Fabulous Vegan Recipes

Before last month, I hadn't traveled since September 2013 when I went to Italy. I was restless back then, ready to leave my job and move to NYC and I just wanted to see Italy again. I had a good job and awesome benefits and health insurance and a ton of vacation time so I went. It was fun and I took it for granted. It lacked the gratitude that my most recent trip had and I didn't come back as changed as I did last month.

This long Memorial Day weekend has been just lovely, spending time with friends and eating good vegan food. It's super hot in the city so running was a challenge today but I did it and followed it with an awesome strength workout. So while I savor this long weekend and reflect on just how lucky I am and how beautiful this life is, I want to share a few more things I'm loving lately!! Oh and be on the lookout for my next recipe, cauliflower mac and cheese. Oh yeah!

I hear so much noise in the vegan community about what to eat, how much to eat, how often one should eat, what exercises to do, how much macronutrients should be in your food etc etc. It's so overwhelming and confusing and it makes me tired. Instagram is a huge source of food information and recipes but usually from people like you and me who are posting what is working or not working for them. I see so many skinny, fit vegans eating tremendous amounts of food and not gaining weight. I see raw vegans, raw til 4 vegans, junk food vegans, it's just so much to take in. And I'm left with questions like: is all that fruit really good for weight loss? Is coconut just as bad as meat due to the saturated fat? Should I be eating so much rice? Do portions really not matter? Is it really WHAT you eat versus HOW MUCH you eat? And if you're one of those vegans who needs or wants to lose weight, where do we fit in with all of this? I went to a dietitian before I moved here two ye

I have interacted quite a bit with judgmental, harsh, inconsiderate vegans this week and I just can't not write about this topic. The vegan lifestyle is becoming more popular and people are opting for more plant foods in their diets; but being vegan is still very new to alot of people so it's important to be caring, compassionate, and understanding in order for the movement to continue to surge. Changing your diet and eliminating food groups can be scary, jarring, and difficult at first but if you have people around to guide you, it can be an easy transition.

I get this question alot when I talk about veganism...how did you become vegan?  Did you just decide one day to go vegan?  Was it difficult?  I stopped eating meat in high school when my friend said she didn't eat meat.  I don't remember becoming vegetarian because of the animals but I found it to be cleansing and healthy.  I was not aware of factory farming or animal welfare back then; for me it was purely the joy of giving up something that intrigued me about vegetarianism.  I was mostly for a few years except when my mom made her meatballs; then I had a few.  I then transitioned to just eating white meat (no beef) because of how unhealthy red meat was found to be.  I ate chicken, turkey, pork and lots of tuna.  My favorite food was turkey burgers.

I re-designed my blog and I am so so proud of the look and layout!  I added labels and my sites section which makes it that much easier for you to navigate.  My whole purpose in redesigning the blog was to make it easier for you to find specific recipes based on what you are looking for: oats, smoothies, raw desserts etc.  So, now that I have that, I hope you take a look at each and every recipe you're interested in.  I noticed how much I've improved with my writing and photography skills since I started blogging back in 2011 and also when I picked back up again with the blog in 2013.  I've come a long way, baby! I love this blog, it makes me so happy, it is written with love, love for the animals, love for cooking, love for my readers.  I designed it myself, I spend lots of time thinking about the content and making recipes, it's my baby and I want to pass on that love to you.  So, take a look around and leave a comment if you love it or have any further sug

I'm sitting here at my childhood home enjoying the view of my mom's backyard and thinking of all my childhood memories. I'm home from the city to go to my doctor's appointment tomorrow (running injuries) and while I'm home I'm going to see friends and family. Being away from the suburbs now makes me appreciate them more and those details that were annoying are now pretty awesome. So, I'm grateful for a few of my favorite things. Summer fruit has been a craving of mine the last few days especially for breakfast. Lately, I've had organic blueberries, pears, pluots, peaches and dates. I also bought apples and of course I've had almond butter on hand :) What do you crave in the summer? Usually people crave more cooling foods (I'm off the oatmeal kick for now!) What makes you blissfully happy? Do you wake up and think about three things you're grateful for? What are you looking forward to? For me, it's fall in New York City. It's buildin

I hope everyone who celebrated July 4th had a fabulous holiday!  I hope you spent time at the beach or lake or pool or wherever you find peace and serenity.  I've been sporadic with the blog because I was traveling and not feeling super inspired to write.