holiday spirit

breakfast scramble with daiya and field roast

working retail can get to you sometimes. especially during the holidays. just the holidays alone can get to you. in the past i've had melt downs. seriously. daily (in the retail world) it challenges me to find good in society and to interact with people in a sincere way. i know the holidays are stressful, but why does it have to be?

i asked myself that question when the holidays came approaching this year.. it really manifested into a lot of questions... do i need to work overtime for the holidays? no. should i feel guilty about not giving gifts. no. do i have to be overwhelmed by angry people? no. can i eat healthy, spend time with loved ones and look back at all the good things before a new year starts. yes.

organic dark chocolate peppermint bark

in the past, i let my emotions get the best of me. although it's endearing to think i worked my tailbone off to buy gifts in hindsight none of that really mattered. what matters is the unconditional love you find in your life. to cherish the time with friends and family, celebrate your community and to honor all the hard work you put into the year.

this holiday was different then the past. because i chose not to work to much, to not carry guilt because of a pseudo-tradition, to be around people who love me and support my journey and because i honored the space where true presents are unwrapped. this is what i got:

- selfless acts of awesomeness

- yoga with the community

- mending fences with my stepmom

- doctor who marathon with dad

- welcoming new people into my life

- the smell of chocolate baking

- doggy kisses in the tiniest hours of the morning

- old recipes i haven't visited in along time

- playing board games until your too sleepy to answer

and its that simple. happy holidays everyone.

give thanks

pomegranate seeds for the salad

to all of the people you love. i spent my thanksgiving with my best friend and his family this year. one thing about the holidays is that it brings people closer together. it's great to share stories over food about all of the experiences you've been through. or to just simply laugh with people you love.

squash soup

vegan dinner

i embraced wanting to have a traditional (vegan) thanksgiving this year, so i indulged. it incorporated some cranberry sauce, green beans, roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes with gravy and of course pumpkin pie. his sister always makes her famous squash soup every year, and this time she veganized it! instead of cream she used coconut milk, so delicious!

the 'kids' table

what is great about our friendship is that we are family. i can do my laundry at their house, play music with his dad and talk for hours with his mom. i feel so at home every time i spend time with them.

happy halloween

the leaves have changed

happy halloween! i apologize for the lack of commitment to my blog. i'm constantly jotting down ideas or making recipes, but i haven't found the time to post. my camera has also been MIA when the perfect opportunities for friendly eating arise. thats okay though, i love when things happen naturally and being completely present in the moment.

after a few excuses i have one more, i've been shifting a lot of my eating (always vegan) by balancing out a lot more cooked foods and it's honestly been a long time since i've cooked. some of the recipes that i've been making have been hit or miss, and i'm a firm believer of taste testing all recipes and only if it's good will i feel compelled to blog about it. needless to say, i have had some off recipes, but thats okay cooking is a practice, and with practice you get better each day.

i feel like if i keep posting pictures of food it would be boring, i've been eating lots of salads, oatmeal, sandwiches, raw fruits and veggies. life has been throwing me a lot of curve balls. i've been busy with school and working full time so although i always maintain a healthy diet it's not always that interesting.

my furby costume

halloween weekend was fun. now were entering november. it's pretty odd to me that it hasn't snowed in colorado yet. when we were kids, we based our costumes around our winter coats. i'll take the warm weather though!