When I saw this cute plate and the sweet message on it, I couldn't pass it up.  It is a dessert sized plate that would be perfect for a morning muffin, a few sliced veggies for a snack or possibly an indulgent dessert like the mudd pie  favorite of my husband's family I am sharing below.  I know there are many versions of mudd pie and similar desserts but this is the one that makes an appearance at many of our birthday parties in lieu of cake.

Not too long ago I switched it up and used instant lemon pudding instead and have to say I enjoyed it more than the chocolate.


I also think the plate would be cute just sitting on your counter or in a small plate stand.  You can even add a plate hanger and add it to a wall.


The wooden spoon is a creation of talented Mr. Husband.  He is a great wood worker and his wooden spoons are also family favorites to use for stirring oh so many recipes or added to a counter top crock or holder of kitchen utensils.  Pretty and functional.

For an entry in today's* give-away just comment here or on the blog Facebook page and let me know what your favorite dessert is.  Unfortunately Mudd Pie is not on my current eating plan but that doesn't mean I won't indulge sometime in the future : )

                   * NOTE: Wednesday give-away now closed.

Once upon a time there was a blogger named Mindy who decided to join a 30 day vegan challenge with her daughter.  She actually started eating vegan one week ahead to prepare but didn't follow any specific plan. The week went okay so she jumped in with both feet.  The first official week was a pleasant surprise. She felt wonderful and the recipes were easy to follow and all really good.  The second week went pretty well and she even got Mr. Husband to try a few of the dishes.  He especially liked an acorn squash stew and ate a cracker topped with chickpea "chicken" salad that he liked as well.  This was also vacation week and she did eat out at a restaurant where the closest thing to vegan was deep fried clams (no faces on clams and all that...). There are some vegans, not of the hard core variety, who actually include clams and oysters in their diets.  I doubt they eat them deep fried, ha!.

The third week brought temperatures to their area into the 90's and the novelty of preparing two separate meals was wearing a bit thin.  She was encouraged by a little weight loss so kept plugging away.  She may or may not have discovered that there are some foods (obviously not on the "plan") that are technically vegan (obviously not healthy) like Twizzlers.  She may have eaten a few.  She may have also given up all added sugars except for the Twizzlers so she may have eaten a few more.  Ahem...



Starting into week four Mindy has discovered that she has some better planning to do with meal prep in order to satisfy both her and Mr. Husband's food needs but she is willing to keep going because she just feels better eating this way.  She is willing to give up the Twizzlers but her daughter has now informed her that regular Oreo's are also vegan.  She might have purchased a package (still unopened in the pantry) for "emergencies".

She has also discovered a few quick and easy favorites for meals.  For breakfast the quickest favorite is an energizing peach green smoothie (and if she is extra hungry she adds a slice of sprouted grain toast with a smear of nut butter).  For lunch she chooses from an endless variety of salads or, if she didn't have toast in the morning, a slice of sprouted grain bread toasted and topped with a blend of avocado and a dash of lemon juice, and sliced garden tomatoes seasoned with cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of salt.  One of her  favorite dinners so far (and one that Mr. Husband likes as well) is a hearty Tuscan Vegetable Bean Soup that Robyn from Simply Fresh Dinners shared on her blog.  The chopping can be done in the morning for evening cooking.  It makes a generous amount which lasted Mindy and Mr. Husband through two dinners and one lunch.





Since Mr. Husband was pretty game in trying some of the new foods she thought for sure that he, being a fan of the smoothie, would like to try her peach green smoothie.  She was wrong. He took two sips before heading to the sink saying, "I can't drink this."  She quickly ran after before he dumped it out because she wanted it for herself.  She then made him his favorite blueberry smoothie and all was well in their world again.  Oh, and they lived happily ever after : )

Here are the recipes for the two smoothies:

Peach Green Smoothie:

1 cup orange juice
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 cup frozen, unsweetened, sliced peaches
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional but gives a bit of nutty flavor as well as providing protein, fiber and heart healthy omega 3's)

Mix all ingredients in your blender until smooth and creamy.


Blueberry Smoothie:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Or also good with orange juice for a tart blend)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup crushed ice (or cubes if your blender can handle)
1-2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
1 banana (can be fresh or frozen*)
Honey or agave syrup to taste  +Note:  I originally stated honey or Stevia - I have no idea why I typed Stevia because I have never used it before...I have used agave with good results : )

Mix all ingredients in your blender until smooth and creamy.

Both recipes can be easily tweaked to your likes/dislikes or what you have in the refrigerator or freezer that needs used up.  

*We slice bananas before they go bad and keep them in the freezer ready to toss into smoothies.  You can freeze them whole as well but be sure to peel first.  They keep their color amazingly well.