The Plant-Based Momma

Russian tea cookies, Mexican wedding cookies–or as my kids like to call them snowballs! Whatever you want to call them, they are a simple yet crowd favorite cookie around the holidays!

There are plenty of variations on these cookies, so feel free to use as much creative license on these as you would like. My family likes almond flavored cookies, so that’s the direction we take with these. They are perfect for a quick, last minute cookie to pop in the oven before Santa arrives.😉

Since National Pastry Day was this week, I couldn’t let a trip to the infamous Ladurée Bakery in Beverly Hills go down without sharing all of the details on here! I am so impressed with this restaurant and their progression absolutely feels worth documenting. 

If you haven’t already heard, the beloved French eatery recently did a major revamp on its entire menu (thanks to Chef Matthew Kenney) into a divinely plant-based experience—literally an unexpected vegan dream come true.✨ 

You can see their amazing plant-based menu here. We were in town for another event, so we loaded up on macarons and pastries to go, but we will definitely be back to try some of the delectable dishes from their menu. Take a look at these gorgeous treats:

Dreamy vegan macarons – my personal favorites were Rose, Salted Caramel and Vanilla. Although they were all amazing.  ✨

Give me ALL the croissants : Traditional, rose and chocolate. Why are vegans so deprived of these? How do they make them so light and fluffy? And why can’t the rest of the world make them vegan croissants like this!?

Ispahan — a raspberry macaron filled with the most decadent rose petal cream, fresh raspberry and lychee. Our Omni family who adored their macarons and the Ispahan prior to the plant-based switch could not tell the difference 

We were SO happily loaded up with light and fluffy chocolate croissants, rose croissants and beautiful, creamy chocolate pastries. I’ve said it before, but seeing what the very talented Chef at Ladurée has done shows that anything can be veganized —and you aren’t missing out on anything at all. Although the secret to their croissants remains vaulted (we had to ask😜), The future is absolutely looking vegan. Ladurée in Beverly Hills is a  must-try, highly recommended place to visit. 

These two cute guys

(not dressed for tea time–but a

playdate with friends!😜)

loved everything!

We have been reeling with excitement since Disneyland announced that they will be unveiling new plant-based options by Spring. And if their Christmas offerings are any indication of what’s to come, there are exciting times ahead.

Not even surgery a few days before could stop me from being at the opening of the California Adventure Festival of Holidays– delicious vegan holiday food was just the medicine that I needed.🤓 And it did not disappoint! Since we were only there for a few hours we didn’t quite make it through all of the vegan offerings, but I wanted to share what we tried!

Shepherd’s Upside-down Pie, Grandma’s Recipe Booth; California Adventure.

Made with Impossible Meat and so, so tasty! My entire family loves shepherds pie and this did not disappoint. It’s served with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes and topped with a Mickey puffed pastry. This was definitely a treat, since walking up and ordering shepherds pie is rare anywhere, let alone Disneyland. And vegans know that anything vegan and Mickey shaped is so hard to come by! The Navidad Punch, pictured, was deliciously refreshing as well. We’ve heard this dish has been selling out, so if it’s something you’re looking forward to, be sure to get it at the beginning of your trip!

Pumpkin Soup served in a sourdough bread bowl, Pacific Wharf Café; California Adventure

Everyone in our group loved this savory pumpkin soup, that had a slight curry flavor. Topped with fun things like coconut shreds and pepita seeds, which added a nice texture!

Street Tacos, Studio Catering Truck, California Adventure

While I don’t have a current photo of the tacos from this year, they are very similar–if not the same as last years version.

Vegan Chile Rellano, Paradise Garden Grill; California Adventure

Same as above–photo is from last year, but the same item is being offered this year!

Sourdough Bread in Candy Cane, Christmas tree and Snowman shapes, Pacific Wharf Café; California Adventure

Fun + fresh and the kids loved snacking on it throughout the park.

Yellow Curry Rice Plate, Bengal BBQ; Disneyland

We are more than thrilled to have another vegan option at Bengal BBQ! We love their veggie skewers, so to have an even heartier meal available is great. This dish is on the pricier side, but it is huge! You could definitely share it between two adults. It includes a delicious creamy coconut based curry, vegetable skewers, rice with veggies and a side of citrus miso slaw. Cast Members made a point to tell us that it may possibly be cooked on a shared grill. Our family is personally okay ordering from places that try their best, however we don’t order from places that use a shared fryer (i.e. French fries with fried chicken). It’s definitely a personal decision to make on determining what’s best for yourself. Overall, this is a very appetizing dish and I look forward to ordering it again soon!

We can’t wait to go back soon and try the few dishes that we missed. With every festival and more vegan offerings our love for Disney just keeps getting bigger and bigger. For a more detailed list, be sure to visit Happiest Vegan on Earth. The Festival of Holidays runs through January 6, 2020.

I love sharing all things bright, airy and beautiful, as you know. Something I haven’t shared much of on here though is my love for planning and hosting parties. Like full blown, If you know me in real life, you know that there’s not much oversight. I love planning everything down to the tiniest details–delicious vegan food and desserts included! Over the next few months, we will be highlighting some of the parties we’ve thrown, including the fun details and the best crowd-pleasing, easy to make party foods that will impress even your omnivore guests. To kick off the fun with our party series, we have teamed up with Basic Invite, who makes the cutest and most unique invitations for any event. Their baby shower and kids party invites are some of my faves and the absolute cutest that I’ve seen around the internet. And they are offering a special treat for all of our Plant-based Momma readers!

The detail in the artwork is gorgeous and the customization is truly unlike any other company that I have ordered invites from, which means a lot, because I have ordered a LOT of invites. Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Some of the other companies I have ordered from have a small, pre-selected pallet to choose from. Once you select a design from Basic Invite you can change the color of each element on the card, so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the tiniest detail (again, these are important!). This is really a feature that sets them apart from almost any other online stationery company that I have previously used. You can also order a custom sample of your design so that you can see and feel your invitation in person. On top of that they offer over 40 different colors in envelopes, so you can make an impression upon arrival, and beautiful foil cards — of which I’ve got my eye on for this years Christmas card!

We have two baby showers on the horizon that I am helping to host (it’s baby season among my friends–it really is contagious😆) and I was excited to find the most adorable baby shower invitation ideas. I’ve narrowed it down to a few, but here are some that I love…

Can you even with these baby shower cards? Almost makes me want baby number three… almost. But mostly, I’m tired.😴

And something relatively new and groundbreaking to me was their over the moon seal & send invites! So simple, with a gorgeous presentation and had me wondering where these have been all of my mom-life? They include both the invitation itself and a tear-away RSVP section at the bottom (that print with your return address included). Just like the name suggests, you fold the card into the outlined shape, secure it and then drop it in the mail! There’s no need for an envelope. This gorgeous idea, combined with their Address Capturing Service (which, can you believe this — allows customers to share a link on most forms of social media to request their friends and family’s addresses to send to later. Ridiculously simple.) makes hosting parties as a mom to be simple, yet still elegant. And I’m excited to narrow down our options and place our order for our friends’ upcoming baby showers. And on top of it, order a few fun games from their site that are plug and play for your baby shower – ready to go!

The length that the company reaches to ensure that you’re happy and your customization is perfect are the details that matter to me. I’m off to finish planning a beautifully sweet baby shower and to order some business cards for myself. And if you have a special event coming up (or want to browse through hundreds of other gorgeous offerings), Basic Invite is offering 15% off right now, with coupon code: 15FF51 

Hope you guys love them as much as I do!💕

This is a sponsored post by Basic Invite. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view and I will only ever share companies that I truly love and believe in.

Corned beef hash is a total comfort dish that I always loved from my childhood. It was one of those last minute meals that we ate Filipino style with white rice (I know, double starches..don’t tell the Filipinos). And it was one of two things that I wasn’t comfortable veganizing… simply because no recipe did it justice. That is, until Beyond Meat debuted their “beef” hamburger patties. We’ve been making this dish for about a year now with these patties and needless to say, we are so incredibly excited about the debut of the Beyond Beef, a soy and gluten free plant-based ground “beef”.  While this plant-based meat is incredibly realistic and almost difficult wrap your mind around as a vegan, it really hits the mark on familiar comfort foods. This is by no means a health recipe, but no cholesterol for you and nothing had to die for your meal.

While making this, I would always take the time to cook the potatoes, but my cousin Sharlene taught us that the potatoes are not a necessary addition to this meal. It tastes just as good without! So we now typically just make the meat portion of the dish. This is so simple to do, requires less time and doesn’t sacrifice any of the traditional comforting flavor that you know and love. Hope you enjoy it!

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Fourth of July is this week and we are SO excited. It’s one of our children’s favorite holidays and I’m a sucker for themed foods – so it’s right up my alley. Also, my husband will greatly welcome any excuse to grill up veggie burgers, loaded with all of the best toppings. As a mom of little ones, I am always actively trying to stay in the present moment, so I love dishes that are simple, yet still delicious, with no compromise on flavor. So today we bring you our very favorite recipes to make your vegan barbecue unforgettably delicious and nutritious!

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Let’s be honest: Macaroni Salad is an often very overlooked side dish at parties. It’s one of those dishes that just doesn’t excite people. And now I’ll be honest, before I was vegan I actually never touched the stuff. When I became pregnant with my oldest, I had a crazy hankering for none other than macaroni salad. I hadn’t eaten it since I had become vegan. To remedy this, my mom and I created this delicious savory recipe, with a nice bite. It completely hit the mark on the craving and has also become a requested dish over the years at picnics and gatherings. And now, vegan macaroni salad is one of my very favorite summer side dishes, pregnant cravings or not (not, in my case)! Hope you enjoy it!

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You know how every family has their go-to meal for those busy weeknights? Well, meet ours! Lentils are in our weekly rotation for our kids meals because of their amazing health benefits– and this is an easy way to make that happen. You can make this delicious comfort meal, loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, in a minimal amount of time. Simple, quick and healthy–definitely up my alley as a busy mom to growing young kids. We filmed a video several months ago on how to make this simple dish, with the amazing Minimo Productions. It will see the light of day eventually, but I couldn’t wait to share our recipe!

Derived from a childhood favorite that’s typically made with mung beans, we make this with the base of french lentils, coconut milk, onions and garlic. I always joke that I “Americanized” this dish, since I ate the Filipino version of it growing up. And when I discovered that my children loved it too, I was able to replace our soccer/piano/fill-in-the-blank nights with with a dish that is even more nutrient dense than the typical quick go-to pasta.

If you want to make it even quicker, you can use frozen rice, which can be heated up in minutes. I always keep boxes of organic frozen rice that come in a 3-pack from Trader Joe’s on hand, for quick meals. They come in both brown and white rice options. I also use Trader Joe’s ready-to-eat steamed french lentils, which is something I also typically keep on hand in our fridge. Doing this ensures that we pack in those nutrients, even when our schedules are crazy. You can easily make the lentils yourself and it’s probaby a tiny bit cheaper–so if you do, adjust the spices to your preference. Hope you enjoy our family’s favorite weeknight meal!

I love to be tagged in stories and posts when you make any of our recipes or try anything that we’ve shared! Please tag us and we’ll reshare our faves too. 🙂 @plantbasedmomma

We were SO excited to visit the new Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. The amazing details of this new land did not disappoint, especially with including a few plant-based options for us! We were lucky enough to have reservations from 2-6pm, which gave us the option to try both lunch and dinner.

Our family’s favorite was the Ithorian plant-based meatloaf, found at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. This is served with mashed potatoes (confirmed vegan with the chef), veggies and a delicious savory mushroom gravy. It’s made with Impossible “meat” and it was SO good. It is definitely a dish that we would really look forward to coming back and ordering. And it’s unbelievable how similar it looks to the real thing. You can only order this from the dinner menu, beginning at 4pm, but the good news is that you can use mobile ordering, so you don’t have to wait in line!

For lunch we had the Felucian Garden Spread, also found at Docking Bay 7. This dish consists of plant-based meatballs served on top of herbed (tasted like parsley) hummus and pita bread. Our kids didn’t love this dish, since both the meatballs and the hummus were the tiniest bit spicy, according to them. I would order it again and am so thankful for a vegan lunch option. This dish is available during lunch, until 4pm. There was also a deliciously refreshing tea that we loved, which was called Phattro. This was a mix of odwalla, lemonade and desert pear. The Taste of Takodana on the kids menu appeared to be vegan, but we didn’t order it. However, it looks like a great and healthy option.

Now onto the much anticipated Milk Stand. I have read SO many mixed reviews on the two different milks you can order, both of which are made from vegan milks. Our kids, like most reviews, preferred the blue milk, which has a berry flavor. However, my husband and I surprisingly preferred the green milk! It tasted like drinking a cup of flowers and reminded us of a rose drink from a local restaurant. It definitely had passion fruit and mint–and I love passion fruit, so that might play a part. And the mint wasn’t overwhelming at all. But I recommend at least trying both.

Another thing we seem to be in the minority is with the outpost mix of popcorn from Kat Saka’s Kettle. Our family actually liked the unique mix of flavors! You definitely have to eat one color at a time to appreciate the different tastes. But one color tasted like fruit loops and another tasted like Tajin with lime juice. We actually saw someone throw their full bag away, but we definitely appreciated the experience of it.

And lastly, a tip for parents! If you are like us and want to let your child choose a (“reasonably priced”) toy to commemorate this special experience… I highly suggest Toydarian Toymaker in Black Spire Outpost (the huge walk-through building as you enter from the Hungry Bear entrance). I was so impressed with the adorable and well-made wooden toys and high quality stuffed animals. We were happy to buy something from here, as memorabilia that our kids can possibly tell their own kids about the time this new land opened at Disney.

My boys dressed up as Storm Troopers and all of the characters gave them so much attention–which totally added to the experience. They rode Millennium Falcon twice, which made their day!

We had such an amazing day. Every single tiny detail is accounted for. Everything exceeded any expectations we had and it was even more awesome than we could have imagined. I definitely recommend taking a trip (just to experience the meatloaf dish alone!). If you don’t already have reservations, the land opens to the public on Monday, June 24.