(click here to enlarge image)

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I put together a list of my favorite “pink” products. All of these items benefit breast cancer causes and research. Click on the links below to get shopping!

1.  Deborah Lippman “Shape of My Heart” Nail Color  view on www.deborahlippman.com
2.  Tory Burch “Kerrington” Hard Shell iPhone 5 Case  view on www.toryburch.com
3.  Carolee Word Play Double Take Bangle  view on www.bloomingdales.com
4.  Teleflora Pink Grace Bouquet  view on www.teleflora.com
5.  NEST Fragrances Passion Breast Cancer Awareness Candle  view on www.amazon.com
6.  Nancy Rose Performance Pink Top  view on www.nancyroseperformance.com
7.  Pilot Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Pens  view on www.amazon.com
8.  Tweezerman Precision Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Slant Tweezer  view on www.macys.com
9.  Holst + Lee for Loft Necklace  view on www.loft.com
10.  Sephora “Together in Pink” Hair Ties  view on www.sephora.com
11.  Jane Iredale “Smell the Roses” Hydration Spray  view on www.amazon.com
12.  KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Series Pink Mixer  view on www.amazon.com
13.  Metrokane Original Rabbit Corkscrew in Pink  view on www.amazon.com
14.  NEST Fragrances Passion Reed Diffuser  view on www.amazon.com

(click here to enlarge image)

I love eating bright, beautiful, healthy food.  Here are 6 vegan recipes that fit that description- one each for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Bon appétit!

1.  Grilled Radicchio by Canadian Living  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits:  Radicchio is high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins like A, B, C, and K.  The vegetable is also high in  Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, Magnesium and B vitamins! Another bonus: Lactucopicrin, which has a sedative and analgesic (painkilling) effect.

2.  Thai Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by The Sweet Life  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits: Sweet potatoes are loaded in beta carotone (Vitamin A), vitamin C, manganese, tryptophan, potassium, fiber, B-Vitamins and more!

3.  Pulsin’ Mexican Corn Soup by Including Cake  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits: This soup is filled with fiber and protein from the lentils and beans while its peppers add vitamin C,  vitamin B-6, magnesium, vitamin A, carotenoids, and antioxidants.

4. Dry Roasted Edamame With Black Sesame Seeds by The Food Network  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits: Edamame are the perfect complete snacking food! They are packed with protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, thiamin, folate, and vitamin K.  The black sesame seeds add magnesium and calcium.

5.  French Toast for Two with Blueberries by That’s So Vegan  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits: Blueberries are some of the highest anti-oxidant value fruits in the world and contain lots of cancer-fighting phytochemicals.  Pile them on this delicious vanilla cinnamon french toast!

6. Purple Yam Chocolate Cake & Frosting by Divine Healthy Food  {view recipe}
Nutritional Benefits: The purple yam shares all the amazing benefits listed for the sweet potatoes in recipe #2 with an extra boost of health-protecting Anthocyanin, the pigment that creates the purple color.

Last weekend, I made this adorable gingerbread house with Ryan, one of my best friends.  We sipped Silk nog and apple cider and decorated for hours.  It was exhausting and messy but so much fun to make!  It was the perfect way to spend a snowy Saturday.  For the house and royal icing, I followed this vegan recipe.

Instead of cutting the house’s pieces out by hand, I used a mold. Here is the mold I used.  It worked really well except that I put way too much dough in the mold. The pieces of the roof came out very thick and felt like a brick!  We were worried the house wouldn’t stand.  So… I’d recommend filling your molds about half way with your gingerbread dough and pushing it down by hand.

In the end, our gingerbread house is standing and holding tons of candy thanks to the super tacky royal icing. Here’s how we constructed the house:

While the icing on our house hardened, Ryan and I went for a yummy brunch at Teany then next door to stock up on sweets at the Lower East Side’s famous Economy Candy.  This candy store is amazing.  They’ve been around since 1937 and have almost every kind of candy you could imagine.  Decades of nostalgia fill the small NYC landmark.   A walk through Economy Candy triggers memories from my 1980s childhood- candy cigarettes, Pez, Kinder, rolls of candy dots, and more!

Since Ryan isn’t vegan, we compromised and decided to decorate with a mix of vegan/vegetarian toppings!  If you’re looking for a list of strictly-vegan sweets for kids, click here.  Decorating tip: be patient!  Ryan and I were very impatient and found our toppings sliding down the roof until we slowed down and held each candy piece in place for a few seconds.  Once the icing sets, it’s like glue so make some hot chocolate (like this one from Oh She Glows) and take your time!

After a jump into the 60s last week, today’s 40 degree weather felt very chilly. It’s time for cold weather comfort foods!  Soup, roasted vegetables, creamed kale, indulgent breakfast, and vegan grilled cheese are all on my “to make” list this winter.  All recipes are dairy and egg free.  Visit my Vegan Recipes & Foods Pinterest board for more cooking inspiration!

1. Creamed Kale by Quiche-a-Week  view recipe
—->Kale’s nutritional benefits: iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and antioxidants!
2. Smoked Tofu Benedict by The Pear & the Purple Peach  view recipe
—->Nutritonal yeast is loaded with B vitamins and this recipe also uses my favorite superfood: kale.
3.  French Onion Soup & Vegan Grilled Cheese by Olives for Dinner  view recipe
—->Onions are known for their anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties in addition to many other health benefits!
4. Bell Pepper Corn Soup by Eating Richly  view recipe
—->Bell pepper nutritional benefits: tons of vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, and antioxidants.
5.  Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Balsamic Syrup by Lauren’s Latest  view recipe
—->Brussels sprouts nutritional benefits: vitamin A, vitamin C, folacin, potassium, calcium, phytochemicals, and protein!

Happy First Day of Fall! It’s time to pick apples, bake homemade pies and warm bread, drink fresh cider, carve pumpkins, eat creamy soup, and take comfort in all things Autumn. Here are five of my favorite vegan recipes for the Fall plucked from my Vegan Recipes & Foods Pinterest board.

1. Apple Cider Glazed Sweet Potatoes by Oh My Veggies view recipe
2. Roasted Fall Vegetables with Lentils by Whole Living view recipe
3. Creamy Cashew Veggie Pot Pie by Healthy. Happy. Life. view recipe
4. Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup by Allyson Kramer view recipe 
5. Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake by Healthy. Happy. Life. view recipe

I made this amazing Vegan Potato Salad with Dill, Shallot, and Peas for the 4th of July and haven’t stopped thinking about it since! I normally don’t even like potato salad so this creation surprised me. I’ll be going on vacation next week (finally!), and I think this recipe will be the perfect addition for an end-of-summer cookout.

I didn’t actually follow a recipe for the salad, but it’s so simple that you can adjust any of the ingredients to taste. For example, I went heavy on the vegetables, using about half veggies and half potatoes!

What you’ll need:

Vegenaise (about 1/2 – 3/4 cup)
Lemon or apple cider vinegar (1-2 tablespoons, to taste)
Fresh Dill (chopped, to taste)
Dijon Mustard (about 1 Tbsp, to taste- I used a spicy version)

Potatoes (about 8 potatoes- I used both red and yellow)
Celery (a few stalks)
Shallot (1 small, you could substitute with Red Onion if you’d like)
1 small Red Pepper
Peas (about 1 1/2 cups- I used delicious fresh English Peas that were in season.)

Making this salad is so easy:

Cube your potatoes and boil until they are soft enough to eat but firm enough to not mush when mixing! Run under cold water when draining and set aside to cool.

Chop the fresh dill and blend it with the Veganaise, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. Set aside.


Next, prep your peas so they can cool down as well! Like the potatoes, run under cold water when draining and make sure not to overcook!

Now, chop all your veggies…

…and add them, along with the peas, to your room temperature potatoes.

Last step is gently blending with your dill mayo sauce and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

I hope you enjoy this potato salad as much as I did!

These are my favorite non-toxic, cruelty-free cleaning products by great companies like Method, Mrs. Meyers, Grab Green, and BabyGanics.  Click on links beside each item to view on Amazon.
Click here to enlarge picture.

{Kitchen}
Grab Green Dishwashing Detergent Pods view on www.amazon.com
Mrs. Meyer’s Liquid Dish Soap in Basil view on www.amazon.com
Grab Green Degreaser Cleaner view on www.amazon.com
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes view on www.amazon.com

{Toy & Highchair}
BabyGanics The Cleaner Upper Toy & Highchair Cleaner view on www.amazon.com

{Floors}
Method Squirt + Mop Wood Cleaner  view on www.amazon.com
Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner in Basil view on www.amazon.com

{Laundry}
Method Laundry Detergent in Fresh Air  view on www.amazon.com

{Bathroom}
Method AntiBac Toilet Cleaner  view on www.amazon.com
Mrs. Meyer’s Bathroom Cleaner  view on www.amazon.com

{All-Purpose}
Grab Green All Purpose Surface Spray in Thyme with Fig Leaf  view on www.amazon.com

{Glass}
BabyGanics The Sparkle Maker Glass & Surface Cleaner  view on www.amazon.com

{Wood}
Method Wood for Good Polish view on www.amazon.com

{Marble & Granite}
Method Daily Granite Polish view on www.amazon.com

(click image to enlarge)
We love these best-selling changing tables.  They’re all eye-catching and have great reviews.
Prices range between $94.99 and $929 so there is something for everyone!

1. South Shore Savannah Collection Changing Table ($157.42) View on www.amazon.com
2. Stokke Care Changing Table ($499.99) view on www.amazon.com
3. Sleigh Changing Table by Pottery Barn Kids ($599) view on www.potterybarnkids.com
4. Delta Eclipse Changing Table ($94.99) view on www.amazon.com
5. Larkin Hi-Lo Changing Table (sale: $929) view on www.potterybarnkids.com
6. DaVinci Porter 3 Drawer Changer ($237.99) view on www.amazon.com
7. Catalina Dresser & Changing Table Topper (sale: $424) view on www.potterybarnkids.com
8. Leila I Changer Dresser ($160) view on www.amazon.com
9. Change It Up Changing Table ($349) view on www.landofnod.com

 Adventure Room- BYBY

Click through for a gallery of inspiring interior design concepts for children!

Africa Room- BYBY

 Tarzan Room- BYBY

Using wall decals makes decorating (and redecorating) children’s rooms stress-free!  These wall stickers are simple to install, easy to remove and many of them can be reused.    We chose 12 adorable designs to share with you.  Happy sticking!

1. Bright Blossoms ($54) View on The Land of Nod

2. Noah’s Ark Animals ($105) View on Dali Decals

3. Hot Air Balloons ($48) View on Amazon

4. Leavin’ on a Jet Plane ($25) View on The Land of Nod

5. Night Lights ($48.75) View on Amazon

6. Flutterflies ($50) View on Amazon

7. Vintage Planes($14.49) View on RoomMates Peel and Stick Decor

8. Astronaut Space Adventures ($65) View on Dali Decals

9. Zoo Animals ($55) View on Dali Decals

10. Submarine Under the Sea ($85) View on Dali Decals

11. Alphabet Zoo ($14.18) View on Amazon

12. City Skyline ($98) View on Cady Designz