Run Plant Based

Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

Salad, Stir Fry & Our Tree

by

Last year we went all out for our Christmas tree, driving to a nice tree farm in Apple Hill to select a fresh cut tree. That was fun and it was an awesome tree, but also pricey, time-consuming and next to impossible to get in the rain. Since the weather was mushy and time was limited this weekend, we hit a local tree lot instead and found a nice blue spruce.

Most of our ornaments are pretty unusual, many are old toys and other memorable items turned into ornaments, like Mardi Gras beads collected over the years used as garland.

This Rodney the Reindeer plush toy my sister and I collected from Burger King in 1986.

Ah, memories.

And one of the 101 Dalmatians happy meal toys from McDonald’s.

Another classic happy meal toy, I used to race these with friends as a kid.

And from 1990, the transforming food toys in happy meals.

Sadly, I think my sisters and I collected all of these.

Can’t forget bubble lights!

They’re like mini-lava lamps and so mesmerizing to watch. :-)

Oh, and Woody from a Toy Story Burger King promotion in the mid-90s.

This dates back to my computer sales days, I collected a few of these plush toys when the Pentium II processors were huge and Intel reps were everywhere promoting them.

Another happy meal toy I think, I watched a lot of Duck Tales as a kid.

Anyway, unpacking our ornaments and decorating the tree every year is such a trip down memory lane from simpler, fun times. It probably seems odd that a health nut has such a collection of fast food toys, but they’re a part of my childhood. Maybe a little sad that so many of my childhood memories are linked to crap food, but happy meals were the rage in the 80s and 90s and dare I say the toys were better then. :-P

Anyway, lunch was nothing like fast food being a monster salad with a steamed spaghetti squash half.

After work I had to run several errands and felt pretty fried by the time I got home, not wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen. I had fresh pineapple chunks to use up and was craving protein. So I threw together a fast staple for me – tempeh stir fry.

This one with bok choy, celery, red cabbage, orange bell pepper, pineapple chunks and a julienned carrot.

For the sauce I simply poured a little soy sauce and sprinkled grated ginger and red pepper flakes over the wok. I just tossed the mess in 2 tbsp. coconut oil over high heat for 5 minutes and dinner is ready! It was fast and lazy, but tasty and filling.

After such an exhausting day at work, time to crash since I’m still recovering from an active weekend. Have a great night!

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Comments

  2. Rodney the Reindeer plush- i had that too!

    And Beanie Babies…I had QUITE the collection once upon a time. By the time they came out, i was done eating fast food. I never ate it much anyway, but even by age 10-12 or so, I knew that fast food and my gut didnt mix. At all.

    Ok so that stir fry..i JUST went to the groc store on the island and bought a pineapple. And have carrots and some seasonings. I am missing the bok choy and other veggies but am inspired to do a stir fry using my fresh pineapple now that i see yours!

    • Aw yes, I had Beanie Babies too and still have one somewhere, it needs to be an ornament too. :-)

      I love that pineapples as still cheap at Trader Joe’s and grab one every time I’m there, but have been preferring them cooked lately because the acidity gets to me raw lately.

    • Hmmm, I think a couple of days past is okay, but you may want to chuck that package. Everything I’ve read recommends using by the Sell By date. But, tempeh freezes well for months so you can stock up and store it in the freezer.

  6. Love all the Christmas tree decorating :) I do not have a my own tree this year to decorate :( but my parents always get one- we picked it up the day before we left at Thanksgiving. Excited to go back for Christmas and see it all decorated ;)