A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

Okey dokey. It's time to share with you the feast I LIVED AND BREATHED for two days. Now, for a normal person, there would be leftovers for a week - but I'm a growing girl, so did some real damage over the course of 48 hrs.

Here's the menu:

• Pillsbury Dinner Rolls (this was my one cheat - it's just so convenient that they're vegan!)
• Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts
• Traditional Vegetable Stuffing
• Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes (skin on!)
• Homemade Gravy
• Roasted Tofurky Roast
• Sweet Potato Pie w/ Whipped Cream

Impressive for a single gal, no? Now feast your eyes on the pictures!! (There are a lot, because there was a lot of food!)

I made my sweet potato pie on Wednesday night. I stole this recipe from Food.com, and I would highly recommend it! Once the sweet potatoes were baked, it was just a matter of combining all the ingredients in a food processor and baking. Easy peasy!


My little helper staked out his spot on the carpet to watch me cook -- I put a blanket down for him, so he could get good & comfy. (Don't worry, that's his stuffed orange kitten toy in front of him...not a real kitten carcass.)


Everything's in the oven! That's my roast on top, with my brussels sprouts and stuffing below. I somehow timed everything just about perfectly!


The feast! My little counter was taken over by my Thanksgiving dinner.


Look at those maple roasted brussels sprouts with toasted hazelnuts! So sweet and delicious! I got this recipe off the NYTimes website (courtesy of the amazing VEGAN Chef Chloe Coscarelli). Couldn't be easier. I'll definitely make these again.


I do think the Pillsbury rolls are really tasty. I have a great biscuit recipe, but figured I had enough things to do on Thursday, so I'd cheat just this once.


Here's my Tofurky roast and my gravy. You add some veggies (and a basting liquid) to to the Tofurky for flavoring. I *do* still have those veggies and the stuffing from inside the roast leftover in my fridge. A delicious bonus meal. :)


Here are my mashed potatoes and stuffing. I love the skin on -- and the trick is to boil the taters with a few garlic cloves, and then drain and mash 'em all up with margarine, sea salt and soy milk. YUM. And I love that this stuffing tastes just like the stuff my mom makes (except it doesn't come out of the crotch of a dead bird). ***RECIPE BELOW***

Here she is! My Thanksgiving meal. I'm not a big wine drinker, but I felt like the holiday called for a little something special. :)


And here's what was happening alongside my table. Don't worry....I shared. :)


I loved my day of cooking, feasting and napping. But now I'm already focused on burning those calories off. Today was my first run since the marathon. My foot has been feeling much better, so I'm hoping I'm not pushing my luck. I guess I'll know tomorrow morning!

Who's ready for Christmas?! :)

***STUFFING RECIPE***
6 cups of bread, torn into pieces
2 Tbsp margarine
1 onion
3 stalks celery
2 large carrots
1/4 tsp rosemary, thyme, sage & parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 c vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 325-degrees.Combine rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley & salt in small dish. Chop all vegetables. Warm margarine in medium saucepan and saute the onion, celery and carrots over medium heat. Add veggies to bowl with torn bread. Add the herbs to bread, as well. Drizzle vegetable stock over the bread & veggie mixture. Mix well. Bake, uncovered for 20-30 mins in pan. ENJOY!

Givin' Thanks, Ya'll

On this Thanksgiving Eve, with my sweet potato pie in the oven and all the ingredients for tomorrow's cruelty-free feast out on the counter, I think I'll stop and reflect a bit on what I am thankful for...

My family
I love my family. I was blessed with smart, thoughtful, hard working, diligent and loving people in my gene pool. My parents would do anything for me. I know this, without a doubt. My brothers and sister are awesome -- I love that, even though we were raised in the same home and are only 5 yrs apart, we are four of the most unique individuals you'll ever meet. And though we share some personality traits (ie stubbornness) that can cause conflict, we somehow always find a way to get around it. No matter what happens in this life, I know I can always count on my family 110%. (Special shout-out to my sweet niece and my soon-to-be niece...who will arrive on Dec 1st!!)

My friends
I am so fortunate to know some of the greatest people this world has to offer. My friends come from all walks of life and all came into my life at various points -- elementary-high school, church, college, sorority, various jobs, animal advocacy, running, the gym, friend-of-friends -- but I cherish each and every relationship. My friends are spread out across the country (and some beyond), but even with those I only see once every couple of years, I always know once we start chatting, it's like we were never apart. And those that I see/talk to every week are the people who help me get through the daily struggles. I am so thankful.

My pets
I know, I know. I'm obsessed. But I *am* thankful they came into my life. No one can welcome me into my apartment like Jakers and Mabel. Every day, no matter what, they love me unconditionally. Having worked at PETA, I know what kind of suffering is out there for some animals -- so I am just so glad to be able to give these two a wonderful home.

My job
In this economy, not everyone is gainfully employed. I have been with my current advertising agency since January and each day realize more and more what a good job it is. My boss is great, my clients are interesting, the work is fun (for an advertising nerd like me, that is!) and I'm allowed a lot of independence to do my work. I can't say the same about previous jobs (ahem, see paragraph 3). When there are the little flaws in my work day, I remind myself how bad it can be - whether at a terrible workplace or even be without a job - and it makes me really glad I landed where I did. And getting a free iPad from a media rep this week ain't bad!! :)

Compassion Over Killing
I was asked to do an interview for COK this weekend, as part of their 15th-anniversary video. It really reminded me how crucial this organization has been in my life over the past 3 years. It was right around this time in 2007 when I saw their TV commercial and was prompted to go to their website and read about factory farming. From there, I went vegetarian, then learned about the 2008 "Their Lives, Our Voices" conference at the Univ of MN from their eNewsletter...and the next thing you know, I'm a hardcore vegan moving from MN to DC to work in animal advocacy! They do so much with so little and are changing peoples' lives every day. More importantly (well, to me), they are changing animals' lives every day. I wish I had discovered the vegan lifestyle 20 years earlier, but it's never too late to make the choice to go cruelty-free and I'm thankful for the knowledge and tools to make that change.

My health
I love running. And my latest injury has really reminded me how much I miss it when I can't run. Not everyone is healthy enough to run marathons and so I want to cherish every day that I can get out and clear my mind for that 3 mile (or 26 mile when I get back to it!) stretch. I also think my change to a vegan diet has really helped me become a healthier person, eating more veggies and grains and less cholesterol-filled meats and dairy.

I'm thankful for so many things, but I think that sums it up pretty nicely and covers the biggies. :) And while I'm spending my Thanksgiving without my family (I mean, besides Jakers and Mabes), it allows me some quiet time to reflect on all of my many blessings. I hope you are with those you love this holiday weekend (or if you're also flying solo -- THINKING of those you love), and enjoying your many blessings!

Told Ya So

I was right all along. I do have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I'm not happy about it, but I do think maybe I should be a doctor since I'm a champ at self-diagnosis. :)

I finally went to an orthopedist last Friday, after 3 weeks of NO running and no improvement in pain. He x-rayed my foot, but confirmed my prediction. And JAMMED A NEEDLE IN MY HEEL! He gave me a cortisone injection, which was painful, but worked miracles. For the next two days, I was totally pain-free. However, on day 3, I'm already seeing it fade a bit. I also need to buy a night splint to keep my foot flexed at night. That sounds super comfortable, right? *sigh* But with a few different tricks and some time off of running, I should be good as new soon!

But what a perfect weekend to be free of pain. One of my best friends was in town from Chicago and we saw everything DC has to offer! It was gorgeous weather and I finally got to some of the museums I had been meaning to get to since I moved here (namely, The National Archives and the National Portrait Gallery). Emily also opted to be vegan alongside me for the weekend, which made it extra fun!


I would say Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend. We met a couple of my faves from Syracuse (my friends and my sisters, mind you - Phi Sigma Sigma 4 life!) for dinner in Old Town Alexandria. And then we took over a bar until close. It was such a fun night. I haven't had an all-out crazy night like that in awhile, with my marathon training all summer.


NOW I'm fully focused on getting ready for Thanksgiving this Thursday. I love Thanksgiving, even though some people question my ritual. This is my second year of cooking a beautiful vegan feast for...me. :) I love my solo-holiday with no cruelty and just a relaxing day at home with Jakers and Mabel. I'll be with my family in MN for two weeks in December, so I enjoy the quiet time to reflect on what I'm thankful for...my way. I'll definitely post some pics and recipe later in the week!

Well, I Survived

It took a week of recovery to build up to this blog post (or perhaps it's just laziness), but I can proudly tell you I completed the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon!!!!

It did not go as planned, but that's sort of the story of my life, right? I started out the morning meeting my brother and his friend and we took the Metro to the starting line. And by "starting line", I really mean "2 miles from the starting line". Apparently when 35,000 people are running a race, they want to spread you out by making you walk really far BEFORE running 26.2 miles. So we got off at the Pentagon Metro stop, as directed, then walked. And walked. All three of us were shooting for a 4:30ish time (4:28 is my PR, so I was REALLY wanting a 4:27 or faster). But I felt like we were running way too fast in those first 3 miles -- which happened to be very much uphill. By mile 7, I waved those guys on ahead and slowed down, but the damage was done. I hadn't run my own race, and now I was fried early on. I was taking walk breaks by mile 10 (I KNOW I can run 16 miles without walking, so what the heck was I doing!?). The story of my race was "mind over matter". I just could not help but take walking breaks, even though I was feeling pretty strong.
That said, I had a blast. I truly enjoyed it all -- all 5:27 (that's right, an hour past my goal) of it. It was a beautiful course, tons of great crowd support and so many Marines in uniform. :)
I am already thinking about the 2011 Chicago Marathon. Then maybe I'll retire my marathon shoes.

Here are a couple of pics from the day.

These are three of my wonderful friends (and sorority sisters!), Linda, Sonja and Kristen. They were out on the course all day. I was so thankful to have them!


This is at the finish line, I'm rocking my Compassion Over Killing t-shirt. I am SO happy I raised over my $2,620 goal with my marathon training.



This is from the professional photogs' site. So it;s only a proof - but I'm pretty sure I'll order this. Not many marathons that finish at such an incredible spot!


I'm really just so glad it's over. With my injury and SO MUCH time devoted to training this summer, I was just really ready to have this over with. I probably made myself more anxious than need-be, but it's been a few years since I've attempted the big 26.2!