Lucky for me, the very night after our engagement we were scheduled to have a Christmas celebration with my Mama up in Ocala. So we made the drive the next morning and greeted my mom with hugs and kisses and our good news. She was overjoyed with happiness. I seriously think she is Raj’s biggest fan, because she literally jumped up and down and squealed with excitement!

We had a wonderful night in Ocala celebrating our engagement and the Christmas holiday with my mama and her sweetie Rick, then we headed back to Tampa to have a second Christmas celebration with Raj’s family. They too were so very happy for us, and we had an amazing night sharing stories and pictures and discussing possible wedding ideas and our future plans over some amazing vegetarian Indian food. (Did I mention both his dad and sister are vegetarian, so there is always something yummy for me to eat at his parent’s house!)

His sister Rita made us these cute lil bride and groom gingerbread men, and even Frank the beagle was worn out from all the commotion by the end of the night.

The very next morning (Christmas Eve) Raj and I flew out to Minnesota to tell the rest of my family our good news. My brothers were shocked more than anyone, (because Raj asked my dad’s permission over Thanksgiving, and we told my step-mom Leslie on speaker phone right after-the-fact) but their shock turned into crazy excitement and we celebrated with some bubbly! I’ll never forget my brother Nick’s comment: “this is gonna be one kick ass wedding!”

Why yes indeed, kick ass wedding here we come =)

We spent the next week enjoying family time, celebrating the holiday, and of course our engagement! Lots of time was spent on the snowmobile sleds, bundled up in the cabin sipping brandy & soy nogs playing board games like Taboo, watching late night movies, and enjoying the last week of blissful time off before heading back to Tampa to start school and my new 50+ hr per week job. (Oyyy! Details on that later!)

 Bundled up like a snow bunny

 Raj and my brothers Nick and Jay hiking through the snow

Snowmobiling with my sweetie

The view of my dad’s house from out on the frozen lake

A little relaxing by the fireplace, playing gin rummy and sipping chocolate peppermint tea

My all time favorite Soy Nog with brandy and nutmeg, while playing a game of Taboo!

Seriously, could he get any more handsome??

And that is how we broke the good news to our families! And don’t worry, after a few phone calls and texts to other close friends and family I finally made my social media announcements! Whew, how long did I have to contain myself NOT to flash my engagement ring all over instagram right away!? Well, for 3 long days, and it was gruesome!

So in love, so content, & completely at peace. That’s true happiness. 

~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

I’m engaged!

Yep, you heard it. He put a ring on it! And I said yes! =) And I’m over the moon happy about spending the rest of my life with a man I love so dearly. And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t share all of the juicy tidbits leading up to the proposal? Feel free to skim through, this might be a long post. If not, grab a chai tea and pull up a chair. I’m going to share a little bit more about how I met my sweetheart and decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man.

Raj and I met in college. Believe it or not, it was college my first time around, which makes it over ten years ago. There’s a huge long twisted story about that time period, but I’ll spare you the details and put it simple: he was dating my best friend, whom was also my roommate (he’s going to kill me when he sees this post!) Needless to say, I did not pine after him in those days, but I always thought he was a really great guy. Okay, fast-forward ten years. Raj and I reconnected online, and coincidentally we discovered we were both going back to school as accounting majors working on our CPA license. He was working as a high school biology teacher in Tampa, enrolled in business school part time taking night courses, and I was working at a small accounting firm in Sarasota, also taking courses. We met up for a casual dinner and really hit it off. It was very refreshing seeing his familiar and smiling face after so many years had passed. We talked about mutual friends, our goals, our careers, our interests, and all that jazz. We casually discovered that we were both single (I was recently out of a long distance relationship) and sparks began to fly between us almost immediately. I was so nervous after that first night, because I wasn’t really sure if it was a date. But I guess he assumed it was, because he sent me a text that VERY night asking me out again for the next night. Definitely caught me off guard but I loved the boldness =)

Fast-forward another year. It didn’t take long for us to fall hard for each other. And in case you are wondering, we did reach out to his ex girlfriend and my old college best friend and receive her blessing. Which was very important to me. In fact, we’re also inviting her to the wedding! I think our relationship progressed so quickly because it was so easy. Nothing about it has ever been stressful, difficult or challenging. Sure, we’ve had our moments, but I can’t think of any other way to describe how perfectly we mesh. I can take one look at him and know what he’s thinking. He is the kindest, most compassionate and caring individual I’ve ever known. And he hands-down makes me want to be a better person. In fact, I’ve already become a better person just by knowing him and being with him. I know that sounds cliché, but there are no other words to describe it. I finally understand the meaning of soul mate. We both love academia, good books, a challenging discussion, science and mathematics, current events, healthy eating, fitness, environmental sustainability, the outdoors, Mother Nature, animals, family, a gourmet meal and vintage wine, and so much more. I’ve never known what people actually meant when they said, “when you know, you just know” until this very moment in my life, with this very man. It’s magical.

So after one magical year of whirlwind romance, we began to truly discuss our future together. As soon as we started talking about it, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. There wasn’t that queasy nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had always felt in the past. In fact, I felt like a giant weight had lifted off my shoulders, because I realized the guy that I wanted to be with for the rest of MY life also wanted to be with me for the rest of HIS! Wow! I was blown away. It felt absolutely perfect, and as soon as we started talking about it things just progressed. We went ring shopping the very next weekend. A part of me felt like I should have been shaking with nerves and giddiness, but I didn’t experience an ounce of trepidation. I was as relaxed as could be, hand-in-hand with the man I love, walking around glitzy jewelry stores trying on engagement rings and casually talking about a destination wedding. It felt so natural.

Ring shopping deserves a post all in its own, because that was quite a fun adventure. But this post is about the proposal, so I’ll finally get to the good stuff!

Over Thanksgiving Raj asked my father’s permission to marry me over a casual dinner on the waterfront. I was right by his side, holding his hand, with my jaw clenched up a bit tightly from nerves. I think I was more nervous for him than anything else. I knew my father would be very supportive and happy for us, but I knew Raj was really nervous about asking him. One look at his face across the table said it all. But everything went smoothly and my dad was overjoyed! At that point I knew an engagement would probably be coming within the next few months, but I wasn’t completely certain of the time frame. Truth be told, the anticipation was killing me!

Fast-forward one more month. The weekend before Christmas I landed my dream job. Hands-down the absolute perfect job that I have been working towards ever since I decided to go back to school. AND I got the job before passing my CPA exam, which is almost unheard of with this particular accounting firm. I remember hanging up the phone after receiving the offer, and just cradling my head in my hands and crying. God is SO good, and I am SO blessed. Everything fell into place at the perfect time, and I think I’m still in shock from it all. My sweetheart invited me over to his place for a surprise home-cooked meal to celebrate that very weekend. We were scheduled to fly up to Minnesota to see my family on Christmas Eve, so this was a few days before our trip. Raj went to town in the kitchen all day long preparing the meal. He put together a delicious vegetable cous cous in saffron sauce (I later heard his horror stories about hunting down the delicate spice! Ha!), and delicious black bean, rice, and goat cheese stuffed red peppers. This was the first time he ever cooked an extravagant meal for me all on his own, so I was really impressed!

We gobbled up dinner and headed to a light festival at the Lowry Park Zoo, where we walked underneath thousands of Christmas lights next to the animals. It was very romantic. I found out later that he had the ring in his pocket the whole time, but it was too cold outside and a bit crowded for his desired proposal. We walked around with hot cocoa, looked at the animals, pet the stingrays, watched little kids feed the giraffes, and held hands. It really was a perfect night.

We then headed back to his condo where he had homemade chocolate covered strawberries and champagne set up for dessert. I was impressed with all of the little details, but in my mind I still thought we were celebrating my new job. As soon as we walked inside I started to clean up the kitchen, and he pulled me over to the table and said let’s have dessert!

I thought the setup was so cute that I even snapped a photo of it for Instagram (duh!) without realizing my ring was sitting on a chocolate covered strawberry right in front of my face practically. Ha!

But within seconds I realized what was going on, because he offered me a particular strawberry with a very shiny and very beautiful engagement ring on it =) Then he got down on one knee, held my hand, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was amazing. In so many ways—one huge giangantuous bubble of love feeling—amazing.

And that is how my sweetie asked me to marry him! Part 2 to follow…
~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

Maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg spiced, candied slivered almonds. Oh my gosh I’ve died and gone to heaven. I actually made these for my sweetie, because I know he loves cinnamon and spiced nuts. But between the two of us they were pretty much devoured by the end of the day.

Homemade vegan chocolate chip pumpkin muffins! I had some family come into town this weekend, including my Mama dearest and my Aunt Karen, who drove down from Ocala, my younger brother Jay came down from Orlando, and my boyfriend Raj from Tampa. We had a quite a house full. I wanted to have some pumpkin goodies around the house for everyone to enjoy, so I found this recipe and made it vegan. I used about 1/4 c. of coconut oil instead of butter, and flax “eggs”. They turned out delicious, and were gobbled up in no time.

We also made sure to get some pumpkin carving in!

Our pumpkin results. I made a scary spider, my mom made a Tweety bird face, and Raj made a crow (but hacked off the top accidentally) hehe. We had so much fun though, and cooked up a huge batch of sea salt roasted pumpkin seeds after we carved.

This month has been crazy busy for me as usual. I’m taking 4 classes (all the upper level accounting courses that require hours of outside studying), and my taxation course is really kicking my butt. Our professor is prepping us for the CPA exam so every test is timed, allowing about 1 minute per questions. It’s ridiculously hard to get through these complex tax questions so quickly, but I’m trying my best. I’m floating through with a B average, and crossing my fingers it holds!

At least I have a study companion. 

Pre-exam cram sesh usually includes a Larabar and coffee from the cafeteria

Or if I’m at home, an organic gala apple and chocolate flavored nut butter–so delicious!

I love the way my local Farmer’s Market looks during the fall season–all decked out with pumpkins, fall gourds, pretty flowers, and the usual fresh produce of course.

 I’ve been making a huge pot of organic veggie stock almost every week, and then followed by a homemade veggie soup. Some weeks I do vegetarian chili, or lentil veggie soup, brown rice and black eyed pea spanish veggie soup, cabbage and lentil soup, curried sweet potato, squash and cabbage soup, and so many more. Sometimes I use a recipe, but most often I just experiment and throw things together. I always let my soups cook on low for several hours to fully incorporate the flavors. Homemade stock is the best because I can control the amount of salt.

Fall soups are my favorite. So warm and comforting, and easy to freeze in gallon ziplock bags or tupperware for future dinners.

Fall flowers from my sweetie–just because =)

Happy fall everyone! What’s your favorite fall tradition or recipe?
~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

Insert sad face

But I’m trying to staying positive!

Fall is officially here by the way. The emergence of the Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte sets the scene. I usually indulge in a soy PSL about once every few weeks during the fall season because they are too darn yumm to pass up. But they are soooooo sweet so I usually only go with 2-3 pumps instead of the usual 5. =)

When I’m not studying for exams on the weekends I am spending time with my sweetie, and in the kitchen! It IS possible to prepare your own food and eat healthy with a jam-packed schedule… it’s not always easy, but I try to make it my top priority. One thing that works for me is cooking and prepping food in advance. I do most of my grocery shopping on the weekend, and spend Sunday afternoons making beans, brown rice, homemade soup, chia pudding (for breakfasts!) and chopping and prepping fruits and veggies for throughout the week. I buy fruit in bulk when it’s on sale, and freeze it on baking sheets before putting it in big gallon baggies in the freezer for easy smoothies. Planning and early preparation always pay off for me!

I’ve also been doing a lot of sprouting! Remember that sprouting jar I got when I was up in Ocala?

I freaking LOVE it! I make sprouts about once every 2 weeks and store them in a mason jar in the fridge. (It takes about 4 days to actually sprout them). They are so delicious topped on salads, stuffed in wraps, and even mixed up in rice bowls or stir fry. Yummy! My sweetheart of a boyfriend can’t STAND sprouts. So more for me! hehe

Rice bowls are my go-to dinners these days. I take leftover beans and brown rice from the fridge and toss in whatever veggies I have on hand for an easy peasy vegan dinner. Full of fiber, protein and nutrients. I always add a lil Sriracha or salsa for some spice! Sometimes I cook with veggie broth instead of oil to cut out extra fat. (Happy Herbivore taught me that trick!) Trust me, I get enough healthy fat through all the avocado, nuts and nut butter I consume throughout the week.

Tonight’s dinner was brown rice, garbanzos, pickled jalepenos, leftover cauliflower & spinach, sauteed in veggie broth, and topped with fresh spicy salsa! Yummmm!

Last weekend my sweetie and I had to doggy sit for his parents. We spent the weekend taking care of Frank the beagle! Probably the most spoiled doggy ever.

Our TO DO list. hehe. My boyfriend’s dad is hilarious.

When I came home my girls definitely smelled him on me.

Disgruntled Nala. ::::::::Meow::::::::

I finally discovered the most amazing show ever, Downton Abbey. Obsessed. Officially. I finished the first two seasons and now I’m anxiously awaiting until Season 3 is aired in the U.S. in January.

Off to study for my upcoming tax exam! Wish me luck!
~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

Before we started out on our road trip we had a tortoise-saving moment along one of the busiest streets near my boyfriend’s place in Tampa.

I don’t necessarily recommend swerving off a busy road during rush hour to save a gopher tortoise that was mere inches away from walking into traffic… but I never listen to common sense, so that is exactly what I did on Friday afternoon. And don’t worry, I used my hazard lights! I put this big guy in a kitty carrier that I happened to have in my backseat, and then drove him to the nearest nature preserve to release him. I wouldn’t normally move a wild animal unless I was completely sure that its life was in danger, and in this case I was certain he was minutes away from becoming a tortoise pancake. We let my boyfriend’s beagle Frank give him a good sniff before we released him.

After operation tortoise rescue was complete, we headed up to Ocala just in time to meet my mama and Aunt Karen at a local Ocala pub for some live music!

My mom and aunt always seem to be the life of the party no matter where we are! My mom is honestly one of the goofiest people I know, and I love her even more for that! She is the type that will start a conversation with just about anyone, and get up on the dance floor even if she is the only one dancing. I love it. Ever since she moved a few hours north of me I’ve realized that I can never take one moment we spend together for granted. It’s been a few months since we’ve seen each other so this trip was long overdue!

A little live guitar music at Mojo’s Grill in Ocala

The next morning we got up bright an early to make the downtown Farmer’s Market. It was a hot a humid Saturday morning but my mom convinced us the market was well worth it!

This sign drew me in immediately! I knew I had to try some homemade kombucha. Yumm!

I settled on the strawberry chia seed flavor, and was not disappointed! This stuff was delicious. Ten times better than any bottled variety, and I scored a giant mason jar full for only $5! (Considering the small bottles at Whole Foods are usually $3.79 ea. I considered that a bargain.) This only confirmed my thoughts that I definitely need to start making this myself at home.

My cute mama and my sweeti, who picked out a fabulous sweet potato crumble that we could not go home without!

This crumble was ah-mazing! I’m definitely going to try and repeat this recipe in my own kitchen.

My mom bought me this sprouting jar at the health food store nearby. I’ve started getting into sprouting lately, and I’ve been using my own make-shift sprouting jars at home with cheeseclothe. This one has a plastic lid with a mesh screen, that’s perfect for rinsing sprouts and ventilation. Can’t wait to try this lil guy! Keep your eyes open for future posts and maybe a youtube video on my sprouting adventures

I spent most of Sunday afternoon scrapbooking our Minnesota trip. My mom and I had a ton of fun playing with these new smash book scrapbook albums by K&Company.

After a weekend full of laughs and good times, we decided to head home before tropical storm Isaac made landfall near southwest Florida. And as I mentioned, the storm definitely made less of an impression than we all expected. But here’s to hurricane days!!!!

~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

This coleslaw is mostly raw, packed full of delicious cancer-fighting nutrients, fiber and protein-packed edamame. It has an orange juice, ginger and vinaigrette dressing that leaves it low-fat and low calorie. It’s also gluten free and mostly raw. This recipe is amazing. I sort of threw everything together one afternoon for a refreshing low-fat coleslaw, and I discovered it to be even better tasting after marinating in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!

~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

Enjoying being out on the lake with my sweetie and dad’s dog Ziggy

Going for a boat ride with the cousins! 

My sweeti learning how to wakeboard  And he’s up! A bit shaky, but still up!

Cruising around

I was probably the only vegetarian at this midwest beef feed! It’s a huge fundraiser for the local volunteer fire department and my entire family goes every year, so I tagged along to be social. I had a plate full of delicious corn on the cob!! 

Cruising the lake at sunset

Relaxing on the hammock overlooking Crosslake

Night time campfire

Tubing with the girls!

Summertime fruit

My Minnesota vacation is over now, and I’m back in sunny and unbearably hot and humid Florida! I’m glad I could share with you all what I like to call my little piece of heaven. I’ve been spending my summers in Minnesota since I was a little girl, and even though it’s only a few weeks at a time these days, I still savor the moments. I’ll always be a midwest girl at heart <3

I have one week until school starts back up for me, and then summer is officially over in my books. My sweeti starts teaching tomorrow, so his kids are enjoying their last day of summer vacation tonight. It’s amazing how fast summer flies by! I feel like I look forward to it all year long, but once it gets here it hardly lasts.

Enjoy your last few breathes of summertime. 

~ Peace, Love & Veggies xo

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