Tiffani Thiessen’s New Cookbook Might Have Just Changed Our Minds About an Unappreciated Meal
Updated: Oct. 04, 2023
The longtime TV sweetheart has created a formula to make mealtime about family, money-saving, and Earth-friendler cooking.
Tiffani Thiessen has always had many talents. Now Thiessen, who played Kelly Kapowski on the beloved 1990s series Saved by the Bell, is showcasing her knack for making an unpopular approach to cooking suddenly seem super cute.
As the 49-year-old prepares to turn 50, Thiessen says she’s focused on feeling her best and raising children with strong values—in fact, the family are avid gardeners and even raise their own chickens! Appreciating every element of what’s on our plates is a major theme in her second cookbook, Here We Go Again (Hachette/Worthy Books, 2023), which features leftovers as the star of many recipes everyone in the family can love.
Approaching the book’s anticipated launch, Thiessen spoke with The Healthy @Reader’s Digest about why she was inspired to share her passion for minimizing waste.
The Healthy @Readers Digest: When we talked with you earlier in the year, you shared a little bit about your cookbook. Here We Go Again is centered around reusing leftovers, which is important both from a food waste and money-saving perspective—we love that. Are your kids onboard with eating upcycled leftovers? Any wisdom you’d share with parents?
Thiessen: Yes, my entire family is now. They probably weren’t the biggest fans of the idea at first, my husband especially. He was someone who always would say no to leftovers and put his nose up to it. So, at first it was the challenge of making a new recipe out of leftovers and fooling him and the kids. Ha!
The Healthy: What are your favorite recipes in the book?
Thiessen: That’s like picking a favorite child, come on! I would say the ones that have the most meaning would be my sausage beans and greens, my Aunt Jenny’s sweet potato cake roll, or the Thanksgiving shepherd’s pie.
Here’s What Neil Patrick Harris Ordered on His First Date with David Burtka
The Healthy: What are your family’s favorite recipes in this book?
Thiessen: Pizza for Breakfast Sandwich, Butternut Squash Quesadillas, Grilled Pulled Pork Burrito, or Yesterday’s Crispy Rice Cakes.
The Healthy: Composting is also important to you, and it’s becoming more of the norm around the country. Tell us how you got into it—what’s one step readers can take to get themselves set up for composting?
Thiessen: I think growing up and living in Southern California I’ve been exposed to the importance of taking care of our planet. So, it’s something I have been doing for years and years.
Understanding that food waste is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, it made me even more determined to teach my own children the importance, as well as others. Composting can definitely be daunting but if you start small, I feel like anyone can succeed. Then you can see pretty quickly how easy it can be and how amazing it is for your garden.
The Healthy: We last talked about how important being outdoors is to your wellness routine, and you also mentioned weight training, ice baths and Pilates. Is there anything new you’ve been trying since then, or anything you like to do specifically in the fall?
Thiessen: I’m still doing it: Weight training, hiking, and, yes, ice baths or cold-plunging. It’s all so important for my body, but also my brain.
But I will mention something else that’s super important to my health and daily routine, and that’s drinking water. Hydration to me is the most important thing you can do for your body, inside and out. I try and drink at least half my body weight in ounces. I have also cut back a ton on alcohol and caffeine as well and feel fantastic. I’m turning 50, and my goal is to look and feel the best I can at 50.
Originally Published: October 03, 2023
