Thursday, December 30, 2010

Last Post of 2010!

I don't know about you, but we're still working on finishing off Christmas leftovers, which means that our meals have been sort of a free-for-all.  Last night I threw some green beans in to cook with a pot of spaghetti, then tossed it with equal amounts basil pesto and Tofutti cream cheese. Creamy pesto pasta with green beans, anyone?


I'll get back into "real" cooking soon.  After all, I've got to try out my Christmas presents.



I'm so excited to try it out...not only for pressing tofu, but it can also be used on thawed, frozen spinach. I hate pressing the water out of frozen spinach, but it is so much cheaper than fresh spinach. And of course it will be great not to waste paper towels or get my dish towels all wet and yucky, every time I press a block of tofu.

And I also received not one but two cookbooks...American Vegan Kitchen and The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East!


I've already bookmarked so many recipes to try in both of these cookbooks.

I also got some non-cooking-related presents, including a Kindle and a gift card to download some books.  I wasn't sure if I really wanted one, but I love it so far!  It's so easy to pick it up and read a few pages when I have a spare minute or two. (So is a book, but the Kindle seems simpler, somehow!) Right now I'm reading  Just Kids, and I also downloaded An Object of Beauty, Room, One Day, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Have you read anything good lately that I should check out?

Moving on...tomorrow is New Year's Eve!  Are you doing anything to celebrate? Tony and I will just be hanging out at home with the little ones. I'm thinking we will let Jackson stay up to do the countdown and watch the ball drop. He's a night owl, but we'll see if he makes it until midnight. 

Do you make New Years resolutions? I don't make any specific ones. I do reflect on things and set some general intentions.  (This is gonna be kinda personal and kinda hippie, and has nothing to do with vegan food, so scroll back up to the top and look at the pasta bowl again if that's more your thing, I won't be mad!)  This time around, I've been thinking about love -- our capacity to love vs. our willingness to.  What I want to remember in 2011 is this: love doesn't run out, it doesn't exist in limited amounts, it is infinite.  Love withers when we are stingy with it, it thrives when we give it generously so it can be multiplied over and over. This applies to my everyday life through the following lessons: Don't be detached when you can make a connection.  Don't be proud when you can be kind.  Don't be critical when you can be supportive.  Don't make a big deal when you can let it go. These are not lessons I grew up with; this is something I have had to learn as an adult, and am still learning.

2010 was such a busy, eventful year. We got settled into our new home in New York, and my sweet Olivia was born!  And this blog was also born, since 2010 was the year I became vegan, woohoo!  There have been some years which I am sad to see end because they were so much fun, and other years when I thought "Next year has to be better than this!"  This year was mostly good, and now I am curious to see what 2011 has in store for me.

I wish YOU endless health, peace and happiness in the coming year! Happy New Year!


6 comments:

  1. its a bit sad isnt it! i was looking at the few sweet potatoes left in the cupboard and thinking "this will be the last of you guys for awhile" ohh the new year, bitter sweet.

    hmm i make little resolutions..or a bunch of different ones that i can break down over the year. January i want to get my passport, February my driving licence... littles tasks like that. but then i also have larger ones like 'health'... i try to not put too much emphasis on the specifics of my resolutions cuz then they usually never happen. i procrastinate too much lol.

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  2. Ooh, Tofu Express! I've got one, but I never thought about pressing spinach! Great idea!

    If you haven't read Seven Years In Tibet yet, you should! SUCH an awesome book.

    Tomorrow night we're going to Navy Pier to celebrate "early New Year's" with our son. Fireworks are at 8pm. I'm sure it will be a madhouse there!

    Happy New Year to you!

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  3. that tofu press rocks my world... seriously

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  4. Well, I really love your resolutions. I can't think of anything better. Such simple concepts but yet we could all do better. I am going to claim a few of these as my resolutions, too.

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  5. I am coveting the Tofu Express! I always pictured them in my head to be really big and bulky- I would make tofu a lot more if I had that baby!

    This is my first time checking out your blog- I became vegan last year, and I also have two kids! Anyway, Happy New Year!

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  6. @ Kelsey - I know what you mean, I feel like I'm jinxing myself when I make too specific resolutions. Good luck with your goals this year!

    @Bunz - I've heard of that book, I'll check it out! Your New Years plans sound fun, hope you had a good time!

    @Wanna Be Vegan Mom - the press isn't bulky at all, it's easy to store in the cupboard. Thanks for coming by -- heading over to check out your blog now! :)

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