Hello 2016 and Happy New Year!

Hey all! It’s been quite the blessed year. Here are my top 10 favorite moments from this year…

1. My cat, Kiwi, is finally (almost) arthritis/ailment free due to a huge change in diet and lots of prayer. This is pretty amazing since I’ve never had to take her to the vet as much as 2015.

Isn’t she a cutie? She looks pretty good for a 9 year old cat…that makes her almost 60 in people years!

2. Enjoyed Disneyland in all it’s Christmas glory. Had to check it out since Disney will be remodeling with Star Wars!

3. Sat on the edge of my seat during The Walking Dead.

4. Worked the Emmys.

5. Actually “planned ahead” and took some really cute #selfies with my Mr. Wonderful for our Christmas card.

                                   

6. Made waves at the Huffington Post with a killer breakfast popsicle (#14!!).

7. Shared a newly invented Polenta Benedict by yours truly on Pinterest over 3K times. How often does it happen you actually invent a food that hasn’t already been done?

8. Gave you my (most shared on the internet) chocolate chip cookie recipe that was both vegan and gluten-free, without the cardboard texture you find in the stores. My BFF still raves about these daily…

 

9.  Got a new DSLR camera for all the pics you see on the site. Check out this one from 2014 to see the difference!

 

10. Last and most importantly, I launched my first survey  (I’d love for you to complete the 10 questions if you haven’t already)!

I thank you all for your honesty and contribution. I learned a lot! I really wanted to get feedback on how to make this blog even better and I got what I was looking for.

I learned that one of the number one things that keeps you coming back here is the nutrition information. Very exciting news for me because I LOVE nutrition. I love talking about nutrition and teaching others how to increase their nutrition. Considering that  we consider quantity (read soil depletion) more important than nutritional quality, it is crucial to make the choice for plant-based eating a priority. I want to be that gateway for change on this blog.

As I read your survey responses that my recipes can be complex and time-consuming, I admit, sometimes it is rough to achieve taste and texture without adding time or money to the bill. For you who are attempting to move to more specialized diets, I really want to break my recipes down in a different format this year, so you can see how easy it is to make some simple changes and still be processed-free and plant-based.

To faciliate this breakdown, I have decided to change the structure of the blog. Every month I will create a new recipe and really dig in! I want you to see why I choose to do a recipe, why it’s important to make it at home instead of buying it, what equipment and ingredients make my life easier, and, as you requested, I want to include much more about the nutrition, fun facts about the ingredients, etc.

Each month’s recipe will be 4 posts, beginning with my thoughts on the recipe, the equipment and tools you need, a pantry check, a shopping list and the recipe itself.

My hope for you would be to make every recipe so simple, that it will become a staple and a recipe that you can make adaptable for your family. For example, if you don’t have a specific ingredient, or your family doesn’t like flax eggs, I will give you some choices so you can make it your own.

This will be done over a series of 4 posts every month. So, at the end of January, please let me know what you think!

Cheers and Happy New Year!