They say it's your birthday...

...and it is!

Today is my birthday, and it's the second one I've celebrated since starting this blog!

However, instead of making cookies, cake, or b-day tartlets, I've decided to do something a little bit different.

As I inch even closer to the ripe old age of 30 (yikes!), I thought it might be useful to share a few of the things that I've been doing to stay healthy with each passing year.

First: I try to eat breakfast every day (although it's a constant battle). I used to be really good about grabbing a cup of tea, some fruit, and a granola bar whenever I was headed out in the morning, but now that I'm job hunting, it's a little more difficult. Since I often get completely engrossed in whatever I'm doing, I easily lose track of time (and my hunger), and forget about breakfast altogether. Thus, I've been making it a priority to eat within the first hour of waking up.

whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, sliced bananas, and agave nectar

Product Reviews: Candy Cane Joe-Joe's

Candy Cane Joe-Joe's:
They'll make you say,
"Oh...
Ohhhh!"

Yep, these are quite possibly the most addictive cookies to ever come out of a box (or an oven, for that matter).

They're similar to an Oreo cookie, but have tiny bits of seductive candy cane mixed into their delicious vanilla (vegan!) cream middles. I like to eat them as-is, but CH prefers the old "twist, separate, and devour the middle-part first" method. Either way, you're looking at heaven. (See: exhibit "A" - the ethereal glow around the Joe-Joe's box, below.)

Before I go any further, I want to be clear about something: I don't even like candy canes, and I'm not a huge fan of cookies either - so these have to be pretty darn good to earn a positive review from me. (Don't get me wrong - I can fully appreciate a fantastic cookie, but I'm not the type of person who fantasizes about them all day...)

A Sneak Peek...

I've been thinking about reviewing food/products on this blog for a while now.

However, "a while" has finally turned into months and months, which means that it's now or never...

As a result, I hope to begin rolling out a semi-regular (how's that for noncommittal?) review column over the next several days. I intend to focus on vegan products and eco-friendly items that are useful in the kitchen.

To that end, here's a little collage of some of the products I'm planning to review:


That ought'a wet your whistle.

Or at least motivate me to get to work...

Right?

SO me & so NOT me!

This is a really cool "meme" that I stole from Katy over at Legally Vegan. Although I'm generally not one to complete these kinds of things, Katy's intriguing post convinced me to jump on the bandwagon...

I've also tagged 5 other bloggers to complete this, but don't worry - it's self-explanatory, and bizarrely fun! Read on to see if you've been tagged...

This is SO me:
This is so NOT me:

image from news.bbc.co.uk

Lettuce-Free Salads: A Terrific Trio

Unlike some vegetarians and vegans, I never tire of salads.

What I do occasionally tire of, however, are lettuce-based salads.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it seems like the old "greens + veggies" or "greens + fruit" thing can get a little boring. You know the drill: Throw some romaine lettuce into a bowl, add your tomatoes, toss in some broccoli, sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top, drizzle it all with a bit of dressing... yea, yea, yea.

Predictable.

Happy Novemberween?

Okay, so I'm about a month late with all of this Halloween stuff. However, it's my all-time favorite holiday, so I figured I could steal a little bit of wiggle room...

Pictured, below, are the pumpkins that we carved (and summarily used to to fill our bellies).

It's Been a Long Time

A little over 2 months have past since my last post, which simultaneously seems like too much time and not quite enough. Although "too much" and "not enough" for what, I'm not exactly sure...

All I know is that these past few months have brought me both amazing joys and unbearable sadness. And because I don't know where to begin, I'll just go ahead and start.

At the end of September, CH's mom passed away. It crushed me in a way that I can't even begin to explain, and I obviously don't need to tell you how difficult it has been for CH's family... I wrote a bit about what was going on with her in my last post, and honestly, I don't want to say much more about that.

What I do want to share is that Suzanne fought with more strength and more determination than anyone I have ever encountered in my life. Her quick wit, brilliant vocabulary, and "matter-of-fact" attitude stayed with her to the very end, which created some much-needed bright spots for all of us.

And while it was terribly difficult to be there during Suzanne's final few weeks, the fact that she allowed me in during such an intimate time is something that I will be forever grateful for. I've never witnessed such unyielding devotion from a husband, such sincere admiration from two sons, and such perpetual and unwavering love from a wife and mother.

This is a difficult post to write.

I've been avoiding writing about what I'm about to share because writing about it - putting the words in a permanent place - somehow makes the situation seem more real.

I keep telling myself that things will be alright and that I should keep certain things private (this is supposed to be a food blog, for God's sakes), but right at this moment, at this time, I need to let some of my feelings out...

CH's mother, a woman of amazing beauty and grace, is dying of cancer. It's a terrible, painful, frightening, unfair, and completely incomprehensible situation. She was diagnosed just over a year ago, and has been fighting like hell to beat it ever since.

Summery Strawberry Salad + Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream

Alright, so maybe these two recipes don't exactly combine to make the perfect meal, but peanut butter and strawberries do go together, right?!

No matter, I guess, because each of these dishes is delicious in its own right.

First, there's the refreshing Summery Strawberry Salad, which is the ultimate meal after a long, hot day in the summer sun. Then, there's the Peanut Butter Coconut ice cream, whose delectable sweetness makes it the perfect end (or beginning) to almost any day!

Holy Michael Phelps, It's Been a Long Time!

It's official: my nearly 3-month-long hiatus from Veggie Terrain (coupled with a recent 4-day "complete blog shutdown") has finally ended!

But as much as I've truly missed blogging, I'm proud to say that I accomplished a lot during my absence. During the past few months, I graduated from law school, completed an undeniably hellish Bar-prep program, and ultimately sat for the Bar Exam, itself. And although I won't know whether I passed until the 2nd week of October (talk about traumatic), I'm trying to be as positive as possible, and to take comfort in the fact that I've never worked so hard at anything in my life...

So, with that little bit of Bar Exam talk out of the way, let's get to the new - and hopefully improved - Veggie Terrain!