Wrapping up 2022 for the List

I’m here and have been enjoying a few days of being lazy and unmotivated. The holidays are such an interesting time that seems to end rapidly after weeks of buildup. I’m not complaining, instead enjoying a week of furlough that comes with my new job. In the past I rarely took additional time off for the holidays, so I am enjoying a down week at home preparing for 2023 and getting back to a healthier routine while we’re hit with winter weather this week.

And I do need to get to a healthier place after this week of eats! There has been a lot of eating out and decadent eats such as monster vegan muffins sweetly provided at a work appreciation brunch, comfort eats from Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine, and trying to keeps things simple with stir fries and soups between.

Ron is a fan of spaghetti and creating his own decadent vegan versions with Impossible and Beyond Meat. When we found Nona Vegan Bolognese Style with Beyond Meat, we had to try it and pleasantly found it delicious.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve celebration at my sister’s house where a broke out one of my favorite holiday recipes – Vegan Holiday Seitan Ham.

It’s a fairly simple recipe to create and we placed it on the grill with seasoned potatoes for the 2nd stage of cooking and paired with air fried Brussels sprouts for a pretty dinner.

Earlier this week I found that spaghetti sauced with a blend of Miyoko’s Vegan Liquid Mozz and vegan pizza sauce leftovers is delicious.

And so was the Van’s vegan microwave pancakes with spicy Beyond Meat breakfast sausage on Christmas morning.

We followed that feast up with Gardein Turk’y Roast, vegan pasta, more potatoes, and salad at my other sister’s house on Christmas day.

It has been a decadent few days of holiday eats that I have been trying to recover from with simple soy curl turmeric stir fries and quinoa, haha. But thankful for another great Christmas that I am a little sad for it to be over.

2022 is nearly over and I have been struggling with reflecting on past years since the pandemic and the struggles and blahs it has brought. But 2022 was an interesting year of big choices and changes starting with the realization in January that stress was taking a toll on my health. That I could not not bring my job stress home with me. After nearly 3 years, it was clear working in management was not for me. But could I walk away after over 15 years with a non-profit company and face a new scary unknown? Leave over 15 years of a hard earned reputation behind?

I did when the opportunity for new challenges, experience, and less stress presented itself. It was not an easy decision or transition in my 40s, but I’m glad I did it and embracing the new team and experience. I still look back at the hard conversations with my old manager and team and wonder how I got through it. But glad I did and look forward to further job growth in 2023.

Another big and awful thing that 2022 brought was losing Miko during this transition after a long, tough, and emotional journey battling congestive heart failure and making the most of the time we had. Every animal we have shared our lives with has been a cherished family member and painful loss over the years. Losing Leela at the start of the pandemic and having Miko diagnosed shortly after shifted our focus to taking care of him, struggling to make the best choices for him while making the most of the time made the last couple of years intense bonding more with him and many scary emergency vet visits. Our house feels empty since while we mourn and determine when the best time would be to welcome more animals.

2022 was a weird and interesting year, so I am enjoying some down time to reflect on it and determine how I want to move forward in 2023. I’d like to live and travel again like the pandemic does not exist, go out with less fear and hesitation. We’ll see. Living healthier and finding a place of better mental health is on the list. Finding more passion in good food and living in the moment too, things that seem to get harder with age.

I hope you’re wrapping up 2022 in a good place and find positive motivation in the list.

• This easy vegan soup looks good.
• So does this stew.
• Vegan Pop-Tart guide.
• Daring vegan cheeses.
• This vegan leather is pretty cool.
• So is this lemon tart recipe.
• This vegan nacho cheese recipe sounds perfect.
• Yes, Greta is vegan.
• It’s almost Veganuary.
• Vegan hot chocolates.
• Creamy tomato vegan pasta recipe.
• So many vegan jerky options.
• Best vegan beauty products.