Winter Veggies!

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Winter Veggies are my Rave Fave!

I love root vegetables and the fall harvest is full of beets, parsnips, fennel, onions, garlic, turnips and what else?  I’m sure I’m missing something!

Second Rave Fave?  Guesses?

Apples!  We eat several apples a day in our house.  I never liked apples as a kid and most of my adult life–then a few years ago I started juicing a blend of apples, carrots, lemon and ginger.  I love that combination.  It seemed like overnight I looked years younger and felt amazing.  I don’t juice as frequently now but I do have a portion of an apple each day–usually as I’m cutting them up for kids lunches.  I get these huge honkin’ apples from Farmer’s Market–eating an entire apple would be a meal, they are seriously huge.  In a house with many different ideas on what tastes “good” Honeycrisp are our favorite followed by Mutso apples.  Everyone agrees on apples!  I like  apples because they are sweet, crunch and salty when I dip them in peanut butter.  My perfect food (sweet, crunchy, salty).

Applesauce

When I was offered a bushel of apples from a friend I jumped at the opportunity to make a huge batch of apple sauce–but you don’t need a bushel–you can make just enough for dinner!  or your kids lunch.  I shared my Aunt Clara’s recipe on my very first blog (In Everything Give Thanks) but you can find it here.  It is so easy to make without all the extra junk in it.  (My crockpot is as old as the hills and it works perfectly–you can pick up a crockpot at GoodWill for a few bucks making slow cooking real food simple.  No excuses.)

https://instagram.com/p/9FDeVnOmux/

 

How to Roast Veggies?

Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees.  Then you have two options:

  1. place a little oil on a roasting pan, place all veggies on the pan and start checking to see what it finished cooking every 15 minutes  OR
  2. put each different vegetable in it’s own “pan” made out of foil.  Then when that veggie is finished cooking take it out and the other can take their time roasting.
  3. you can add spices to the roasted veggies . . . makes the house smell amazing.
  4. this is the key to my awesome soups–roasted veggies.

https://instagram.com/p/9Gpuujummj/

Be Blessed as we eat and live with love, gratitude and compassion.

One last thing

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Vegan Candy

Too much booty? How to get rid of your extra candy loot!

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If your kids go trick or treating on Halloween, do you end up fighting over the candy for weeks?  I did!

Here is my solution to this pain in the butt problem!

  1. Let the kids enjoy the “bounty” they have received.  I mean–its fun to have an abundance.  Let this be a teaching moment on abundance–how much is too much and what do you really “need”.
  2. Let them do all the trading that they want for the MOST prized pieces of candy.
  3. Let their parents buy our favorite candy from the kids :-)  I love banana laffy taffy (and once a year I eat it!)
  4. The kids pick out 30 pieces of candy–one for each day of November.
  5. Each child gets his or her own bag of candy to manage.  After all, if they binge eat 30 pieces . . . they won’t feel well but then it’s gone!  (but the house rule of only eating in the kitchen still stands–if I find wrappers anywhere . . . I get EVERYONE’S bags!)
  6. Each day in November they decorate a “thanksgiving tree” (just a branch that has recently fallen down in our yard–we have plenty to chose from!) with a little scrap of paper that dangles from multi-colored yarn with gratitude.

Call to Action:

Consider giving out candy that is organic and non-chocolate.  I wrote this article, Top 1O vegan candies offering some suggestions.  This year, I am giving out Annie’s bunnies and gummies.  Last year I gave out bags of pretzels that I had purchased through the school’s market day program.  I’m always looking for ways to help nourish our bodies and minds in a healthy way AND give back in an additional way.

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Be blessed as we enter this season of Thanksgiving!

oxoxRenee

Vegan Halloween

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Why I want a Vegan Halloween

Halloween begins the “holiday” season in our house.

  1. Halloween proper, not to mention the various other school/soccer/band/art parties!  Now I love a good party but too much is still too much.
  2. Birthday Party for my #2 kid.
  3. Thanksgiving.
  4. Birthday Party for my #3 kid.
  5. Christmas Eve (my new tradition is to have a big Polish 12 dishes meal.)
  6. Christmas Day (I fill the kids stockings with their favorite treats.)
  7. New Year’s Eve.
  8. New Year’s Day.

That is a boat load of cakes, cookies, fudge and candies–some are vegan and some are not.

My intention for myself is to not eat animal products, to eat as close to the source as possible, rarely eat anything that comes from a box, I’m certainly not perfect but I do my best to align with my own personal values.  Each member of my family has a different set of personal values . . . this is where it gets a bit tricky, lots of namaste moments and tons of respect.  From everyone.

I’d like to promote compassionate celebrations . . . that is my bottom line.

 

How I have a Vegan Halloween

I’m not the kinda girl who recreates the wheel.  I’m a cheerleader!  I love to share what others are doing.  I know my limitations!  And my gifts.  This is where I went to create my vegan Halloween.

  1. 10 Halloween Recipes that include hummus and cupcakes.  The bloody fingers were kind of gross and cool at the same time!
  2. This is an amazing Pumpkin Pudding Latte Cake from Oh She Glows!  and it’s Gluten Free!
  3. Amazing Vegan Pumpkin Caramels.  So good.  Seriously good.  Just stop reading this and go make them!  They are that good!!!

What I discovered (and I’m disappointed about)

Lots and lots of “vegan” recipes aren’t really vegan.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes don’t read labels as closely as I should BUT if I make something that uses honey (which is rare) I would say 98% vegan, includes honey.  Or chocolate is another thing that typically isn’t vegan but where I live . . . I can’t find it.  So I need to get it while I’m traveling back home in Ann Arbor or mail order it–a minor pain in the tukus.

That is my pet peeve, when I get something different from what is presented.

pumpkin jedi

Do you want to eat and live with more compassion?

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If your goal is to eat and live with more compassion and gratitude you may want to consider getting a email from me each week on how I eat and live with L.O.V.E., compassion and gratitude.  I’m not perfect but I try really really hard–it is in failing and getting back up each time that I learn more about my authentic self.

Be Blessed as we eat and live with L.O.V.E., compassion and gratitude.