Glittering Thanks

A Very Happy Thanksgiving 2013

Here's how we give glitter thanks at our house.

Turkey Craft Number 1: Glam Gobbler

Clockwise from top left:
1. We found the inspiration for our turkey on a window at Beni's preschool.
2. I'm teaching her early- you can NEVER add too much sparkle.
3. Turkey in progress…

And here is our Glam Gobbler making his internet debut:

We were both so happy with how he turned out. He's a keeper for sure.

Turkey Craft Number 2: Sending Gratitude

Clockwise from top left:
1. and 2. Making handprint turkeys with paint and glitter.
3. The finished product says: We are thankful for you.
4. Sending our love to Godparents, grandparents, and beloved aunts and uncles.

Celebrating Thanksgiving at Preschool

Clockwise from top left: 

1. Beni-Bird modeling her Native American headband.

2. The Williams family feather: what we are thankful for.

3. Side view of previously mentioned fashionable headdress.

4. A huge turkey of thanks at Beni's school (one feather contributed by each family.)

Thanksgiving Day Traditions

Clockwise from top left:

1. and 3. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2. Our vegetarian meal.

4. One dessert for each of us. 

A Night of Thanks

Clockwise from top left:

1. Gratitude-themed books.

2. Sitting by the fire for story time.

3. My art journal entry for 11-28-2013.

4. I've been recording blessings in my gratitude journal since 2002.

And one more thing I'm so grateful for…..
 you, Dear Reader.

***

PS: Please forgive the funky formatting and the extra spaces. I swear, it doesn't look like this on my end. I spent over an hour trying to fix it and then decided to publish "as is" before I lose my good feelings of gratitude. What a relief it is to let go of "perfection"!

A Day of Gratitude

This week I'm celebrating the magic of autumn with a photodocumentary: 
a big day of gratitude from our little family of three.

How did you spend your day of gratitude? 

Bruschetta Night

My BFF Julia was visiting from Arizona last week.  She has three kiddos and lives clear across the country so we don't get much alone time together anymore.  But both sets of her in-laws generously took the kids and we had 5 days of girl time!  It was such a treat. 


For dinner one night we made 3 different kinds of bruschetta.  (I'm not sure if they all classify as bruschetta, but I call it Bruschetta Night so please just go with it.)  All three options are vegan, although I did throw some fresh mozzarella on my traditional bruschetta.

Here's us slaving away while sipping wine. 

And here are the creations:

1.  traditional bruschetta with artichoke hearts, 

tomatoes, garlic, basil, and onions with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and

2. homemade hummus with marinated peppers

3.  sautéed mushrooms, onions, spinach, 

and garlic with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

All three were a big hit 

and earned a high five from my hubby.  

(One never knows when creatively cooking sans recipe.)

And now I'm a convert to homemade hummus-  

so easy and so much tastier.

PS:  I had my husband proofread this post, 

and he said his mouth started watering just looking at the photos.  

So I think it's a dinner I'll be making again soon 

(although sadly without Julia).

More Vegetarian Meals

When I posted My Husband is a Vegan Freak, I promised to give you more vegetarian meal ideas.  Here are 7 meals we've had recently:

Black Bean Cakes with Pineapple Salsa, Salad, and Strawberries

Homemade Veggie Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

(his without cheese, mine with)

Dirty Rice (includes soy crumbles) 

and Spicy Collards with Stewed Tomatoes

Vegan Sloppy Joes

(made with textured vegetable protein aka TVP)

Huge Salads with Sunflower Seeds and Beans

 (mine also with Buffalo Mozzarella)

American Chop Suey (with soy crumbles)

Spicy Madras Curry with Tofu and Vegetables 

over Whole Wheat Cous Cous
(tasted better than it looks, I promise!)

He cooks with recipes (his favorite source is www.vegcooking.com),while I rarely do.  I call it creative cooking.  I see what we have in our kitchen, may or may not look up a recipe for ideas, and then just go for it.  In 8 years, I've only had to throw out 3 meals because they were not fit for consumption.  Not a bad average, don't you think?

My Husband is a Vegan Freak

Three months after our BBQ wedding, my husband came home from work one day and announced that he was going to be vegan.  Starting right then.  (For those of you who may not know, vegan means eating NO animal products.  No meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs.)  Why and how he came to this life-altering decision is a story for another time- one my incredibly private husband has not yet given me permission to write about- but the short version is for ethical reasons.  The treatment of animals in our food supply is appalling.

His announcement was tough for me to handle, as I am a dietitian (and his wife!) and he did not consult with me before making this major decision.  Plus, many of my nutrition clients have disordered eating.  I've always promoted moderation and balance and the idea that "all foods fit."  And let's face it, veganism is a form of extreme eating.

I've had friends say, "I could never marry a vegan."  And my response is always, "I didn't."  My friends, you just never know what you are getting into when you say, "I do."

In the almost five years since we got married, I've gotten used to cooking vegan dinners.  But people are always asking (even my dietitian friends) what exactly do I make each night.  So for all of you who've asked and for those who are just curious, this post is for you.

For the past several months, I've been taking photos of our dinners.  I'll be posting photos of our vegetarian meals regularly.  And warning: I am not a food stylist but I swear that these meals look better in person than in these photos!

Here are three of our favorite vegan meals:

Black Bean Taco Night

Veggie Burger Night

We love Dr. Prager's California Style veggie burgers.  They don't contain any processed soy.  The soy veggie burger we like best is Morning Star Farms Vegan Grillers.  I cut up tons of fresh vegetables for toppings (even shaved carrots and avocado).  And we always use baby spinach instead of lettuce in our house.

Asian Night

Edamame, vegetable gyoza with lots of dipping sauces,
and Asian veggies.

PS:  I say "Vegan Freak" as a term of endearment.  He made this decision based on compassion for other living beings.  How could I not respect and support that?
PPS: I know people think vegans are freaks, because that is what we both thought before he became one!
PPPS:  I'm not vegan but a year or so after his conversion, I became a ovopescolactovegetarian (that's dietitian talk and means I still eat eggs, seafood, and dairy.)  
PPPS:  What are the odds?  My sister is married to a vegan freak too.