The best way to get vitamin D

When your skin is exposed to sunlight (without sunscreen), your body produces vitamin D. Just 10-15 minutes of exposure to sunlight on your face and arms each day should be adequate to ensure that you are not deficient in this essential vitamin. Keep in mind that sunscreen blocks UV rays and thus this process of vitamin D creation. So wait 10-15 minutes to apply your sunscreen if you are planning to spend more time outside. This short amount of non-blocked and non-burning time in the sun is not damaging to the skin- it is actually very healthy!

Why do we need vitamin D?

Vitamin D plays many different roles in our health, including:

• Greatly improving absorption of calcium for strong bones
• Boosting the immune system
• Protecting against some forms of cancer (colon, prostate, and breast)

Vitamin D-rich foods

If you live in a northern area or the weather is not currently conducive to catching a few rays, you can get vitamin D from dietary sources. The best food sources of vitamin D include fortified foods such as non-dairy milk products and cereals (non-vegan: dairy products, salmon, mackerel, egg yolks, and fish liver oils).

Try these combos for a vitamin D-rich breakfast or snack:

• Yogurt (dairy or fortified non-dairy) sprinkled with a fortified cereal, walnuts, and fresh fruit
• Fortified cereal with milk (dairy or fortified non-dairy) topped with fruit and slivered almonds

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup water
4-5 ice cubes
1 large handful of raw spinach
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 orange, peeled
2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 heaping teaspoons of Vega Tropical Shake and Go Smoothie mix
1 inch piece of vanilla bean (optional)

2 Tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, cereal, raisins (and/or cranberries), nuts, cinnamon, hemp seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. To the flax mixture add nut butter, vanilla, brown sugar, applesauce, molasses, oil, and milk and mix well.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Don't over-mix.
5. Scoop the dough about 2-3 Tbsp at a time and, using your hands, roll it into balls. As you place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, flatten them out into cookie shapes.
6. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper. Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts (except chia seeds).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted Earth Balance, chia (or flax) seeds, almond butter, applesauce (or pumpkin), molasses, maple syrup, and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well combined.
3. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle brown sugar lightly over the top (optional). Bake for about 35 minutes, until brown around the edges. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then use the edges of parchment to lift them from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut the bars into squares. If they seem crumbly, you can refrigerate them for 30 minutes or so before cutting them.

• Roasted red pepper dip (recipe)
• Chickpea salad (recipe) - try adding a little cayenne for an extra kick
• Spicy edamame dip (recipe)

Speaking of veggies, we received this romanesco in our last CSA box. I LOVE the way that it looks!

I looked around online for a Turkey Trot in the area for Thanksgiving morning but I wasn't able to find a race close enough. I am, however, thankful for that in retrospect! Thanksgiving morning was COLD!!


Instead of braving the sub-zero morning, I decided to wait until the sun warmed things up to a balmy 24 degrees to head outside to play with my kids.

We bundled up. A lot.


Then we hit the "slopes" for some driveway sledding!

Since there were eight of us in a tiny cabin, you can imagine how crowded things were. I didn't take photos of our dinner but I did capture one of the appetizer dip that I invented for the occasion: Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Torta.


Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Torta
1 prepared recipe of cashew cheese (use 2 cups of cashews and as little water as possible)
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

1. Divide cashew cheese into 3 equal parts. Line your container/mold with plastic wrap, letting it hang over the sides of the bowl. Place one part cashew cheese in the container and smooth over.
2. Place second part of cashew cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (drained) in a food processor and process until smooth and well-blended. Add this mixture to the bowl on top of the plain cashew cheese and smooth over the top.
3. Place third part of cashew cheese, basil leaves, and pine nuts in the food processor (washed after SD tomato layer), and process until smooth and well-blended. Add this pesto layer to the top of the bowl/mold and smooth over. Gently fold the excess plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. To serve, uncover the torta and place a serving plate on top of the bowl. Flip the bowl over and carefully remove the plastic. Garnish with pine nuts and a basil sprig (if you're fancy!) and serve with sliced baguette.

Did you know?... Cashews provide heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, protein, copper, magnesium, iron, manganese, and immune-boosting zinc. The nutritional yeast in the cashew cheese adds B vitamins (including B12) and more protein to this healthy appetizer!

Heading home was a little sketchy. We left a day early, hoping to beat the crowds. The roads were frozen and it was snowing sideways!


Thanks to 4-wheel drive and window defrosters we made it home safely!

I love these muffins and so do my muffin-loving kids. Enjoy!
Cranberry Tangerine Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• Juice from 2-4 tangerines (or oranges)
• 2 Tbsp tangerine (or orange) zest (preferably organic or tangerines not coated with wax or another coating)
• 1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup protein powder (optional, replace with flour if not using)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
3. Pour zest and tangerine juice into a measuring cup for a total of 3⁄4 cup. Pour into a small bowl and add the flax meal, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Combine well.
4. In a large bowl, combine flours, protein powder (optional), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes.

These were easy to make using a food processor and they tasted perfect!

I started with this recipe from Oh She Glows and it worked really well. I used the same ingredients and measurements.

Here are the steps that I followed:

1. Place the chopped dates in the food processor and process until they start to stick together and ball up. Remove them from the food processor and place them in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place the cashews, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and vanilla in the food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped.
3. Add the nut mixture to the dates and mix together as best you can.
4. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and pour/plop the mixture onto the plastic. Fold the plastic over the mixture to keep it from sticking to your hands and knead it until it all sticks together and you can form it into bars. Divide the mixture into two or three pieces and form into bars (using the plastic wrap to shape them to keep them from sticking to your hands). Wrap the bars in plastic and refrigerate.

...but that's just part of the fun for them. The water was cold but gorgeous...



...and we had a great day at the beach!


Cooking was quick with our simple accommodations- I love the minimalism that camping forces! To make our meals easier, I did most of the food prep at home. I chopped all of the fruits and veggies and bagged them for each meal. For breakfast we had tofu scramble burritos one day (one of my veg bags contained all of veggies and a small container of pre-measured seasonings) and then instant oatmeal (we added a few goodies like peanut butter, bananas, raisins, applesauce, etc.) the next day.

Tofu scramble burrito prep on the camp stove:


Lunch was PB&J sandwiches for the kids and Indian samosas (wheat tortillas with a mixture of potatoes, peas, and Indian spices that I prepared at home) for us. For dinner I pre-made my favorite lentil recipe (red lentils with kale) so we just had to heat it up when we were camping. The second night we had pasta with sauteed veggies (pre-chopped and bagged) and, of course, vegan s'mores (we used Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows which are fabulous)!

We also brought along tons of snacks including Larabars, zucchini bread, Super Charge Me cookies, sesame cashews, fruit, and veggies with hummus.

Here is a menu brainstorm that I did before planning the meals for our trip. I know this list will come in handy for me on future trips!

Breakfast:

• Pancakes
• Oatmeal
• Tofu veggie scramble with potatoes (or as burritos)
• Scones (Dreena Burton's Squirrelly Scones- YUM!)
• Cinnamon rolls
• Bagels with peanut butter or vegan cream cheese

Lunch:

• Sandwiches (PB&J, tofu or tempeh, soy cheese)
• Samosas Lentil and/or grain salad with veggies

Dinner:

• Chili and cornbread
• Veggie burgers and sweet potatoes or grilled corn
• Veg kabobs, hummus, pita bread
• Pasta with sauteed veggies
• Soup and bread
• Red lentils and kale with bread

Snacks:

• Muffins or quick bread
• Cookies
• Veggies and dip
• Fruit (incl. apples w/PB)
• Bars 
• Nuts
• S'mores!

Blackberry Orange Muffins
Makes 9-10 muffins

1 cup flour (preferably whole wheat or spelt)
1 cup ground oats (grind in food processor or VitaMix until they look like course flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup fresh blackberries, halved
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp hemp seeds (for protein and extra iron)
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (organic sugar)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 375〫F (190〫C) degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and ground oats. Sift in the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, then stir in remaining dry ingredients and combine well.
3. In another bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix gently until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon into a lined or lightly oiled muffin pan and bake for 19-24 minutes (mine took 19), until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe adapted and published with permission from Dreena Burton's "As-You-Like Muffins" from The Everyday Vegan.

Shake & Go Smoothie: Great as-is or added to a smoothie. Contains Stevia and is sweet. I've only tried the Tropical and Berry flavors. 

Whole Food Health Optimizer: This is a meal replacement. It is ok as-is but better added to a smoothie. It is sweetened with Stevia. It is expensive but contains tons of good stuff! You can use 1/2 a serving in a smoothie to keep the calories and cost down. I prefer the Natural or Berry flavors.

Sport Performance Protein: This is an excellent recovery drink because it contains all of the essential amino acids which helps with muscle recovery. I like it added to a smoothie but you can drink it as-is. It is sweetened with Stevia.   

Garden of Life:
Raw Protein: This is good for adding to smoothies. It has very little flavor and blends well. It is raw, vegan, organic, and loaded with good stuff!

Happy blending!