​Happy Fall! Even though I am excited about the fall, I had a fantastic summer. 
 
One of the last adventures I had to close out the summer was a whale and wildlife sightseeing cruise from Anacortes, Washington. It did not disappoint! We saw seventeen orca whales, one humpback whale (the largest humpback whale I have ever seen!), one minke whale, dozens of steller sea lions and harbor seals, plus many birds and seabirds. The boat traveled south into the Salish Sea, where we saw most of the wildlife between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island. This is the second time I have seen orcas in the wild, and it was just as magical as the first. 

This is more like the fourth week round up, but who's counting! Oops! I finished the month off with the sweet stuff and all things desserts.

​The pudding and the strawberry bruschetta were definitely a hit (and some of my favorites too!). 
The strawberry bruschetta was actually posted during beverage week, but it was because there was a Vegan MoFo Picnic theme and I couldn't pass that up! 

​It is picnic desserts week, and last week, for Vegan MoFo! I hope the daily posts on Instagram and the round-ups here on the blog have inspired you to track down a great picnic spot and have a relaxing meal. Even though the month is coming to an end, I will continue posting about all things picnics on VeganPicnics. 

I made the cheesy crackers a few times because I was testing different gluten-free flour blends to see which one I liked best. Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 was the best one I have tried so far. I was also testing different fats to see which one worked better in the dough. Ultimately, vegan butter had the best taste as well. The olive oil version was really bad! But it could be the olive oil that I have is a little over powering for a delicate cracker. 

Here is how I made today's version....

​Twelve days into Vegan MoFo 2019 already!

​It has been fun thinking up ideas for picnics and posting about them every day. I started the month off with Picnic Mains for the first week and then moved into side dishes and snacks.  

A few of my highlights, including this delectable Cranberry Bliss Bar, have been - gluten-free cuban sandwich, snack mix with homemade cheesy crackers, BBQ chickpea salad, and pesto pasta salad. 

I am going to start the month of Vegan MoFo with main dishes, and then work my way through the main meals, sides & snacks, and then desserts.

I will also talk about a few drink ideas, as well as picnic success equipment (hint - nothing special is needed!).

​For the first picnic main, and day 2 of Vegan MoFo, here is a BBQ Chickpea Kale Salad! BBQ and picnics go hand-in-hand, and I love the extra punch of flavor the chickpeas give to this salad. 

This is my third-year Mofo’ing, and I couldn’t be more excited that it is back already for 2019! This year I will be posting under Vegan Picnics on Instagram because I will be posting about all things picnicking! I've had a love of picnics my entire life, and have been amping up my picnic game in the past few years.

​I even posted about Vegan Picnicking a few months ago, after coming back from a trip to Victoria, British Columbia, where my husband and I had picnics the entire week. We even had one to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. 

I recently started reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and taking myself on artist’s dates. The dates are a way to fill your creative tank and find inspiration for ideas, projects, or to help with a creative block. I’ve only been on a few dates with myself, but I find that I am thinking more about creative projects, culinary experiments, and writing ideas.

​I have also been turning to my fellow solutionaries, humane educators, activists for inspiration, and how they bring art into their life. I find that so many of us have creative outlets and find ways to bring creativity into our work. I’ve met songwriters, painters, writers, guitar players, photographers, chefs, and more! I love that we each have our way of expressing creativity and at the same time, bettering the world. 

​The Fourth of July and all of the celebrations are only a few days away! Family gatherings, outings with friends, BBQs (vegan, of course), and splashing in the pool are great ways to celebrate.
​I have spent many Fourth of Julys poolside, next to a BBQ grill, or spending the day at a park.  I found over the years how to incorporate many friendlier options into my celebrations.