at the time, and he was, I think, blood type O. So he didn't eat dairy because according to the blood type diet.

[Unknown]

Oh, that's interesting. Okay, how did that go with. How did that go for him?

[Elise Hu]

That was our one date.

[Unknown]

Oh, that.

[Elise Hu]

I think around the time we couldn't have ice cream because of his blood type diet, I was like, I've gotten the ick.

[Unknown]

Well, I feel like back in the day before, like, 23andMe was a thing, like, sometimes, like, women were caught having had affairs because the blood type was, like, impossible.

[Elise Hu]

Of the kid?

[Unknown]

Yeah, of the kid. Based on the. The parents blood types.

[Elise Hu]

Wow.

[Unknown]

So blood type. Blood type is interesting.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, it plays a big role.

[Unknown]

It plays a big role. All right, well, Elise, let us take another little break, and when we come back, we have yet more dinner recommendations.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, we'll be right back.

[Unknown]

All right, we are back. First, we have a voicemail for someone who had a recommendation for dinner with Henry.

[Listener]

Hi, Dori and Elise. This is Liz calling from Cleveland, Ohio. Doria had a suggestion about Henry. When he doesn't want to eat what you've prepared for dinner. I have three sons who are now all young adults. And what I did that worked well and gave me just a little breathing room is I would make a reasonable dinner, but not necessarily trying to find something every night that all three boys and my husband and I would all like. And they all had to sit down. They could see what was there. If they didn't like it and did not want to eat it. They were in charge of getting up and getting stuff to make a peanut butter and jelly.

Usually they still had to have a.

Fruit or vegetable, but I figured with the whole grain bread and the peanut butter and the fruit or veggie, I was getting more nutrition into them than if they had, like, one bite of something they hated that I had made. And it also reinforced that, like, preparing food is kind of a lot of work. And so sometimes they would try the dinner because they just didn't feel like getting up and making your own sandwich. Just thought I'd pass that along. If that has any appeal to you. Love the pod.

[Unknown]

Thanks, y'all.

[Elise Hu]

Bye. What do you think?

[Unknown]

Well, this particular thing would not work because Henry inexplicably doesn't like peanut butter.

[Elise Hu]

What a shame.

[Dory Shafrir]

Peanut butter.

[Elise Hu]

Delicious.

[Unknown]

The. The things that he could theoretically, like, eat and make for himself. We're not. I think we're not quite there yet, but. But I think we're close. I think, like, within the next year, he'll be able to. But I. I think we're not quite there yet. Um, but the peanut butter sandwich, I love the idea in theory, but for my child, would not. Would not work because he refuses to eat peanut butter.

[Elise Hu]

You know, what Luna is able to do is her own avocado toast because she just smashes. You know, she, like, scoops out the avocado. Probably wastes a lot of the avocado since she's not scooping cleanly, but, like, she'll scoop out the avocado and then, like, smash the avocado.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

On a bagel or. Okay, that might be one. If he's into avocado and then she.

[Unknown]

Feels he does, like, ownership, he will sometimes, like, eat an avocado with a spoon.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, that's one.

[Unknown]

All right, well, we are going to end with an email from a listener who says, hi, Dory. A little late to this, but you introduced me to two of my favorite delicious easy meals. New York Times corn pasta and Smitten Kitchen chicken parm meatballs. Oh, I haven't made those chicken parm meatballs in a long time. Those are really good. So I am writing in to return the favor. First suggestion, New York Times 5 Ingredient Creamy miso pasta. Oh, okay. Second suggestion. New York Times crispy gnocchi with Brussels sprouts. You can sub in basically any seasonal veggie you like. Tomatoes, eggplant, mushroom, spinach, etc. Third suggestion. Smitten Kitchen's One Pot Tomato farro. Sometimes I toss a can of chickpeas or white beans into the pot for some protein slash fiber. All of these can be served with the protein. I often throw some sliced Italian sausage into. Onto a sheet pan. Good luck. Oh, these are good suggestions.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, they are.

[Unknown]

And you know what? I think I kind of want to make the. The Smitten Kitchen meatballs tonight because I didn't think of what I should make for dinner, and I'd been coming up empty. But this. This is such a good idea. I haven't made these in forever. I forgot about these.

[Elise Hu]

Blast from the past, then, listener.

[Unknown]

So wait, I just want to clarify one thing. These are from the kitchen. Kitchen with no E. They're not from Smitten Kitchen.

[Elise Hu]

The chicken parm meatballs.

[Unknown]

The chicken from the kitchen.

[Elise Hu]

No E. Okay.

[Unknown]

Yes, the kitchen. No e. So, yeah, because I was like Smitten Kitchen. And then I tried to find them on Smitten Kitchen and I just found baked chicken meatballs, which also looked good, but you know, no. The chicken I also love like a one pan or one pot.

[Dory Shafrir]

Yes.

[Unknown]

Situation. You know what, Elise? I need to get back into the slow cooker.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Unknown]

It's not really slow cooker season, but. What are you. What are you gesturing to?

[Elise Hu]

I'm looking. I'm looking for my book, a cookbook that I recommend, especially if you like the one sheet pan, one pot, you know, meals. It's called Dinner in One. It's a very good cookbook. And your birthday's coming up, so maybe I've just given away what I can get you for your birthday.

[Unknown]

It's true. Well, Elise, it's been great to talk to you listeners. Thank you for listening and we'll talk to you soon.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, bye. Bye.

[Unknown]

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