Sometimes life likes to test you.
It throws people in your way, who aren’t on your side and asks you to overcome them.
Life challenges your ideas and values and makes you question what you believe.
I have had ones of those days, no, one of those weeks. And now that it is over (well I hope it is), I can actually say I am happy it happened.
Why is that?
Because being forced to rise above and defend what you hold dear makes you appreciate those things even more. It helps reinforce what you already knew. And that, my friends is a great gift.
So now as the week closes, as I sit here with my mug of tea, curled up on the couch in my warm socks I can say that I am perfectly happy, right here, right now.
And damn, that feels good :)
For those of you who don’t know, Healthy Vegan Fridays is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself and Carrie @ Carrie on Vegan. it is a place to share your healthy vegan recipes that make use of whole ingredients and minimize the use of processed and refined foods. The recipes shared on this link up are intended to emphasis the beauty, creativity and benefits of a healthy, plant-based diet!
Recap of last week:
Most Popular Submissions
Chocolate Avocado Mousse from Tammy & David @ Our Neck of the Woods
This pudding looks so insanely rich and includes two sources of chocolate! Definitely an amazing treat!
Taco (less) Layered Salad from Devin @ Nom Yum Free
This is a gorgeous salad packed full of flavour!
“Peanut Butter” Blondies from Tessa @ Tessa the Domestic Diva
These are made with sunflower seed butter, making them nut-free and they are super low in sugar! Great for people with sensitive tummies!
My Favourites from Last Week
Favourite Way to Start the Day: Sugar-Free Breakfast Shake with Veggie Ice Cubes from Lauren @ Oatmeal with a Fork
Using frozen veggies as ice cubes to help make the smoothie nutritious and nice and chilled is genius! I love adding these sneaky veggie to my own, but never would have thought to freeze them- thanks Lauren!
Favourite Main Event: 4 Vegan Gluten-Free Sandwiches from Ali @ Farmers Market Vegan
An awesome review of a new gluten-free, vegan bred cookbook- I loved her review so much she convinced me to buy it! And she makes some pretty epic sandwiches with those breads…
Favourite Indulgence: Apple Cranberry Crumble Blondies from Erin @ Sift, Stir and Savour
These bars sound delicious and perfect for the season! I love the idea of adding a crumble topping to a blondie too- these have my gears turning…
Before we get into this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday, I just want to remind you all that me and Carrie are looking for a third co-host for this lovely little blog party :) If you are interested take a read below and complete the survey:
The search is open for a co-host for Healthy Vegan Fridays, the recipe link-up party! One of the founders of the party, Shelby, is pursuing new opportunities (we will miss her!), but that opens up a spot to join Carrie and I as a co-host. We love that so many bloggers participate each week and we're excited to take it to the next level. This is a great opportunity to get exposure for your blog and develop your marketing skills. Requirements include a commitment to writing whole food vegan recipes, posting the link-up code on your blog every Friday and helping us spread the word through social networking. The time commitment is between 1-2 hours a week. If you are interested, please fill out the short survey by following the link below. We will begin reviewing applications on Monday, January 21st. Good luck and thank you for your interest!
Now it’s time for Healthy Vegan Friday #26!
My Submission for the Week:
I don’t know why I;’ve been craving ice cream in this freezing weather but I have and this is a great recipe for it! Packed with superfoods so you can indulge while still being healthy!
So, if you have a healthy vegan recipe (or 2) to share, please add it to the list below! If not, feel free to browse the submissions and get inspired! You can also check out our Pinterest board and feel free to tweet about it using the hashtag #VeganFridays. Feel free to grab our button (code is on the sidebar) to help promote this even and show your vegan pride.
You don’t have to be vegan to submit, just needs to be a vegan recipe. so share that creativity of yours!
Thanks and happy Friday!
Submission Guidelines
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maximum of 2 submissions per week
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you do not have to be a vegan food blogger to link up, but all recipes must be 100% vegan.
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all recipe submissions should focus on the most whole, unprocessed and unrefined ingredients as much as possible, although we will still accept recipes that make use of some processed/refined ingredients.
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you may submit current or past recipes, just make sure they are not ones that you have shared previously on this blog hop.
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besides recipes, feel free to submit informative posts that are aimed at promoting vegan, plant-based diets.
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you must provide a link back to this blog party on your submitted post. You can either grab our badge to display or a clickable link back somewhere on the post you are submitting.
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when linking up, please make sure to link back to the post you are submitting, not the homepage of your blog
Legal Disclaimer
By linking up to Healthy Vegan Fridays, you guarantee that the pictures and posts are your own and not that of someone else. You also agree to give permission to all hostesses (Gabby and Carrie) to make use of your pictures and posts on our own Healthy Vegan Friday posts, as well as giving us permission to re-post them on Pinterest, Twitter and/or Facebook.
I love your attitude! Thanks for making me smile. Have a great weekend!
Aww thanks Sarina! I hope you had a lovely weekend yourself :)
Hah! I do love a good “nit-free” dessert ;) Damn those licey treats!
So happy to hear you’re in a content and calm place. Stay strong and true, my dear!
Ahahah oops! But seriously, bug-free is a really important criterion for my food ;)
Thanks my dear!
Sorry to hear about your tough week but at least you have plenty of yummy vegan food to keep up your morale, right? :)
You’re so right! Delicious food alwys helps :)
What an incredibly delicious post with such awesome features :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Uru :)
I’m so sorry that you had a tough week but I know you are super strong and amazing and I have no doubt that you’ll continue to rise about any challenges thrown your way :) Your ice cream sounds AMAZING and all of the featured recipes look amazing. That taco salad stack is gorgeous! Yum!
Thanks Sarah! Sometimes I feel like all I do on my blog lately is complain, but it feels nice to have an outlet to do it :)
I know, so much delicious food as usual!
I hope next week is better than the last! I was just chatting with GF yesterday about the pain and discomfort that comes with growth – sounds like you have the best possible attitude! Enjoy the weekend Gabby!
Thanks Shira! It was one of those weeks involving some soul searching that’s for sure, but I feel good to hve gone through it! Have a lovely weekend yourself my dear :)
Thanks you too! I just submitted my hummus to the weekends linked up festivities too! Enjoy a few days off :) XO
Awesome Shira :) Hope you’re having a great weekend!!
Sorry to hear you had a rough week but it sounds like you’ve moved ahead with the right attitude. Way to be positive :)
Thanks so much NIkki!
It sounds like you had a heck of a week! I’m glad that you made it through with a positive attitude…it’s often difficult to do that. :)
Thanks for recognizing my Breakfast Shake! I’m adding my Almond Pulp Granola this week. I hope next week goes smoother for you!
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks so much Lauren :) It’s been trying but it feels good to have gone through it!
My pleasure! Thanks for submitting your granola- I love it!
Have a great weekend :)
Glad you made it through the week and are able to be grateful for it! I truly believe that we can find good in any situation.
I’m so happy my chocolate mousse was the most popular post! It really is delicious. This week I’m linking up a winter salad with cranberry-orange dressing. Thanks for hosting and have a great weekend, Gabby :)
You’re so right- every hard moment is an opportunity to grow and learn!
Glad you are linking up again, your last one was killer! Have a lovely weekend Tammy!
Phew! You made it through! Now you have a weekend to enjoy ;-). The photos are so yummy this week!
Exactly! And I plan on enjoying it :)
Wise words, my friend. Glad you kept your chin up and looked for the bright side!
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks Raechel! Support from you guys helps a ton :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Congrats on rising above girl! :) Sharing my raw chocolate brownie dessert and easy sauerkraut recipe today. Have a grrrreat weekend!
Thanks Heather :) It was a difficult but fulfilling challenge!
Those recipes look fantastic! Have a wonderful weekend yourself!
Wow – that ice cream looks super tasty =)
I love healthy Vegan Fridays – gives me such great meal ideas for the coming week!
Thanks Kim!
I’m so glad you like HVF- I am alwys blown away at the number of amazing vegan recipes out there!
As always everything looks so incredible! Sorry that you had a not so great day, I am happy to hear that you are all cozy comfy & happy when all was said and done – one of my favorite things to do is get all comfy with a mug and tea and just relax and breathe, it is the best!
There’s nothing quite as amazing as a hot mug of tea on a winter evening is there? Thanks Heather :)
Gabby,
I really needed your message this morning. So on point with a battle that I’m dealing with today as I am fighting for what I hold most dear – my family! You’re right, life gives you challenges and tests — but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Thanks for the most needed pep talk this morning.
And thanks again for featuring my allergy friendly taco less salad with quinoa this week. I’m looking forward to when I can curl up and relax, knowing I’ve gotten through this challenge. Enjoy the moment! Have a wonderful weekend!! -Devin
Aww I am so glad Devin! I struggle getting personl on the blog, but I felt a push to do so on this one- I think somehow I knew someone else needed it! I hope you get through your challenge for the better. I am sending lots of love!
Happy to feature your recipe :) Have a wonderful weekend dear!
I know what you mean. I’ve been challenged lately about my beliefs too, but your right it’s good to question the reasons why we do things from time to time as we can get stuck in ruts and forget why we are the way we are.
This week I have shared why I stopped drinking green smoothies after 3 years and my recipe for a chocolate covered marzipan smoothie that’s actually good for you!
http://www.greenthickies.com/why-i-stopped-drinking-green-smoothies
http://www.greenthickies.com/chocolate-covered-marzipan-smoothie
Many thanks for hosting
Thanks for those kind words my dear :) It was a great wke up call for me- I had stopped thinking about why I do things and had let it become habit! It’s important to remember each day that what you do, you are doing because you believe in it- really makes you happier I think!
Thanks for sharing those recipes- tht marzipan smoothie sounds amazing!
*HUG* Adversity only makes one stronger.
Thanks my dear, I love hugs and that one was needed :)
Hi Gabby! Hold on to those lessons of the week. They just make you stronger, lady! Relax and have a wonderful weekend! I’m sharing a Kiwi Avocado Kale Salad. And I’m trying that amazing looking chia pudding this weekend! Rest up!
Thanks for the support Heather :)
I love that salad, thanks for sharing it!
Hope you like the chia pudding!!
wow, last weeks top dishes look brilliant! I don’t have anything for this weeks link up, but now that i’m writing again I should be able to get involved next week.
I’ve had a week a little like yours, trying to overcome ‘challengers’ (meat-eating related), though it’s only left me more solid in my beliefs! Have an awesome weekend,Gabby!
Great, excited to have you back :)
Glad to hear you were able to overcome your own challenges as well! Have a lovely weekend!
Thanks a bunch for featuring my sandwich recipes on this week’s Healthy Vegan Fridays, Gabby! I’ve shared two more bread-themed vittles today–a sweet bread pudding and a savory sandwich. Keep up the awesome work. :)
Oh course Ali :) In case you couldn’t tell, I love the post!!