The Friday 5: a Must-Try Dinner, an Eye-Opening Study to Reverse Age and More
A simple meal, a fantastic read, and the wildest anti-aging study I’ve seen.
Hi hi!
This week’s Friday 5 is all about getting back to basics with sheet pan meals, finding small comforts, and a wild study that proves mindset might actually reverse aging.
What’s Inside:
✅ The easiest sheet pan chicken dinner to get back to basics
✅ My go-to luxury towels made from natural materials (40% off!)
✅ A fascinating study that suggests you can reverse aging with mindset alone
✅ A quick-read gardening book to help you grow more with less effort
✅ The Netflix thriller I just watched (perfect for a weekend binge)
1. Making: Sheet Pan Chicken
Sheet pan chicken is the easiest way to make dinner happen without the stress. Toss some chicken breasts (or thighs) with extra virgin olive oil, seasoning and chopped veggies. Roast at 400°F for 20–25 minutes, and dinner is done. Simple, healthy, and zero fuss.
Sheet pan meals are flexible, but the one thing you need to watch is cooking times & sizes of the chicken and veggies to ensure the whole things turns out right.
Get the method and see my cooking tips here »
2. Loving: Cozy Earth Towels in Laurel Green
I’ve been a fan of Cozy Earth for years because they make the softest, highest-quality natural products—from bedding to towels—without harmful chemicals. Their towels are ultra-absorbent, incredibly soft, and feel like a spa moment at home. I just got the ribbed towels in the new color “Laurel” — they are divine! And I love the way the soft green looks in my bathroom.
Cozy Earth is a sponsor of this newsletter, and they’re offering a generous 40% off for readers through Feb 20 with code CE-ELIZABETHRIDER.
3. Fascinated By: Dr. Ellen Langer’s ‘Counterclockwise’ Study
I went down a “Dr. Ellen Langer rabbit hole” this week after listening to her on a podcast, and this one study blew my mind.
Dr. Ellen Langer is a Harvard psychologist with decades of experience. She ran a study in 1979 where she took a group of elderly men and placed them in a house designed to mimic life 20 years earlier. They were told to fully immerse themselves—speaking as if it were the past, watching old shows, reading old newspapers, and doing activities they used to do.
The results? Their biological age markers actually reversed. They had better posture, improved dexterity, even sharper vision and cognition. And when independent observers saw their photos before and after the experiment, they judged them as looking younger.
Her work proves that mindset and environment play a huge role in how we age. If you needed another reason to think young, act young, and surround yourself with what inspires you—this is it.
You can learn more about her work here: Uncertainty and The Power of Possibility, and listen to her podcast on Huberman Lab called “How Thoughts Control Health” here (it’s a fantastic interview).
4. Reading: The 5-Minute Gardener
I got an advanced copy of this book and it was just released—I highly recommend it! I love planting my garden every year, and Nicole’s “intensive planting” methods have helped me immensely over the last few years.
If you’ve ever wanted to get into gardening but don’t know where to start, this book is perfect. It’s full of quick, practical tips to help you grow herbs, veggies, and flowers with just a few minutes a day.
5. Watching: No Good Deed (Netflix)
A little mystery, a little drama—this one was a fun watch! The story follows a couple selling their picture-perfect LA home, but of course, things aren’t what they seem. Secrets, real estate, and some twists along the way.
That’s it for this week! I’ll be off exploring London and Madrid for the next week; followin along on Instagram Stories for food and travel recs (I plan to eat and walk as much as possible!) :)
Talk soon,
Elizabeth
