Sometimes you need to close the door.

I know, this sounds so opposite of everything I've been preaching, but bare with me.

It's true, I have been making an effort to see the glass half full, to find opportunities in not-so-great situations, and say "yes" more. I think being optimistic is great but as I discovered last week,sometimes the best thing you can do is say "no thanks" and that sometimes saying "no" is actually the greatest opportunity of …

This blog post picked me. I kept coming across this same, reoccurring idea over and over this last week and as it turns out, it was something I needed to hear. (and I suspect we all do!)

When I started down this minimalist path I wanted to reduce stress so I could be more zen, but also so I could be happier. In one of my past memoir posts I shared this quote, which I find deeply profound:

Know that happiness is always available …

I'm finally back in St. Maarten after a two-week trip to the states. Here is a glimpse into some of the food I ate during my 2 stops in Pittsburgh, PA. (You can see my eats from Vegetarian Summerfest here). I regrettably didn't photo any of the food I ate while home in New York City. Oops!I was too excited and too busy socializing with friends I guess!

**as a warning, these photos were taken with my phone, sorry about …

My family is Italian, so lasagna has always been a comfort food for us. It's also one of my standby dishes when we're having company over for dinner because everyone likes lasagna and it presents beautifully. 

The nice thing about my recipe for vegan lasagna is that it also tends to be a balanced meal: complex carbohydrates in the pasta, protein from the tofu ricotta and vegetables like spinach in the lasagna roll up, plus a side serving. 

Lasagna …

I was a speaker/demonstrator at Vegetarian Summerfest this year and wow--it was so much fun! Summerfest is like "camp" for adults--except totally veg! My cooking class "Low Fat Vegan: All the Flavor without the Fat!" was a huge success! I had a blast demonstrating my recipes and several of my "students" came up to me afterward thanking me for such a great class. It made me feel really good! 

Funny side story: Minutes before my demonstration, I bumped into T. …