As much as I detest winter, Solstice is one of my favorite holidays. It's a bright spot in a bleak, gray season. And even though it's officially the start of winter and the longest night of the year, it's also the turning point when the nights begin to grow shorter and shorter until — boom — we find ourselves in spring and then glorious, glorious summer.
I like to enjoy winter-themed foods all day on Winter Solstice. I started my morning with a bootcamp class at the gym, followed by this Cocoa Mint Smoothie with banana, cocoa powder, fresh mint, spinach, and walnuts.
Friday was my last day at work for 11 days! Yay for holiday break! But of course that meant that Friday was insanely busy as I tried to wrap things up. So I packed an easy lunch to eat at my desk. In keeping with my winter theme, I wanted something white to symbolize the snow that never really happens in Memphis. I had Explore Cuisine Mung Bean & Edamame Fettucine with Victoria Vegan Alfredo and Steamed Broccoli & Mushrooms. Such an easy, quick meal to pack! And that while that VV alfredo sauce is totally a convenience food, it's a pretty healthy one made from whole foods (mostly cashews!).
On Solstice night, I always light candles in every room to symbolize the return of the Sun. And I like to feast on seasonal foods. I made one of my Solstice standards — the Baked Spaghetti Squash from Cooking By the Seasons (an old vegetarian witchy cookbook). The squash is tossed with a homemade tomato sauce made by cooking down roma tomatoes with fresh herbs and garlic. I topped it with bits of garlic soy cheeze that I picked up at The BE-Hive in Nashville, plus garlic toast and a side salad.
After dinner, I had some wine and a Santa Baby Cupcake from Muddy's Bake Shop (chocolate with peppermint frosting), but sadly, I failed to take a picture of dessert!
3 comments:
I also hate winter, but count down to the solstice because it means the days are getting longer. Every minute of daylight helps in my opinion!
What do you think of the Mung bean and edamame pasta? I haven’t tried any of the legume pastas yet because I wonder if they’re hard to digest. It’s such an interesting concept though!
Winter is the worst. This post cheered me up and brought some light to winter!
I love spaghetti squash so much, yours looks great!
I love how festive you are and how you are so thoughtful in your holiday celebrations! Everything looks delicious although I just can't deal with smoothies in the winter, ha! I do know it's warmer where you are so it makes sense and the flavor sounds delicious! The spaghetti squash looks amazing!
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