Hi, I'm Toni! Let me help you save time and money while eating delicious, nutritious meals that everyone will love. You'll get access to meal plans, recipes, videos, and more!
heating up
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Hello Reader, It’s a toasty 102°F here in Sacramento today (that’s about 39°C), and while that might sound intense, I actually kind of love it. It’s a hot start to our summer, but since I grew up here, I’m mostly unphased by the heat — so much so that I made a big pot of soup this afternoon. 😊 In garden news, two of our sunflowers just bloomed — including the red variety, which hasn’t made an appearance in a couple of years. If you’ve been around for a while, you might remember that this particular sunflower and I have a bit of a history. Two summers ago, while removing the plant to harvest seeds, it toppled over and hit me directly in the eye, sending me to the hospital with a scraped cornea and temporary vision loss. I’ve finally forgiven it — and I think it knows, because it’s thriving again in our yard. We also had our first-ever cherry harvest! As you might remember, I netted some of the fruit clusters in an effort to share the bounty with the local critters while keeping a little for ourselves. Sadly, the birds and rodents weren’t quite on board with the plan — they tore through most of the netting and left us with just one small basket of cherries. But I’ve accepted that in our garden, the critters usually win. And honestly, getting to hear the little baby nestlings grow up just outside our door feels like a pretty sweet consolation prize. Lately, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a TikTok to share more lifestyle and garden content — little moments from around the yard, what I’m growing, what I’m cooking with it, and maybe a few everyday bits of life. Would you watch something like that? I’d love to hear what you'd want to see! Popular recipes from the blogs:
This week on YouTube, I created step-by-step videos for this easy Vegan Lemon Cake, Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting, and simple Raw Carrot Salad. And new on Instagram: |
Plant-Based on a Budget
Hi, I'm Toni! Let me help you save time and money while eating delicious, nutritious meals that everyone will love. You'll get access to meal plans, recipes, videos, and more!
Hello Reader, My friend Sarah Bond from the food blog Live Eat Learn invited a small group of food blogging friends to Austin, Texas to spend a few days talking business and the rapidly changing landscape of our industry. It was such a wonderful trip! I had never been to Austin before, and I absolutely loved it. The weather was 80 degrees, sunny and dry. Such a treat! The city had so many great vegan food options, and the relaxed culture really stood out to me and reminded me of where I live...
Hello Reader, It's been a nice week over here. My dad has always been my best friend. He likes to joke that we’re identical in “bizarro world,” which somehow means both opposite and the same. We share a lot of fundamental personality characteristics, but when it comes to how we spend our time and interests, we're completely different. He’s this masculine, veteran, football-loving, big-truck-driving, BBQ-ing guy, and yet, he has embraced me completely and supported me in everything I do. A...
Hello Reader, Since early last year, I’ve been making a real effort to prioritize my fitness. After taking nearly all of 2023 off from exercise because of my book launch, I found myself struggling to keep up on a simple hike with my husband — and that moment really stuck with me. It reminded me how much better I feel, physically and mentally, when I’m consistently moving my body. I started small — just walking around the block with Eddie. That’s really all it took to begin rebuilding the...