Happy Anniversary to Me and Blissful Bites!

Hello blissful beings! Today is sort of a special day to me. It marks the 2 year anniversary of the release of my cookbook Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet. I’m very proud of this book and it remains a timeless addition to the many wonderful vegan cookbooks available today. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years!!

For anyone that has written a book you understand what a wonderful, time-consuming, emotionally charged and rewarding experience it is! It feels like giving birth in a way. You work really hard creating the recipes and content and when you’ve perfected it you send it off to the editor. Then you go through the editing and design process. Then it’s birthed into the world and you see how people react. Then you continue to nurse it, lift it up, and hope it doesn’t get lost and forgotten. Many authors continue to write more books. Some move on to other projects.

I wouldn’t take back the experience for the world. Having a book has allowed me to travel the world giving speaking engagements and cooking classes, gave me a platform to connect with thousands of people wanting to go vegan, and the book has given you a new way of looking at food. With a mix of vegan, raw food, macrobiotic, gluten-free, oil-free, and sugar-free Blissful Bites really has something for everyone! It’s also extremely kid-friendly.

I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone that made the book possible! To my publisher BenBella, Glenn, Debbie, Jenny and the marketing team, and the biggest thank you to Melissa Schwartz and Melanie Shatto for doing the photography. And of course big thanks to all of YOU who have been here reading my blog since the beginning and to all the people who are just discovering me and my book! Shout-out to all the wonderful peeps that have reviewed the book on their blogs/websites and on Amazon (and if you haven’t left a review there it would make me so happy if you did!).

Many of you that know and love the book have been asking me where is the next one? So much happened after the release of the book, from traveling to moving back home to help my dad get his health on track, to trying to figure out where I wanted to call home. Getting a second book out wasn’t at the top of the priority list. Over time I did come up with a few ideas I really wanted to do, wrote up an awesome proposal, got a new literary agent that shopped it around, but very few houses were interested in my idea. Instead of doing something I wasn’t excited about (I discussed many different ideas with various publishers interested in working with me) the idea for Wellness Reboot was born. I poured my heart and soul (and 12 hour days!!) into created an online wellness program that I knew would change the lives of others in amazing ways. And it has! Check out some of the testimonials here.

I am humbled and grateful every single day that I live a life I love doing the important work of helping others go vegan and stay vegan. Thank you for allowing me into your lives and following along the wonderful journey I continue to take as an educator, woman, and vegan (and most recently athlete!).

I’d like to feature some of my favorite recipes from the book this month! I’ve already featured many so far and other websites have shared their favorites too. I’d love to hear from you what are YOUR favorites from the book?

Here are just a few of my favorites  from Blissful Bites:

Coconut Bliss Granola Parfait

Pineapple Cornbread Muffins

Asian Spring Rolls w/ Almond Bliss Sauce

Pineapple-Cucumber Gazpacho

Sushi Rice Bowl

Spring Kale w/ Sweet Mustard Miso Dressing

Lemon-kissed Brussels with Squash & Toasted Almonds

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

So where do I go from here? Will I ever publish another book? My goals for the future include eBooks, weekly meal plans you can purchase, and I’m currently working on an “advanced” program for Wellness Reboot, which includes a weight lifting program and a meal plan for athletes. I will continue to share my best work with you through recipes on my blog and eBooks. Honestly, eBooks are the future and depend less on resources like paper and ink. AND put more money in the pockets of the creators who work tirelessly day in and day out to share great content with you. That’s a very good thing!

I plan to get my personal training certification by 2014. It seems only appropriate that I turn my new love and passion for fitness into a way to serve and help others. I’m all for taking what you love and making a career out of it!

I have a triathlon in 3 weeks then travel to San Francisco for the first ever Plant-Powered Health & Fitness Expo. If you are in the Bay area please join us!! It’s going to be a blast! And if you aren’t please help us spread the word!