These days, I feel like I’m straddling two separate worlds. One is the world I’ve been living in for the past 10 years: the hustler lifestyle. It’s a fluid schedule, always-on-call mom, freelancer, grad student, part-timer, small business owner, non-profit worker, HUSTLER.

The other world is the one that I’ve never inhabited before. It’s the calmer, more stable, more traditional world of a daily 9-5. And right now I’m walking the line between those two worlds, between the previous me, and the potential me, with one foot firmly planted on each side.

And who knows how it’s all going to end up?

But anyway, here’s what it looks like these days. A typical Tuesday in this post-graduate, but still-scrambling kinda life.




I feel like I might be getting sick. I feel like I might be getting sick, so in the morning while I’m rushing around getting myself ready for work, getting Waits ready for school, getting both of our lunches packed up and our clothing on and our hair and teeth brushed, I take a second to down a dropperful of my godfather’s homemade elderberry extract. Immune booster!




On the way to school to drop off Waits. I eat coffee for breakfast.




I drop Waits off, say hi to his teacher, kiss him goodbye, and then head out to UCSB. Today it’s the last week before dead week, so parking is a bitch. I have to park out at campus point which is far away, but pretty. It overlooks the lagoon and beyond that, the ocean.

And this is my building. Life Sciences. Back at my old stomping grounds, but no loner a grad student (thank god). These days I’m temporarily filling a position as Academic Coordinator. You can see my office in that pic: top floor, second from the left. Overlooking the ocean . . . not so bad!

I didn’t take any pictures throughout my morning because, well, brand new job has me busy busy busy like a bee. It’s a lot of work to Program Manage an 1,100-student class (the very biggest single course on campus). I scramble around like a madwoman until lunch time.




I retire to my car to eat lunch. Super introvert power! Some days I eat with my coworkers, who are all really awesome people. But today is one of those days that I just need my quiet bubble. I listen to a podcast and gaze out over the freshwater lagoon, where I did some of my research as an undergraduate. Beyond that, the gorgeous Pacific ocean, all clear and sparkling blue. The spring flowers are blooming. I really, really love the UCSB campus.




PIZZA! Jeremy had made pizza the night before, so lunch is leftovers. Gluten-free crust with barbecue sauce, tofu, spinach, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, and vegan cheese. MMMMMmmm.

On my way back to the office, I swing by the coffee kiosk for an afternoon caffeine refill.




Back at the desk, coffee and computers.




But the view ain’t bad!

At 2:30 I leave — only on Tuesdays mind you — to pick Waits and his best friend up from school. We have a standing afternoon date and nowadays, this is the only school afternoon that I get with Waits. So it means a lot to me.

First things first, we hit Whole Foods for after school snacks.




Besties. They each get a vegan blueberry muffin and a “green” juice. Apple cucumber kale parsley for Waits, and OJ carrot kale for Weston.




And dandelion beet cucumber apple ginger turmeric for me.

From there we head over to one of my garden schools. The boys play on the playground while I tend to the garden and plan the following morning’s lesson. I teach at 9 am Wednesday mornings, starting with K/1 and going all the way up through 6th grade. It’s a lot to plan!




After the garden, we swing by the pickup location to grab our weekly CSA. It’s good this week, with parsnips and beets and apples and avocados (and much more), but no strawberries yet. The boys are eagerly awaiting the return of those. For now, they’ll have to be satisfied with fresh-from-the-earth carrots.




We all eat three carrots apiece by the time we’ve gotten home.

Back at the house, the boys entertain themselves with Waits’s vast Lego collection (no screen time when friends are over), and I busy myself preparing dinner. We’re heading over to a friend’s house for “Taco Tuesday” . . . or “Wine and Whining,” as we like to call it, because although it’s usually on Tuesday, Waits has declared that he no longer likes tacos (blasphemy!!!), so we rarely eat those nowadays.

This week I’m preparing a vegan lasagna, and she’s on salad duty.




Carrots aren’t enough to hold me over:




And the cats are thrilled that I’ve given them the empty CSA box to play with:




Weston’s dad picks him up around 5:30, and Waits and I head out to my girlfriend’s house.

When we arrive, her daughter is having a playdate and her husband isn’t home from work yet. Waits joins the girls to play, and my friend and I . . . well, wine and whining!




(Yes, that’s an ultrasound in the background. Okay, the wine was just for me — she’s abstaining!)

Whine whine whine. Gab gab gab. *discussion of the delicacy of human nature, the minutia of daily existence, hopelessness, happiness, witchcraft and why it matters, and also the best way to keep your damn dyed hair from drying out*




Snacks for our kids. Hummus and cucumbers. (and vintage Voltron lions, a whole complete set belonging to our friends, Waits is officially obsessed)

Around 7, my friend’s husband arrives home, and dinner is served. We all pile our plates high with vegan lasagna and kale salad, and smoosh together around the table for a big ‘ol friends/family dinner.




A legitimately terrible picture of my food. I apologize. But also, I was living very much in this wonderful moment, and I’m sure you understand.

After dinner it was getting late, and I had to get the kiddo home for bath time and bed time. We bid our friends adieu, and made our way back home, where Jeremy was awaiting us after his own very long day at work.




Waits was very happy to see him, and dang if that doesn’t just absolutely melt my heart. *sigh*

But it was time to get that kid cleaned up, since my friend had sent him home with a bowl of frozen blueberries. See??




Oi! What a mess. From there it was bath and teeth and hair and bed, stories and songs and sleepy time for the little mister.

Followed not too long by my own bedtime, because OI. What a day!

♥ ♥ ♥

So yeah, I’ve been busy busy in grad school, and also I’ve been intentionally practicing pleasure-seeking. Like, as an activity. Like, as a priority. I’m the type of person who is ever practical, always putting work before play, but in light of recent battles with major stress and anxiety, I say — no more! I am making space for pure pleasure. I am gardening. I am spring cleaning. I am spellcasting, wild-food-foraging, Netflix binge-watching (Gilmore Girls finally!) and all sorts of other delicious self care. It’s wonderful and worth it, but it does tend to diplace other activities, such as blogging.

Ah well, I’m sure you understand. There’s only so many hours in a day, and sometimes putting on a podcast for mid-morning weeding in the spring sunlight just has to take priority over staying inside and writing. But hey, now I’m back! And speaking of only so many hours in the day . . . here’s how we spent a recent Sunday, the whole little family all together:

After lunch we were off on another adventure — to the California Science Center! It’s one of Waits’s favorite places, and a place we visit as often as we can. As a family of scientists (Jeremy double majored in biology and chemistry before he got into wine) it’s something we all love, and this place just never disappoints. We spent hours roaming the exhibits, playing with the demos, and filling our brains with science!

You guys I drink this like every night, it’s the best thing ever!

A perfect nightcap to end another long, lovely day.

♥ ♥ ♥

What I Ate Wednesday posts have always been some of my most popular, so I thought it would be fun to pop in and do one of those. A sort of “day in the life” thing, to serve as both mealtime inspiration, as WIAW always seems to do, as well as to give you guys a little look into what I’m currently up to. Which is: A LOT.

These days are busy, some of the busiest I’ve ever had, I think. And I find that the key to sustained intensity like this (no end in sight) is consistent and directed self care. Now more than ever, I’m making sure to put nutritious and delicious foods into my body, and I’m using media that makes me feel happy and stimulated, and I’m surrounding myself with the people who nourish and inspire me, and I’m trying to pause and notice the beauty around me, and of course, as often as possible, I’m finding some time to rest.

Okay so actually I’m still working on that last part. But hey, 4 out of 5 ain’t bad! Here’s how my day unfolded, on a recent Friday:

Yes, plural.

Time to start this day.

I spend about an hour in the classroom, helping the children with art and writing, and then joining in circle time for show-and-tell and appreciations. Then, it’s time to feast!





It’s a beautiful winter day, with that special kind of slicing sunlight that always comes this time of year. Unfortunately I have a meeting scheduled right at noon, so I can’t stay long, but I’m grateful to be able to be part of such a lovely little feast. At 11:30 I’m kissing the kiddo goodbye and hopping into the car to head out to UCSB.

Thomas and I are currently working on writing up some field research — predator-prey dynamics in freshwater river systems — which we’re getting ready to submit for publication. It’s pretty cool stuff, and we hope to have it in peer-review by early next year.

While we work, I eat:




Today’s meal-sized salad is local mesclun mix and carrots from my CSA farm box, red onion, garbanzo beans, and a whole half of a large avocado, covered in my favorite tahini sauce.

We work on our manuscript for 2 solid hours and make some great headway. But soon, it’s time for me to take off, to pick the kiddo up from school!

Waits has kindergarten during normal school hours, and then he goes to an after school program which is a nature-based outdoor day care. It’s the best.

I bring him a little after-school treat:

But now, I have an appointment downtown. I park at our barware shop Still and pop in to give Jeremy a kiss. Then I’m off walking, just a few short blocks, to a beautiful place called The Temple.




This is Terence, and he co-founded The Temple (a center for holistic health coaching) with a friend of mine. Terence is a really interesting guy, and also . . . *cue dramatic music* . . . he’s an ex-vegan!!

So much so, that now he’s asking me to consult with him for his vegan and vegetarian clients. He feels like he wants to be able to support them in their desire to be veg, but he needs an expert on vegan and vegetarian nutrition. And he thinks that expert could be me!

It’s pretty cool stuff, and an exciting potential opportunity. I think we have tons to learn from each other, and I’m really, really looking forward to this budding relationship. ♥

Our meeting lasts from 3 until 4, and then I have to hit the road (again) to get home and get ready for work at the wine bar. We open at 5:15 and I still have to pick Waits up from outdoor school.




But first a quick pit stop into the raw/vegan cafe in front of The Temple, where I pick up a pair of superfood cold-brew coffee smoothies. Because we have a loooong night ahead of us, and we need coffee.

I walk back down to where my car is parked at Still, drop the smoothie off with Jeremy around the corner at the wine bar, and then head home to get changed.

I really try to “look the part” when I’m at our vegan wine bar, Five & 1/4, so it can take me a little time to get ready. But today I’m feeling rushed and I keep things pretty minimal: change into all black clothing, refresh my makeup, and put my hair up. Done.

I head back out to pick up Waits, which is a bit of a drive up into the foothills. By the time I retrieve him and get us back home, it’s after dark, and after 5 o’clock.




This is Erica. She’s our housemate, and aside from being an awesome vegan, kitten auntie, and Grey’s Anatomy marathon co-conspirator, she also just so happens to be a professional nanny.

Hello serendipity!!

So Erica and Waits get along great, and she watches the kiddo on the nights when I have him but I need to work the wine bar (so, every other weekend). It’s such a great arrangement and I feel so dang lucky.

I leave them happily playing together with the kitties:




And I’m off to work.

So we’re about three months into this whole opening a vegan wine bar thing, and it’s actually going pretty swimmingly. Other than the long, late hours and the grind of restaurant work, and you know, both of us having other full-time gigs . . . but I can’t complain. We opened a wine bar three months ago and people really dig it and we get rave reviews and it’s already profitable which is AMAZING. So yeah, I can’t complain.

Tonight is a little weird because it’s the annual Christmas parade down our main street, which is just one block away from the wine bar. So walking to work (it’s only a few blocks from home), the streets are packed and there’s festivity everywhere, but I’m not sure what to expect when I get there. Tonight will either be really slow, or totally slammed.




Upon arrival, it’s preeeeetty slow. But that’s okay — I need a moment to transition, and to get some food in me.




This is Jerome, our first hire at Five & 1/4! I met Jerome through a mutual friend this past summer, right as he was moving out to Santa Barbara from California’s central valley, where he’d spent the past few years helping to build community gardens. Jerome is actually a photographer and documentarian by trade, but he was forced to flee his home country of Sri Lanka for doing that very work. He is now a refugee, here on political asylum.

Jerome is an awesome guy with an incredible story, and we’re so happy to have him at Five & 1/4. He also just so happens to make a killer mango curry.

Also, pudla!




We serve pudlas in the bar, and we usually ask Jerome to fire a couple of them as soon as we get going. We leave them in the back and that way Jeremy and I can snatch bites throughout the night. That’s dinner on work nights — a pudla, plus our house made rosemary cayenne cashews at the end of the night, and probably a few of the leftover dolmas, too. But first, pudla. Always have the pudla on hand. We learned the hard way that busy busy nights can quickly lead to hungry –> hANGRY us. Whoops.

So now we take preventative measures, and it’s a good thing too. As soon as the parade is over, the wine bar begins to fill up.

As it turns out, it’s a really great night, super busy and full of happy, celebratory folks. It’s everything I love about this project – good food, great wine, and an accessible, easy-going atmosphere. The kind of place that’s always up for a trombone solo.

Jerome takes off to catch his bus around 9, and the night winds down around 10 pm when we close the doors. But there’s still so much work to do. We dream of the day when we can hire staff to break down the bar and clean up at the end of the night. But for now, it’s all on the two of us.




It’s 11:02 pm, and we’re finally making our way home. Quiet streets reflection selfie! This is actually one of my very favorite parts of the entire day. That walk home, late night, body aching, head spinning, but feeling so good. That physical feeling of good, hard work. And cold night air. I just love it.

We get home and check in with Erica. I check on Waits. We snuggle the kitties. It’s been a long day and we’re soooo tired, but neither of us can go straight to sleep when we get home. We always need wind-down time.

When we open a new bottle at the wine bar, we always take a taste to make sure it’s good. So over the course of this particular night, I’ve sip-sampled a Croation white, a French Vouvray, and reds from Italy, Lebanon, and Greece. I also tried a German Kuemmerling digestivo.

But when I get home, I want a real glass of wine. I want to put my yoga pants on, throw my hair up in a messy top knot, and pour myself a real glass of wine.

Côtes du Rhône tonight.




At the end of another long, long day. And a *cheers*, to that.

♥ ♥ ♥


Oh yeah! And also, this blog post comes with a bonus track. Seems appropriate.

Luckily my bias is irrelevant, because this is a fantastic book! Truly, this is by far my favorite of Dreena’s books, with a wide array of amazing recipes, plus a great section of tips and troubleshooting for parents who are raising vegan kiddos. It’s a valuable book, and one that I think all vegan families should own.

Waits and I have been baking out of this book (<-- that's a Periscope video of "baker Waits Rebhal", by the way) for the past few weeks. We've made most of the muffin recipes, but hadn't ventured into savory territory . . . until this past Saturday. So, since it's been so very long since we've done one, I thought it would be fun to do a full WIAW along with this review.

So here's our Saturday: all of our our eats for this rambunctious vegan 5 1/4 year old, and his busy vegan mama.

This is basically what my mornings look like . . .

On this particular Saturday morning, I sat down with Waits first thing, to thumb through Plant-Powered Families and pick out a recipe to make for dinner.

Oat milk all the way.

Waits had “butter bread” for breakfast, which is whole-grain bread with Earth Balance and raspberry jam. It’s a favorite these days.

I drank a mug of Earl Grey that’s roughly the size of my head.

And we broke out an old set of Star Wars Monopoly I’d picked up at the second hand kid’s store a few months ago. Waits is juuuust now old enough and patient enough to venture into board game land, and I am SO EXCITED about it. Because I love board games. Love them.

My breakfast: avocado toast with heirloom tomato and red onion, plus sea salt and lemon pepper. On my favorite gluten-free oat bread, which we buy in bulk in LA and keep stockpiled in our freezer. Huzzah!

After breakfast we got dressed, and I loaded Waits up in the little red wagon. It was Farmer’s Market day, and I was excited to get out into the fresh air and surround myself with beautiful veggies, vibrant flowers, happy people, street performers, and the generally delightful vibe of the Saturday Farmer’s Market.

Pictured above, you can see Waits eating a fig that we Urban Foraged in an alley behind our house.

Always gotta stop for an ounce of green goodness from my wheatgrass lady!

With a shot of fresh pressed orange juice for the kiddo.

From the market we walked up to Still, to visit Jeremy and to drop off fresh flowers for the shop.

Then it was home for lunch. We just discovered that Bill Nye the Science Guy is on Netflix streaming, so Waits watched that (it was the episode on Magnetism, I think – so cool!) while I put together our lunches. For him:

A platter of (starting in upper left) seaweed strips, wild rice with a homemade sauce (it was something I had improvised a few days earlier, similar to this but with raw carrots instead of squash), magic beans, and raw Farmer’s market veggies. With coconut water for sippin’.

And for me:

A big salad with green leaf lettuce, tomato, shredded carrots, avocado, chickpeas, green onions, and fenugreek sprouts, served with one of my all-time favorite dressings, the Green Goddess Dressing from the Choosing Raw cookbook (recipe here).

This salad was sort of amazing.

After lunch we had some quiet time, and actually, Waits even conked out for a rare afternoon nap. I got to sit down and put my feet up and watch an episode of one of my shows (current obsession: Friday Night Lights) and boy howdy, was that a lovely and unexpected little interlude.

Once the kiddo woke up, we set out to run some errands.

Oat milk for my sleepy-faced guy.

And a tall, iced green tea for me. (also, Waits took this picture! Not bad right?)

On Saturdays I like to try and hit estate sales, since I run the vintage program at Still. I’ve become quite adept at sleuthing out old, rare bar/cocktail/glassware-related treasures, and I’m actually really good at it! Who knew? But it’s so fun, and as an avid lover of all things vintage, it’s a pretty cool way for me to be able to help Jeremy build his business.

Anyway, we didn’t find anything special for the store on this day, but we did find some awesome stuff for us! A certain board game I’ve been searching for, an amazing vintage 1000-piece puzzle of the USA, and a cool little science kit (not pictured because he was playing with it in the back).

And as we were leaving the last sale, I realized that we were in the same neighborhood as my favorite local tea and spice shop.

My mother used to take me to this shop when I was Waits’s age – it’s where she would buy her bulk tea and coffee. And she would always let me get a few of the bulk candies, as a special treat.

I have such vivid memories of that. So long ago.

Bulk Earl Grey and Pu-Erh for me, and for the kid . . . Swedish Fish are vegan!

By then it was time to get back home so I could get to making dinner. We had decided on 2 recipes from Plant-Powered Families: the Sneaky Chickpea Burgers and the Home Fries.

Burger-making.

Home fries, featuring Farmer’s Market butter potatoes, and fresh rosemary straight from our garden.

Oh man, these were both SO GOOD.

Waits can be pretty picky with his burgers, but he gobbled this recipe right up. Jeremy and I both loved them too, and the patties were great on a salad for lunch the next day. These burgers will definitely go into the rotation . . . well, at least after I’ve made and tried the other burgers from the book!



All in all, a pretty perfect summer day, I’d say.

♥ ♥ ♥

Seriously, Vegan Beer Fest is the best. Just the absolute best. Last year I wrote: “It’s like, one day of pure unabashed and unadulterated awesome. Vegans – the happiest vegans! – everywhere, all around. So many friendly and familiar (and even famous) faces. Good music – live and turned up loud. PERFECT WEATHER. Incredible food, soooo much food, from raw kale salad, to gourmet Mexican, to mac ‘n cheeze + ribz turned into a grilled cheese sandwich. And of course, beer. All the beer.”

Beer Fest is magical, and it’s made even better by the fact that it’s the event where Jeremy and I first met, 2 years ago. So like, basically every year we get a giant anniversary party with all our friends!

And this year, things were made even MORE MAGICAL by the fact that the festival was bigger and better in an all new location – the Pasadena Rose Bowl! So much fun, and so. many. people. The more the merrier!

I’m going to share my food and fun-filled highlights of the day, but if you’re interested in reading some more general coverage, Laura Hooper Beck wrote this super awesome and hi-larious piece for Vice.

Alright, now onto my pics! –>

Sooo, last week I wrote a little blog post about gin and green juice and balance as a key component of holistic health. (Oh and yes, events like Beer Fest are definitely on the “gin” side of the equation, but as far as I’m concerned, are a beautiful and essential part of a healthy, happy, fully-felt life!) So yeah, anyway, since I’d written about gin, my friend Brian booted up the Periscope app, and asked me about my favorite gin. You can watch that little video right here, and also, HEY! Periscope is AWESOME! Download the app for free, then follow Brian @The Sexy Vegan, and follow me @Sayward Rebhal, and let’s connect! Such a fun way to get another little look into each others’ everyday lives. ♥

So until next year, Beer Fest. I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!

♥ ♥ ♥

It all started with his fascination with the inner workings of the human body (still his favorite), and then came an interest in outer space, and nowadays he’s exploring the dinosaurs. Plus he loves it when I tell him about the labs I teach at school, and I take him into the field with me whenever I can. So yeah, science family – who’da thunk?!

In support of my little blossoming scientist, we recently took a trip to Los Angeles, to visit the LA Science Center (amongst other galavanting around the town).

This is how it went, and what we ate:




Breakfast was blueberry-flavored coconut yogurt with raspberries (the ones we picked and froze this summer) and chia seeds.




And of course, oat milk!

While Waits ate breakfast, I packed up our lunches and made a big batch of fresh juice.




For Waits: cilantro-kale-celery-apple with fresh turmeric root. After I portioned his out I added lots more turmeric and fresh ginger, plus lemon, for Jeremy and I.

After cleanup I got us both dressed and out the door, with just a few errands to run before we could get on the freeway. First stop? Dropping off green juice and the Harley dog at Still.




With boyfriend and dog both taken care of, we were ready to hit the raod.

On to the freeway!




. . . Wheeeere traffic was creeping along at a snails pace. Oh, California drivers in the rain.

After about an hour or so we were both hungry. I had planned and packed a picnic lunch complete with blankie and beach plans, but, well, the rain sorta spoiled that. Whoops!

Oh well, we ate while crawling through traffic on the 101.




Magic Beans for my boy (kidney beans + hemp seeds + nutritional yeast + tamari + olive oil).




And a super salad for me: baby spinach, lentils, tomato, avocado, kalamata olives, and green onions, with a noochy-dijon vinaigrette. So good.




Quick pit stop for gas and potty. Waits was excited to wash my windows, haha. And also we used an alarmingly nasty bathroom. Welcome to LA!




Back on the road, we headed for our first real destination: Rising Hearts Bakery, home of the (literally) best gluten-free vegan breads and pastries I’ve ever eaten. And I mean best by a LONG shot.




Waits is such a charmer.




We always buy LOTS. Sandwich loaves, hamburger buns, brioche, scones, and focaccia. Usually pumpernickel too, but they were out.

It all comes frozen and will stay that way in our insulated bag. We don’t eat tons of bread at home, so this stash will last us a couple of months.




But of course we had to get treats, too. Chocolate chocolate cupcake for the kid.




And a carrot cake whoopie pie for moi.

From there we were finally on our way to the main event – the LA Science Center! This place is massive, and so SO cool. We were so excited!

There’s so much to see and do, like:




Learning about Endosymbiotic Theory, one of the foundational principles of biology.





And looking at giant model neurons, to see how nerve functioning works.




And his absolute, absolute FAVORITE, Tess the 50-foot robot with glowing organs who teaches kids about how homeostasis is maintained in the human body. You should see his face light up when he talks about Tess. Pure joy!

And of course there’s more – there’s flight and physics and lunar landing and optics and all sorts of other fun exhibits. But I was too busy exploring to take photos, for the most part.

It was a pretty incredible afternoon.




Totally tuckered out, he fell asleep during the 1/2-hour drive from the Science Center to Native Foods for dinner.




Mmm Native Foods, how I miss you so! For him: mac n cheese, steamed broccoli, and fries. For me: Scorpion Burger (tempeh patty with avocado and cheddar), kale style to make it gluten-free, with sweet potato fries. YUM!

He insisted on sleeping with “Vipey”, his souvenir rubber snake from the Science Center. “Mama, do you know how to tell it’s poisonous? Triangle head! VENOM glands!!”




This little boy, I tell you. He just bursts my heart wide open.


It was a good day. It’s a good life, ya know?

♥ ♥ ♥

This week/weekend was finals and round-the-clock grading madness in order to get everything submitted on time, so I wasn’t able to respond to every comment (yet!). But I did read them all, of course, and they all meant so much to me. And Jeremy too! Thank you so much, from the both of us. ♥

And now, it’s been a loooong time since our last What We Ate Wednesday!




A late start. My little alarm clock – one mister Waits Rebhal – slept until the inconceivable time of 8:40. Which means I did too! And normally that would have been fine, amazing even, except today was a very special day. See, preschool is out on winter break, which means the moms and I are doing a sort of “childcare round robin”. A different house each day.

And today, Tuesday, was my day.



Sleepiest face.



Perking up a little. Breakfast was a blueberry-flavored coconut yoghurt while practicing his letters.



And a vegan breath bone for our vegan pooch, who will be celebrating his 1-year veganniversary on new year’s day! Just today one of the moms commented, “He’s so happy and spry for such an old guy.” Why yes he is!



I was still waiting for the coffee to kick in. “Moooom, I’m gonna get some oat milk!” This kid has gotten so, well, KID. What happened to my baby?



Oh, my baby stole the camera. Stinker. (and hello, messing morning hair!) (and my boyfriend is giving me upside-down bunny ears. stinker.)

And then, the kiddos begin to arrive.



That’s Ellington with Waits, and Miss Orion in the background.



Backyard –> Bedroom –> Backyard –> Bedroom

That’s pretty much how the whole day went.



Snack attack! Lara Bars.



And then Salem arrived, which brought our Tiny Person count up to 4.



And PIZZA!



A pizza party picnic on the living room floor. The baby is Miriam, Salem’s little sister, who snagged a few vegan seitan sausages before her and her mommy took off for the day.

While the kiddos ate I scarfed down a big bowl of super easy salad:



Just torn red lettuce and lentils with the tahini sauce that done stoled my heart, topped with avocado and kimchi.

YUM.

So easy, so delicious, and so healthy. 5 ingredients, SO MUCH flavor. Which reminds me, if you’re interested, I wrote a post about the science of salads and I think it’s probably one of my favorite posts ever.



More playing! And then of course . . .



Snack attack! Organic unsulfured/unsweetened dried mangoes.



Definitely a fan favorite.

Now keep in mind, this was all still before noon. Noon!

So around noon, Miss Orion’s mom joined back up with us, and we decided to venture out.



The [older] boys on their bikes, the [younger] girls in the wagon.





And not so long a walk from my house, we find . . .



Jeremy! We popped in for a little visit . . .



And Waits insisted that his friends get to sample the cocktail cherries (which are always available for anyone to sample:



Luxardo maraschino cherries and Fabrri Amarena wild cherries.



Not a hard sell.

I also promised them each they could have a ginger beer . . .


. . . which every single one of them declared “too spicy!” and promptly gave back. Whoops. Sorry Jeremy.

So from there Miss Orion and her mama bid us adieu, and we made our way over to Jeremy’s house for a movie and some quiet time (he has a TV – I don’t).

After the movie we were back to my house, and Ellington’s mom picked him up around 3:30. Salem and Waits were happy to play out in the yard, some sort of target practice game inspired by the adventures of Mr Robin Hood.



Waits and Salem are kindred spirits, both whip-thin, headstrong, spirited souls.

And they were mostly content to play on their own for the rest of the afternoon, which was nice for me, and even gave me a chance to do some work for Still – cataloguing and cleaning my most recent vintage haul. Frosted mugs and ice buckets and punch bowls, oh my!



Snack attack! Mama Chia.

Salem’s mom picked her up around 5, and Waits and I didn’t even pause to take a breath. We were off! Some last minute Christmas Eve-Eve shopping. This may or may not have been the first Christmas shopping of the season for me . . . oi. I can’t even believe that it’s Christmas already. Where has December gone??! WHERE DID NOVEMBER GO???



While out and about, I picked up a coffee for Jeremy (he can drink coffee after 5! not me, no way Jose). Waits got a soy milk steamer.




A few hours later the shopping was accomplished, but I was sort of a wreck. I’d planned to hit Trader Joe’s on the way home and pick up fixins for Taco Tuesday, but it was late, creeping up on 8, and, well . . .

Vietnamese takeout happened instead.




Ginger broth soup with steamed tofu and broccoli, topped with fresh basil and cilantro. Jeremy likes his with jalapeños and lime juice.



And I like mine with lots of chili oil.


By the time dinner was done it after 9, and time for bed for wee mister Rebhal. A quick bath and a tooth scrub, jammies and a kiss goodnight. Such a good day.

And then, for me, here on the couch. To write this post.



DONE!

Happy Holidays to all of you!

♥ ♥ ♥

And thusly I present to you: What I Ate Wednesday (it’s been a long time!), the western Maryland addition. Featuring Jeremy, his family, and autumn on the very eastern edge of the Appalachian mountains.

In honor of my ailing body, and to appease my sweet boyfriend who thinks I should be resting instead of working (bah!), this will be a post of many pictures and few words. Here we go . . .




Breakfast! Sorry for the crappy cell pic and bad lighting. Jeremy and I split a gluten-free english muffin with melted Daiya cheddar, fresh garden tomato slices and avocado with salt and pepper.

Also coffee. Lots of coffee.

After breakfasting and showering and all that jazz, we set out on an adventure.




Jeremy took me to Dan’s Rock, this amazing spot at the top of the mountain that overlooks the house that he grew up in. I have mad respect for graffiti artists, but I don’t usually like seeing graffiti in nature. This place, however . . . this place was so over the top, so completely bursting with color and so strangely juxtaposed against the gorgeous landscape.

It was eerie and brilliant all at once – like Rainbow Bright meets Mad Max.

Which we found.




Lunch:




The last of a wheel of homemade vegan brie, a salad with mixed baby greens and steamed beets, two kinds of hummus, and fancy olives (my weakness!). Kombucha to wash it all down.

It was so beautiful there.

And after lunch, I promptly sprang into biology mode, because I literally cannot help myself. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but the whole reason I went back to college (the first time) was because of an epiphany I had during a 9-month stint of living in a van and traveling around America. I was 20 years old, and found myself in Massachusetts in early fall. And it had just rained, and there were these vernal pools that had sprung up all over the forest, and my epiphany came when I realized that I had been sitting at the edge of one of these little ponds for almost an hour, just . . . peering into the depths, looking for creatures. Frogs mostly. I’ve always had a love connection with amphibians. And it was this lightbulb moment of epiphany that flashed bright ~

BIOLOGY!

And that’s how a once-upon-a-time high school dropout decided to go back to college and become a scientist. And now it’s over a decade later, and I am in grad school, and nothing has changed. Because if I am in any sort of close proximity with any body of fresh water, I am drawn like a moth to the flame. Compelled to peer into that water, looking for creatures. Always was, always will be. I just can’t help myself.




See?

But you guys!! Look what I found!!!




A beautiful, sweet little newt! Isn’t he precious? And look at him just showing off for the camera. He was a good sport, and so pretty.




Buh-bye little friend!

It was an amazing afternoon, but by early evening we were due back at Jeremy’s mom’s house. We had a soccer game to get to! Jeremy’s niece, star goalie, had a game, and the whole family would be there to cheer her on.





There have been multiple generations that have gone to this same high school, which is why we were able to dig up this vintage cap – “Go Big Blue!” – stuffed in an old box. Jeremy’s mom poked fun of me for wearing it, but I think it was freaking awesome!




The boring life of a soccer goalie.




Bundled up and hollerin’ loud! Alas, our team was defeated that night. Still a good game though!

Afterwards, we all came back to the house for a late night family-style dinner, all around the big kitchen table, and featuring more of my very favorite Maryland food: CORN!







Clockwise from top left: cheezy lentils, skillet potatoes, fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, boiled green beans (a new love affair I never expected), and steamed brussels sprouts. Now THAT is a country dinner!

After dinner everybody was pretty beat. It was late, but not too late for Jeremy to challenge his nephew to a board game duel. I have to admit, I can’t remember who won. Don’t tell him!





♥ ♥ ♥

My personal experience with the subject, combined with my science/biology/research background, has led me down the path of pursuing this topic in a more intellectual way. It’s sort of something I study, you could say. Which has led to me and my ex-vegan-studying partner in crime, Matt Ruscigno, slowly but surely piecing together a new website, which we hope will be a hub of information and interaction regarding the important issue of why people stop being vegan.

It’s something we both care about very much.

And we’re not alone! And since we’re both very busy, and since the website is slow going, and since I keep wanting to write about this myself but just can’t seem to find the time . . . well, I thought I’d put together a quick sort of reference sheet, right here and right now.

Not a lot has been written by vegans about ex-vegans, and that’s mostly because sadly, this is still considered taboo in our community. The general response in the past has been to basically shut any conversation down, to “pooh pooh” at people, or to shame them for even bringing it up in the first place. And I think that’s dangerous. Ex-veganism is happening, and until we are brave enough to confront it, to talk about it, and to truly understand it, it will continue to happen again and again.

So if you care about the vegan movement, I urge you to educate yourself on this subject. In fact, I consider it a good activist’s duty to do so. Which is why I’m posting this starter “reading + watching” list. This list includes a number of opinions, perspectives, editorials, and comedic relief, from a range of writers including health professionals, activists, educators, dietitians, and just plain ol’ everyday vegans. I want to acknowledge that some of this material may not sit well with every reader (your mileage will vary), but I believe that it’s important – in fact imperative – for us to hold space where everyone can share their thoughts and feelings. And all together, this will compose a chorus which encompasses “the response of the vegan community”.

So let’s begin:

• Jack Norris, RD actually has quite a long series of posts about ex-vegans, but the primary pair are here: To Quit Or Not To Quit Veganism, and here To Quit Or Not To Quit Veganism: Part II. His post I Was Vegan For A While, But . . . is also really great, and you can see all of the posts under the “Ex-Veg” tag, here. Jack is a Registered Dietitian and comes at this topic from a very well-researched and scientific, yet open-minded, perspective. In general his website is an invaluable resource.
• One of my go-to nutrition bloggers, Ginny Messina, The Vegan RD, recently weighed in on the subject of ex-vegans with her piece Disordered Eating, Restrictive Eating, and Ex-Vegans. As always, Ginny provides a thoughtful and cogent response from a rational, research-based perspective. I also enjoyed the discussion in the comments of this post.
  Ginny has a couple of older pieces on the subject as well. Namely, Do Ex-Vegans’ Stories Make The Case Against Vegan Diets? and also Ex-Vegans, Happiness and Vitamin B12.
• Somer McCowan at Vedged Out wrote a great piece which essentially synthesizes and summarizes everything I’ve been trying to say for the past few years, so THANK YOU SOMER for laying it all out so carefully and clearly. I love this piece: Under The Banner Of Veganism. Deprivation Diets, Eating Disorders, & Orthorexia.
• Miss Marla Rose, never the shrinking violet, has penned a piece of satyrical gold over at her blog Vegan Feminist Agitator. The article, entitled How To Gain Fame And Fortune As An Ex-Vegan In Five Easy Steps . . . , is positively dripping with sarcasm, and smartly uses comedy to illustrate a very valid point. I heart her.
• Gary Smith over at The Thinking Vegan shares his frustration over ex-vegans, in an article called Stop Blaming Veganism For You Not Being Vegan. Gary is in media/marketing and I appreciate his reflections on the way ex-vegans are percieved by popular culture (and the possible motivations for this reaction). There’s also an interesting discussion in the comments.






• Back in January, Matt and I gave a talk entitled “Exploring The Ex-Vegan Phenomenon” at the Animal Advocacy Museum in Pasadena. You can watch our presentation in the video above, or you can just read the quick recap here, on Vegansaurus.
• I also have another video, an interview with Eco-Vegan Gal, where I talk about the ex-vegan phenomenon, its possible causes, and preventing ex-vegans (among other things!). You can watch the whole video, or skip ahead to the part on ex vegans, at 20:09.

Edited to add More Resources! I’ll keep this list going as more is written . . .

• That One Time I Was An Ex-Vegan by Lacy Davis at Super Strength Health
• Ryan writes More On Ex-Vegans, over on The Veg Blog
• On a *very* frank (no holds barred!) episode of the Red Radio podcast, entitled You’re Not Hardcore Unless You Live Hardcore, Erin Red invites Lara Yaz, Sarah E. Brown, and Chloe Jo Davis on to discuss Alexandra Jamieson and ex-vegans in general. These girls are pissed, so be warned. Also, they’re smart as hell and bring up some incredibly astute points.

Alright, that’s all the links I’ve got at the moment, but I’m sure I missed a few. Know of a great piece I overlooked? Please share it in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to add it to the collection!

In the meantime, to all my beautiful vegan comrades: please stay healthy, don’t make yourself crazy with unnecessary rules or restrictions, and for goodness sakes, have FUN with your food! Veganism is an expression of love, and that expression begins at the very beginning, with you! Self love, my loves. Because you deserve it.

♥ ♥ ♥

This August 1st I was traveling with my son and my partner, and to be honest, I completely forgot about the celebration. I literally lost track of dates on this trip, so August 1st came and went without me even realizing it.

But you know what? I just so happened to decide to take a whole day of photos for a WIAW post on our last day in Tahoe. And can you even believe it? That day just happened to be August 1st. Serendipity.

So here it is, a day of photos from my 6th Veganniversary:




We find ourselves in a casino, at 8 am.

Waits woke up early – WAY early – on this day. And I wanted to let Jeremy catch up on some sleep, so I pulled on my jeans, grabbed my purse, grabbed my Waits as he grabbed his Junior Ranger hat, and slipped out the door. I figured we’d go for a walk or something. Find a Starbucks, stretch our legs, and give Jeremy an extra hour or so.

So I mapped a Starbucks on my phone, and we set out. And that Starbucks ended up being just a short walk away . . . inside a hotel/casino. Haha, okay!

Three shots of espresso over ice, please, with a splash of soy milk, and one for Jeremy as well. This drink is my JAM. And a 12 oz cold soy milk for Waits – his “latte”.

I also grabbed us an Evolution green juice to split later.




Dude they had an arcade!!! Waits rode this car (over and over), and played his first driving game, and I won us a handful of rubber duckies with a grab claw game (I’m such a sucker for grab claws!)

Also, Waits and I got to do our first photobooth:




We spent a few hours there, and Jeremy got some much needed extra zzzs. Such a strange (and surreal!) way to start the day.

Back at the hotel room, green juice for three:




And oatmeal for Waits:




And leftover Thai food for Jeremy and I . . . except Waits ate most of it! (and we ate his oatmeal)




After breakfast and freshening up, we set out on a walk to explore South Lake Tahoe. It’s such a strange little town, reminiscent of a SoCal surf town but all elevated and airy, surrounded by towering pines. And right on the border – on one side of the crosswalk, California and no gambling. Just across the street, Nevada and casino after casino after casino.

We made our way down the California side, aimed at a veg-friendly lunch spot a few miles away. We took our time, enjoying the walk and the weather. A few miles with a 4-year-old is quite an adventure.




Finally we made it to the Blue Angel Cafe, and settled into a beautiful outside dining area.

Afterwards we were pretty eager to hit the lake, and skipped the walk home in favor of public transit. I’m pretty sure that was Waits’s first time on the bus!

Back at our hotel we changed into our swimwear, packed up our beach bag, and hit the road. The lake was just another short walk away . . .




Beach reading. I’m loving – LOVING – this book. Bill Bryson – A Short History Of Nearly Everything. Bryson is a really great writer, and of course I love the subject matter. A few days later I was reading this book in the car and Waits asked me to read it aloud. So I did – I read the chapter on the origin of our Universe out loud to my 4-year-old. And he loved it, and Jeremy did too. I love sharing science.

And I love this writing:

It is natural but wrong to visualize the singularity as a kind of pregnant dot hanging in a dark, boundless void. But there is no space, no darkness. The singularity has no “around” around it. There is no space for it to occupy, no place for it to be. We can’t even ask how long it has been there-whether it has just lately popped into being, like a good idea, or whether it has been there forever, quietly awaiting the right moment. Time doesn’t exist. There is no past for it to emerge from.

And so, from nothing, our universe begins.

Incidentally, disturbance from cosmic background radiation is something we have all experienced. Tune your television to any channel it doesn’t receive, and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this ancient remnant of the Big Bang. The next time you complain that there is nothing on, remember that you can always watch the birth of the universe.

Lake!

Once the sun began to fade, we packed up our bag and hoofed it back to the hotel. We got ourselves cleaned up, and turned around to head back out in search of dinner.




We found Simple Bliss, a small organic, high-raw, all-vegan cafe. YES!

Waits had breakfast for dinner:

Okay, so maybe I didn’t get to consciously celebrate my Veganniversary in the moment, as it was happening. BUt even so, it was a long and lovely day filled with grand adventure, great food, and good times spent with the ones I love. And by the end we were all pretty exhausted. Satisfied, and exhausted.

Thank you all for being a part of this incredible journey!!! ♥ ♥ ♥