Roasted Potatoes Recipe
Sometimes plant-based dishes can seem different, but overall, you’re eating a lot of the same dishes you enjoy right now.
This roasted potatoes recipe is a perfect example…..
Ingredients (Serves 4)
4 large russet potatoes, washed and chopped into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Place chopped potatoes in a large bowl and cover with water.
2. Allow to sit for 20 minutes (to remove the starch.)
3. Preheat the oven at 425º
4. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a clean kitchen cloth.
5. Rinse and dry the bowl and put the potatoes back into it.
6. Mix in the olive oil, making sure that all of the potatoes are coated.
7. Then mix all the spices together in a small bowl and add to the potatoes until
evenly coated.
8. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet
9. Bake for 20-25, flipping them over after about 15 mins.
This Time Feels Different (Sobriety Update)
“One upon a time, drinking had felt like the eraser for all pain...”
I’ve taken breaks from alcohol before. Thirty days here, a couple of months there.
I even made it to three months once.
But this time feels different.
In the past, when I took a break from drinking, I usually felt energized and a little proud of myself.
I would tell myself, “See? I don’t really have a drinking problem. I can stop whenever I want.” And after a few weeks or months, I would go back to old patterns.
It wasn’t a real change. It was more like a reset to prove a point to myself.
This time, I’m not doing it to prove anything. I’m doing it because I want to heal.
And that shift has made everything feel more intense.
Why I Decided to Stop Drinking
I want to take care of my brain, my heart, and my body.
I’ve read the research and am aware of the risks. I don’t want to live with fear around things like dementia and memory loss when I know there are steps I can take right now to protect my future.I also want to be more present.
For too long, I have either been drinking or recovering from drinking. I would miss little moments or feel disconnected from people I love. I don’t want to keep living like that. I want to feel grounded and clear enough to enjoy my life while it’s happening.I want to grow my business.
There’s no way I can build something sustainable if I’m pouring wine every night just to unwind. I want to build something meaningful, and I can’t do that from a foggy place.
Why This Round Has Been Harder
This time, I am not just skipping drinks. I am facing feelings.
Cravings hit harder. Emotions feel more intense. I have cried in the shower. I have sat with memories I thought I buried. I have faced moments of regret that I would have usually drowned in wine.
Additionally, I have felt bored.
Alcohol was part of my routine. It filled space. Now that I have taken it away, there is this weird silence. I used to get off work, grab wine, run errands, come home, and sip until bedtime. That was just how I operated.
Without it, I had to ask myself what to do with all that time.
And the answer?
I am learning as I go.
What’s Been Helping Me Stay Grounded
These new habits have helped me replace the old ones:
Therapy. Talking it out every week gives me perspective and support.
Adult coloring books and word searches. They help quiet my brain.
Kombucha or hot tea at night. I still sip something in a wine glass, but now it supports me instead of numbing me.
Walks by the river. Especially barefoot. Being near water gives me peace.
Journaling. I have always loved to write, but now I am doing it with more intention.
Gratitude. Every morning I write down three things I am thankful for.
TV breaks. I’ve been rewatching Scandal. And yes, Olivia Pope might need to put down the wine, too.
None of these things is magic.
But together, they help me stay connected to myself, rather than falling back into habits that hurt me.
50 Days In
As I write this, I’m 50 days sober.
The good news is that I do feel better. It didn’t happen overnight. I didn’t hit day 10 and suddenly feel clear and calm.
But slowly, things have shifted. I feel lighter. Less foggy.
I am not doing this perfectly. I don’t have it all figured out.
I am not numbing anymore. I am actually feeling. And that’s the win.
If You’re In This Season Too
If you’re also thinking about taking a break from drinking... or you’re already doing it and wondering why it feels so hard... I want you to know you’re not alone.
Just because something feels hard doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
Sometimes, the mess is part of the healing process.
Sometimes, not numbing yourself with alcohol is the actual work.
If this resonates with you, I would love to hear your story.
Please feel free to leave a comment or message me.
We do not have to walk through this alone.
Why I’m Not Vegan Anymore
Over the last year I’ve been asked more than once: “Why don’t you call yourself vegan anymore?”
It’s a fair question. I spent years building a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a blog around vegan life.
My content was full of grocery hauls, recipes, and motivation for anyone who wanted to eat fewer animal products.
So, when I stopped calling myself vegan, I knew people would notice.
The truth is, there wasn’t a dramatic falling out. I didn’t suddenly turn against veganism or reject the community. I just realized, after more than a decade, that the label no longer fit the way I wanted to live.
How I Got Here
I became vegan in 2010 after being vegetarian for two years. The funny part is that I didn’t even set out to go vegan. I read a book called Skinny Bitch, not realizing that it was about veganism, and by the end of it, I decided to give it a try.
For me, veganism was never primarily about health. It was about ethics. The health benefits were a nice bonus, but I’ll be honest: I wasn’t exactly a healthy vegan. I could have happily lived on french fries and vegan ice cream.
What kept me vegan for so long was the sense of purpose and community.
It felt good to be part of something bigger than myself.
When Things Started to Shift
Eventually, life caught up with me.
I went through a tough season of burnout and mental health struggles, and suddenly the label that had once motivated me started to feel heavy.
Veganism wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I had tied so much of my identity to being vegan that I felt like I was failing anytime I didn’t live up to it. Food labels became one more stressor when I was already overwhelmed.
It wasn’t a quick decision. I battled guilt for a long time. I felt like I had let myself down, and I worried I had let down the community I had built. But eventually I realized that forcing myself to hold onto a label that no longer fit wasn’t sustainable.
Why Plant-Forward Fits Better
These days, I use the term plant-forward. It means plants are still the center of my meals, but I no longer pressure myself to be “perfect” if every plate isn’t all plants.
This shift has been freeing. It gives me room to focus on what actually matters: eating in a way that fuels me, supports my health, and feels sustainable for the long haul.
When I first shared this publicly, I lost over 4,000 YouTube subscribers. That stung. But it also clarified something important.
My work was never meant only for the vegan community.
My real mission has always been to help everyday people eat more plants in ways that are affordable, approachable, and real.
And I still believe that deeply.
What I Want You to Know
Here’s what I hope you take away from my story:
You don’t have to let a label define you.
Perfection is overrated. Progress is what counts.
Doing your best each day is enough.
This is about food, yes, but it’s also about life. We are allowed to reset, to change our minds, and to move forward without shame.
Want to Expect Going Forward
I will continue to share recipes (it’s so important to me), grocery hauls and tips to help everyday people eat well… but you will also see more posts and videos about MONEY…my journey, paying off debt (taxes & student loans), saving, and how we can all make more of it. lol
I’m excited to be on this journey with you.
Thank you for being here.
5 Easy Plant-Based Meals from a $50 Grocery Haul
I’ve been trying to eat more meals at home lately, mainly because DoorDash had me in a chokehold for way too long. It was convenient, sure, but expensive and honestly not making me feel my best. So I decided to start fresh by going back to the basics: cooking more, budgeting better, and keeping things mostly plant-based without making it complicated.
In this video, I take you with me to Aldi to do a real grocery haul on a $50 budget. I’m sharing five meals I made with the ingredients I bought, and I kept them super beginner-friendly. No wild ingredients, no two-hour cooking sessions, and nothing bland or boring.
These are meals that actually fill you up without draining your energy or your wallet. That’s what I care about most these days.
Here's what I made:
A berry banana smoothie that takes 2 minutes
Lentil curry with rice that gets better the next day
My favorite chickpea salad wrap, perfect for lunch
Crispy tofu with creamy peanut noodles
And a fresh juice made from carrots, celery, apple, lemon, and ginger
Everything is included in the video, but if you want the grocery list and all five recipes in one printable, I've created a guide that you can download.
It’s $5, and it’ll save you from pausing the video every five seconds to take notes.
[Grab the $5 PDF here: Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes]
This is the same shopping list I used, plus full instructions for each meal and a few extra tips for making plant-based eating less stressful. You don’t have to go 100% vegan to eat better, save money, and feel good about what’s on your plate.
If you enjoy this video and the PDF helps you, let me know. I’d love to keep making more realistic meal content like this.
Thanks for being here.