Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!!!!!!!!!!! I want to wish everyone a sincerely wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and a wonderful kickoff to the winter holiday season. I want to take this time to thank each and every person who reads my blog, who leaves me positive & uplifting comments, who tells me that my blog has helped change them for the better, and thank you to all of you who write me telling me that you love my recipes and that I am helping you transform your dietary choices and your life.
Such high praise, and thank you, sincerely. Without all of you who read my blog, I wouldn’t have a blog. So thank you, and I am grateful for you all!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to write a list of some things I am grateful for on this holiday and I will get to that, but first…
I’m glad you enjoyed my Everyday Eats post yesterday. Keeping things simple the day before the big cooking & eating fest was the name of the game. Foods like overnight soaked oats
And Kale Salads with Fresh Veggies for dinners were where it was at.
And either Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Or Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies for dessert
All these foods comprise the simple, easy, pleasurable, stress-free way of eating I like best. Not just the day before Thanksgiving, but in general, easy, simple, fresh, short ingredient lists, straightforward recipes, home-made, but not kitchen-enslaved, foods are how I like to cook and eat.
For Thanksgiving, I made a turkey for Scott. He’s not vegan, but 95% of the time goes along with my vegan fare. He requests very little culinary-speaking but did request turkey, so I wanted to honor that request and I made one. It was a very conscious choice, not just mindless eating nor embarked upon on whim. I made a small bone-in turkey breast. (It was not appetizing for me to handle the raw bird, but I cloth-diapered Skylar so there is very little that makes me squirm anymore. Sorry, about the TMI).
I also made Gravy, Stuffing, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked White Potatoes, Salads, and Dessert. We had enough food. No worries there. And I will post pics of everything in the next day. For now, I am trying to keep this post really simple because not gonna lie, I did bust a hump in the kitch today and don’t have it in me to get all the pics up now. Tomorrow, they’ll be up, promise.
Here are some of the things I am grateful for:
My Husband
My Daughter
Being a homeowner
Having a body that I can use to do yoga, run, dance, walk, and move freely about the world
My yoga practice
Being hired to teach yoga
My blog
My blog readers
Finding the path that’s right for me in terms of dietary choices
Friends I’ve made in the blogosphere
Friends from my childhood
Having plenty of “stuff”
Not having to worry about how to pay the electric bill or pay for groceries
Being able to take vacations with my family
Learning & being able to cook in a whole new way after food intolerances
Being appreciated by my readers
Living in a warm climate
My brain
My creativity
My sensitivity
Meaningful connection with others
Blue skies
Sunshine
Clean Water
Clean Food
The People Who Love Me
I could go on and on and on about what I am grateful for but my Tip of the Day is to Practice Gratitude. Be grateful for that which you do have, focus on that. Do not dwell or obsess on that which you don’t. It serves no purpose and will hinder you from seeing, feeling, observing, and being grateful for all that you do have.
Yoga today is full backbend, Urdhva Dhanurasana. Open your heart center and let the love flow in. Let yourself receive healing energy, peaceful vibes, and love from the Universe. And then give back. Be grateful. Be giving. Be loving. Be Thankful. Namaste Friends!
I think everyone ’round the Blogosphere has been asking What are you Grateful For? And I will ask you now, too. Tell me something you’re grateful for. Do you have an easy time practicing gratitude or do you find yourself dwelling on things you don’t have or things you wish you had? I think we’d be lying to ourselves if we said, oh, it’s always easy and I never compare, I never have a hard time just accepting that which I have and not wishing for something else. How do you get past this? It’s so important to realize we’re only human, take a quick minute for your pity party, but then get back on track with a positive mental attitude, being grateful, and welcoming in the love and light that surrounds us. That’s my strategy at least, tell me about yours.
Stay Tuned For My Thanksgiving Food Spread Photos & Recipes…
I'm a believer. You could babble on about the moon all day to me.
When I first started going to my Reiki lady (who's also a nutritionist), I didn't even know if I believed in Reiki. I used to question it every time I got on the table. But she's SO fantastic and such an amazing person (beautiful, yoga practitioner as well, such a wonderful cheerleader really) that I stopped questioning because I always felt better and wonderful things were happening in my life.
Sometimes you just have to go with it.
My trainer cancelled for tomorrow night so I'm getting a pedicure. I'll use my toe muscles to stay in the hot water!
girl i like yo tats!! i got one too!!
yeah your cookie dough balls prob cant even be compared to the balance bar.. im sure they dominate it
SO interesting about the full moon! i feel like i just got 10 new wrinkles in my brain!
Aww, too bad the pictures didn't come up of my creme de menthe bars! Thanks for the shout out though; I brought some to some friends today and they loved them too! Next up are the PB cups!
So that's what's going on!!! Darned full moon! I should have known because my son had a lunar calendar that he's been keeping for science and I didn't pay attention that it was a full moon. I think I'll try deep breathing : )
I totally forgot about those pb cups! I am so making them tomorrow!
Have a relaxing night and go to bed early! {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
Nicole
I will say that with my experience with kids and my experience in retail, people become full on crazy during a full moon! I've had a class full of cookoo bananas kids and a store full of nutso people. So interesting!
that is SO crazy about how the full moon effects everything! crazy! i know i could hardly sleep last night.. i was up at 5am :( for no apparent reason.
went back to bed, though.
i still need to make those PB cups. hmm.. creme de mint pb cups…? muahaha
lovee youu
Thanks for sharing info on Full Moon…it explains a lot! I will be more aware of myself and thoughts next time there is a full moon.
whoa. I'll never look at a full moon the same way again. Those are fascinating facts…I wonder if any of those are really facts? Have they been proven?
My mom's a family dr., and she's definitely mentioned that back when she was doing her time as a student in the emergency room, there was a marked increase in the number of loonies on nights with a full moon. Weird, huh? Loved reading this post! :)
wow those full moon theories are totally applying to me right now!!
I HAVE to live somewhere sunny too. Right now my health is not the best, and I feel 10x worse on a rainy day. It's been noticed in patients with chronic fatigue that bad weather affects us negatively.. something to do with the electrical currents in the atmosphere during bad weather and the dampness in the air.
i love reading your blog :)
mmm the Sleigh Ride tea has been ALL over the blogosphre and I am SO curious what it tastes like! I'm always afraid of buy a box of new tea because i'm so afraid that they're going to be bad and that they'd go to waste!! I'm glad you endorse the tea though…that adds an uber lot of credibility! heheheh
AHHHH those caramel popcorn bags I've seen at Trader Joe's and have ALMOST bought them twice. I always manage to replace it with another snack though…like cinnamon sugar pita chips!! :)
P.s. TOTALLY agree with you on the balance bar. Protein content is great but ingredient list SUCKS!! I'd stick with your homemade balls any day!
OH I am a firm believer in the moon's affect on us all. Meghan at Making love in the kitchen wrote an ebook on aligning your cycles (ahem) to the new moon as opposed to the full moon…who NEEDS that time of the month to hit at full moon? NOT ME
even my name "Cynthia" means "moon" so I am no stranger to those vibes. OH I SO FEEL IT. and I feel the calm of new moon. I actually really love the ebbs and flows of our environment and each other.
yah…hippie dippie but I love it so.
Thanks for you write up on it…
I made another batch of your holiday vinaigrette (for me) because I left my Thanksgiving batch with our hosts. I have had a spinach / pomegranate salad with that dressing yesterday and today. Oh so refreshing and light!
DANGIT…I just realized I went to Sprouts and forget to find powdered sugar. boo.
I am dying for some of your mint treats!
I'm off for some sugar cookie tea of my own. Sprouts ran out already..and I am addicted to Candy Cane Lane and I ran out yesterday. sniffles!
hope your evening is relaxing! I am off to do some Pilates now!
xo
WOW holy yum with those peanut butter cups. I have a serious crush on Reese's and I am SO pumped to get these ingredients and make these – just bookmarked the recipe. I guess I am in the dark, I have never heard of Nooch!
And I definitely am a believer in the effects of the moon – I work in health industry and see it in people every time! Love reading your blog!!
I have to admit, at first I was a little skeptical about the whole moon thing, but now that I think about it, every time it rains here my mood just plummets.
I'm an Ecology & Evolutionary Biology major and science never ceases to amaze me. and what you said about the magnetic fields actually makes a lot of scientific sense! definitely interesting and something i've never thought of before!
and as usual, the food looks amazing.
My hubby jokes that I am "solar powered"! I NEED the warmth of the sun in order to maintain balance in my life.
PS- I think your desserts are WAY better than anything you can buy in a store!
i think i would WAY prefer your cookie dough balls to the cookie dough balance bar! i dont like the grainy taste thats left in my mouth after protein bars! and yours look phenom!
interesting facts about the full moon-who knew your physical energy is much stronger?! very cool!
i certainly do not htink this stuff is hocus pocus, BUT i also don't know enough about it! so thank you for the info :) love it
have a great night averie xo