cupcakes & kale: a year in review

just as the christmas season snuck up on me and past before i knew it had begun, new year's eve is now upon us too.  in all fairness i've had my hands full lately in the best way imaginable.  and this has left me little time to spend blogging, so i thought i'd round out the year with a little year in review wrap up.  this year holds some very special memories for me... 

there was travel!

first to the south of spain....

i shared our excitement from seville here & here,  

cordoba too, 

and i certainly can't forget granada here and here.

and we also snuck away to our beloved nyc for a babymoon trip and to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary.

there was sweetness abound!

in the spring i organized the sudbury edition of the world wide vegan bakesale  which was a tremendous success.

there were many sweet goodies baked up and shared on cupcakes and kale too, from scones to cinnamon buns, and in june this little corner of the blogosphere celebrated its 1st birthday.  and yes, there was cake!

and of course there was growth!

in july i spilled the beans announcing my pregnancy!  i still feel blessed to have had such a blissfully comfortable 9 months.  i did my best to share it with you too and if you're interested you can read all of my updates through the following links.

 

vegan pregnancy updates:

week 22

week 23

week 25

week 27

week 29

week 32

week 34

week 36

week 37 1/2

there was a big leap too!

 and in the fall i launched  OH MY bakeshop which has been keeping me ever so busy.

and then of course the best part of it all, then came the baby!

our sweet little bean joined us a month ago and the love for him has been overwhelming and oh so awesome.  woodrow, you really are the cat's meow.

i feel so very blessed to have had the year i did.  my belly was always full (in more ways than one) as was my heart.  here's to being thankful for exactly what we have at this very moment, for it is all we really need to find our bliss.

happy, happy new year.

xo

solstice moon cookies

what a day!  with a winter storm that brought us over 30cm of white fluffy stuff since yesterday, i happily spent today snowed in and divided my time between being snuggled up with my little bean and baking up a cookie storm of my own. 

i realize it has been a good long while since i shared a sweet recipe on cupcakes and kale, so it's due time.  these cookies are a breeze too tasty to pass up.  for today they are solstice moons, baked especially for a winter solstice meditation being held at my yoga studio.  i was unable to attend the meditation myself (i'm not sure woodrow would have played along with an hours silence), but i'm certainly considering my own intentions for this new cycle and year that's upon us.

solstice moons
makes 4 dozen
1/2 cup earth balance
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp almond milk
1 cup pastry flour
1 cup spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

chocolate glaze
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil

cream together the earth balance and sugar, and then work in the vanilla and milk.  in another bowl sift together the remaining ingredients and then add to the earth balance, mixing well.  form the dough into a ball and chill at least 30 minutes.  roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to be 1/4'' to 1/8'' thick and cut out shapes, moons or otherwise.  transfer cookie cut outs to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375f.  remove and allow to cool fully.

prepare the glaze by melting the chocolate and coconut oil together either in a double boiler or in the microwave.  holding the cookies lightly by their edges, dip them one at a time into the glaze.  allow any excess chocolate to drip off before laying them back down on parchment.  optionally, before the chocolate fully sets, sprinkle with a touch of cane sugar.

may this shift bring you all a little more light (both daylight and beyond), love & peace.

happy solstice friends.

xo

vegan pregnancy: introducing...

so much for that 40 week update i had been working on last week - it seems i didn't quite get there because our little vegan bean couldn't wait for his due date to arrive and he joined us 3 days early!   and although i was a little sad to see my pregnancy come to an end, i was so excited to meet our baby and ultimately i knew the best was yet to come.

i couldn't have hoped for a better birth experience - powered by green smoothie, water, yogic breathing and m's incredible support, we welcomed our little one last thursday evening in a beautiful home waterbirth with the assistance of 2 incredible midwives.  it was the most awe inspiring experience and we are all well and have been hunkered in for some serious loving.

and here he is!  allow me to introduce to you our beautiful little boy, Woodrow Fox.

 

so this is just a quick little post, i can't stay long as i've got some serious snuggling to do...

xo