REVIEW: January 2017 Favorites

Happy February, my friends! It’s been a minute since I’ve shared anything here and since I missed posting my December Favorites, I’m going to include them here. How’s everyone doing?? It’s been quite the winter between the record amount of snow we had and then the obvious state of the world. I know I’m not alone in my sadness and discouragement, but I think we really need to come together, stand united, and make our voices heard. I promise to not make this post about politics, but for those looking for a way to work towards change PLEASE visit 5 Calls – and the best part is that they provide scripts…for those (like me) who lose their words and freeze up when it’s time to speak! All you do is type in your zip code and the phone numbers for your area will be provided. I urge you to call!

**ALSO, my shop has been on vacation, but I’m going to reopen it this Friday AND for this weekend only, I will be donating 50% of my sales to ACLU. I’ll make the announcement on my Instagram page (@be.sol.ful), so if you’re interested, please check there on Friday to get the full details!**

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FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM DECEMBER & JANUARY:

December was a month for LOTS OF SNOW here in Bend…which meant some quality time outside playing and adventuring AND shoveling. We had somewhere between 15″-18″ fall in a 24 hour span and I was just happy that I had nowhere to be. Poor Josh, on the other hand, still had to make the trek to work – I’m just grateful that we have a vehicle that can handle the weather conditions.

When you have a dinosaur obsessed kiddo, you make a triceratops instead of a snowman! She had a little help from her Dad…

A breathtakingly beautiful snowshoe hike with family…

With all the snow, more birds crowded our feeders, which we just love. Several months ago, Willow named three of the doves that frequent our yard…Sally, Lucy, and Charlie Brown. I managed to finally snap a photo of them together!

And then January brought EVEN MORE snow – check out my parents front yard:

Which is why we had to brave the snowy mountain pass a couple weeks ago and get out of town! The weather was perfect at the coast and it was just what the three of us needed!

JANUARY FAVORITES >>

I first wanted to do a little shout out to my dear friend, Karina and her friend, Alyssa – their Honest Mothers blog is just incredible! There’s a real sense of community and connection thanks to sharing real life thoughts and struggles. The sad part about social media is that we’re trained to share perfect moments – clean house, well prepared meals, happy kids, put together moms. In reality, we ALL struggle. We ALL have bad days, weeks. NO ONE is perfect. Their blog helps to normalize this and show us that it is OK and normal to struggle…to feel guilt, to feel shame. In sharing about our struggles we actually help one another to not feel so isolated and alone. I had the honor of meeting Karina when I was in Southern CA back in September and I can with 100% certainty tell you that she is one of the most genuine, real mamas I know! Please give their blog a look. Here’s a link to their latest post → Distracted Motherhood

PRODUCTS:

“Heart Beet” >> GT’s Kombucha >> When I saw a new flavor from GT’s make an appearance at Natural Grocers this month, I didn’t have to think twice, I just added it to our shopping cart. Besides the fact that I LOVE beets, it also has fresh ginger and rosemary in it as well. Obviously it was amazing!!!

I also fell in love with GTs Mojito flavor! I switched back to GTs due to their lower sugar content – my favorite local brand (Humm) was just too sweet for my healing gut.

COYO Coconut Yogurt >> It’s been ages since I’ve purchased or consumed store bought yogurt, but when I saw this brand at Natural Grocers, I had to give them a shot! I chose to stick with Natural and Chocolate, so I cannot attest to how the other flavors are. Their yogurts are:

• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Paleo certified
• Preservative free
• Carrageenan free
• Gum free
• Soy free
• No added sugar

I’d say that’s REALLY impressive! The downfall is the price as they were $2.79/ea…so these are more of a treat (an occasional purchase). I have also seen them at Whole Foods and Market of Choice, but there they are $3.99/ea.  I really enjoyed the thick, creamy texture and how it wasn’t sweet. Willow, on the other hand, tried to like them, but said they weren’t sweet enough for her! I plan to try using some of the plain/natural one as a sour cream substitute for tacos!

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RECIPES:

Candy Cane Nice Cream >> Feasting on Fruit >> Despite the cold and snow, we whipped this up one afternoon as a little treat. Willow has a slight obsession with beets and when she saw the video for this recipe (remember, she’s a HUGE fan of Natalie and her YouTube channel…but who isn’t?), she insisted we make this! I was a little lazy and kept the beets raw – I just made sure to dice them up small enough so that the blender wouldn’t leave behind any chunks of beet. I also skipped the pomegranate seeds because we didn’t have any on hand and I’m 99.9% sure Willow would have picked them out anyway 😉 Because it was so cold out when we made this and our house wasn’t super warm, the nice cream was really hard and rather than having a jar filled with pretty, creamy layers, I kinda plopped the nice cream in the jar. Haha!! But it didn’t matter because it tasted REALLY REALLY good!!! Not overly minty, slightly sweet, and a perfect treat. Willow topped hers with some mini chocolate chips…are you surprised? I just loved how there wasn’t any added sweetener, which didn’t make my tummy upset. Can’t wait to make this again!

RICE CRISPY CRUNCH TRUFFLES >> FEASTING ON FRUIT >> I gave Willow options and showed her photos/videos of treats to give her the chance to choose what we should make for our family Christmas Day gathering…and I’m not surprised that she picked these truffles! Our kitchen and Willow was a chocolate covered mess by the end of prepping these babies, but it was definitely worth it since they were a huge hit! While I can’t give you my personal feedback (I’m still grain-free) as to how they tasted, I will say that the super simple ingredient list won me over! Family and friends described them as rich, decadent, and amazing….it was so much fun for me to sit back and watch everyone take their first bite and listen to the ‘oooohhhing’ and ‘mmmmmmms’ – I’m sure these will make another appearance in the near future.

Raw Vegan Maple Donut Holes >> Lee Tilghman >> Grain-free, gluten-free, and full of maple-y goodness! Josh and Willow loooooooved these! I enjoyed one, but my tummy just couldn’t handle the sweetness level. I glazed most of them and set aside a couple without and those were more up my alley. So simple to make and no baking required. I think that when I make these again, I will omit the maple syrup in the actual “donut” and lessen the amount in the glaze…but if you ask Josh, he’ll say that they’re perfect the way they are!

Coconut Curry Soup with Sweet Potato Noodles >> Veggie Inspired >> I’m a sucker for all things curry and coconut AND simple, so this was a must-try recipe for our family. I made some adjustments to make it easier on my gut (left out the peas and added in chopped carrots instead – I sauteed those with the other veggies).  I LOVED this soup! So full of flavor and it had a decent amount of heat to it which made for perfect comfort food. Sadly, there isn’t a photo to accompany this review because (1) the lighting was awful…darn winter and darkness and (2) we used a low sodium broth with tomato which created a very dark soup…nothing nearly as pretty as Jenn’s! So please head over to her blog and drool over her pics and give the recipe a try!

((I’ve been sticking to pretty much the same few things for meals, so nothing new to share there…just LOTS of potatoes, broccoli, kale, avocado and plenty of nutritional yeast! Haha! Pretty simple and boring! Hoping to report back next month with more exciting meals! I’m just grateful to be able to eat curry and most nightshades again! Such a blessing.))

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BOOKS:

Before I dive into the world of fiction and self-help/self-love books, I NEED to mention and give some love to my sweet friend, Brandi, and her eBook! Back in December she released this beautiful 8 Ingredient Vegan Desserts ECookbook and I bought it straight away…and while I cannot attest to the deliciousness of the recipes included in this book, I will say that there hasn’t been a dessert recipe of Brandi’s that I tried and didn’t fall in love with. She has a real gift when it comes to creating AND capturing the essence in her photos. I’ve drooled over all the recipes and when my gut can tolerate nuts and grains again, you better believe I’ll be running to the kitchen to make everything! You can grab a copy for $6.99

What I read and enjoyed:

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch >> A few years ago, my best friend recommended this book to me and it stayed on my to-read list for so long. Then last month, someone else brought up the title in conversation so I decided to check it out from the library. I knew from the description that it was going to be a heartbreaking read, but the lessons that you take away are life-changing. It is so easy to get dragged down into a pool of negativity – I’ve been guilty of that, but through these pages we learn about a man who chose to live life in such an inspiring way, despite a terminal cancer diagnosis. This was a very short book, but very powerful.

The Night Bird by Brian Freeman >> This was my pick from the Kindle First options in January and I plowed through it fast! It’s a mystery/suspense (fiction) and a real page turner. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Fellside by M.R. Carey >> Talk about a crazy book! Fiction/thriller/suspense. I really enjoyed this one, but the end had me screaming “why?!!?” – I ended up giving it 4 stars on Goodreads.

The Heart of Aromatherapy by Andrea Butje >> My mom gifted me this book as an early birthday present and I will cherish it as a wonderful resource. While I’ve been using essential oils for over ten years and have created my own recipes, I feel like I’m in a constant state of learning and growing when it comes to oils. I love how the author keeps things very basic – covers 40 different oils and their healing properties along with sharing her own recipes. I am very inspired by her combinations and knowledge. I highly recommend this book to anyone new to essential oils, but really I think it’s a great guide for everyone.

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown >> I love Brené Brown. Her words always bring so much hope, encouragement, and love to my heart. This book is all about vulnerability and how we cannot live wholeheartedly without it…we learn, grow, and succeed by showing up, taking risks, and stepping outside of our comfort zones. I have A LOT of the pages folded and highlighted because this book is FILLED with inspiring words. She has a way of calling you out in a gentle manner – I found myself nodding in agreement and shaking my head in disbelief (like as if she knew me and what I was thinking). I will be holding onto this book for Willow to read when she gets older. For anyone tired of living in fear and sitting on the sidelines, grab yourself a copy!

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Tell me…

What are you reading? Have you tried anything new? Recipes? Are you watching anything?? I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

❤