does your diet change much with the seasons? it's so easy to forget that food is seasonal, in our world of fast transportation and quick consumption. it seems like, regardless of season, most fruits and vegetables are readily available.
me? i'm a little picky. there are certainly things i will only buy in the summer - fresh berries, peaches, pears... we always eat lots of fruits and veggies, but i'm far more prone to reach for squash, apples, potatoes, yams and cabbage in the winter. in the summer we eat more leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes and fruits.
i don't do this on purpose. although i always make the effort to buy what i can local and organic, i don't shy away from eating imported foods. it just seems like my body craves these things, and reacts to the tastes and smells of these things differently, depending on the season. for example, a large salad is a perfect dinner in the summer, but if i ate that now, i'd still feel hungry, and end up making squash soup as well!
anyway, this is all to say, apples are a fabulous winter food. so are nuts. so is muffin-style bread. is that what you'd call it? like banana bread... but with apples, and nuts! so basically, this recipe is amazing for winter. i like to make little treats for matt for when he gets home from school (yes, he's the most spoiled husband ever), and the other day i had this bread (still warm from the oven) and a beer waiting by his computer when he got home. lucky guy, eh?
recipe. make it now.
merry christmas, friends!!
so, remember how i told you about my new favourite breakfast, overnight oats? well, i recently discovered an even better way to make them!
pumpkin is pretty high on my list of favourite cold-weather foods, as evidenced here, here, here, and here.
well, i've found yet another way to pumpkinify my life.
matt doesn't think soup is a meal.
we've been together more than 8 years now, and for the most part, i've been unable to change his mind on that. it's too bad, considering i love soup, and he doesn't cook. MUHAHAHA
*evil grin*
in MY opinion (and as the writer of the blog, it's my opinion that matters!!) this soup is fabulous. i made home made bread to stop matt from whining, but even without it, this is a hearty balanced meal!
i made this a while back, when it was just starting to get really cold. i was wearing my parka to the dog park for the first time all year. it was getting to be slow cooker season. i waited until now to share it because now it's PRIME slow cooker season, and how can you resist??? you clearly can't.
my mom never liked to cook when i was little (she's learning now, my sister and i are teaching her!) but we always had amazing breakfasts. pancakes are a family favourite, with real, fabulous, canadian maple syrup. mmmmm. our other favourite topping is peanut butter. not instead of syrup, but as well as. oh man. i know very few people who have tried this combination, but i'd highly recommend it.
especially with these pancakes.
peanut butter and banana - how can you go wrong? it's a winning combination regardless of delivery.
this recipe makes a dozen pancakes.
sooooo, remember how in my last post i said i had leftover pumpkin? well this is why! i was so excited and inspired by the vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe that i just had to try some other vegan cheesecake ideas!
i have not been disappointed. this cake isn't super pumpkiny, nowhere near as much as pumpkin pie... it's smooth and creamy, with a nice hint of spice.
i just bought a set of small cheesecake pans, and i baked this one in the middle sized one, which is 6" in diameter, so it's fairly small.
i have to tell you, i eat a lot of tofu. i can't taste the tofu in this recipe, but i can't make that promise for you. i just made this recipe up in my head, and tried it out. i made adjustments as i went along, and was really happy with how it turned out.
as with most of my dessert recipes, this isn't super sweet.
i don't know about you, but i loooove pumpkin pie.
i did a post about it on my 27th birthday.
i know pumpkin pie is a thanksgiving sort of thing, but really i don't think you can ever go wrong with it. anyway, i made another really awesome pumpkin recipe (coming soon!!) and i had some leftover pumpkin in the fridge. i often have smoothies for breakfast, so i decided to try a pumpkin smoothie.
it sounds weird, right? well trust me, it's delicious. matt liked it! it's creamy and smooth and a little spicy and a little sweet. just like pumpkin pie.
so next time you have leftover pumpkin, give this a try!
this time of year is all about soup.
summer = salad
fall/winter = soup
that's just how the world works, folks.
this soup is hearty and filling and such a fabulous way to finish off a chilly autumn afternoon. feel free to make substitutions, i just used my favourite vegetables, and what was handy. it's really hard to go wrong with roasted veggies, they are just SO GOOD.
hey friends! i just wanted to throw out some healthy breakfast inspiration!
as you can see by all the fresh berries, this photo was taken a while ago... but underneath that pile of fruit, is a generous helping of my tasty overnight oats!
i made them with a half teaspoon of cocoa powder and a half teaspoon of powdered vanilla (liquid would work too). what a perfect breakfast for a busy fall day!
