how/when i managed to write another cookbook

THANK YOU, thank you, thank you for your excitement and hype and love surrounding my upcoming book, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: MAKE IT FAST. Like I said on Monday, I am truly so excited for you to cook the new recipes. They’re my hackiest, most delicious work yet, and I promise you will be able to fit them into even your busiest days!

I’ve gotten hundreds of DMs this week asking how I managed to write a cookbook while also pregnant with Tavish, while also moving and renovating our house. “DO YOU SLEEP?!” was a common question, too.

Though overall I’ve been trying to prioritize getting more sleep over the last few years, there were definitely some weeks last year when sleep took a backseat. I was in peak recipe development mode for the book last spring, so I was about midway through my pregnancy. It honestly kind of worked, because I wasn’t getting great sleep anyways due to the baby rolling around in my stomach — I’d take advantage of that sleeplessness by typing out the ideas rolling around in my head!

I turned in my manuscript four days before Tavish was born. I’ve always worked well under the pressure of a deadline, and the fact that I had two very big deadlines stacked one on top of the other was probably the biggest motivator I’ve ever felt. I had to get this book written because a book deadline is a book deadline. But I also had to get this book written because I wanted to be fully focused on Tav when he was born, not trying to write new recipes while also breastfeeding a newborn around the clock.

There were other factors at play, of course — moving to a new house that would fit our family of six, renovating that house, taking care of my other three kids, and making sure that this newsletter continued to grow and deliver top-quality recipes and content.

Reflecting back on 2025, I’ve identified a few things that were pivotal in getting it all done.

1. I kept George’s favorite quote in my ear. I’ve talked about this before, but anytime I get overwhelmed by a big goal or busy week, my husband, George, who’s a former Navy SEAL, says: “How do you eat an elephant?