How are you doing today? I’ve had a great day! I designed some business cards for my yoga business but for a girl who feels like I need to see every last choice, I think I have looked at 9834573 versions of backgrounds, layouts, fonts, colors, from multiple online printing sites. But I decided on some zen-like cards with earthy tones of soft brown & green with white text and can’t wait to see how they look when they arrive!
Then, I had a blogger meetup with Madeline of GreensandJeans! We drank coffee, had a great time gossiping about all you other bloggies talking shop, talking life, and catching up! It was just what I needed...thanks, Madeline, you rock!
Sorry, we didn’t do a photo op today but here’s a Photo and Link to our last Coffee Cluth
And then it was time for me to get home with Skylar, get her some lunch and a nap, so I could get ready to go teach yoga. Which is where I am off to now.
But first….
I am really glad you appreciated the Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes Post:
Raw Vegan Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes from yesterday’s post were a hit and they’re a cinch to whip up. 10 minutes or less so you still have time to impress your non-raw, non-vegan friends-n-fam tomorrow.
And thanks for the props on the Roasted Potatoes receips
and the Salads & Homemade Vegan Dressing Recipes
For today, let me show you just a few of the things I’ve whipped up as day-to-day eats before the Gorge Fest Thanksgiving Feast happens tomorrow.
There was a bowl of Overnight, Raw, Soaked Coconut & Mango Tropical Oats
That I made un-raw by nuking. (As I mentioned in this post, cooked food is fine. If your body asks for it, then feed it.) I added half a sliced banana, cinnamon, & brown sugar to the cooked oats.
For dinner, I made a Great Kale Salad with Cauli, Tomatoes, Brock, Orange Peppers, Asparagus….
….& My Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing just dripping off every last leaf. Delish!!!
And there was a Bed of Greens, Radiccio, Dulse Flakes, Carrots, Yellow Peppers, Cukes, Cashews…
….and the Holiday Spice Orange Viniagrette I told you about yesterday.
Skylar snacked on a Clif Bar in White Chocolate Mac Nut. I had really high hopes for this bar and I tried a tiny piece and it was kinda meh.
These are way better. Wild Blueberry Pure Bars. Num.
But I do have high standards in the Chocolate Department, I suppose. Which is why I whipped up another bath of my Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.
I never get sick of these things!
They taste just like real raw chocolate chip cookie dough and the dough is vegan, gluten & soy-free, and they’re ready in 10 minutes or less!
But really, it doesn’t take much to impress me if you have a jar of this, TJ’s Sunflower Seed Butter. I know there are other brands, but I really love this one. So I’m not messin’ with a good great thing.
And then a spoon and dark chocolate chips. Use your imagination.
Oh, and those Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies that I made have been burning a hole in my vegan pocket, so I noshed on a few of those, too.
Yoga Today is Hanumanasana (Monkey Pose, or the full splits). A wonderful hip opener and way to stretch our your hammies, quads, and hip flexors.
Tip of the Day: Enjoy your holiday!!!! Don’t stress, don’t sweat the small stuff. No one will remember whatever, comment, food you made/brought/ate/didn’t eat, or you name, it in a month. So don’t worry about it now. Just enjoy your day in whatever way makes you feel special!
Tips 2 & 3–Two GiveAways:
Elina from Healthy and Sane is having a NuNaturals Stevia Products Giveaway!
Shelby, La Belle Vegan, is having a Oh Nuts Giveaway!
Is there a food you are super excited to eat on Thanksgiving? For me, honestly, I think I’ve gotta go with my raw vegan apple crumble. Not that it’s a long-standing tradition or anything, but it sure is good! If I was back home, I’d say my mom’s wild rice casserole or the homemade Christmas candy she starts breaking out before Thanksgiving are wonderful memories from my childhood. What foods do you have fond memories of or can’t wait to dig into tomorrow?
Stay Tuned For A Recap of What I Made for Thanksgiving….
Fabulous Idea!! I love the idea of adding the amazing grass powder into some treats! I havent seen the chocolate version though. Might have to keep an eye out for it. Very cool!! Love it!!
Great holiday tips too! For me personally if I'm somewhere where I don't want to eat the food but everyone loves it. That's ok with me! I just simply won't eat it. I would never be rude about it but I wont eat something either just to be polite=) I would just either pass and say that it looks fabulous but cant eat it due to dietary restrictions or something like that. I am sure if everyone else is indulging they won't mind if I don't have a few bites=) If I know Im going somewhere that often times has food that I cannot eat I try to bring my own with plenty of extras to share!
I love the holiday tips series that you are doing! Great info to help keep us lovely ladies (and gents) on track this holiday season!
Okay, those creme de menthe bars still look scrumptious! I'll have to make them for Christmas and give them to my family to try. I'll make them explain every detail of how they taste so I can just imagine it ; )
You just had to talk about eggnog lattes didn't you!! That is my biggest sadness at this point in my Raw life, no coffee. The colder it gets the harder it gets. Maybe I'll splurge and have one on Christmas Eve. That could be a BIG mistake, we'll see :O
Fall off track? Who does that?!? Surely not us OCD people, hee hee hee…..
If I don't want to eat I use the, "I don't feel very good, I think I may be coming down with something" line. Usually at that point they want you to leave the premises : )
Nicole
I am still drooling over your mint dish! I have to go buy a few things (like powdered sugar)
I have become a Kale addict as of late…stuff is amazing for sure and using the amazing grass in your dessert was brilliant! nice job!
you know what??? having a toddler is a great buffer between you and the table of food. I had to admit it but if I don't see much of what I enjoy, I have a few nibbles of veggies or whatever I do see I might like/ want and then go chase JJ. PERFECT.
I almost always have a green smoothie before an event so I feel well fed and the rest is just bonus. Truth be told I never met many foods I didn't like. Now it's more of what do I need to fuel my body rather than feel like I have to try everything to satisfy my taste buds.
I kind of like this new approach. I am never really disappointed.
( I am sleeping better and the runs are getting better too)
xo
I am totally about to go get in my kitchen and bake vegan creme squares or snowballs! They look amazing!!! Hurray for tons of great products too!! Amazing grass, pro bars, flackers!! I actually have never tried any of those -> crazy, right?!
have a wonderfffffffffffffful Tuesday, mama dear! I love you!!!
Morning Averie,
Great pics of all your yummy eats!
That yoga mat is cool. I bet having that focal point would be really helpful. I need to new mat!
As for gatherings and if I don't like or can't eat the food–most everyone I know realizes that I have tons of food intolerance's and they realize that I will probably just bring my own. It makes things MUCH easier to just take what I can eat. Then, if there is something there that I CAN eat, I will have plenty :)
Sounds like a great Monday!I love days where you feel like you ran through a nice list of accomplishments. I got one of those yoga mats too! I can't wait to try it. It feels just incredible.
Mmm…I love the TJ's frozen mango!
Thank you so much for your advice last night. I took your advice on the D-Mannose. TOTALLY CLEARED UP. I cannot believe it.
You are just an angel in disguise as a awesome yogi, mommy, raw chef guru!
you really are an amazing raw vegan chef, averie!!
i cannot wait to try those pro bars!!
and great holiday tips, too !
i love the chocolate amazing grass mixed in with pure pumpkin and some nu natruals sweetner :)
perfect!
THANK YOU for the bar review! ive been wanting to try them and im glad i read this!! and those crackers soundin goooood! :)
I eat frozen fruit straight from the bag all the time! Whenever I'm at a party or a restaurant where the food just isn't my thing, I try not to talk about it, eat what I feel comfortable eating, load up on water, and enjoy the company!
Wow. Chocolate galore! Of all kinds! Nice!
If I don't like the food that is being served, I still eat it. Part of being social is to follow the group. I won't die with one bad meal, and it's not worth stirring bad feelings just for one meal.
But I'm not vegetarian at all, though, so it's easier for me to just eat, I suppose.
Next on my list will be your coconut snowballs, these are perfect for the holiday gatherings!!
I was going to ask you for some holiday vegan recipes….I will bring my dishes everywhere I go this year :) LOL!
I just made some amazing chocolate cups that I will post shortly, I am thinking you will like them ;)
I'm not a mint girl but I do want to give you mad props for the networking!!! I'm of the age/experience where I realize the importance of getting out there and getting known. Good for you.
Sounds like a perfect day (give or take a few abc's)
I joined grassheads and get the quarterly order. I can already tell it's not going to be enough but it's all I can bear to afford right now. The box of packets is $21 at my local co-op. Ouch! I LOVE Amazing Grass though! And lately I've felt great!
I need to try your veggies and slaw combo, it always looks so good! As for your question, that is such a toughie! My mother taught me the fine art of strategically pushing food around while complimenting some aspect that is sincere. "how interesting" comes to mind. Her other trick is to always offer to bring something specific like a salad or fruit tray so she knows she always has something that she can eat. My problem is that my face is usually a dead giveaway to my true thoughts! Oh well! :)
I had an awesome weekend, but it's definitely a lil hard to adjust back to routine. The menthe bar looks amazing! Like I always say, I have no clue how you keep coming up with such fab and creative recipes :)
I really do enjoy your blog. You are so positive, and I am trying hard to be more positive in my life. Particularly hard with the holidays. I tend to look at everything I cannot do, the sadness in life, and seeing others cheeriness and bubbliness and excitement gets me very sad. I am now working on more positivity and hope it pays off. You are a creative baker. I am lazy in that department, some day I will try to do more baking instead of the lazy-man way out :)