RAW VEGAN SPECIAL BROWNIES


I NEED to tell you about an album. It's called Hopelessness and it's from Anohni. I could say a bunch about how much I love her but I'll just tell you to listen to the album and check out the meanings behind the songs, because she put a lot of thought into this project in a really beautiful, critical way. The first two tracks are absolutely amazing. Moving on to brownies.

GINGER BERRY PROTEIN SMOOTHIE


First off: shout out to this album. It's pay-what-you-can, all electronic music made by South American women and it's fire. Fave track: Blue Dress.

I've been focusing on activities that make me feel good and make me a better human, they keep me distracted from my negative thinking patterns (mental illness struggles woo) and force me to put my energy into stuff that is positive for my body, mind and/or spirit. One of those activities is going to the gym regularly. I love growing my muscles and feeling strong. I love lifting weights and watching my body wooork. I love the improvements in my physical abilities I notice over time (not trying to be ableist here though!) And I love giving my body what it needs once I'm done a workout. Which is a colourful variety of whole foods, with an emphasis on protein. I like mostly fruit smoothies, sometimes with veggies or greens blended it, and directly post-workout: with protein powder added. 

CHAI CHEESECAKES with CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE


Ey, babes! This recipe is bomb. It's creamy, decadent, sweet and full of wholesome stuff your body wants (like nuts, chocolate and chai spices). I know I flip flop a lot on what to call vegan cheesecakes: I've gone through phases of not caring, to preferring to call them cheeZecakes, to labelling them as cream cakes, and now I've gone full circle and am back to calling them cheesecakes because while no, they don't contain any DAIRY cheese, they ARE vegan cheesecake! I've stopped calling plant-based meats and cheeses "fake", and now I simply refer to them as vegan meats and cheeses, because that is what they are. This recipe is everything you want a cheesecake to be, it's just not made with dairy. I'm not a baby cow. I'm a grown ass human being who has access to non-dairy milk, nuts, rice, oats, fruits, veggies and more - so I make the choice to eat vegan foods because it's less damaging to the planet, and more compassionate to our animal pals. Going vegan isn't gonna save the world, but it's a small step towards a more conscientious lifestyle for those of us who can make it. Please eat as many of these cheesecakes as you want.

BLUEBERRY NICE CREAM with MAPLE OATS + PB


When Jack first broke up with me (eternally traumatized sad face) it was a serious bummer every time I made a recipe because when we were together I would always share them with him, plus he was my #1 hand model (and you know, also the love of my FREAKING life). But I am getting the hang of... I dunno... eating more? And making single serving recipes. AND sharing with other people. BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE. More than anything, being single again for the first time in years - and since I was a teenager - is making me so grateful for my friends (old and new alike), supporters (you!) and mom. I thought I needed my entire support system in one person. I thought I needed my lover, my best friend, my companion, my caretaker, someone to take care of and my muse all in one person. But I didn't, and I don't. As much as I want to let him know about this amazing new combo of nice cream and hot oats I have discovered (thanks to Sophie), text him a food photo and excitedly tell him I am going to make him a bowl of it ASAP, I won't.

MAGICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE


I am focusing on my healing my broken heart and mind with whole foods, exercise, friendship, self love and time spent outdoors among the trees and moss. I am learning about the wonderful medicinal properties of particular plants, and discovering how they can help me to feel better mentally, emotionally and physically. One of these plants is the humble mushroom. There are so many different varieties: some poisonous, some magical, some medicinal. As long as they're aren't the poisonous kind, I am totally open to seeing how all these little fungi can be of service to me, my spirit and my body.

PEANUT BUTTER OAT BARS


I threw this recipe together for a potluck on Sunday and there are two things you need to know about it: it takes 10 minutes to make and disappears even quicker.

GLAZED CHOCOLATE DONUT HOLES


Baaaaaabes: it's donut hole time again. I shared a recipe for vanilla donut holes (inspired by Lee Tilghman) a few weeks months ago and you all seemed to love it so I figured I'd provide a chocolate version as well. But more honestly: I just wanted glazed chocolate Tim Bits so I made my own raw vegan ones. I am truly a selfish human and have no shame in admitting it.

MY BEST VEGAN ICE CREAM RECIPES

It's gettin' hotter everyday here in BC, Canada so I figured I would share some of my all time fave ice cream recipes that I have previously posted on this blog. I bought myself a box of bananas yesterday and put them ALL in the freezer so I now am very prepared for lots of bowls of nice cream in the next couple months.

ORANGE CRUSH SMOOTHIE


I thought this smoothie was gonna taste not-as-good as it did. It has some veggies snuck in but you can't even tell: it's sweet, frosty and delicious. Reminded me of a slushie. Music recommendation of the day: Jessy Lanza's album: Oh No. Kinda makes me think of FKA twigs but more fun. And you KNOW I need more fun in my life right now, honey. ENOUGH TEARS. I'm single and it's cool. I'm dealing with anxiety and depression and it's cool. I can do this. I am Woman. Music really helps.

RAW VEGAN BLISS BALLS


It's bout time for another post, hey? So here I am, loyally yours, with bliss balls. These are pretty much anything you want them to be: dessert, snack, energy bite, whatever. Heck, eat them all for dinner if you wanna. They are dense and nutritious and chocolately and really quick to make. I tried to keep the ingredients simple and as usual, there are a ton of substitution options in case you don't have all the ingredients.