A perfect late-summer staple, this recipe comes from London-based, best-selling cookbook author Anna Jones and her forthcoming book, “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35).

“Putting peach in a sandwich might seem like a strange thing to do, but remember tomato is also a fruit,” she writes. “The tahini tempers the sweetness here.”

Jones says the inspiration came from chef Daisy Bennett — of London’s gourmet Gladwell’s Deli & Grocery.  One note of caution, though. “Your sandwich will only be as good as your peaches and tomatoes,” Jones says.

Tomato, Peach and Tahini Sandwich

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe peach

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 green chile, sliced

1 teaspoon runny honey

2 ripe summer tomatoes, thickly sliced

“Easy Wins” by Anna Jones (Fourth Estate, $35)

Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 pieces of fresh bouncy focaccia

2 tablespoons tahini

1 bunch of arugula

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a bunch of basil, leaves picked

Optional: mozzarella, burrata or feta would all work well as additions

DIRECTIONS

Dress the peach: Cut the peach into eight slices and put into a bowl with apple cider vinegar, chile and honey.

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Season the tomatoes: Cut tomatoes into thick slices and put into a colander over a bowl with a good scattering of sea salt and a teaspoon of the liquid from the peach. Stir in the lemon zest.

Make the sandwich: If your bread is not super fresh, warm it in the oven or toaster in a hot, dry pan. Cut two pieces of focaccia in half horizontally to form two “sandwiches.” Spread one side of each focaccia with 1 tablespoon tahini and layer with half the arugula. Use a spoon to drizzle the other side with the juice from the tomato bowl, then some olive oil. Top the arugula with the peach, tomatoes and leaves from half a bunch of basil and sandwich together. Eat with a napkin.

— Anna Jones, “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35, out Sept. 17) 

The end of summer usually means the start of a frantic fall, when work demands, busy school days and soccer practice all collide. Dealing with dinner via drive-through may seem like a good idea at the time — it’s fast, anyway. But we’ve got an even better idea. Three hot new books are on the horizon offering easy recipes and plenty of help for busy weeknights, whether you’re an adept home cook or a reluctant one — or 8 years old and still learning.

Mark Bittman, the long-time New York Times food writer and author of more than two dozen books, is expanding his “How to Cook Everything” efforts to the pint-size set with his upcoming “How to Cook Everything — Kids” (Harvest, $35), due out Oct. 15. It’s written especially for youngsters, ages 8 to 12, with recipes that teach them basic cooking techniques at the same time. We’re talking kid faves, such as Chicken Mark Nuggets — crunchy from corn flakes — and little chocolate lava cakes.

The recipe for these kid-approved chicken nuggets can be found in Mark Bittman’s upcoming “How to Cook Everything Kids” (Harvest, $35), due out Oct. 15. (Courtesy Ghazalle Badiozamani)

These chicken nugs are crispy, easy to prepare and “waayyyy better than what you get at a drive-up window,” Bittman writes. “If you double this recipe, you’ll have enough for a lot of hungry people, or make enough to freeze the leftovers in an airtight container to heat later in the microwave.”

And those Hot Lava Cakes will delight parents, as well as kids.

We’re smitten, too, with the newest from London-based Anna Jones, a veggie-centric cookbook that’s all about simplifying cooking strategies and showcasing veggies. “Easy Wins” (Fourth Estate, $35) publishes here on Sept. 17, but it’s already a best-seller in the UK, thanks to creative, flavor-packed recipes such as late-summer tomato, peach and tahini sandwiches and brown butter roasted potatoes with a lime-caper sauce.

This recipe for a tahini tomato peach sandwich comes from Anna Jones’s new cookbook, “Easy Wins.”  (Courtesy Matt Russell)

Meanwhile, cooking Substacker Caroline Chambers builds recipes for the reluctant home chef in her just-published “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” (Union Square & Co., $35).

Chambers didn’t start out as a culinary influencer, with a top-ranked Substack newsletter and hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, no less. Back in 2018, she was a former caterer and recipe developer with her first cookbook under her belt, “Just Married: A Cookbook for Newlyweds” (Chronicle Books), and an idea for a follow-up aimed at reluctant cooks.

Caroline Chambers, author of the new cookbook and Substack newsletter, both called “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking,” shares recipes that are tasty and fast to cook. (Courtesy Breana Janay Smith)

But the publishing landscape was changing dramatically, she says, and by the time she pitched the second book, publishers were looking for authors with established social media audiences. So she shelved the book idea and turned to freelance recipe development — until the pandemic hit.

The sudden lull seemed like a perfect time to try again, but this time by building her own audience and brand. She pulled out her notes and launched a “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” Substack newsletter in late 2020 with easy meal ideas and recipes. It found a large subscription audience almost overnight, she says.

It wasn’t long before publishers who’d ignored her before were expressing interest in the very same cookbook she’d already pitched. The new book landed on store shelves on Aug. 13, and she’s out on tour now.

The book, which is available online, takes a very different approach to her newlywed volume. She’s had three sons since those days and realized that what seemed like an easy meal to whip up with one toddler in tow felt pretty different with two more underfoot — especially during the pandemic.

There’s no shame in not feeling like cooking even now, she says. “We’re tired. We’re mothers. We’re working people. There are great reasons we might not feel like cooking.”

The key is to have easy, complete, nutritious recipe ideas at the ready — preferably ones that take minimal time to cook and don’t dirty a whole lot of dishes in the process. The cookbook is organized by time — recipes that take 45, 30 or even just 15 minutes to cook, like her Grilled Lemon Harissa Chicken or Everything-Crusted Tuna with Snap Peas. And inspired by the pandemic grocery store experience, substitution suggestions abound — sunflower seeds instead of peanut butter, for example, or butternut squash for tomatoes.

“The core of the book,” Chambers says, “is all about making the recipe work for you and your family.”

And to do it on even the busiest nights of the week.

By Lia DeGroot, CQ-Roll Call

Treating and screening for non-substance-related mental health disorders could help drive down overdoses, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

The study, published Thursday, found that of the 63,424 people who died from drug overdoses across 43 states and Washington, D.C. in 2022, 22 percent had a separate mental health disorder. Analyzing data from the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, the researchers found that the most common disorders were depression, anxiety and bipolar.

The authors noted the rates of mental health disorders are likely underestimated.

Amanda Dinwiddie, a health scientist in the division of overdose prevention at the CDC and the lead author of the study, said in an interview Thursday she hopes public health professionals will use the information gleaned in the study to better screen for and treat mental health disorders.

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“They can build upon efforts to identify and treat patients who have substance use disorders and other mental health disorders by integrating screening and treatment, for example, by incorporating evidence-based mental health screening into non-fatal overdose encounters, like in emergency departments,” she said.

She said public health professionals can also amp up harm reduction services, like naloxone distribution to reverse opioid overdose. The FDA in 2023 approved the first over-the-counter naloxone products. They are now available in all 50 states.

Dinwiddie said a quarter of people with non-substance-related mental health disorders who died had encountered at least one opportunity for intervention, like during existing substance use treatment or during an emergency department visit.

“We included any emergency department or urgent care visit within a month of death,” she said. “It could be overdose related or non-overdose related, release from an institutional setting, like a prison or a jail, undergoing current treatment for substance use disorder, or they had a previous non-fatal overdose. Those are just touch points where intervention could have occurred.”

About 80 percent of the overdose deaths involved opioids, primarily illegally manufactured fentanyl, the data showed.

The study comes during Overdose Awareness Week and Saturday marks International Overdose Awareness Day. The White House’s top drug policy official Rahul Gupta this week called on Congress to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy during an interview with CQ Roll Call.

©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By René Bennett, Bankrate.com

Many of us have given in to the temptation to buy something we don’t need.

Maybe you were passively scrolling through your social media feed when a sponsored post came up, showcasing the latest tech gadget with glowing reviews. Unable to resist, you clicked the “buy” button for fear of missing out, only to find the excitement faded not long after, leaving you with regret and a dent in your bank account.

What is impulse buying?

Impulse buying is the act of making unplanned purchases on a whim without considering long-term goals and needs. From flashy tech to trendy fashion items, impulse purchases can quickly drain your bank account and hinder your long-term financial goals.

The temptation is further fueled by social media — 48% of social media users have made an impulse purchase, according to Bankrate’s Social Media Survey. And 68% of those said they regretted an impulse purchase they made on social media.

Coupled with the current high-inflation environment, succumbing to impulse purchases can have even more detrimental effects on our savings than usual. But there are ways you can curb impulsive spending habits and focus on more long-term financial goals.

Strategies to stop impulse buying

1. Reflect before purchasing

Getting into the habit of slowing down and reflecting before making an impulse buy can be a big money-saver.

Some questions you should ask yourself:

Is this item a want or a need?
Can I afford it without sacrificing something more important?
Will this bring long-term value and satisfaction?

2. Stick to a shopping list

Before heading to the store or browsing online, make a shopping list of items that you genuinely need. A shopping list provides a clear plan for your shopping trip, eliminating ambiguity and reducing the chances of being swayed by impulses. It also acts as a reminder of your goals and priorities.

You could try using a shopping list app which can help you organize your shopping lists and even share them with friends or family members to streamline your shopping process.

3. Implement the 24-hour rule

When you come across something you’re tempted to buy immediately, give yourself a cooling-off period of 24 hours. Why? The purpose of the 24-hour rule is to create a space between the initial impulse and the actual purchase — often, the initial excitement and compulsion to buy can fade after that time period. By waiting, you give yourself a chance to reconsider the purchase in a more neutral state of mind.

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During those 24 hours, you can take the time to research the item’s features, read reviews, compare prices and consider if it aligns with your needs and budget.

4. Unfollow accounts that fuel your temptation

The constant stream of captivating images, flashy ads and influencers promoting products on social media can make it incredibly tempting to click that “buy now” button without a second thought. With just a swipe or a scroll, we’re exposed to a never-ending array of products and services, each promising to improve our lives in some way. But that promise can be deceiving and succumbing to the temptation can lead to financial stress and instability.

One big step you can take to help resist the siren call of impulse buys is to carefully curate your social media feed to prevent yourself from seeing those items in the first place. Unfollow brands and promoters that consistently tempt you. You might even want to remove certain shopping apps from your phone or set time limits for those that have the strongest pull on you. Even a few changes to your social media feed can reduce the constant exposure to shopping triggers and help you save money.

5. Prioritize clear financial goals for long-term gratification

Envision your ideal financial future, and set clear goals. Instead of simply saying you want to save money, set a specific target, such as saving $5,000 within the next year. Once you’ve established goals, you can fit them into your budget to align your spending with what you want to achieve in the long term.

It’s easy to give in to temporary pleasures when we’re surrounded by lures to buy stuff all the time, but reminding yourself of your financial goals and learning to wait can help you find long-term fulfillment. As you achieve smaller milestones toward your goals, reward yourself (within reason) to maintain a positive mindset and reinforce your commitment to the larger goals.

6. Pay with cash

Take the time to budget exactly how much you can spend on your purchases and withdraw cash to spend on those purchases. By using cash, you avoid overspending and impulse purchases.

If you’re used to paying with a card to rack up credit card points or cashback rewards, you’ll lose out on these benefits when you pay with cash. But once you start to gain more discipline by paying with cash, you might be able to transition back to responsible credit card use.

Be aware of signs of impulsive spending habits

The thrill of impulsive buying might not show up right away, but there are some signs to look out for, including:

You’re spending beyond your means or more than you intended during your purchase.
You hide purchases from family members or a partner.
You’re unable to pay bills or save as much as you’d like because of high spending elsewhere.
You feel guilty or regretful about spending.

Bottom line

By establishing clear financial goals and prioritizing your long-term needs over short-term impulse purchases, you can regain control of your finances and make decisions that support future aspirations. Keep track of how much you’ve saved from cutting back on impulse buying — those savings can go toward a specific savings fund or be invested in a high-yielding certificate of deposit (CD) to earn money back in the form of interest.

Key takeaways

Impulse buying means purchasing items you did not plan to buy.
Impulse buying can result in more spending which can lead to less savings and even an increase in debt.
There are steps you can take to reduce impulse buying, such as prioritizing financial goals and sticking to a shopping list.

Visit Bankrate online at bankrate.com.

©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.