Author: In a Tizzy

  • Being Cognizant: Celebrating the 5-Year Veggiversary!

    Being Cognizant: Celebrating the 5-Year Veggiversary!

    A series about the ways I work towards being cognizant through decisions that make me more mentally engaged with various facets of my day-to-day life.

    Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.

    —

    On March 1st, I celebrated five years since I started following a veg*an lifestyle!

    I am not perfectly inside one dietary box, in that I do not exclusively eat vegan but I do not eat meat and I try to purchase items that are friendly to animals in addition to not eating meat or consuming many animal by-products. It has been a journey for the mind and body as I try to find balance of protein, exercise, iron, vitamins, and satiation. I haven’t been the best at finding this balance, but I have really enjoyed the journey and the way it has caused me to reflect on what I eat more often (and the food blogs I have discovered for vegan baking along the way).

    Each year, I celebrate by going to a beloved vegetarian restaurant. For three years, I did this with my vegetarian partner-in-crime before he returned to the omnivorous side, but he joined me each year to celebrate my personal continued commitment to keep vegging out. This year, a different partner-in-crime joined me for a new celebratory location – C.C. and I went to Meet on Main for a late-night vegan dinner!

    We shared a plate of Hot Chiggin’ Things before moving on to a bowl of goodies for C.C. and a BLT Croissantwich for myself, followed by a chocolate raspberry crumble (tears of joy).

  • Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 21-27, Farewell

    Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 21-27, Farewell

    When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world.  This January it returns for its 7th year, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.

    This Festival is a fundraiser for the Downtown Eastside women’s job training
    program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters.

    – Hot Chocolate Fest

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    Stop #21: Pretty in Pink, Bel Café

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    Always a lovely stop to find a seat at one of the daintily decorated tables in Bel!

    The flavour for this half of the festival had no non-dairy option if I wanted the full experience, so I braced myself and dove into the rose-infused beverage first thing in the morning.

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  • Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 16-20

    Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 16-20

    When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world.  This January it returns for its 7th year, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.

    This Festival is a fundraiser for the Downtown Eastside women’s job training
    program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters.

    – Hot Chocolate Fest

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    Stop #16: D’Oh! ft. Grassy Roots, Soirette

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    Soirette has gotten better every year after the first time I visited for the festival! I’ve always enjoyed the flavours, but the interactions with staff have continued to make it a more and more pleasant experience.

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  • Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 11-15

    Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 11-15

    When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world.  This January it returns for its 7th year, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.

    This Festival is a fundraiser for the Downtown Eastside women’s job training
    program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters.

    – Hot Chocolate Fest

    ****

    Stop #11: Home Run (Black Forest in a Cup), Thomas Haas

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    Thomas Haas is always one of my favourite stops of the festival – their decor and attention to detail in beverages and delicious flavours have always led to fond memories.

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  • Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 6-10

    Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Stops 6-10

    When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world.  This January it returns for its 7th year, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.

    This Festival is a fundraiser for the Downtown Eastside women’s job training
    program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters.

    – Hot Chocolate Fest

    ****

    Stop #6: Princess and the Frog, Temper

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    This out-of-the-way location was a newcomer to the festival last year, and I really enjoyed its minimalist decor and tiny size back then. 2017 is no different!

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  • Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Welcome! Stops 1-5

    Hot Chocolate Festival VII: Welcome! Stops 1-5

    When it launched in 2011, The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival was the first city-wide festival of its kind in the world.  This January it returns for its 7th year, bigger and better than ever, with Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, cafes, gelato and ice cream makers coming together to make the humble hot chocolate hotter than it has ever been before.

    This Festival is a fundraiser for the Downtown Eastside women’s job training
    program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters.

    – Hot Chocolate Fest

    ****

    Stop #1: Arctic Ice, Doughgirls

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    Bright and early on Thursday morning, JS and I made our way to Doughgirls – my first time at the bakery. We had a hot and cool option for flavours and both opted for icy!

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  • 12 Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 10, 11, & 12

    12 Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 10, 11, & 12

    A short-term challenge for the month of December courtesy of Earth Balance! I am pretty excited to have some motivation to do some vegan baking this month. Some of the recipes are out of order from the website’s sequence, but I’ll make sure we cover everything.

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    Pumpkin Cookies

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    It was a beautiful thing to revisit my pumpkin days with this new recipe (that I will definitely keep handy for next October)!

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  • 12  Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 8 + 9

    12 Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 8 + 9

    A short-term challenge for the month of December courtesy of Earth Balance! I am pretty excited to have some motivation to do some vegan baking this month. Some of the recipes are out of order from the website’s sequence, but I’ll make sure we cover everything.

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    Donut Icing Cookies

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    These cookies began with a great struggle.

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  • 12 Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 6 + 7

    12 Days of Plant-Based Cookies: Days 6 + 7

    A short-term challenge for the month of December courtesy of Earth Balance! I am pretty excited to have some motivation to do some vegan baking this month. Some of the recipes are out of order from the website’s sequence, but I’ll make sure we cover everything.

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    Chocolate Snowball Cookies

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    These might not be your mama’s snowball cookies, but as a first-time baker of such a treat, I deem them a success (and so does C.C., who affectionately calls them “crack”).

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