The Dawn of 2009

Now that '09 is upon us I feel a renewed sense of hope: Obama will be our new president soon, I am back to doing a job I love, the snow outside makes everything look new and fresh and it has been one year since I resolved to be fully vegan. Thats right, my 2008 resolution was to be an honest-to-goodness vegan (no more falling off the cheese wagon!) I made the resolution because it was something I had been wanting to do and I'm an all-or-nothing gal - it takes a big goal to make me change. But as I reflect on my place in the world today I honestly can't remember a time when I've been happier. On the surface, being back to teaching in the classroom (a change from 2008) and being vegan (also a big change) don't seem similar. In reality, they are both allowing me to "live my truth." I love teaching. I love the challenge, I love my students, I love the people I work with, and I love belonging to a community. I love being vegan. I love the fact that I am healthier. I love the fact that no creatures are harmed because of my diet. I love the food!!! I guess, when it comes down to it, I have entered 2009 living the life that seems to fit me, and it doesn't get much better than that.

Yummy Stuff!!
For our New Year's Eve dinner we made three-bean chili with what my hubby calls "Marie's willy-nilly spices" (it drives him nuts when I just put spices in without measuring or using a recipie!) The chili had kidney, pinto and black beans and tomatos and was seasoned with chili power, cumin, oregano, and a little bit of allspice and cloves. It was spicy and delicious topped with avacado!!
For our New Year's Day brunch I made Pumpkin Scones (with blueberries instead of cranberries) from Veganomicron and my own tofu-scramble with the potato-veggie medley from Trader Joe's. We didn't eat until 11:30, but hey, isn't that what Brunch is all about?