hello from new jersey

sorry for the long absence ... i've been busy moving halfway across the country. but now i've got a new kitchen set up, a new health food store to shop at, and things are generally looking pretty good now that I can cook and bake again! (I also found a great-looking yoga studio within walking distance...gonna try that out for the first time tonight)

I finally signed up for Heather's three-month long whole foods workshop. I figure it'll help ground me even further as I settle in to living in New Jersey. I bought hemp seeds and coconut oil today from the health food store. John and I just finished a labor-intensive but yummy brunch of herb roasted potatoes and onions, eggs with scallions, cinnamon raisin toast with butter, and veggie sausage patties. Tonight, I'll make vegan black bean, zucchini, and kalamata olive tacos from Isa's new Appetite for Reduction cookbook. From the workshop, I'm planning some fruit/green smoothies and greens with pineapple and pumpkin seeds over quinoa. I recently made veggie sausage lasagna and sunflower seed butter muffins. I'm feeling very inspired and just happy to be back in my element, overall. John's not complaining, either ;-)

One of my goals is similar to Heather's "think simple" plan for us ... increase the plant intake in my diet. Even we vegetarians lose that sometimes ... eating protein like tofu and bean dishes, and comfort food like eggs and cheese and tortilla chips with hummus a bit too much to the detriment of uber-healthy greens and other colorful veggies.

Last night, I made homemade iced tea for the first time. Just boiled a big pot of water, and threw in 8 teabags of organic mango ceylon (decaf). Let it sit for a while, added 1/2 cup raw blue agave from Trader Joe's, let it cool, transferred it to a plastic container, and chilled it overnight. It's fabulous! I will definitely be doing that again.

I hope you enjoy the photos. Have a blessed and simple week. Hoping to get to some knitting or sewing over the weekend. Lots of unfinished knitting in my basket from what's turned out to be a very busy winter!