Learning to Love Fall!

I've long had a love-hate relationship with fall. It's the season of Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, haunted houses, pumpkins, chili, and my veganaversary — all things I love! But it's also the prelude to winter and the end to the care-free summer. I'm happiest when the temps are in the 90s, and I can wear shorts, tanks, and flip-flops. I don't get to go swimming often, but I like knowing that, should I find a pool, the weather is appropriate for jumping in. I'm not a fan of layers or socks or even pants. But fall is inevitable, and since I love so much about fall, I'm realizing that it's time for me to embrace the season and learn to love it.

And there's nothing that can help me better embrace something than an organizational tool. So I downloaded House Vegan's Fall Fomo No Mo e-book. The blog/book author, Hannah Teson, loves fall, so she created this e-book to help others get the most out of fall. It's more like a workbook with assignments, like 1) list your fall traditions; 2) plan your fall aspirations; 3) make a fall calendar, etc. I'm a huge Type-A nerd, and nothing delights me more than scheduling and making lists, so this book was just the tool I needed! Plus, it's packed with fall recipes!

Look! I even bought a special notebook for my fall planning.

I've been reading the e-book (and making lots of fall plans) over the past couple weeks, so I woke up this morning ready to tackle the Autumn Equinox! I'm off today (mini vacay before I start my new job), so I ran 5 miles before settling in for a breakfast of a Pumpkin Chai Smoothie (cashew milk, frozen banana, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and Vanilla Chai Vega One protein). Oh, and CocoWhip Light on top because pumpkin pie needs that. Btw, this wasn't in Hannah's e-book, but I did make some of her recipes later in the day.

It may officially be fall here, but the high today was 93, and I was still in my summer uniform of tee-shirt, jean cut-offs, and flip-flops. When lunch rolled around, I wanted something more summer-y, so I made these Mini Rosemary White Bean Hummus Pizzas and a side salad. The English muffins were toasted and topped with a balsamic-laced white bean hummus from Thug Kitchen, garlic olive oil, kalamata olives, and arugala (which I don't always like, but it's good on stuff like this).

For dinner, though, I wanted to try out a few of Hannah's recipe from Fall Fomo No Mo. EVERYTHING in this e-book sounds amazing, and I plan to work my way through most of the recipes this season. But the first thing I knew I had to try was Chickpeas and Dumplings. It's a vegan version of chicken 'n' dumplings with these fat, pillowy dough balls, veggies, and chickpeas. So hearty and satisfying. I can totally imagine enjoying this on a cool, autumn day, but it was just as awesome on this hot autumn day.

Hannah's desserts all sound fantastic too. She has a recipe for peanut butter hot chocolate that I most definitely WILL be making as soon as it gets chilly out. But today, I tried her Coconut Pumpkin Bread. This is a moist sweet bread that's reminiscent of zucchini bread or banana bread. So soft and just the right amount of sweetness. Pumpkin and coconut doesn't sound like something that would go together, but it works so well. I can't wait to eat more of this in the morning!

Finally, I stopped by Whole Foods to buy some hair dye this evening, and I spotted this Cinnamon Kevita, which sounded like the most fall drink ever! I love kombucha and Kevita and all things probiotic-y. This tonic tasted like fall in a glass.

So happy fall, y'all! Let the PUMPKIN EVERYTHING begin!