RPL at Home: September 2026

Welcome to the September 2026 edition of RPL at Home, where I share what I’m up to when I’m not in the kitchen or in front of the camera.

Every few months, I give you a glimpse into what I’m working on, habits I’m cultivating, things bringing me joy, books/TV shows/podcasts I’m enjoying, and more. Think of it as stream-of-consciousness blabbering meets a semi-curated list of recommendations meets life update.

👩🏽‍🍳What I’m working on in the biz

For years, I’ve been getting questions about where I get the aprons I wear in my videos. And I’m very excited to say that we officially have a Rainbow Plant Life apron! 

I designed this apron with Hedley and Bennett, who makes all the aprons I’ve been wearing for years, and I’m so jazzed with how it came out. It’s a reflection of how I think cooking should feel: joyful, playful, and full of colorful produce.

And when you look at it from afar, you can see the 🌈 pattern because, of course, Rainbow Plant Life 😉

And it’s not just a cute apron. It’s also professionally made and functional, like all of H&B’s aprons (I love tucking a dish towel into the pocket while I’m cooking up a storm). 

📝💡What I’m working on in life 

For most of my life, I have been a clear Type A. Extremely organized, self-driven, hard worker, the kind of person who excels in a structured environment like law school, etc.

And a workaholic. 

Even in high school, I’d spend what I now understand to be highly unnecessary hours studying for classes that came easily to me (e.g., in my senior year, after I had already been accepted into college, I still wrote out 300 study flashcards for art history class). 

For a long time, I simply believed this is how my brain is wired. My dad was famously a workaholic, working 16-to-18-hour days for decades. 

I just have his genes and that’s that, I told myself.

But over the last few years, I’ve been able to witness my personality mellow, my desire for control weakening, my identification as a workaholic dissipating. 

And while I’m not sure I’ll ever qualify as a clear “Type B,” I have enjoyed allowing myself to embrace uncertainty, to react with patience instead of stress, and to, dare I say it…”go with the flow.” 

Recently, on the two-year anniversary of Big Vegan Flavor, I sent an email to my newsletter reflecting on what’s next. I talked about how I haven’t been able to start writing a new cookbook because my allocation of time looks much different now than it did when I wrote BVF (long story short: I spend a lot more time living and focusing on my health instead of working). 

I received so many supportive, kind responses along the lines of—”don’t worry about another cookbook, your priorities are perfect.” 

And that got me thinking about how I want to continue to be open to rewriting narratives I’ve had about myself. There’s so much talk about anti-aging and preserving youth in our society, but I have to say that getting older has been such a treat in the realms of self-discovery and self-love, and I wish more people talked about those clear advantages.

What I’m loving right now

👗 Fashion

“On the loose work pants” from Ruti. I’ve been on a lifelong quest to find flattering yet comfortable pants that aren’t athleisure, and these are IT.

Bamboo Stretch Knit Sleep Dress from Cozy Earth. Last year, I upgraded my mismatched pajama sets from 2012, and I finally feel like an adult (also SO comfortable).

📺 TV/Movies

Hacks (HBO). I’ve had this show on my list for a few years because I love Hannah Einbinder, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite series.

Things to love: it’s hilarious, the writing is edgy and smart, it’s a show about female friendship and intergenerational friendship, Jean Smart is brilliant in her role as a legendary standup comic, and unlike many shows, all of the secondary and even occasional characters are genuinely funny. 

Ride or Die (Amazon Prime). Another show about female friendship starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, this Thelma & Louise-style action-comedy is silly, very fun, charming, and feel-good. And in this chaotic world, it’s nice to cozy up to a show like this.  

📚 Books

Some favorites from the last few months!

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine. It’s hard to do this National Book Award-winning novel justice in a few lines, but it combines dark comedy with great storytelling. The narrator—a 63-year-old gay teacher living in Beirut with his 85-year old mother—manages to tackle dark topics (and minor grievances) while simultaneously making you laugh out loud. Buy it here.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Every so often, I’ll read a novel that opens my eyes to a historical era I need to know more about. Past examples include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigerian Civil War) and Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy (the plight of North Koreans), both of which set me down rabbit holes to learn more. 

This year, it was the HIV/AIDS crisis after reading The Great Believers, which tells the story of a group of friends, mostly gay men in Chicago in the 1980s. Of course, I knew about AIDS, but I was shocked by how much I didn’t know. 

It’s a wonderfully written novel with achingly beautiful narratives, complex character development, and memorable reminders about the power of love and belonging. Buy it here.

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton. The sweetest book about the unlikely bond formed between a London woman who retreats to the English countryside during the Covid pandemic and a newborn wild hare who shows up at her cottage. Expect lots of awws and cozy feelings in this one. Buy it here.

I Am on the Hit List: A Journalist’s Murder and the Rise of Autocracy in India by Rollo Romig. My friends joke that I’m a magnet for depressing books, so if that’s not your jam, you may want to skip this one. But as an Indian American, I felt almost obligated to read this account of the rise of right-wing Hindu nationalism in India explored through the 2017 murder of Gauri Lankesh, a female journalist. Buy it here.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. Chances are you’ve heard of this ultra-popular recent novel so I won’t say much except it went smooth and easy like a milkshake, the plot keeps you hooked, and I didn’t want to put it down! Buy it here.

Currently reading 📖 Koolaids: The Art of War by Rabih Alameddine. After falling in love with Alameddine’s writing and looking for more novels that touch on the AIDS crisis, I knew I wanted to read his first novel, which alternates between the sites of two different “wars”: the Lebanese Civil War and the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. Buy it here.

🎧 Podcasts

NPR Fresh Air’s 2001 interview with Dolly Parton. Like every person with a pulse, I was very sad to hear about Dolly Parton’s passing. If you don’t already love this multifaceted, funny, and compassionate woman, this interview will surely make you a fan. 

NPR Fresh Air’s interview with Colin Kaepernick. 10 years after being blackballed by the NFL for peacefully protesting police brutality against Black people, Kaepernick finally gets to tell his story. There was one quote that really stuck with me: “Why would that be an issue for anybody? To say, we want police to stop killing Black people.”

🇨🇦 Fun Things 

I spent Labor Day weekend in Montreal with my closest girlfriends, and it was a wonderful reminder of a few things. 

1. You can really slow down the passage of time by doing different things out of your ordinary routine. We were there for a weekend, but it felt like a 2-week long trip because we did something new multiple times a day.
2. The power of close female friendships. I used to feel guilty that I’m not an extrovert who has a huge group of friends that I’m always socializing with. But, over time, I’ve come to appreciate that I prefer what I have–a handful of very close friendships with women I admire, adore, and cherish.

A few highlights from our trip:

• Sushi Momo: Thank you for all the recs–this place exceeded our expectations! My non-vegan friends were shook. 
• Damas: A beautiful Syrian restaurant with several vegan options. Excellent fattoush salad and service! 
• Grand Staircase of Mount Royal: A nice way to get in a workout (~400 stairs!) and a beautiful view of the city skyline awaits you! 
• Quiz Room: You rent a room that looks like a DIY version of “Who wants to be a millionaire” and play trivia against your pals. More fun than we expected! 

That’s it for this month! Let me know in the comments what you’re reading, watching, or working on in your life!

PS: I have something exciting that I REALLY want to share, but it’s not quite finalized… so stay tuned until the next RPL at Home for the update !