Sunny Days, Sunny Fingers!

Whenever the sun's out, I get super productive! Southern Oregon may be having a dry winter, but I'm not complaining. Look at how gorgeous:



The birds are enjoying it too: they've been dive-bombing and chattering like crazy. My fingers were extra busy this weekend! Started another pixie hat and a hat for my niece:


I've been very good with my food too. I made this Any Time Bean Dip from Whole Food Mommies and I've been eating it constantly! Throw in some pita chips, and it's so filling and delicious.

Royal's not thrilled with the onion breath, but he's going to have to deal with it. I love this recipe!

Here's to hoping the sun stays out. I could use the productivity time!

Hits & Misses

More work is good, but that means I have less time for cooking. The whole foods, plant based diet needs a lot of prep time, which requires planning ahead, which I am terrible at! So this week has been a so-so week, in terms of staying on task.

Since I was craving sweets, I tried a recipe for chocolate almond cookie bars yesterday. They were supposed to look like this:


But ended up looking like this:

Swing and a miss! Edible, but not great. This isn't a completely animal-free recipe anyway, but I don't think I'll ever be able to give up all animal products. Ah well.

On a plus side, I've knit up another pixie hat, the most viewed item in my Etsy shop. Yay! Just have to sew it together now...



Also, I've made a few crochet bracelets that I'll be starting a new store for. Woo Hoo! New things coming! Hope it's a hit!

New Year, New Menu!

New Menu for Life, That Is...

So there I was, sitting on the couch, got up late, eating leftover pizza, and I came across a food documentary on Netflix called Forks Over Knives. It's a documentary about food, and how what we eat affects us. I know, I know, this is NOT something new. But for some reason, this particular movie on this particular day hit me. I haven't been feeling good lately: sick and tired all the time! SO I decided, New Lifestyle!

I dove right into the Whole Foods, Plant Based diet that Forks Over Knives espoused. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of theories on food and diet, and this is just one of many. The facts spoke to me, though, and I started researching recipes. It's been less than a week, but I'm already feeling good. Maybe it's just because I finally feel in control of my health, (not having insurance is so frightening!)but I'm already thrilled with the changes I've made.

My new favorite meal from Whole Food Mommies which is also my new favorite site!




In any case, I'll be detailing my experiences here! I know that changes in diet and talking about "alternative eating lifestyles" can get touchy. I get that. I'm always nervous about talking about my diet. It feels almost as personal as politics and religion sometimes! But that's why I'll be chronicling my journal here. Not only will it help me track the changes and challenges I experience, but maybe it'll help connect me with others who are doing the same thing.