Happy Earth Day!

1. It's so perfect that Earth Day falls in the spring - it's the best time of year here in the South! Spring also means gardening! Last week, I hit up the Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale for the second year in a row and returned with this haul...

I had the best little helper to plant with! Parker really got in on it this year, placing all the starter plants in the holes we made and helping to cover them up. 

2. We also did some seeds! Parker specifically requested carrots, which we haven't done before.

We followed up with a carrot-themed craft to show how carrots grow, and to point out that we eat the root of the plant (as opposed to other veggies like lettuce where we eat what grows above ground).

Can you tell this sweet guy loves the garden?

3. He also just loves being outside in general...

So we've been taking advantage of our sunny, warm and humid-free days (while they last, ha!). 

 4. And a perfect Earth Day Meal? A colorful vegan one! 

Find the recipe for this dish on my Instagram (@sugarmande). While we are definitely not vegan, we do enjoy everything in moderation and I think that includes the occasional meatless meal (and as a former vegetarian of nine years, this still comes pretty naturally to me). I really dislike the word "healthy" because I feel it's thrown around by whatever fad is going on at the moment. In the 80's, "low fat" everything was "healthy" and currently there are entire eating plans that contradict each other. Tofu might be labeled "healthy" by a vegetarian, but the Whole30 Program would argue that it's not because it's processed. My point is that "healthy" is a relative term and very personal. So I won't say that this dish is "healthy" but I will say that I never feel bad after eating a big bowl of veggies ;)

5. If you are looking to add more options to your diet to make you feel your best, I was inspired by the most unlikely of places...

I picked up this book completely out of curiosity (and my love of reality television). I actually found myself agreeing with a lot of what was said! I'd say that the diet outlined in the book is extreme, but it was interesting to get a glimpse into how different families live their lives (and good motivation for incorporating more whole fruits and veggies which I don't think anyone can argue is a bad thing). 

Happy weekend and enjoy your Earth Day!