PollyEster

Appreciate that you're curious about - and open to - exploring plant-based foods! That's a pretty good cookbook, too, one of a handful that we use regularly.
My kind, thoughtful daughter makes various energy bars for the family almost every week. She's only 13, but has already developed a great deal of capability in the kitchen (and elsewhere!). Years of massive kitchen waste and mess led to this point 😂, but it was all worth it because she'll carry these skills and this confidence in herself for the rest of her life. We just use a food-safe silicone mold to shape them: I've found that something like this is roughly the perfect size for virtually every kind of post-op treat.
Love the New Yorker and Bruce Kaplan. Thank you for that, and am attaching another of his cartoons in kind:

Thank you so much, MarvelGirl! Not to worry though, there's a lot that you don't see: for every dozen or so photos or dishes, there's at least one epic fail that looked like this ("before") in my mind, but ended up like this ("after") in real life! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
© Elías García Martínez/Cecilia Giménez

I have nothing but love for avo toast, especially when it includes everything bagel seasoning. This is soooooooo beautiful and nummy-looking!

She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely 😂 because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year.
She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!

This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or Soup on at the cottage!

food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon Buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of Cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too.
Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves.
Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.

She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely 😂 because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year.
She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!

She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely 😂 because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year.
She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!

This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or Soup on at the cottage!

love it - it looks like a very restful place!

These look YUM

Your photos and food .... AMAZING! 😩😩😩 you are super talented!

Jeezus. You do all this for fun? You have a viable career change option if you ever decided to. I can only imagine how fabulous you are in your day job 😳

Drove out of the city for some patio time by a lake yesterday.
First pic, 1/2 dozen oysters w/ mignonette sauce (ate em all along with 2 glasses of wine, not shown): 244 calories
Second pic, are what I am now going to refer to as DEATH TARTS (Portugese custard tarts w/ scoop of vanilla gelato). I ate one tart and all the gelato: 329 calories.
Eating the tart is the likely culprit to my evening of nausea, cold sweats, & lethargy. I spent pretty much the remainder of the day on the couch oscillating between feeling death-y and sleeping. Lesson learned? Probably not. 🙄
It was crazy hot out yesterday and anything frozen was half melted by the time it got to our table..!

She’s been making these since about age 6 or 7. Simple no-bake recipes like these are perfect for younger kids; they can easily manage them on their own (with an adult nearby when using the mixer), especially if just rolling into balls or bars. I had a food blog for many years, and both my kids were helping out (and I use that term veeeeery loosely 😂 because basically it meant everything took 20 times longer and was 50 times messier) by the time they were 3 with little things like mashing foods, stirring batter, shaking liquids, kneading dough, rinsing fruit and veg, helping with grocery shopping, etc. Both had their first nylon knife and peeler sets by age 5, could read recipes (kids cookbooks) and make them without any help by age 6, and my daughter cooked and served an entire plant-based holiday meal for us by herself last year.
She’s been obsessed with watching Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Jr. for years now. Since kids summer cooking camp was cancelled this year, we got her a monthly subscription service for a kit that includes ingredients, recipes, a video cooking lesson, a new kitchen tool, and fun dinner conversation starters – takes some pressure off of me, plus I don’t have to cook as often, win-win!

Avocado toast topped with a running egg, everything bagel seasoning, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and red pepper chili flakes. Obsessed. I was only able to eat one.

food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon Buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of Cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too.
Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves.
Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.

Required fuel (yes, I'm referring to the bariatric "c" word: carbs! 😂) for distance cycling and running: raw vegan superfood squares, loosely inspired by these two recipes.

Required fuel (yes, I'm referring to the bariatric "c" word: carbs! 😂) for distance cycling and running: raw vegan superfood squares, loosely inspired by these two recipes.

This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or Soup on at the cottage!

Required fuel (yes, I'm referring to the bariatric "c" word: carbs! 😂) for distance cycling and running: raw vegan superfood squares, loosely inspired by these two recipes.

Kindness and warm-hearted encouragement toward strangers is a rare and special gift. Thank you for your thoughtful words, and for sharing these beautiful images with me, Sophie; the honour is truly mine. It's always a joy to see a new post from you, and I very much appreciate the support and generosity you extend toward everyone here 😊
I also hear you on the ways covid-19 is truly wreaking havoc in society and in our lives, and on the difficulties it presents in terms of quality, structure, and function. There's only more uncertainty on the horizon, and in some ways, the longer it goes on, the more it feels like a pandemic of widespread social pain and discomfort...
The current news out of Florida is extremely alarming, and I hope you and your family are staying safe in lockdown at home. From all of the activities you're planning and engaging in, you clearly have the adaptability and flexibility to remain creative and vibrant in every situation! I, too, have been using this time to develop new skills and build on existing ones, and am grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with my kids, exercise more, read and write more, paint more... and become more comfortable with being uncomfortable 😉 Please take great care. x

food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon Buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of Cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too.
Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves.
Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.

This was our lockdown project; repurposing an old storage shed on our property into a summer cottage-slash-studio, instead of tearing it down. It was a quick-ish job because we just wanted to be able to enjoy it this summer, but we're using it so often that we've decided we'd like to have it year-round, so are planning on insulation and drywall, new wiring, etc. as next steps. There's always tea or Soup on at the cottage!

food memories are powerful. There are so many beloved childhood foods I will never eat again: mashed potatoes with heavy cream and butter, buttermilk biscuits, scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves, beef bourguignon and beef stroganoff, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy, stuffing, quiche with ham and cheese, freshly made pies with butter pastry or pate sucree crusts, cinnamon Buns and hot cross buns drizzled with icing, fudge, lemon curd, all sorts of Cookies and cakes... especially pound cake and jam roly-poly. Rice and bread puddings, too.
Within the first year after going plant-based, I occasionally tried an old favourite, but they just didn't do it for me anymore. As happens for many post-ops, everything was just too sweet or too heavy or too chemically or too uncomfortable sitting in my stomach. My palate changed completely. My food memories were better than the actual foods themselves.
Occasionally, during moments of nostalgia or longing tied to fond memories of people and places, I still miss the memory or anticipation of eating certain foods, even though I love not eating them anymore and instead truly enjoy eating more nutritious, tastier, and health sustaining foods.