Friday, August 24, 2012

Summertime, Summertime and a Give-Away

I have so many blog entries I need to catch up on, but am still so busy with summer activities that it'll probably be awhile before I finish the many drafts I have 'pending'.  I do need to make the time to get on here though as I want to do my 2nd Annual Anniversary Blog Giveaway.   In mid-July I passed the mile-stone of two years on a vegan diet.  I am so very proud of this accomplishment and decided to celebrate this year with a give-away of two of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  I'm giving away a copy of Robin Robertson's "Vegan Planet".  This is one of the very first vegan cookbooks that I purchased and even though there is oil in many of her recipes, they are usually easily adaptable and it is just a fun and inspiring cookbook.  Here is a link to Robin's page describing this monster of a book.

http://robinrobertson.com/vegan-planet/

I'm also giving away a copy of Lindsay S. Nixon's first book, Happy Herbivore.  This cookbook is definitely one of my 'go-to' books and is where I got my oft-used and very satisfying ranch dressing recipe...giving up ranch dressing was one thing that really bothered me when I switched to a vegan diet and finding this recipe really filled that gap.  Here's a link to more info about Lindsay's book.

http://happyherbivore.com/cookbooks/

You don't have to do anything snazzy to enter; just leave me a quick comment...if you'd like to let me know what you've been up to this summer, that would be cool too.  I'll run the contest for one week and draw a winner next Friday, Aug. 31st.  Be sure to check back for the announcement of the winner as I'll need shipping info at that time to mail you the books.  Good luck!

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Here is some of what I've been up to this summer.....

Fresh-picked from the garden......poor quality photo from my archaic cell phone
Baby praying mantis....love these guys....we have tons of them, always gives me a thrill when I spot one in the garden.

Two of my three raised beds

Broccoli!!!  Finally able to grow some-I used Agribon as a cover to keep the cabbage moths out.

Various heirloom tomatoes including a yellow pear.  I foresee lots of tomato sauce in my freezer soon.



Redo of front flower bed that has been a total weed-fest....dug it completely out.  Sometimes in gardening (as in life) you simply have to start over.
Time with my precious grand-daughter....she's an awesome veggie eater
Indulge one more of her cuteness

My beautiful horse, Sky.  Restarted his training this summer.

The girls enjoying the pasture which is hanging in there despite sporadic rainfall---lots of work this summer on fence repair and general farm maintenance.

I'll swap this out when I get a decent picture of my beautiful girl, Dani, half-sister to Sky.  I've been riding most mornings after regular farm chores are done and am finally getting my 'riding chops' back after a bad fall I had last spring.
More yummies from the garden....these purple carrots were wonderful and found their way into a carrot cake snack bar recipe
which is pictured here and I'd give you the recipe except it really wasn't very good--definitely needs tweaking.  Stick with just berries, like these from our local farm market.
Happy Summer and Happy Anniversary to Me!
Sue, savoring summer, in Ohio

31 comments:

  1. thanks for this giveaway!
    gkuroda(at)hawaii(dot)edu

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  2. Sue,

    Ever since seeing the glow you have these days, I've wanted to move to this as a healthy choice rather than as a 'diet'.

    Pick me, pick me for the cookbook!!

    I'll miss seeing you in September at Kit's clinic!

    Betsy

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    1. Ahhh....how sweet, Betsy! You are entered! (It'll be random drawing and I'll have my son pick it, so no favoritism :-). I'll be up at Kit's on Thurs and Fri. Can't wait!

      Good luck in the drawing,
      S

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  3. Aww, I love the pics of the horses! This summer we've been laying low. Our vacations are usually in the fall but we did go to the East Coast this June for some beach-Boston-whale watching fun!

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    1. Thanx, Jenna....if only my photographic skills would do justice to their beauty! Whale-watching....wow....very, very cool.
      Sue

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  4. Good luck on your wise change in diet. My wife and I became vegans after watching the documentary, "Forks Over Knives," on June 16, 2012. We are not suffering giving up meat and dairy, and are happy not to be hungry anymore. The picture of your daughter and you is very charming. I also love the purple carrots. After all the hoopla about orange peppers, we're hoping to grow them next year. Thanks for the giveaway; we don't have any vegan cookbooks, yet. Sincerely - Tom and Patti Bruno Manorville, NY 11949 https://www.PattiAndTommyBruno.com

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    1. Hey Tom, Oh wasn't Forks Over Knives great?! Congrats on your decision and that is wonderful that your wife is right on board with you. Good luck!
      Sue
      P.S. I got the seeds for the purple carrots from Baker's Heirloom seeds here: www.rareseeds.com

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    2. Oh, almost forgot...thank YOU for thinking that might be my daughter!!! (I'll just pretend that you didn't likely made a simple typo).

      That's my adorable, soon to be two, GRAND-daughter....at 57, I'd probably get to go on whatever the current crazy talk-show is, for having a baby at 55!
      :-)
      S

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  5. Congratulations on your 2nd year anniversary! I've really enjoyed your blog since joining it recently. I haven't been following a plant-based diet very long, and am still learning what's best for me. Thanks!
    Valerie

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    1. Thank you, Valerie,
      Yes, I do think it takes some time to find your own best personalized program. For example, for me, I do better when I am diligent about eating beans or other legumes daily and also keeping the ratio of greens pretty high. Good luck with your journey!
      Sue

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  6. Congrats, Sue, on your second vegan anniversary! I shifted from a vegetarian to a vegan diet two years ago after reading Kathy Freston's Veganist and never looked back. These days, I'm following Dr. Esselstyn's reversal diet and feel so good! Blogs like yours help me continue to learn about vegan nutrition and beef up my recipe file. Thanks for all the time you put into this blog and thanks for sharing the pix of your gorgeous summer garden! That's a feast for the eye and the plate. :)

    Here in the city, we haven't got as much space for gardening but we take advantage of community plots, farmers' markets, and CSAs. This summer I got seriously into canning, inspired by the Food in Jars blog. Now I can look forward to enjoying my fat-free pickled veggies and fresh tomatoes in my winter cooking!

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    1. Hi Kate,
      So glad you read Esselstyn's work....powerful stuff there. Thank you for the kind words as well....I'm way behind on my blog but will catch up this fall.

      I will have to check out the Jars blog you mentioned. Shopping the farm markets, etc. is a great thing to do...definitely win-win-win. I love going to ours and getting to know the farmers (and which ones use chemicals and which don't). I'd love to take a picture of this one farmer I buy from...he has to be 85 yrs old....just love him and he sells these huge bunches of chard for $1. Will have to see if he'll let me photograph him....he's adorable!

      Good luck,
      Sue

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  7. Congratulations on your 2nd Vegan Birthday!!!!!!

    I've spent most of my summer running outside to change the placement of my sprinklers...LOL!

    Ilene in SW Ohio

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    1. Hi Ilene another Buckeye!!!

      I hear you on the watering issue, but after a recent trip to Indiana, I realized how lucky we really are!

      Good luck in the drawing.
      Sue
      P.S. There is a conference in Athens in September and Dr. Esselstyn, Chef A.J. and others will be there.

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  8. Congrats on your 2nd Anniversary! I started eating vegan 2 weeks ago and am sleeping better and almost all my pains are gone! How great is that!

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    1. That is VERY good to hear. Congrats on your progress and good luck in the drawing.
      Sue

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  9. Love your blog and congratulations!

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  10. Happy Vegan Birthday! Best kind of birthdays on the planet, especially if there's a vegan feast involved. ;)
    Your photos are beautiful! I wish my garden was up and running like yours. I'd love some yellow pear tomatoes! Mostly this summer has been lots of art projects and hanging out with family. Always fun! Cheers!

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    1. Vegan Birthday....LOVE THAT! We definitely did celebrate----I've really lucked out on the garden this year....discovering the Agribon cover really helped. I have baby kale coming up now.

      Good luck!
      Sue

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  11. I'd like to win the Happy Herbivore book because I alerady have Robin's book! Karen morganguiney@aol.com

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    1. Hi Karen,
      Isn't Robin's book cool? Okay, if you win, I'll pick a 2nd winner for Lindsay's book.

      Thanks!
      Sue

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  12. Would love a chance at a cookbook, am just starting on this path...
    Cheers!
    Cathie

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    1. Hi Cathie,
      It can be a bit daunting when first starting....may I recommend Fat Free Vegan's web-site and Healthy Girl's Kitchen blog for recipes and also support. Lots of people out there on the path. Best of luck to you!!!
      Sue

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  13. Thanks for offering the cookbooks. I love cooking and enjoy the opportunity to get new recipies to play with. We have spent the summer trying to sell our home and enjoying our plant based life style.

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    1. Good luck in the drawing (and the sale of your home!).
      Sue

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  14. I've just started a plant-based diet, and have heard so many good things about the Happy Herbivore. Thanks for this giveaway! I don't have a blog, but here is my email:
    ceevegnashville [at] gmail [dot] com

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    1. Got ya, Cee! Lindsay's books really are good. Good luck on your journey,
      Sue

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  15. I know that this doesn't count as an entry in the contest since I'm so late but I wanted to congratulate you on two years! AND to tell you that you are an inspiration and I look forward to many more years of reading your blog! Carry on, fellow Ohioan!

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    1. Ah, Todd, thanks so much. I think of you as a kindred spirit on this journey. To be considered an inspiration is an incredible honor, one I am not sure I am worthy of, but thank you so very much anyway.

      I have to get some more posts on here....hopefully will have some time in the next few weeks. Take care!
      Sue

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