Some see the first of the year as the beginning to everything new, but we think it really is spring-time! The flowers are blooming, the air is smelling of earth, and everything seems to be buzzing with reinvention. So when we talk about spring cleaning, we do not just mean dusting up the cobwebs in the corner of your home. Spring cleaning has to do with the mind, body and soul as well! Here are 5 tips on how to truly spring clean and get yourself ready for summer.

Spring Cleaning the Mind
Clean out your mental cobwebs. Everyone has that mean critic within- well start telling that critic to go away! Negative self-talk and self-doubt can lead to true unhappiness.  It has been estimated that the average person thinks about 50,000 thoughts per day. If even 10% are negative thoughts, which is an understatement for most people, that comes to 5000 negative thoughts a day on average! Start celebrating your successes, even the small ones and tell yourself how great you are. Also, try to take inventory of mental recordings. Is there a moment in your life that you aren’t too happy with that you keep replaying in your head over and over again? Focus on letting that go and replaying positive times in your life.

Spring Cleaning the Body
In winter it is natural to pack on a few pounds and go into hibernation mode. But spring is here folks! So start eating fresh whole foods and let the natural ingredients that the earth provides nourish you. Shopping at a local farmer’s market is a great way to get fresh produce and support your local farmers.

Spring Cleaning the Email
SALE! CLEARANCE! FREE SHIPPING! You have probably subscribed to way more email listings than you imagined and now your inbox is flooded with special offers and tempting urges. This usually leads to purchasing unnecessary things and can be overwhelming when you are logging in to your email. Take an evening and sit down and go through the auto-emails ad unsubscribe to the ones that have somehow found their way into your inbox. And while you’re at it- email a family member or a friend! Just drop them a note to say hi and you love them.

Spring Cleaning the Wallet
Often when people are trying to lose weight, they will carry with them a food journal and write down what they eat throughout the day. Take a week or so and do this with your spending. Write down every single cent you spend and on what. You will be able to see after a week what you are spending and why. You can then evaluate whether these are necessary things!

Spring Cleaning the Home
And now for the big overwhelming chore: spring cleaning the house. Don’t fret! With our awesome tips, your space will be spotless in no time! Make sure to have all of your tools ready! Nothing can slow down a cleaning sweep like trying to hunt down a duster that you thought you saw last spring. Music! You will be amazed at how much fun it can be to dance and clean simultaneously. Maybe even make up some new moves? The Swiffer Sweeper Two Step? From top to bottom. Start cleaning at the top, then move to the bottom. This rule applies to all cleaning. Form dry to wet. Get all the loose debris up and then get the leftover stuff with a mop or damp sponge. Last but not least, clean as you go! Is spring cleaning taking you a week to accomplish? Well, maybe that is a sign that you need to clean as you go so the chore won’t be so overwhelming when you want to get things clean!

There you have it folks- You are all set for Spring and Summer! Bring on the BBQs and get-togethers!

Do you spring clean more than your house? Tell us about it on Facebook or on Twitter and make sure to follow us on Pinterest for more great tips like these!

Vegan Easter Carrot Cake

Vegan Lemon Cake

Vegan Easter Chocolate Babka

Vegan Easter Nest Cupcakes

Vegan Reeses Peanut Butter Egg

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Vegan Butterscotch Bunny Tarts

Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more great recipes and ideas!

Vegan Grasshopper Pancakes

Mint Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Vegan Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Vegan Mint Shamrock Cookies

Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes

Chocolate Mint Cake Donuts

Peppermint Paddy Cupcakes

Now you should be all set to feed the little leprechauns some adorable and tasty treats. Like what you see? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our Pinterest Page! To pick up a coupon for 8th Continent Soymilk, you can print one off from our website. We hope everyone has a great and green holiday!

Are you ready to swoon your sweetie? Here are some great recipes to keep it vegan and romantic this year! To get to any of the recipes click on the image you desire!

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Bouquet

Vegan Valentine Heart Pancakes

Red Velvet Vegan Cupcakes

Valentine’s XO Raspberry Pancakes- Gluten and Dairy Free

Vegan Heart Doughnuts

Mini Vegan Doughnuts

Vegan Red Wine Chocolate Truffles

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes for your Vegan Valentine

Vegan Valentine Cookies

Vegan Valentine’s Day Cookies- 2 Ways

Vegan Valentine’s Day Smoothies

Vegan Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes

What are you doing for your special someone this year? Let us know on Twitter or on our Facebook page and make sure to check us out on Instagram and Pinterest!

Sometimes the easiest breakfast, and quickest is just to pour a bowl of cereal and throw some 8th Continent Soymilk in the bowl and chow down! This can be a great start to the day. But do you have little ones who still chow down on the super sugary cereals that are unhealthy and will give them a sugar rush, and subsequent crash?

It is always difficult to ween kids off of sweet habits, but here are some great thoughts from the people over at Parents that we think are just genius!

“Spark creativity. Tell your children that it’s their job to design and taste-test a new cereal for the family’s breakfast. Let them choose from some kid-friendly but low-sugar options that have at least a few grams of fiber per serving. Then ask them to add the kind of fruit they like best.

Meet them halfway. Mix their favorite brand 50-50 with a low-sugar, whole-grain type. Then gradually increase the amount of the whole-grain cereal and reduce the kiddie kind until you reach an 80-20 mix.”

Make sure to top their new more healthy cereal option with your favorite flavor of 8th Continent Soymilk!

Do you have any suggestions on how to get your kid eating healthier options? We want to know! Post on our Facebook page or Tweet us!

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Sometimes you just need a little something sweet to brighten your day. This brownie is so simple it’s almost too good to be true!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
dash of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons 8th Continent Soymilk
1/3 teaspoon vanilla
small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients in a coffee mug, standard size (11 oz.) or larger. Add oil, 8th Continent Soymilk, and vanilla and mix thoroughly — making sure to scrape the bottom and sides so that it’s all incorporated. If you’d like, mix in chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Allow to cool for just a moment and then you can eat it right from the mug!

Did you make the 5 Minute Mug Brownie? How did it turn out? Let us know on Twitter or on our Facebook page!

Want to check out more recipes? Make sure to also check out our Pinterest Page.

There is just something about fall time that makes us want to bake! The leaves are turning colors, the trick-or-treaters will soon be at the door asking for candy, and Christmas time is just around the corner! One of the best things about baking is filling the entire house with an intoxicating aroma. This Vegan Banana Bread definitely wafted out of the kitchen and had us counting down the seconds till we could enjoy a piece warm from the oven.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup 8th Continent Soymilk
1 t. apple cider vinegar
2 cups mashed banana, (about 4 large very ripe bananas)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
Walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9″x5″ loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 8th Continent Soymilk and cider vinegar and let stand for 2 minutes.
Add the mashed banana, canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined (do not overmix!).
Fold in the walnuts if using and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
Allow the bread to cool on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes before serving.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Did you make some Vegan Banana Bread? We’d love to hear how it turned out! Let us know on Twitter or on Facebook and for more great recipes, make sure to check out our Pinterest Page!

It is that time of year again where there is an absolute abundance of pumpkin, so why not make something tasty with it? This recipe is simple, delicious, and will definitely get you in the Autumn mood!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/4 cup 8th Continent Soymilk
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Optional: raisins, walnuts, brown sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 380 degrees.
Combine raw oats, spices, pumpkin, and 8th Continent Soymilk.
Pour into a greased 1-cup ramekin.
Cook for 20 minutes or more, until it gets firm.
Take out of oven and top with brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, or whatever you desire! The warm scents of cinnamon and pumpkin make this perfect for the season and a delicious breakfast!

Did you make this recipe? Let us know on Twitter or on Facebook! Want to find more recipes like this? Check out our Pinterest Page!

Ingredients:
For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons nondairy butter, melted

For the cakes:
1/4 cup nondairy butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  vegan sour cream
1/2 cup 8th Continent Soymilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:
To make the streusel: Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Work the melted butter (add slowly, you might not need all of it) into the preparation, just until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

To make the cakes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 6 holed muffin pan with paper liners. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the sour cream, 8th Continent Soymilk and vanilla. Stir to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt on top. Stir to combine. Gently fold the raspberries into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly into each paper liner. The cakes don’t rise a whole lot while baking, but aim for the batter to reach just below the liner. Generously cover with streusel, pressing it down slightly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are light golden brown on top.

These mini coffee cakes turned out light and fresh tasting with the raspberries! Do you like this recipe? Are you going to try it out? Let us know on Facebook or on Twitter!

And for more great recipes, make sure to check out our Pinterest Page with everything from vegan to gluten-free recipe boards!

Watch the check presentation with Ali Landry here.