Happy Wednesday. Welcome to The Skinny, which will take you less than five minutes to breeze through. And for anyone new here: this is a free newsletter, full of snackable lifestyle news, designed to entertain and save you time—everyone’s most valuable resource. Note: we’re working to get back to our regular publishing schedule, which is either Wednesday or Thursday and an occasional “Skinny Mini” on Sunday.

What we’re covering:

• What is the ‘75 Hard,’ should you try it and does it deliver on before/afters

• The comeback (and yesteryear shock value) of old-timey dishes & why grandma’s recipes are inspiring food trends 

• The Skinny’s ultimate NA/AF guide: from spirits to beer, mixers to ‘buzzy’ bevvies

• Plus, a Grillo’s bouquet for when your relationship sours, cat pilates, why even tennis snobs should get into pickleball & cottage cheese “ice cream” now available at Sprouts

💡Did you know: all The Skinny editions are online and searchable—so you can easily find topics/links/recipes/items to shop that we have written about in the past. Bookmark this link for easy reference.

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Social fitness

Should you try the ‘75 Hard’ (or Soft)? 

The Skinny: File under the “don’t believe everything you see” category: most diets, “POV” fitness hack on TikTok and now, we’re looking into “75 Hard.” This trend involves a 75 day commitment to: no alcohol, 45 minutes of exercise 2x a day, 10 minutes of non-fiction reading and adherence to a “diet” of your choice.  

Surely people are putting in the work and getting results (Jill knows one, who clocks in with a cottage cheese timecard) but our advice is not to waste time/effort getting sucked in unless you are truly HARD CORE ready. Alternatively: Instead, consider taking some of 75 Hards’ elements and design a plan that works for you. You can also choose from a more palatable “Soft 75” version. 

What’s appealing: Its mental benefits, and the fact that it can help facilitate a lasting habit that sticks. Even if you don’t continue with every element of the Hard 75, if you complete the challenge and retain even one routine—you win. Research says it takes about 66 days on average for habit formation and Nicole can attest—it took at least that amount of time to ritualize an a.m. flossing routine, which she has kept up since 2020 (and feel free to @her with a #flossbrag).

What’s not: Hard. We repeat, not easy. And its many unpleasant elements mean that you may not enjoy it—which likely means quitting. However! If you are in a place where you want to prove to yourself you “can” do hard things, this might be for you.

OG recipes

What’s old-timey is new again

The Skinny: Nicole just enjoyed Baked Alaska, the most incredible Oysters Rockefeller (secret ingredient: absinth) and Hen of the Woods crispy mushrooms on her birthday, which got us excited to revisit our love of old-timey recipes, courtesy of a more proper golden age. We’re referring to a time (before our time) where you’d wear a tuxedo (monocle optional) and couture gown to a casino, as opposed to knee-high gladiator sandals and a bathing suit, sans cover up.

According to this story, “Grandma’s Recipes are Shaping Food Trends,” and because we saw there’s a Staten Island restaurant featuring nonnas as chefs, these dishes are experiencing a grand comeback. Serving up resources, turn first to the trusty Joy of Cooking, for gems such as Blood Sausage and Opossum with Turnip Greens, but also Lemon Pancakes, Meatloaf and Chicken Cacciatore. Naturally there’s a reddit for more Joy of Cooking faves, and we will also make these Stuffed Celery ideas (to see if they are in fact “outrageously good”). 

Saving the best for last, that’s also a bit of the worst. Behold Bologna Cake, courtesy of June Cleaver’s Vintage Kitchen. Before pointing out how unhealthy (OK, fine), or unsavory that you may perceive this to be, aside from its “yesteryear” shock-value, the cuteness is undeniable—it’s as round as one slice of bologna, decorated with Cheez Whiz and garnished with a pickle. Adorable! What we also like is that it brings up some excellent discussion points, namely: 

Savvy commenters pointed out that in the “olden days,” bologna—fresh-sliced from the butcher—was better quality than the mystery meat it is today. 

Others made the cake with the more tart Lebanon Bologna (and our favorite), which is all-beef and features a “secret” seasoning blend. 

For sure, it’s best to eat processed foods sparingly and when you do, try to choose healthier alternatives. Example: the Lebanon Bologna in the link above has less fat and way more protein in two slices than one slice of the 18-ingredient Oscar Meyer version. Finally, here’s a nitrate- and msg-free bologna, and a dietician’s tips for how to choose healthier deli meats.

Taste test

Alcohol-Free (AF) drinks: a comprehensive guide

The Skinny: While ‘dry January’ has passed, at that time we’d taken the opportunity to indulge in a variety of non-alcoholic bevvies during our “damp” month. The “California Sober” and sober curious movements are still on the upswing well beyond Dry January and Sober October, and we can attest that mornings after a night of abstinence are markedly clearer, calmer, brighter and more focused. For us, the motivation to do so requires something fancier and more festive than a glass of ice water or cup of tea; so that’s why we recommend building a NA bar to have a variety of options on hand for booze-free days/nights or for unique cocktail mixers. 

Now, on to what we tasted! For us, NA bevvies feel into these categories: 

1) Spirits: NA spirits can be pricey and, as such, research is required to ensure you like what you’re paying for since so many brands have flooded the market.

Best for: Your aesthetically pleasing bar cart; when you want something that feels leveled-up. 

Taste test:  We don’t have the resources of, say, Wirecutter, who went off on this insanely comprehensive list + testing criteria, but we can recommend:

• Enjoyed the Garden 108 from Seedlip: delightful, aromatic and perfect for a crisp day-drink akin to gin. However, we didn’t love the Grove 42, which can only be described as “lightly flavored water.” 

• We like Curious Elixirs, since the wordsmith in us was drawn in by their #ShakenNotSlurred hashtag. Described as the “love child of the pineapple margarita and the dark & stormy,” we appreciated No. 2 and its ability to deliciously keep you alert with the right amount of kick. 

• Our current favorite is Abstinence, whose packaging design—inspired by the diverse flora of South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom—is unmatched, which makes these spirits a multi-sensorial treat for your visual and tasting pleasure. We loved Cape Spice for its honeybush, coconut, and molasses notes; enjoy it on the rocks with lime, or in Dark and Stormy’s. 

• And since our favorite season, Spritz Season, approacheth—Abstinence has a Blood Orange Bittersweet NA Aperitif as well. Chin chin!

• Recess, which at this point is the Grand Mère of zero-proof bevs, has a great canned RTD Ginger-Lime mule that we enjoyed on a camping (OK, glamping) trip. 

2) Beers: Back in the “1900s,” teetotalers searching for a cold one had two lonely choices—O’Douls and NA pioneer Clausthaler (which is still brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot - German Purity Law of 1516). Fast-forward with reportedly 150 expertly-crafted NA beers on today’s market (here’s a giant list) and cropping up in party coolers, on float trips and at festivals nationwide. And even our old pal Clausthaler has launched a young, refreshed and stylish lineup to keep their grandpa company. 

Best for: Zero proofers who enjoy the taste of craft beers; the beach (to avoid passing out from heat/alcohol and getting burned); backyard BBQs

Taste test: We tried NA beers from Sierra Nevada Trail Pass (Hazy IPA) and Clausthauler IPA, which tasted full-flavored, hoppy and pretty close to their alcoholic cousins. Overall, we felt like we could zebra-stripe these and, flavor- and experience-wise, not feel like we were missing a thing (and rather, gaining the satisfaction of not getting sleepy and/or wasted). 

• Notable also that Clausthaler’s IPA features 40 IBUs (that would be International Bitterness Units) and is sugar-free. Also, the brand recently created its first holiday seasonal non-alcoholic beer (Santa Clausthaler!!) and the only grapefruit-flavored non-alcoholic beer (Clausthaler Grapefruit – which we tried but found slightly sweet, but still good). 

• For Sierra Nevada Trail Pass, its overall close-to-the-alc-version full flavor and aroma can be attributed in part to a maltase negative yeast strain. We didn’t know what this meant either, but we learned that the maltase yeast strain ferments into a malty sugar during the traditional brewing process, and that is what provides the final product’s more complex flavor and aroma. The more you know. 

3) Juices & Mixers: Even when you’re not dry/damp, they make delicious artisanal mixers for your home-crafted cocktails! There are MANY of these on the market, but we’re here to save time by curating the best and brightest. 

Best for: Brunchy mocktails, afternoon drinks by the pool 

Taste test: Trust us, these to-die-for mixers are what you need in your arsenal for all your concoctions, NA or otherwise. 

• El Guapo Salted Paloma: Made in NOLA from local, hand-picked ingredients and the finest spices, honestly—there’s something to it (maybe the galangal roots) that feels super bright and alive. It’s extra juicy and somehow you can tell they’ve used the finest salt. Highly recommended (comes in a cute travel version, too). 

• Fresh Victor: When we say these are some of the freshest, tastiest, most pleasurable mixers we have found, you must believe this for truth. Nicole can’t get enough of the Jalapeño & Lime—so tangy, so fresh, and with just the right amount of kick— a must-have for Margs. Use code MAY5FRESH for 20% off and stock up for Cinco de Mayo & Cocktail Day.

• Natalie’s Juices: Small-batch and gourmet pasteurized, Natalie’s is a Florida-born staple for freshly-squeezed juices with over 15 exotic blends, citrus and lemonades to choose from. 

• Finally, say ciao to this low-sugar, high-flavor Cherry San Pelligrino sparkling water. 

4) ‘Mood Inducers’: Know your recommended “dosage,” and the difference between THC and CBD. You can read the explainer here, in last week’s edition. 

Best for: a dinner party; a hidden treasure at the bottom of your beach cooler; poolside, for a more heightened and entertaining people-watching experience 

Taste test: We wrote about hi Seltzer in our last edition, but will also call attention to a couple other favorites: 

• Ceybon 🍄mushroom-infused sparkling bevs offer a sexier approach to laying low on the alcohol, while keeping the vibe high.

• Sober(ish) is an AF marketplace featuring “buzz without the booze” products, and we loved their Sober(ish) Shots. With 5mg THC and 10mg CBD (“for a perfectly balanced buzz”), they kicked in right quick. These proved to be happy mood-boosters, with a side of the munchies + “mischief” and, as an aside: of our testers became oddly nostalgic for period documentaries about American History. Sounds like a solid night in.

Last licks

This week’s newsfeed

A pickle roundup:

• Pickle is an “AirBnb for clothing,” where you can rent out your own fabulous closet (or rent from someone else’s); 

• This Garden & Gun essay on why even tennis snobs should love Pickleball, “America’s fastest growing sport” (one reason: you can play whilst holding a cocktail);

• When your relationship sours, this Grillo’s pickle bouquet could make your lover reconsider based solely on your DGAF gifting ability;

• New launch alert: “Just the Brine,” from Claussen. 

Cottage cheese news of the week, hear ye! Our fave CC ice cream, Smearcase, is now available nationwide at Sprouts.  

The workout you didn’t know you needed: Cat Pilates. Purrfect Cat Lounge is Austin, TX, offers cat pilates with rescue kittens.

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