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  • Tag: Pumpkin

    • Sweat and Satisfaction

      Posted at 1:51 PM by Brittany, on November 23, 2012

      Thanksgiving has come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. I was woken yesterday by a text message at 6 am (sad to realize I used to think 6 am was sleeping in!) In that message was a photo of my younger siblings dressed in workout gear, equipped with a running bib. I immediately felt bummed I was not partaking in a Turkey Trot of some sort. I let it go, and fell back asleep for a while.

      When I woke later on, I discovered my wonderful mother in the kitchen about to prepare some vegan rolls for her crazy vegan daughter. We were low on flour thanks to my adventure the night before making pumpkin pie, and this meant it was my turn to go get flour.  That’s when I was given the genius idea to run to the store to get the flour. It’s a little over 4miles round trip, so it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

      While running to the store I had another genius idea: Use the store bag to make my own running bib. I told this idea to the lady who rang me up for my flour and she looked at me like I was insane. Perhaps I was, I ended up having to run the two miles home with a 5lb bag of flour under my arm. I channeled my inner quarter back and alternated between arms. SO long story short I got a run in, and I played some traditional turkey day football.

      Uh yeah, so that looks more like a mug shot than a proud running photo. I’ll just stash that on in the “do not open” folder. 4 miles done with a 9:44 pace, yay. Moral of the story: If you miss out on a race, make your own! Moving on..

      Dinner couldn’t come fast enough. In case you’re curious what a vegan eats on T-day here’s my plate. It’s very similar to last years vegetarian T-day. The only difference this year was dessert. Pumpkin pie isn’t vegan friendly, so I ended up making my own.

      THE best part of the meal. Potatoes and cranberries ON the bread.

      My plate looks a little lacking in the protein department, but fear not my pie was full of protein. I’d be lying if I said I waited until after dinner to eat my pie. In fact I had a slice the night before, and that morning to fuel my run.

      The secret ingredient in this delicious masterpiece? Tofu. 


      There is nothing more satisfying than a skeptical outsider eating a vegan dessert and swooning more than you did.

      This pie definitely stole the show, and my heart. An entire 15 oz of tofu in this beast and you’d have no idea unless I told you. Spices are an amazing thing.

      Best part of the pie, the last few bites with extra crust.

      This was my first time making a pie completely from scratch (including the crust!) and it turned out amazingly. I may just have to find another excuse for pumpkin pie when this one is gone!

      So that was my day. I had satisfaction from running, and creating new foods, and I got sweaty while eating. Or maybe it was the other way around. Or maybe a combination of everything! To end this post right, I must share what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my health, my body, my mind, and my motivation to create new foods and try new adventures! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Candy Cane Joe Joe’s calling my name..time to prepare for Christmas! 😉

      Q: What was the highlight of your Thanksgiving? If you didn’t celebrate, or you celebrated earlier in the year, what was the highlights of your week!?

      | 52 Comments Tagged Pie, Pumpkin, Race, Running, Thanksgiving, Vegan
    • The Final Harvest

      Posted at 7:52 AM by Brittany, on October 1, 2012

      I harvested the beets from my wine box garden. These were the last to be harvested.

      Baby beets. This was what my parents called me when I was a small drooling child. Beeters, beets, and on taco night–beaners. I have no idea where I get my odd quirks from. My favorite harvested beet was the largest of the bunch.

      They may be small, but I am still proud of these bite sized beets. I must admit, pulling these final veggies out of the final wine box was a bit sad. With the final harvest comes the complete reflection of the garden. It was a complete success, and I couldn’t have asked for a better first time. One last reflection…

      1. Swiss chard came first. This was eaten for months until finally the deep green faded from the leaves, and the stalks grew tall and frail.
      2. The onions were the next to be harvested, however the first harvest was simply to “thin” out the wine box to make room for some of the onions to grow larger. These were harvested over the course of a few months, and finally at the final harvest I had three giant onions that lasted for days!
      3. Next up were my carrots. These took their time to grow and were harvested twice. Once to thin them out, and one final harvest to finish off the box. I may have bragged about that carrot the size of my hand.
      4. Lastly, are the beets seen here in this post. Smaller than I hoped for, but bigger than the seeds they started as.

      I can’t wait to start another mini garden. Right now I am trying to grow jalapenos. I actually planted these a few months ago, and they are moving pretty slow. Stay tuned for the progress on this.

      Random pumpkin photo in 3..2..1..

      It reminds me of Cinderella, or Jack and the Beanstalk, or a pumpkin with a funky stem. I love it. YAY FALL!

      Q(s):

      • Did you garden this year?
      • Favorite inspirational quote of the week?
      • Any funky pumpkin sightings?

      | 25 Comments Tagged Fall, Gardening, Pinterest, Pumpkin, Wine Box Garden
    • Pumpkin Lentil Soup

      Posted at 6:09 PM by Brittany, on September 24, 2012

      The first pumpkin of the season has been consumed by my face.

      TJ’s pie pumpkin, whopping price of $1.99. This happens to be the same price as the canned pumpkin. Why buy a can when you can use the real thing? This pumpkin was sliced, diced, chopped, emptied, and eaten like it was my job. I was able to get three uses from this bad boy.

      Coconut oil and sea salt pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds happen to contain a variety of minerals, vitamins, protein, fiber, and are low in carbohydrates. Ideal snack for my vegan diet.

      Half the pumpkin was saved for the next mornings breakfast, pumpkin pancakes.

      Early morning shadows

      I have missed my pumpkin pancakes. I do prefer canned pumpkin for pancakes because it’s much creamier than fresh pumpkin. My favorite part of this pumpkin was the deliciously spicy soup it was initially purchased for.

      Pumpkin Lentil Soup

      • 1 small red onion
      • 1 small cayenne pepper (or if you don’t like spice, a mild pepper works too)
      • 1tsp cumin
      • 1/2 pie pumpkin
      • 2 cups vegetable broth
      • 1 cup water
      • 1/2 cup red split lentils (I used the ones from TJ’s)

      –The first thing I did was cut the raw pumpkin in half (actually Manfriend did, I’m a wimp) and bake the halves at 350 until the pumpkin was pliable. When the pumpkin was done I set it to the side and started getting the other ingredients ready.

      –Dice up the onion and pepper into a pan to saute. Add the cumin and cook until the onions turn translucent. Once these are done you can then add the vegetable broth, water, pumpkin and lentils (make sure your pan/pot is big enough.) The lentils need a few minutes to cook. Once the lentils are done to your liking, pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.

      This is the perfect fall soup. I knew I had to start the first day of fall the right way with pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin. I even tried my first pumpkin spice latte (soy) from Starbs! I hope to find plenty more fall inspired recipes over the next few months!

      Q: Favorite ingredient that reminds you of fall? Pumpkin…and cinnamon. 

      | 32 Comments Tagged Fall, Pumpkin, Recipe, TJ's
    • Brace Yourselves

      Posted at 11:33 AM by Brittany, on September 20, 2012

      I AM SO FREAKIN EXCITED!! Need I say more!? It’s happening folks, pumpkin is coming. I don’t think I have ever used the word folks before. Something about using it makes me feel like a mature english teacher. I am rambling..

      I purchased my FIRST pumpkin the other day. I literally squealed when I saw it, I probably would have peed had I not just emptied my bladder..too far?

      BABY pumpkin!!! I had to pose with it, and with other pumpkin decorations. My favorite decoration is my Mickey Mouse pumpkin head from Dland.

      I specifically bought this pumpkin to sit on my windowsill so I can stare at it all day. Soon I will buy a pie sized pumpkin to eat, and a large pumpkin to carve.

      I am so jazzed. Along with pumpkin comes..OTHER SQUASH!

      I am going to turn into a squash this year, you just wait and see. I want to find a vegan spag squash meal.

      Monday I did something I haven’t done in a while. I worked 4am-11:30, came home to change, got on a ferry boat, and went to Seattle to celebrate my best friends birthday.

      I even had a drink, WHOAAaaA there.

      My partying days have long been expired, so it was fun to put my party pants on and spend time with my homies. Needless to say on the 9:00 ferry ride home I passed out. It was a long day. That’s about all the wildness I can handle for now.

      Oh and lastly, I caved..and I made a Pinterest account. I made a side bar link right under my bio, or just click here. You should follow me..if you want.

      Q: WHO’S EXCITED FOR PUMPKIN!? Have I mentioned that I am excited?

      | 32 Comments Tagged Birthday, Halloween, Pinterest, Pumpkin, Squash, TJ's, Trader Joes
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    • BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, deep connections, exploration, and lots of potatoes.
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