Holiday

_MG_2191I can't believe that it is April already, time is flying by this year! First off, I want to share that I had reached my 3 year veganniversary at the start of the Lenten Season! Well, there is a long story behind it all, but I first went vegan in 2012 for Lent, as a "diet" that I was going part ways with that Easter, but fortunately, did not. I was in and out of veganism for a bit at the start as I had only gone into it for weight loss, and it was hard for me to give up my old ways of living and to realize the beauty of this lifestyle. After a bit of "trial and error", I am now I am happy to say that I am vegan and never intend to live any other way. I am now a more compassionate, healthy, and inspired woman, and I thank veganism and all that has come along with it on this journey for helping me figure out who I was meant to become. ...now back to these chocolates, cause I know you all want some!

Vegan Red Velvet & Berry Love Pies56Love is in the air, Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of this holiday, I made a special pink and red treat for you all: Vegan Berry Pie w/ Red Velvet Crust. This recipe is low in fat, nut-free, no-bake, raw, and easy peasy orange squeezy to put together. Feel free to decorate your love pies however you (or your love) would like, but above are ideas on how you could serve these. Details on how I decorated these can be found down below. Vegan Red Velvet & Berry Love Pies53This stuff is my jam! Haha but really, this jam is perfect for a pie filling, and is also a great addition to have in your kitchen. With the leftovers from this recipe, you can use it on toast, over banana ice cream, atop oatmeal, or even better, paired with peanut butter and bananas. It's made of 4 ingredients--

I had a little fun outside of my kitchen and pulled out my water colors to paint these little guys for a Vegan Valentine's Day celebration this year. You don't have to be vegan to make these of course, but they were inspired by my love for fruit! Requirements? A sense of humor, a smile, and base images to work off of from google. But really, you just need water colors, proper paper (from an art store), water and a brush. These were so easy to do, so simple, and so fun! You can even photocopy the one you create, and print dozens of them on a smaller scale to hand out. My version, both with and without text, are available below each image :) Pear (hehe) these with your valentine's favorite vegan sweets +flowers, and you've got yourself the perfect gift.

You Make My Heart Skip A Beet

finished beet Download beet image with text: Click Here Download blank beet image: Click Here  

You Had Me At Avocado

Easy Vegan Superfood Hot Chocolate Okay so it's not exactly hot chocolate weather here in Los Angeles (it is currently 80F and sunny), but I know a lot of my readers are from colder areas, props to you all I don't know if I could survive! When I was living with my grandmother growing up, on New Year's Eve, she made my family her famous cinnamon hot chocolate. She would melt a big chunk of Mexican Chocolate with whole milk, cinnamon sticks and piloncillo. Man, was it tasty. But also, sooo not good for us. On New Year's Eve, my mom and I thought it would be fun to create a new, healthy and vegan hot chocolate recipe for the years to come. What I came up with was this superfood hot chocolate, a recipe that is definitely here to stay. 3Easy Vegan Cinnamon Hot Chocolate

One Bowl Vegan Holiday Fruit Bread (gluten- and refined sugar-free)Every year for Christmas, someway or another, my family ends up with a boxed Fruit Cake. Have you ever tried these? If you haven't, I'd advise you to pass on it and try this Holiday Fruit Bread instead. Not only is this recipe easier than the traditional recipe, it is also gluten-free, refined sugar-free and delicious.One Bowl Vegan Holiday Fruit Bread (gluten- and refined sugar-free)