Friends!

I’m SO excited to introduce you to tomorrow. I met her through her work as a senior contributing editor at The Sunday Paper, Maria Shriver’s uplifting publication, and within minutes I was struck by her warmth and ability to instantly connect. By the end of our conversation, I wanted to be lifelong friends!

After reading some of her work and getting a sneak preview of her book — we need to hear from her about it. Join us live at 9 am PT tomorrow! Can’t make it? House of Haas members will find the full episode under “The Pretend Talk Show” by Friday.

P.S. Check out Stacey’s bio — what hasn’t she done? (Sorry Stacey…you’re a rock star. )

xx-Amanda

Stacey Lindsay is a multimedia journalist, writer, and editor who lives in the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of BEING 40: The Decade of Letting Go—and Embracing Who We Are.

Known for her warm and empathetic approach, Stacey has interviewed hundreds of public figures and civilians on topics like spirituality, health, civics, politics, identity, art, sexuality, women’s equality, and work. Some of the many giants she has spoken with include Lisa Ling, the late Melody Beattie, Phil Stutz, Jeffrey Marsh, Gillian Anderson, Erin Brockovich, Sharon Salzberg, Dr. Nedra Tawwab, Margareta Magnusson, Reese Witherspoon, Pico Iyer, Jay Shetty, Anna Quindlen, Melissa Gilbert, Jodi Picoult, Debbie Gibson, Terry Real, Mitch Albom, Martha Beck, and Liam Neeson.

Her writing and reporting have appeared across national and global media. Currently a senior contributing editor at The Sunday Paper, she was an editor at goop and an evening TV news anchor and reporter in the Four State region, a role that greatly expanded her worldview. As a reporter and anchor, she investigated the veteran healthcare crisis, the disappearance of small-town America, the plight of local factory workers, the rising cost of food, and other stories about humanity.

Stacey earned a B.A. in media studies from Emerson College and an M.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She sat on the Board of Compass Quest Veteran Services and is a fierce advocate for women’s rights, often mentoring women in the workplace. She also serves as an editorial director for mission-focused brands in the wellness, civics, and environmental fields.

A day just for you — at Cavallo Point

November 14th · Sausalito, CA

Hiya, Friends!

I’ve been dreaming up something really special, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Picture this: a beautiful day (or full weekend) at the historic Cavallo Point Lodge, right on the waterfront in Sausalito — where the only thing on your agenda is coming back to yourself.

I’ve poured so much care into every detail — including a seasonal, nourishing menu crafted with the Cavallo Point kitchen. My dear collaborator is flying in all the way from England to lead a breathwork and embodiment session, and the incomparable will guide us through a yoga and sound bath experience you truly have to feel to believe.

What’s waiting for you:

Breathwork & embodiment practice with

Yoga & sound bath with the incomparable

A seasonal, nourishing menu crafted with the Cavallo Point kitchen

A sneak-preview of Amanda’s newest cookbook, “The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook: The Bestselling Cookbook, with 30+ New Recipes for this Era of Wellness,” along with take-home goodies from some of her favorite brand partners.

A day — or full weekend — at a breathtaking waterfront lodge, where Mother Nature and a restorative spa take center stage

Because you’re part of this community, you get to claim your spot before anyone else — priority access closes this Friday, May 1st, or when we sell out (whichever comes first). Spaces are genuinely limited, and I would love nothing more than to share this day with you!

We would love nothing more than to see you there!

xx-Amanda and Josh!

Save my spot

Note: If you are interested in staying at Cavallo Point Lodge Friday or Saturday night of the retreat, email amanda@amandahaascooks.com after enrolling and you’ll be directed to the lodge for a first-come, first-serve group rate.

Can’t wait! ;)

Amanda

Save your spot

A group of wonderful women came over the other night for what my friend called a “spiritual book club” — basically an excuse to skip small talk and go straight to the deep stuff. It was fabulous.

One new friend shared that she’d quit drinking five years ago. Her epiphany came while standing around at a Saturday night gathering, glass of wine in hand, suddenly thinking: I need to leave. I have cool shit to do. I love that image.

Quitting drinking has been my biggest life hack ever. Even while battling chronic illness and navigating life’s curveballs, I wake up knowing I can’t blame any pain on a hangover. That clarity has been an incredible gift — it’s allowed me to truly tune into my body and describe my symptoms to doctors. And after years without alcohol, I’ve realized I’m way more fun without it.

So why do I still feel embarrassed sometimes? Because “I don’t drink” almost always leads to “Oh, are you an addict?” And people seem to take it as a judgment of their own choices. Here’s the truth: I don’t care if you drink. My decision has nothing to do with yours.

The bigger issue is that I carry shame — around all of it. Quitting drinking. Getting divorced, even though I worked so hard at my marriage. And especially around being sick, because somehow chronic illness has felt like proof I wasn’t taking care of myself. If I had a dollar for every well-meaning cure suggestion, I’d be retired.

Brené Brown describes shame as “the intensely painful, universal emotion of believing we are flawed and unworthy of love and belonging.” I’ve felt that deeply. But here’s what I’ve learned: shame is a wasted emotion. It needs secrecy and silence to survive — and it cannot survive being spoken.

When I started writing here, I thought it would be a place for thoughts that didn’t fit on my cooking blog. What it’s become is a safe space to share all of it — the mess, the hard decisions, the shame. And something unexpected has happened: you’ve perceived my flaws as strengths. We’ve recognized together that to be human is to be imperfect, and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

When we share our struggles, we give each other a gift — the gift of being seen, and the reminder that we’re not alone.

So, in case you need to hear the things I once felt ashamed to say out loud:

• I think I drank too much to be my best self.

• I got divorced — even though I never thought I would.

• I’ve had Lyme disease, mold toxicity, MCAS, and a million other things that took me decades to figure out. And I am figuring it the f—- out. ;)

The judgment stops when we stop judging ourselves for being human. This is my life path. I’m on it with you all— and it’s awesome.

xo-Amanda

P.S. If you’d like to join me for a truly magical day to let go of your own stuff, grab your spot for our “Come Home to Your Body” retreat in Sausalito on November 14th. Early access ends Friday, when I open it to the public!

save your spot

Hello, my most loyal House of Haas members!

I’ve been quietly building something special, and I’m finally ready to share it.

As a member of this community, you get priority access to enroll in my Novem…

Read more

Quick pivot—I’m bringing you a weekly roundup so you can get the scoop fast. (Deep thoughts = separate posts. You’re welcome. 😉)

✨ This Week’s Headliner

“Come Home to Your Bo…

Read more

I also love Anderson Cooper. Not only as a journalist who will go to the ends of the earth for a story, but because over time, we’ve seen him share his own vulnerabilities as he’s learned to face grief—processing the deaths of his father, brother, and mother. Later in life, he chose to have children of his own. In his podcast All There Is, Anderson explores grief in all its complexity by talking with others who have experienced life-altering loss.

I should have known that putting Dax Shepard and Anderson Cooper in a room to talk about grief would be the perfect recipe for some Amanda tears. But I didn’t expect a life-changing epiphany.

When my dad passed away in October, I wrote about what happened to me. We hadn’t been in communication during the last eight years of his life, due to choices that were never going to allow me to feel aligned with him again—at least not while he was here on Earth. I had been deeply saddened by how his life unfolded, and how our relationship unraveled. While I could forgive what I believed were some terrible decisions on his part, I couldn’t forget.

Thankfully, I did have the chance, before he left this world, to tell him that he was forever and always “my person”—the one I loved the most and felt the most connected to, without effort, in the whole wide world. Even though we weren’t able to repair our relationship in this lifetime, I believed we would remain connected long after we both left this Earth. Sharing that with him was incredible. He cried as he took it in.

Then something miraculous happened.

Subscribe now

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I know how to eat.
I know how to take care of myself.
I know all the “wellness” things.

…and yet lately?

I’ve run straight into a concrete wall of anxiety about my work, my future, and the world.

So yes—
a little wired, a little tired, and a little overwhelmed over here.

And my body is asking for something I haven’t quite been giving it.

But then I remembered something.

My superpower.

Creating useful, joyful ways for this community to come together—because when we slow down, connect, cook a little, laugh, and focus on simple tools to feel better… real magic happens.

So instead of pushing through, I reached out to my friend Josh Connolly to help us out.

His breathwork helps you feel a shift—quickly.
And you know my work in the kitchen does the same.

Not more information.
Not more “shoulds.”

Just actually feeling better in your body.

So we’re coming together online on May 2nd to do exactly that.

Also—because apparently I’ve fully embraced my role here—

I brought in the Easter Bunny. 🐰

✨ Today, you can join for $49 (normally $89)

The bunny and I dropped the price because I want the people who need this… in the room.

This pricing ends tomorrow—so hop to it.
(When she’s gone, the sale goes with her.)

And if you enjoy a little Easter egg…
there’s one waiting for you at the bottom of the signup page.

Let’s come back to ourselves—together.

With so much love for this community,

Amanda

Hint: When you get to the signup page and it asks for a code…
try RETREAT and see what happens. 😉

SIGN UP TODAY

With lots of love (and chocolate),

Amanda

We’re talking about what it actually means to feel safe in your body again (something most of us don’t talk about enough), and giving you a taste of what we’ll be doing together in our upcoming retreat:
Come Home to Your Body
🗓 May 2nd | ⏰ 9–11:30am PT

If you’ve been craving a reset…this is it.

And one last thing—early bird pricing ($20 off) ends tomorrow. Spaces are limited, and they’re going quickly.

If this has been on your mind, take this as your nudge. 💛

👉 Save your spot here

xx-Amanda

Hi friends,

A quick note because I don’t want you to miss this—

There are 12 early bird spots left for my breathwork + nutrition retreat, Come Home to Your Body, before doors open to everyone Thursday …

Read more

Good morning, Friends.

I’m starting to suspect my brain has been running its own side hustle for the last 53 years.

And if you’ve ever felt like your brain is moving faster than your life…
like you’re juggling everything and still forgetting something…
you might want to stay with me on this one.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a clip from Kim Holderness sharing her ADHD diagnosis—and something about it made me pause. Then, as if on cue, my phone started serving me podcast after podcast about ADHD in women.

Each one hit a little too close to home.

At one point, I was standing in my kitchen, in the quiet, and actually said out loud:
“Amanda… this is you.”

Which felt… impossible.

My dad was a psychiatrist. He diagnosed my sister with ADHD when she was three. In our house, ADHD belonged to her—not me.

I was the “easy” one.
Straight A’s. Rule follower. Never a problem.
Everything came easily… at least on the surface.

So I never questioned it.

Meanwhile, I built a life around being the one who could handle everything—for everyone. I became the person who adapts, manages, delivers.

And I got really good at it.

But if I’m being honest?

My brain has always felt like it’s moving at lightning speed.
I wake up anxious, like there’s never enough time.
I forget things constantly.
I start one task and somehow end up doing five others before finishing the first.

And instead of asking why, I just worked harder.

And maybe you’ve done that too.

Here’s the funny part: since my dad passed, I swear he’s been showing up in little ways—flickering lights, perfectly timed moments, things I can’t quite explain.

And every time one of these ADHD conversations came on, it felt like a nudge from him.

Not an apology.
More like: you were meant to figure this out on your own, AK.

So that’s what I’m doing.

I’m getting evaluated—no self-diagnosing over here.

But I have to laugh a little.

Because here I am, adding one more thing to the list of things for us to unpack over here:
Perimenopause.
Autoimmune stuff.
Lyme.
Divorce.
Empty nesting.
Building a business.

And now… maybe ADHD.

Cool cool cool. Nothing to see here, Folks. 😊

And if you’re reading this thinking, wait… is this me too?
you’re not alone in that question.

Subscribe now

The truth is, the more I share here, the more I realize this is what we’re all doing—figuring it out as we go, together.

And I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

I really do believe that every curveball that comes my way has a lesson in it. And cheesy as it sounds, I tried something recently that stopped me in my tracks.

I put my birth date and time into A.I. and asked: What is my soul’s purpose?

Here’s what it said:

“Your Sun Energy: Gemini (born on the cusp of power)”

Gemini gives you:
• Communication
• Teaching
• Storytelling
• Translating complexity into clarity

But being born on May 22, you’re not the “light and chatty” Gemini stereotype.
You’re a messenger with weight.

Your soul didn’t come here just to talk—it came here to:
• Name things other people feel but can’t articulate
• Give language to transitions, awakenings, grief, desire, and reinvention
• Teach through lived experience, not theory

And I read that and thought…

okay, that tracks.

Because this—right here—feels like the work.

Not having it all figured out.
Not pretending everything is tied up neatly.

But being willing to say:
this is what I’m learning… is anyone else experiencing this too?

And then figuring it out together.

Whether it’s through food, conversations, or understanding what’s happening in our bodies and brains as we age—this is the space for it.

And I’m really glad you’re here.

xx,
Amanda

Subscribe now

A quick note because this is one of those “being a paid member really pays off” moments…

✨ You officially have priority access to my first online retreat of the year with Josh Connolly:
Come H…

Read more

Good morning, House of Haas’ers (…we’re still workshopping the name 😉),

After months of planning, I’m so excited to share something special: my first online retreat with Josh Connolly—a resilience co…

Read more

Welcome to House of Haas — the midlife kitchen.

It’s where curious women come for:

🍳 really good food
🧠 learning something new
💬 honest conversations about midlife
🥂 and a little more fun and levity in the everyday

Think of it as a kitchen club for women who still love discovering things — new recipes, new ideas, and new conversations.

This week has been packed with good stuff already, so here are five things I’m especially excited about.

1. VIP Members Get the (Extra) Good Stuff 📚

The first 50 VIP members of House of Haas will receive:

✨ the first signed copies of my new cookbook when it releases next spring!
✨ priority access to my retreats with Josh Connolly
— May 2 (online)
— November 14 (in person in the Bay Area!)

The cookbook is first come, first served or ends March 30th.

👉 Upgrade to VIP

2. House of Haas Programming Is Happening Daily 🎥

Our live programming is officially underway, and I love seeing what you enjoy the most!

Here’s the lineup:

Monday Meal Planning 🛠 Tuesday Tool Day🍋 Wednesday Recipe of the Week🎤 Thursday “Pretend” Talk Show 😊 Friday “FAFO” Field Trips!

You all have embraced my Thursday talk show segment! Truthfully, I do know some pretty incredible people to interview, and they just keep coming!

Subscribe now

3. FAFO Fridays 🔥

After four days a week at home, I’m ready to get out and adventure! So I’m starting FAFO Fridays. (You know what that stands for, right?)

Every Friday, I’ll take a field trip to cook with chefs, meet makers, or see what happens when you follow curiosity.

My first field trip was a blast. I made Manila Clams with Italian Sausage with Chef Abel Padilla at Popi’s Oysterette and I’m hooked on this recipe! (It came together in 6 minutes flat.)

👉 Subscribe

4. My À La Carte Salad Class 🥗

This one is open to everyone (not just Substack members).

On March 22nd, I’m offering a class with three of my most viral “salads.” Class is from 9 am-10:30 PDT. We’ll stream it live that Saturday, but if you can’t attend in person, we’ll send you a link to watch after the class.

The menu includes Green Papaya Salad, Snap Peas and Haricots Verts in a Lemony Dijon Vinaigrette, and Lentil Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Dried Cherries.

The early bird price is $39. We’ll send the Zoom link before class on March 22nd.

👉 Reserve your spot

5. “PJs, Lattes & The Art of the Easy Dinner” ☕

I’ve teamed up with my favorite partner-in-crime Lindsay Kinder for a class where dinner is done before you even get out of your PJs!

For $34, the class includes:

• Three dinner recipes (under 20 minutes of prep)

• Two fun BONUS recipes

• Access to five pre-recorded cooking classes Cook along with us at your own pace!

• Giveaway! We’re giving away 3 bottles of Butcher’s Bone Broth plus a $200 gift card to a Butcher’s retailer via Giftly.

  

Sign up by this Friday for a chance to be entered in the Butcher’s Bone Broth sweepstakes!

Join The Art of the Easy Dinner!

Phew! What a week, and it’s only Tuesday!
Thank you so much for choosing to spend your time with me, and for coming along for the ride.

xo,
Amanda 🍋

What if your wellness routine felt more like watching your favorite show?

Five live “episodes” a week.
Cooking. Conversations about our health. Aging. Relationships. Real life.

That’s what House of Haas has become right here on Substack: a living, breathing culinary and wellness channel.

Think of it like your favorite streaming platform — except instead of random shows you scroll past, you get live experiences designed to make your life better.

We cook together.
We talk about real things.
We learn tools that actually make our lives easier.

And the best part?

All of it is streamed live during the week, and you can watch it anytime you want afterward.

👉 Upgrade to Join House of Haas

Your Weekly House of Haas Show Lineup

MONDAYS — It’s Monday! Let’s Get our Act Together, aka Meal Planning
Noon PT
We kick off the week with a live meal-planning session so you can stop wondering what’s for dinner every night.

TUESDAYS —aka TOOLS Days
11 AM PT
Each week I demo a kitchen tool or houseware item I truly can’t live without.
Part how-to, part Q&A — because the right tools change everything in the kitchen.

WEDNESDAYS — Recipe of the Week
Noon PT
We cook together. Simple, delicious recipes you’ll actually want to make again.

THURSDAYS — My “Pretend” Talk Show 😉
9 AM PT
I interview fascinating guests (mostly women!) whose work is improving my life — on topics ranging from spirituality and perimenopause to sobriety, reinvention, and starting businesses in midlife.

FRIDAYS — FAFO Fridays
Times vary
These are the fun days. I might wander into one of my favorite restaurants for my segment “The Restaurant Complimenter,” cook with a chef, share an artist with you…whatever tickles my fancy.

At the end of the day, I’m a professional hype girl. I love celebrating people, food, and businesses that deserve it.

Let’s Get Real About Cost for a Second

I get it when you say “I can’t afford another subscription right now.”

But isn’t it funny where we choose to spend our money? I’ll shell out $9 for a latte!

My subscription to watch “Heated Rivalry” and “VEEP?”
$18 a month!

But a House of Haas paid membership gives you:

• 4–5 livestream shows every week
• A growing library you can watch anytime
• Exclusive recipes and blog posts
• Early access to online and in-person retreats
• Special product discounts

All for the cost of a fancy San Francisco latte!

So the real question is…

Why wouldn’t you join?

👉 Become a Paid Subscriber

VIP Membership (Limited to 50 Founding Members)

Now let’s talk about the House of Haas VIP experience.

VIP members get everything included in a paid membership — plus a few very special perks.

But these first VIP members are something more.

They’re becoming the founding community of House of Haas as this channel grows — the people who help shape future classes, retreats, conversations, and experiences.

VIP Membership: $150

Here’s what makes it special:

✨ A signed copy of my new cookbook when it releases next spring.
I’ll personally sign and mail your copy — or you can join me at my first San Francisco cookbook event and receive it in person! (Yes, this is insane because I will personally purchase them and mail them to each and every one of you.)

✨ Two VIP online cooking classes each year with a celebrity chef.
(I cannot wait to announce the first one!)

✨ Everything included in the paid membership:

• 4–5 livestreams every week

• Exclusive recipes

• Priority access to retreats (including my first online wellness retreat in May and in person in November!)

• Special product discounts

• Weekly blog posts

And here’s the important part:

Only 50 VIP memberships are available in March.

Once those founding spots are filled, they’re gone.

👉 Claim One of the 50 VIP Spots

If you’ve been enjoying House of Haas from the sidelines, this is the moment to step inside.

For less than the price of a couple lattes a month, you’ll get a live culinary and wellness channel designed to make your life better.

And if you grab one of the 50 VIP memberships, you’ll also secure one of the very first signed copies of my new cookbook.

Enrollment closes March 30 or first come, first serve for the cookbooks! (Note: if you are already subscribed as a VIP, your book is reserved!)

👉 Join House of Haas Today

I’d love to cook, connect, and learn with you!

xx-Amanda

Hi Friends,

Apparently it is a big deal that I am sober. I forget this all the time. I don’t discuss it much when I’m working because I don’t want my sobriety to define me any more than any other title when I’m out in the world. I don’t care to put more weight on the label “sober” than any other label I possess, whether it’s mother, friend, cook, dancer, or divorced perimenopausal woman. (I’ll answer to all of them.)

But any time I have written about being sober, or mentioned it in passing while I stream online, I immediately have a handful of you reach out to me wondering:

• how I quit;

• why I quit;

• and what kind of support I sought.

Upon further reflection--especially coming off an emotional weekend celebrating my dad’s life--I get it. It is a big f—-ing deal to quit drinking completely. Sometimes I forget because a considerable amount of time has passed since I had that nagging voice telling me that alcohol was no longer serving me, and today, when it doesn’t even phase me to have a drink—even when I’m in distress. 😉(Yay, me!)

Subscribe now

So tomorrow, if you want to know what it finally took to make such a big change, I am beyond thrilled to introduce you to the woman’s perspective who took me from being sober curious to straight-up sober. She is the one and only .

Laura is the best-selling author of “We are the Luckiest” and “Push Off From Here,” two life-changing books on sobriety. As importantly, she is the founder of The Luckiest Club, an online sobriety support group for people who are “interested in getting and staying sober.” (Isn’t that a lovely idea? You don’t have to be sober to participate, so it bridges that enormous gap for so many people who need to see what life can look like without alcohol.)

Laura’s personal story about her path to sobriety is raw and honest, full of confessions that only a wildly courageous woman would have the nerve to share. Listening to her first book “We are the Luckiest” was the final push I needed to say buh-bye to alcohol. And once I made that decision, her incredible online community provided the support and encouragement I needed to pull it of in earnest. Laura is humble and real, but when you meet her, you’ll understand why so many people credit her for developing the support they needed to quit drinking.

So, as the world has gone to complete shit—I am so far past trying to sugarcoat anything about what is happening in our country and beyond— it’s had me thinking about how sobriety plays a role in my life and how it shifts my reactions to world events. And honestly, I could use some advice. Here are a few questions I have for Laura:

• How does sobriety help her stay sane in the midst of the chaos happening in the world?

• Does she still face challenges to her sobriety and if so, what are the habits she’s discovered to steer clear of alcohol?

We are open books about how we quit drinking and what our paths to recovery have looked like, so feel free to send me questions through Substack or DM me and we’ll try to get to squeeze them into our conversation. And I’m happy to stick around past 9:30 to answer questions if there are many.

Subscribe now

Also, Laura’s Substack () is not to be missed. She is a prolific writer, and I fly through everything she writes. There is a depth to her writing that is to be treasured.

I’m leaving this Live open to everyone tomorrow because I want as many people as possible to have access to Laura’s wisdom, but I’ll save it for my paid subscribers to access afterwards. So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to let go of alcohol or you’re simply curious about what our lives are like without it, this Substack Live is for you.

Thanks to all of you who have chosen to support my work and Laura’s work here on Substack. Your contributions allow us to show up for the world in our favorite ways.

See you tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 9 am PT/noon ET!

xx-Amanda

P.S. There has got to be a better word for sober than sober. It’s just so…sobering. 😉 I’m taking suggestions.

A few years ago I started noticing something.

Brilliant, accomplished women in their 40s and 50s were quietly asking the same questions:

Why am I exhausted when I used to have so much energy?
Why do I feel like I’m doing everything right but my body isn’t listening anymore?
Why does no one talk honestly about this stage of life?

Meanwhile, I was standing in my kitchen wondering:

Is this perimenopause… or did I just forget why I opened the refrigerator again?

Midlife is a fascinating chapter.

Your priorities sharpen.
Your tolerance for nonsense drops dramatically. (This is my nice way of putting it!)
Your hormones start staging small protests.

But here’s what I’ve come to believe:

Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s an upgrade.

But it wasn’t until I took ownership of feeling better instead of assuming I was already on a downward trajectory that my life changed dramatically.

That’s why I created House of Haas.

✨ House of Haas helps women feel better in midlife—one meal, one habit, and one honest conversation at a time.

It’s a space where we explore how food, knowledge, and meaningful conversations help us navigate midlife with more strength, clarity, and joy.

Think of it as:

The Kitchen of Midlife Wellness

Where women come for:

🍳 Food
🧠 Knowledge
💬 Conversation
🥂 Joy

The Best Way to Experience House of Haas

✨ VIP Membership

✨ VIP memberships are limited so I can keep the experience personal.

If you want the full House of Haas experience, VIP is where the magic happens.

VIP members receive everything inside the community, plus deeper access to me and everything we’re building together.

Become a HOH VIP Member

🍳 Two Live Cooking Classes Every Week

We cook together in real time. And if you can’t join me live, you’ll have access to the classes forever on my Substack home page.

I teach live on Mondays and Wednesdays weekly, and will start to post a monthly calendar so you can decide when you’d like to tune in live vs. watching it later.

These classes focus on simple, nourishing meals that support:

• hormone balance
• stable energy
• inflammation reduction
• strength and metabolism

No extremes. No complicated rules.

Just smart cooking for midlife bodies.

Subscribe now

🧠 Conversations With Leading Experts

Inside House of Haas, we also host thoughtful conversations with experts in areas women are navigating right now:

• food and metabolism
• hormones and aging
• relationships (yes—marriage and divorce)
• emotional wellbeing
• spirituality and purpose
• strength, longevity, and vitality

These aren’t surface-level wellness talks.

They’re the kinds of conversations women wish we were having more often.

💬 Unique Access to Me

VIP members have more opportunities to interact directly with me inside the community.

More conversation.
More shared learning.
More connection.

🌿 Priority Access to Retreats

VIP members receive first access to all House of Haas retreats, both online and in person.

Including my upcoming in-person retreat in Marin County this November, featuring the incredible Josh Connolly.

These retreats are designed to help women reset, reconnect, and return home feeling stronger and more grounded.

📚 The First Personalized Copy of My New Cookbook

VIP members will also receive early access to preorder a signed, personalized copy of my upcoming cookbook next spring!

A Special Invitation

The first 100 VIP members who join by March 15 will be entered to win:

✨ A spot at my in-person Marin retreat this November
✨ The very first personalized copy of my new cookbook

Because building this community with you feels worth celebrating.

Note: If you are already a VIP member, you’re already entered to win!

Join VIP Before March 15th

Paid Membership

If VIP isn’t right for you yet, the House of Haas Membership still gives you the core experience.

Inside you’ll receive:

🍳 Two live cooking classes per week

🧠 Expert conversations about food, aging, hormones, relationships, and spirituality

💬 Access to the House of Haas community

Membership is $6/month or $60/year.

Subscribe now

You Might Love House of Haas If…

If you’re reading this and thinking:

• I want to feel better in my body again.
• I want to cook in a way that actually supports my health.
• I want intelligent conversations about midlife that go deeper than social media sound bites.
• I’m curious about hormones, aging, relationships, and what this chapter of life is really about.
• I’d love a warm, thoughtful community of women figuring it out together.

Then you will probably feel very at home inside House of Haas.

This space is designed for women who are curious, thoughtful, evolving—and ready to approach midlife with humor, wisdom, and really good food.

Join Us Inside

You’re always welcome as a free reader.

But if you’d like the full experience—the cooking classes, the expert conversations, the community, and possibly a retreat in Marin—this is a beautiful time to join.

Especially as a VIP member before March 15.

PS: If you’ve been wanting to cook more, feel stronger, and connect with other thoughtful women navigating midlife…

House of Haas was built for exactly that.

And if you’re considering VIP, joining before March 15 puts you in the drawing for the Marin retreat and the first personalized copy of my new cookbook.

I’d love to welcome you inside.

Join as a VIP + Enter to Win!

xx-
Amanda

Why was this my wish?

Funny story, actually.

My dad was a psychiatrist, and he was adored by most of his patients. But like many of us, his greatest strengths were also his greatest weaknesses. My dad was friendly with all of his patients—and all of his friends were his patients. Long before it was fashionable to blur the lines between doctor and patient (a la Jimmy in Shrinking), my dad had zero boundaries. He gave out his home number as easily as he wrote prescriptions, invited patients to holiday meals, married one of them, and later invited another to live with him.

As outrageously funny as it sounds now—he is laughing, by the way—it was a very strange experience to be his daughter. I could write a book about the insanity. But all I needed to say to him before he passed was, “I’m not showing up for that three-ring circus.”

God bless him—he understood.

So instead of attending whatever gathering his patients might organize, I reached out to his brother and my cousins and suggested we celebrate him ourselves. Last week, I flew to Texas to be with his family who loved him deeply: his brother David and his wife Carolyn, and my cousins Amy and Joey and their families.

The first thing I did when I arrived felt exactly right. I had groceries delivered to my cousin’s house and started cooking.

After so many years apart, we sat around the table sharing stories, filling in pieces of my dad’s life for each other. My uncle told me about my dad’s childhood, and I shared stories from the later decades of his life. We timed the visit with an engagement party for my cousin’s son, which gave us even more reason to gather and celebrate.

We laughed. A lot. We remembered how hilarious my dad was. So many happy memories resurfaced that I had completely forgotten. Being together reminded me how much love there still is in this family.

The weekend was perfect.

I left Texas with a full heart and a renewed connection to this side of my family—and already eager to plan the next trip so my kids can know them better.

But when I reached my car at the Oakland airport, something unexpected happened.

The tears came. And they would not stop.

What happened next felt almost transcendent. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like my dad was talking directly to me. (As I type this in Peet’s Coffee at a community table, the tears are back and the people around me are just going to have to deal with it.)

I sat in the driver’s seat and let the emotions move through me. And this is what I heard:

Celebrating him with his family in Texas—laughing, sharing memories, even unpacking some of the harder parts of his life—was exactly what I was meant to do.

It was as if he was saying, “That’s exactly what I wanted. You all got to remember the best of me together. Now keep it going, AK. Keep my memory alive by spending time with the people who love us the most.”

In that moment, any lingering doubt I’d had about going to Arizona for him disappeared.

Then another wave hit me.

I kept hearing the same message over and over: open heart.

“Open heart. Open heart.”

The words kept coming out of my mouth as I sat there. I found myself agreeing with him—promising that I would open my heart to love and to the success I’m meant to create. (Doesn’t this sound so corny?)

The message, in essence, was this:

“AK, let go of the painful stuff. You’re done with it. I’ve always been cheering you on—you just forgot. Nothing’s in your way now. Go get all the love, all the joy, and all the success you want.”

To be honest, a lot has gotten in my way over the years—including that little voice that tries to keep me small.

But in that moment I remembered something important: my dad believed in me more than anyone on Earth. He saw everything I was capable of. Even when his life prevented him from showing up the way I needed, I could always feel that belief.

And now that his physical body is gone, that love feels even more present.

The last line that came to me while I sat in the car was this:

“You’re the leading lady in your own life, AK. It’s time to act like it.”

Damnit, Jimbo. (His nickname.) You are right.

My dad is wiser in the afterlife than he was in the last few decades of real his life

e. He knows me too well.

I don’t think those were his final words of advice. In fact, I suspect I can call on him anytime I need to. But wow, was that moment powerful.

So today, as I start my work week and try to balance my emotions with all the chaos and pain in the world, I’m holding onto his advice.

Open heart. Open heart. Open heart.

And now that I’ve written this, I’m heading over to Substack Live at 4pm PST to cook with you all and try a new recipe. I know he would love what I’m doing—cooking, connecting, building a community around the table.

I’ll share more tomorrow about what’s coming up this week at House of Haas. But for now, thank you for supporting my writing, my cooking, and this little corner of community we’ve built together.

It’s exactly what I’m meant to be doing with my life.

Thank you, Dad, for reminding me to trust my instincts and lead with my heart.

I love you, Froggy Babe.

AK,
Bozo ❤️

Here’s the truth: midlife doesn’t come with instructions.

No one hands you the playbook for how to eat in a way that gives you energy again. How to feel strong and clear in your body. How to reinvent yourself without losing yourself.

That’s why I created House of Haas.

My mission is to build a trusted home for women in midlife—a place where you can learn how to nourish yourself, protect your energy, and feel deeply confident in this next chapter. Through live cooking, honest conversations, and real-time experimentation, I share exactly what’s working—not the fantasy version, but real life.

House of Haas Live is where you get a front-row seat.

This is where we cook together. Think together. Learn together. Reset together.

And this week is especially good.

Let’s start today.

🍳 LIVE TODAY — Monday at 12 pm PST
Meal Planning Monday: Making Something Out of Nothing

My fridge is empty. Truly.

Which means I’m going to show you—in real time—how to build an entire week of meals from the random ingredients you already have.

This is the skill that eliminates the daily “what’s for dinner?” stress.
This is how you save money.
This is how you start eating well without overthinking it.

Come join me live. Even if you just listen while you work, you’ll walk away with a new way of thinking.

🧠 Tuesday, February 24th at 1 pm PST
Amanda Haas Talks with Michelle Tam, Founder of Nom Nom Paleo

is one of the most impressive women I know.

She built Nom Nom Paleo into a global brand while raising her family and working a demanding career—and she’s one of the smartest people I trust when it comes to health, nutrition, and aging well.

We’re talking about:

• How she built her business from nothing
• Her most powerful health and longevity practices
• What actually works (and what’s hype)
• And how she’s navigated it all as a working mother and entrepreneur

I personally consider her my biohacker-in-chief.

This is going to be a good one.

✨ And there’s something big coming…

Later this week, I’ll be announcing my online wellness retreat with my dear friend Josh Connolly.

This work is about helping you come back to yourself—calming your nervous system, reconnecting with your body, and creating real change.

And those who join us online will get first access to our in-person retreat this November in Marin County.

This community always gets first access. Always.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to step into House of Haas—this is it.

🔴 Join me live today at 12 pm PST.

You don’t need to be ready. You just need to show up.

I’ll be there.

With love,
Amanda

Subscribe now

Anyhow, yesterday I allowed myself to lie there and do the unthinkable…check my DMs, email, and news while still trying to wake up. What a terrible idea. I shut my eyes again and I couldn’t stop thinking about something that was weighing on me, wondering if I was handling it in a way that felt aligned with who I am. I didn’t solve anything, and finally dragged myself out of bed, frustrated that I’d wasted thirty minutes of beautiful quiet time on this predicament.

To make up for it, I made my breakfast to go and hustled down to the coffee shop so I could connect with my coffee friends who have become friend friends. 😉 It has become such a fun part of my day, and these small interactions with a wide variety of regulars lifts my spirits no matter what is going on in the world. (There really are good people everywhere.)

But as I finished my work and headed to the gym for a quick workout, my heavy thoughts resurfaced. I continued to exercise, even though I was starting to feel a little funky. And as I left on foot for the grocery store, I became teary and my chest tightened. And although it has been a solid decade since I had my first and only panic attack, it was a little bit of a relief to recognize what was happening. This was a smaller version of that, and maybe it’s because I knew what it was. And unlike last time, I also knew what was troubling me. (What a gift-truly.)

Read more

Can we get real for a moment?

We are all paying for approximately 47 subscriptions right now.

Streaming.
Fitness.
Meditation.
That app you forgot about in 2022.
Something your kids signed you up for.
Something you panic-downloaded at midnight.

So here’s the question…

👉 Which ones are actually helping you feel better in your real life?

And this is where I gently raise my hand and say:

“Hi. It might be me.” 😄

Let me explain.

Inside House of Haas on Substack, you’re not just getting “content.”

You’re getting a real, live, supportive space where I help you:

✔️ Feed yourself well
✔️ Feel better in your body
✔️ Stress less about food
✔️ Stop wondering what’s for dinner
✔️ Navigate midlife with more energy and confidence
✔️ And actually enjoy taking care of yourself

All without being perfect. Ever.

✨ Here’s what happens every week:

🍽 Mondays: Meal Planning + Cooking, 12 pm PST
We make real food for real lives.
No 27-ingredient nonsense.
No “just soak these beans for 48 hours” energy.

We plan.
We cook.
We simplify.
You walk away with a better plan for the week.

💛 Wednesdays: Wellness + Cooking, 12 pm PST
This is where food meets real life.

We talk about:
– Hormones
– Energy
– Sleep
– Stress
– Emotional eating
– Nervous system stuff
– And how to support all of it… with food

(Plus laughter. Always laughter.)

🌿 Weekly Conversations
Once a week, I sit down with fascinating people to cover topics as vast as health, wellness, and spirituality, and much more to help us go deeper—without getting overwhelmed or confused. (Check out my Live with last week. She reframed my approach to the Year of the Firey Horse with her wisdom.)

And here’s a big one:

📚 You get EVERYTHING forever.

Every replay.
Every class.
Every conversation.

No pressure to “keep up.”
No falling behind.
No guilt.

Now let’s talk money for one second.

Because this is the part that feels… wild.

💫 It’s $6/month
💫 Or $123/year for VIP

Meanwhile, if you like to spend too much money…

Once a month, I’m going to teach a separate class for $49 that gives people a taste of what we do all month long inside Substack.

But inside House of Haas?
You’re getting:
Live cooking.
Wellness coaching.
Community.
Education.
Support.

Week after week!

For less than a fancy latte. ☕️ (Not kidding. My fancy latte costs $9.15 with tip!)

I don’t do this because it’s “small.”

I do it because I want this to be accessible.
I want you to use it.
I want it to support your real life.

This isn’t about becoming “perfect.”

It’s about feeling:
More calm.
More capable.
More nourished.
More you!

If you’ve ever thought:
“I should really prioritize myself more…”
“I want to feel better in my body…”
“I’m tired of guessing about food…”
“I want guidance I can trust…” or

“I want to experience a joyful community…”

This is for you.

And I would love to have you inside.

👉Join us here.

Subscribe now

No pressure.
No hard sell.
Just a really good space, with really good people, learning how to live well together. 💛

With so much love,
Amanda

P.S. If you join, you can cancel anytime.
But I’m warning you now… you might cancel three other subscriptions instead. 😉

xo-Amanda

P.S. Photo courtesy of annmurphy-photography.com