Starting 2017 for the List

Happy New Year! New Year’s has never been a big holiday to me and I’m not sure why I can’t get excited about it. Being more introverted, going out with huge crowds and drinking too much is not appealing I guess. I’d rather spend the evening playing video games and watching movies at home or having a small party with friends and family. So we had a small party at home with sparkling wine which was great.  And getting back to green smoothies this week has been great too.

Friday I met my mom and hubby for lunch at Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine and my mom ordered the crispy vegan “shrimp” which I was unsure about.

They’re crispy soy meat alternatives shaped to look like shrimp and fried with a crispy outside and they were actually good. So was the vegan wonton soup that is my current favorite dish.

Friday night I was feeling lazy and maybe a little blue about Smokey’s vet appointment the next morning. So we had a simple dinner at home that looked more like a kid’s dinner with Amy’s Organic Split Pea soup and sourdough bread.

I know, but it was simple and nice to cheaply use up stuff in the kitchen instead going out after the pricey holidays.

Yesterday morning was another follow up vet appointment for our senior cat Smokey which is a sad and stressful thing for me too. She is almost 17, has an abdominal tumor, and declining in health. I know that a really hard decision is coming and I was afraid this might be that appointment. It wasn’t thankfully, it was just a quick checkup to weigh her and make sure she’s still eating and not having any blockage issues. And it was free because our vet is awesome and he gave us a list of things to look for to know when she is miserable. For now we’re keeping her comfortable, giving her medicine if her insides act up, and just letting her enjoy her time.

I got an oil diffuser for Christmas which was an interesting gift. Truthfully I’ve never put a lot of thought into essential oils and their benefits beyond that it’s just another form of aroma therapy. And the thought of having something else to clean and maintain wasn’t too exciting. But this diffuser came with a fun sample pack of oils and isn’t complicated to use or clean.

It glows and changes colors too if you want and can be set to run for 1 to 6 hours. But the controls on the front are a little flimsy and limited not providing an easy way to just turn it off when you want. I do like that it makes the room smell like a soothing spa and I’m sure the added moisture in the air is great during winter – so it’s worth the price.

We just had to go to Grocery Outlet yesterday because it was the last day to use a $5 off $20 coupon, lol. But for under $30 I got four huge packages of ripe bananas to freeze for smoothies, raw vegan organic dark chocolate covered goji berries, loaded up on more organic canned beans, raw vegan cookies and crackers, chips, organic frozen veggies, flax milk, and more!

Both Miko and Leela weren’t feeling very festive for New Year’s after a long walk and were happy to crash early.

Miko was even snoring on the couch while we were watching TV, so cute.

I tried to be traditional for New Years making a black eyed pea dish and used this Isa Chandra Hoppin’ John recipe for inspiration. But I simmered the black eye peas with chopped potatoes in veggie broth with added bay leaves and liquid smoke, then added chopped tomatoes and spinach towards the end to not over cook them.

It was my first time working with liquid smoke and it does wonderful things for the flavor of bean stews especially drizzled with a spicy tahini sauce – yum.

And we toasted New Year’s with Domaine Carneros Brut, my favorite local vegan-friendly sparkling wine.

Not cheap, but worth it for New Years and I really like that they clearly label their sparkling wines as vegan-friendly and think we need to make a trip back there soon.

Today will be the un-fun job of taking down the Christmas tree and decorations which I’m still motivating myself for. But first a run outside and the list!

Forks Over Knives posted an interesting article on the dangers of animal protein.

The top 7 vegan athletes of 2016.

This 85-year-old runner is amazing.

Zen Habits on letting go when we’re overwhelmed.

5 easy fixes to avoid FOMO.

NoMeatAthlete has fun fitness challenges for 2017.