Last week was spring break for us and we were on a week-long RV trip along the coast of Northern California and inland in Southern Oregon. Despite cold temperatures and a couple of rainy days, we managed to see several beautiful places and even take a couple of small hikes in the majestic redwoods near Jedediah Smith State Park.

Headed west through greener-than-green rolling hills:
Fort Bragg:

Glass beach (this place was literally a dump in 1949. Now it is a state park filled with gorgeous pieces of sea glass):

My sea glass finds (I left them there- it is a misdemeanor to remove them from the beach!):

Surf's up in Crescent City:

Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City:

My little "Ewoks" at "Endor" (parts of the Ewok scenes in Star Wars were filmed near Jedediah Smith State Park):

The stunningly turquoise-green Smith River:

These trees don't look big in the photo until you compare them to the size of our RV!:

Hiking trail:

Eating healthy on our trip was relatively easy because we had an RV (thus a fridge and kitchen). We did, of course, indulge in too many sweets (it was vacation and Easter, after all)! We have been home for four days and I finally made it to the grocery store to restock today. Time to get back on track!

Speaking of healthy eating on-the-go, that is the topic of my latest article in Freeplay magazine. You can read the entire issue, including my article on page 14, here. <Link outdated, removed>

So here's the thing about December- sometimes it makes us a little squishy (and I don't mean from eating too many cookies, although that is certainly a possibility too). It is cold outside and it gets dark before dinner. Our friends are sharing their holiday joy on Facebook and all the images painted in our minds by Christmas songs and movies can make us feel like we're doing it all wrong. We have such high standards for ourselves. Why else would it be an option to pay someone to hang our Christmas lights?

What matters, though, is not how well we meet an imaginary holiday formula put forth by all of the hubbub. What matters is that we do things our own way; things that make our lives feel rich and help us and ours to connect with what is important to us. That has everything to do with the traditions that are connected to our heartstrings and nothing to do with anything at the mall.

As the holidays arrive next week, flourish. Pause to ponder simple things in great detail. Take your time. Navigate the pace and direction of things by following joy instead of an agenda. Sink in to honoring what you need from moment to moment. Explore. Make messes.


Right now you're likely focussed on all things carbohydratey- holiday treats, mashed potatoes, mulled cider...

If you're anything like me, though, you'll be craving something different soon after the holidays. It seems like I always start to crave spicy foods right after Thanksgiving. Szechuan veggies, curries, salsa. It all sounds so good when it is cold outside!

To help you along with your post-holiday stir fries, noodle dishes, etc., I'll be giving away a coupon for a free Nasoya item and a Nasoya t-shirt next week! Details on how to enter are coming soon. In the meantime, get some recipe inspiration and cooking tips from the people at Nasoya on their Tofu U website.*


*Legal disclaimer: I a not being paid to promote these products.

I realize that I'm a bit behind with my Thanksgiving recap here, but my week was about so much more than food and I want to share the highlights from all the deep down good stuff!

My husband and kids were off of work and school all last week. Since we were hosting Thanksgiving at our house with family due to arrive on Wednesday, we decided to spend the first part of the week having a little family adventure. It is always good to get out and experience new places and things and it is even better to reconnect with old friends, which we also did on our trip.

We only live about 90 miles from San Francisco but rarely partake in tourist activities when we are there. It almost feels like we are being tourists in our own city when we visit because we've spent so much time there, together and separately, over the years. It was great to see the city from some new perspectives last week!

Heading into San Francisco (over the Bay Bridge) on a rainy Sunday:


Despite the city chaos and all that being urban entails (and even though I am more of a wide open spaces kind of person), I find the city of San Francisco to be breathtakingly beautiful and endlessly enchanting. Watching the fog swirl around the Golden Gate Bridge while driving towards the city nestled just across the Bay almost makes me cry because it is so pretty. Every. Single. Time. Love.

Steve and Jackson in Marina Green Park (see the Golden Gate in the background?):


...and again:


Rainbow, sailboat, and Alcatraz Island:


Pier 39:


On Monday morning we took a ferry to Alcatraz Island and spent a couple of hours touring the buildings and learning about the history of the prison and the island itself. I love historical places and their stories!

Ferry ride:


The view of the city from Alcatraz Island is stunning:


We spent three days and two nights in the Bay Area, mostly on foot. Then, with a short stop to tour a Jelly Belly Factory on our way, we headed home to start our Thanksgiving-ing.

The absolute best part of Thanksgiving this year was unhurried time with family. We spontaneously jumped in the leaves in our yard and stopped to smell the roses:


Logan said that this rose smelled "like pink":


Oh and we snuggled, played, and wore our slippers too:


Our Thanksgiving meal (or "feast" as the kids call it) was big! Since my non-veg family was visiting, we had things to meet every taste. Our vegetarian spread included a Field Roast (hazelnut cranberry en croute), mashed potatoes, yam (actually sweet potato) casserole, mushroom gravy, stuffing, gingered cranberry sauce with orange, rosemary bread, green beans with pine nuts and shiitake mushrooms, and chocolate pecan pie. Yum and yum and yum!



If you celebrated American Thanksgiving this year, I hope that your feast and adventures were lovely too!

This 4th of July was a busy one for us. We traveled north for my 20 year high school reunion and to visit with family. It was a weekend filled with hiking...

...and climbing rocks...

...to see a waterfall (Faery Falls):

We watched the hometown parade complete with loud firetrucks...

...pretended to drive Grandpa's Jeep...

...and played croquet:

We watched Mt. Shasta grow pink with alpenglow at sunset...

...and had a driveway fireworks show:

We dressed up and reunited with old friends, some who I hadn't seen for 20+ years:


It was hustle-bustle, but it felt good to get out of town. The hike to the waterfall was a bit of a wakeup call for my inner adventurer. We had to walk on a skinny and gravely (aka slippery) trail on the edge of a drop-off to get to the falls. The walk was totally worth it- I need more of this!

For our "Traditional Non-Traditional" Christmas tacos, I started with dry pinto beans. I love the way that they taste when they have been slowly simmered with a few flavorful ingredients. Below is my recipe. You can use these beans in tacos, salads, quesadillas, burritos, and more. They are versatile and provide a healthy dose of protein, iron, folic acid, manganese, and fiber.

Taco Beans
Makes enough for ~6-8 tacos

1 cup dry pinto beans
1/2 a large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried Mexican (or regular) oregano
1/2 tsp dried epazote (optional)
1 tsp (or more) chili powder of choice*
Small strip of kombu (helps flavor and reduces gas-causing sugars)
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt to taste

1. Soak the dry beans in water overnight (or as long as possible).

2. Drain and rinse the beans and place them in a sauce pan. Add all ingredients except for the sea salt (it may slow the cooking process) and add enough water to cover the beans by a few inches. Bring to a boil.

I realize that I'm a little late and out of order with this, but I wanted to share a few highlights from our "Traditional Non-Traditional" Christmas dinner. After Thanksgiving has passed, we're usually pretty burned out on standard holiday fare. For that reason, we have created a tradition in our family of serving a Christmas dinner made up of foods that are not of the mashed potatoes and gravy variety.

Being a California native, I am a big fan of fresh foods that are grown close to home. I love combinations where I can taste each ingredient, so I tend to keep it simple. This year, while it was rainy and cold outside, we had a hot and spicy (and super fresh) Mexican meal complete with margaritas made with fresh-squeezed lime juice!

Here are some highlights, in photos:

We started the day with homemade cinnamon rolls. These are a vegan version (I used Earth Balance instead of butter and flaxmeal and water instead of egg) of a recipe by 101 Cookbooks and they were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Our main meal was homemade tacos served with fresh-squeezed lime juice margaritas (I'm not a fan of the commercial mixes). 

Here are the stars of the show:

<photos removed>

Pinto beans simmered all day with onion, garlic, New Mexico chile powder, bay leaf, epazote, and Mexican oregano.

A simple guacamole made with avocado (of course!), cilantro, fresh lime juice, and sea salt.

Homemade pico de gallo (organic tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime juice, jalapenos, cilantro, and sea salt).

We used these lovely fresh things to make some seriously delicious tacos.

With warm cilantro lime brown rice on the side.

After our tacos settled, we had homemade Mexican chocolate and orange cake with Grand Marnier mousse.

Feliz Navidad!