Meatless Monday Adventures

Welcome to my 5-Day Sef-Care Challenge-Holiday Rebellion Style

The 5-Day Holiday Rebellion Challenge

DAY 1-SIMPLE SWAPS: CHOMP THE (CARROT) CHIPS & DIP

Want a little cheeky Holiday Rebellion?

Looking for slivers of sanity, simple swaps and self-care amidst the munching madness?

Rebel against salty, greasy processed chips!

While careening your shopping cart to gather festive holiday snacks, skip the store-length "chip" aisle, (yes, it truly is an entire grocery store aisle!😳) and swing thro…

Welcome to “Finally Fall” here in my world!  It’s almost November after all.

I’m officially feeling it in the air today with 40 mile an hour winds whipping crunchy, greenish-brown leaves off my neighborhood trees and driving our windchill into the low 30’s!  The leaf colors here don’t quite rival other parts of the country yet, but I’m still loving the autumn vibes and cooler temps!

Naturally my mind went straight to comfort foods and thankfulness. Feeling blessed and grateful beyond belief wh…

And suddenly, it’s December.

Mid-December actually and my intention was to post this last week. Yikes!

Messy, beautiful time-sprinting chaos percolating amid twinkling lights and pine boughs.

Do you ever wonder how your time spirals out of control so quickly when you start each day (week, month, year!) with the best of intentions? Yeah, me too.  Best laid plans, and all.

To very loosely paraphrase Proverbs 16:9, “we make our plans and God laughs”.

This week, I gave myself grace, along with …

Simple humble green leafy goodness! 

The luster that greens add to the produce aisle, as well as our plates and bodies, is nothing short of seductive.

From the most delicate and gentle to chewy and hearty, these leaves of lusciousness are all welcome in my world!  Some, like kale, even benefit from a little massage to encourage them to relax and become more supple. Who doesn’t?

Experience has shown me that “greens” sadly play second fiddle in a lot of plate productions.  A sprig of parsley he…

It took me a while to warm up to the idea of quinoa, much less pronounce it. (KEEN-wah). Let me tell you, I feel like a bit of a fool now, knowing what a nutrition powerhouse it is, how easy it is to cook and that it's widely considered one of the world's healthiest foods. Did I mention that I'm a late bloomer?

My first attempt at ordering quinoa was years ago, in a cold Mediterranean salad at the Nordstrom Café in Seattle, much like this one by Plant-Based on a Budget. It pains me to say that …

There is nothing like a new year full of magical mushroom possibilities!  I feel exhilarated and hopeful after what always feels like a ‘layover from life’ holiday season, during which I ate a crazy number of mushroom-packed dishes that were nutritious, simple and delicious, like Angel “Eggs”, Mushroom Walnut Pâté, and Creamy Mushroom Lasagna.

Mushrooms can be the best supporting actor in a recipe or hold their own as the star of the show.  The braised carrot dish I made for Thanksgiving, with …

For the first half-century (plus!) of my life, I couldn’t imagine a meal, much less a Holiday, without a carnivorous centerpiece that needed to be expertly carved and kept moist at all costs. 

This holy grail of holiday fare was surrounded by a symphony of plant-based side dishes that were adorned with sausage in the stuffing, marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, cheese in the mashed potatoes, bacon in the brussels sprouts and butter and cream in nearly everything.

Divinely rich, decadent and d…

Hustling to the gate from Ling & Louie’s bar at DFW, where I enjoyed an incredible Asian chopped salad with sesame-soy dressing, I pass Popeye’s Fried Chicken.  Growing up, Popeye represented strength, fortitude and spinach!  Today Popeye represents a very long line of fried chicken lovers awaiting their fast-food fix. And it breaks my heart.

Traveling is one of my life’s greatest pleasures!  On the plane and attentively listening to the pre-flight safety announcement, I realize how vague the i…

Now what?  I’ve encouraged you to try a meatless meal, Monday or lifestyle, right? I know you can do it, and hope you really want to!  You’ll surprise yourself with the incredible flavors that you’ll create and devour!  As you rediscover food in its naturally wild state, remember that your body will soon be thanking you and your mind will be rolling out the red carpet for your fabulous self, as you strut into the kitchen, or any restaurant, armed with powerful plant-based option knowledge!  YAY,…

Let’s talk seafood.  I have been in the throws of seafood heaven and never gave eating it a second thought. I still remember picking pin bones out of my teeth from my first McDonald’s fish fillet sandwich in childhood. Shooting oysters on Bourbon Street with my dearest BFFs. Fish Fry’s my entire life growing up in northern Wisconsin when not eating meat on Friday’s during Lent. Living the Alaskan fisherwoman’s dream, pulling crab pots full of King and Dungeness crab from the serene waters of the…