Hello my friends! I hope you all are doing well. Like many of you I have been enjoying a little extra time away from the computer this past week. Some of the time has been spent with friends and family, and the rest taking care of other things to finish out the year in a productive manner. Oh, there has been some rest and relaxation, as well, but there is something fulfilling about finishing off some projects these last few days and starting the new year with a clean slate. I love going into January with a renewed zest for blogging and sharing to help contribute to the Veganuary movement!
What is this "Veganuary" deal? You can read more about the movement which started in the UK in 2014 as a way to encourage people to try veganism for the month of January. You can sign up on the official webpage and get lots of helpful information if you are new to the plant-based lifestyle, but our own 
Though it has been over 5 years since I ditched meat in my own diet, I still enjoy starting out the year affirming that choice as one of the best decisions I have ever made. My belly stays full, and my body and mind are as healthy as they have ever been as I continue to fuel up on the abundance of wonderful plant foods all around me. I am definitely not perfect, nor do I expect others to be. Everyone needs to come to their own conclusions and decisions on what works for them currently, but I think we can all make positive changes in even the smallest of ways. I try to do my best to lead by example with light and love, not with hate or other negative words or actions.
My role as cheerleader will be even easier this year since my family loaded me up on vegan essentials as gifts over the holidays. 😜 I think I'll definitely rock out these t-shirts my sister gave me in the gym or out on some runs. There is definitely still a lot of misinformation in the fitness world about nutrition, so I think the protein shirt will come in handy. Though I don't get the question as often as some people, it still does come up on occasion. I used to be a bit nervous about wearing anything promoting veganism--mostly because I was afraid of judgement or ridicule. Now I see it as a great way to open up dialogue, especially about plant-based nutrition and fitness.
Speaking of protein, 
She also knocked it out of the park with a nice big tub of nooch! This stuff is powdered gold for us vegans, haha! If cheese is your hang up about going vegan, get yourself some nutritional yeast and start finding all kinds of delicious recipes to replace the dairy. It adds a yummy cheesy flavor to all sorts of meals. I use it pretty much every week in my kitchen.
I also got a few new cookbooks to add to my collection, including this one from my mom and dad. Even though I really enjoy creating recipes myself, there are still plenty of times where I am perfectly happy following someone else's guidelines for a delicious meal. When you are just starting out having plenty of books like this or blogs to follow are invaluable for figuring out a new style of cooking. It has taken me years and plenty of duds in the kitchen to get to where I am in my own current level of meal prepping expertise. I will also be taking a peek through my collection to draw inspiration for the edits to my own cookbook that
Of course there are plenty of other tools in my arsenal that help me keep on track, but these were just some of the fun things that I thought I would share to kick off some Veganuary inspiration! Make sure to check out 
Here's to starting out the new year in a healthy and conscious manner! 🎉
