Sustainable in the Suburbs

My journey to a more sustainable lifestyle in a small suburb. Growing some food to love the earth and feed my family well, eating mostly plant based whole foods for the same reason, reducing our carbon footprint, and trying to pick up as many skills as I can along the way! 32 year old mommy of one (so far) East Coast, USA

[marisatomay]

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.”

— Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [JK Rowling]

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

A massive pile of black bean, sweet potato and brown rice enchiladas with vegan cheese, avocado and a chunky fresh salsa.

It was too much, and too good 💚

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Chickpea Pasta with Veggies and my homemade vegan sausage crumbles.

By homemade I mean gardein beefless crumbles with sausage seasonings. It works!

I successfully threw my daughter a first birthday party this weekend which means I'm back from Tumblr hiatus.

Coming soon I hope to post more vegan meals, my journey in learning to see, waste reduction, and hopefully some fall gardening, if I ever get the time to get out there!

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

If you need me, I'll be over here planning a sparkle rainbow birthday party and smashing the patriarchy

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

[maggiemurdockremade]

Doctor Who quotes that changed my life: 2/?

Vincent and the Doctor, written by Richard Curtis.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

This isn't the kind of thing I normally post but this episode makes me weep every time I see it and this particular quote, this particular scene, has definitely added to my pile of good things

[taavot-deactivated20170404]

remember being little and thinking dandelions were fun or a pretty color or something and every adult in an 80 mile radius wouldn’t let you say that without screaming ITS A WEED

[rabbittrabbitt]

also like:

dandelions are edible, easy to grow, and are rich in vitamins a, c, k, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, manganese, and potassium

dandelions can be made into wine, tea, soft drinks, and a coffee substitute

they are used in herbal remedies to treat liver and digestive problems and as a diuretic

they’re good for bees!

they make good companion plants for various herbs and tomatoes; their long taproot helps bring up nutrients in the soil and they release ethylene gas which ripens fruit

dandelions secrete latex which means they can be used to make natural rubber 

they make great flower crowns 

[kedreeva]

To expand on dandelions and bees

The reason they are good for bees is because dandelions are one of the first flowers to open, come spring, which means they are the first fresh food for the local bees!

Dandelions cohabitate with clover really well! Dandelions flower and drop seed just in time for clover to flower and drop seed in time for the dandelions to flower a second time. Bees love both of these flowers!

We keep a 15x15 dandelion/clover garden for our bees, with a water station, and it’s always covered in honeybees in the early spring!

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Weekends are for delicious banana oat pancakes and hot coffee.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

It's possible that I just totally freaked out my coworkers, and classified myself as the office weirdo, by explaining to them the horrors of the dairy industry at 9 am.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Vegan Hot Pepper Pesto with Tomato and Spinach As an example of how your taste and your way of thinking can change with your diet, when I was throwing this together tonight I thought, "I should probably add some veggies but I don't have zucchini. Guess it's just pasta then." Then it occurred to me that I had a whole tomato and a container of spinach and I was like, oh wait, those are vegetables and they would be amazing with pasta. I never even really liked cooked spinach before.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Vegan Sloppy Joes? Made with lentils in the instant pot. The recipe could use a little tweaking but overall it wasn't bad.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Honestly, I could have eaten this smoothie for lunch and dinner too.

Mango, strawberry, spinich and chia with a few shakes of turmeric and a dash of black pepper.

[thepowerwithin]

The most magnificent power of healing lies within the hands of Mother Nature. Go outside. Breathe. Experience this beauty.

Nicole Addison @thepowerwithin

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Proof positive that you can take your favorite meals and make them vegan. I used to love rice with chicken and gravy as a comfort meal. I just made it with veggies, vegetable stock, and fresh herbs instead 🌱

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Opinion: Halo Top dairy free "candy bar" ice cream is gross.

[growinglikeweeds-blog1]

Whenever my tomatoes start to ripen on the vine I panic that some pest is going to come eat them before I can.

[divintrix]