a veg life

(posted by Emily) Sorry, friends. We aren't here today to play one of my favorite icebreakers. Instead, I want to talk a little bit about traveling with electronics abroad :) Can you tell we're ready for summer break already?! When I was doing research about packing phones/iPads/computers, it was hard to find exact information about what we would need. I was looking for blog posts from travelers, talking about what they have used abroad, and was disappointed there wasn't much to read.  In the absence of a great post to cite, I figured I would create my own! Of course, we are just in planning stages at this point--I'll be sure to do a follow up once we head across the pond! You all know what an outlet looks like here in the US:  via Well, just in case you didn't know, outlets are not the same world-wide! Here are a few of our international friends:  United Kingdom European Union Italy In order to deal with all of these different sockets,...

(posted by Emily) Whenever we talk about smoothies or juicing, people inevitably ask us for recipes. I've always thought the idea of a recipe for a smoothie or a juice was a bit contrived. Those two are perfect opportunities to get into the kitchen and experiment--just give something a try and see if it tastes good! Throw some frozen fruit, fresh fruit, and almond milk or juice in the blender, and you're off to a good start. I've even made smoothies with tea and water--it's up to you! Sneak in some veggies (spinach and avocado work well and don't have an overpowering flavor) if you're feeling really adventurous :) Cooking is more fun without a recipe! For those of you that need a jumping off point, start with some of our favorite combinations: Favorite juice combos: Apple Orange Carrot Ginger Lemon  Half of a golden beet Start with the mix above, add celery and cucumber.  Pineapple Cucumber Apple Rom...

Ever since apple season has come around again, I've felt the urge to try my hand making apple butter. After reading a number of recipes that involve using a crock pot (my favorite easy cooking appliance), I knew it would be easy! Here's the recipe I followed, using a mix of Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala apples.  Crock Pot Apple Butter thanks to Kathryn T for help with this recipe! 16-20 apples, cored and cubed (as many as it takes to fill your crock pot) 1/2 c apple cider  1 tbs cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1/3 c sugar Fill the crockpot with apples and sprinkle spices and sugar on the top. Stir to mix and cover. I set my crock pot to high for about an hour, to get everything started and then switched it to low. Stir every few hours, if you can.  I started my apple butter around 7:45pm and switched the crockpot to low an hour later. I stirred about once an hour until I went to bed. I let the apples cook overnight, and then switched off the slow ...