Woman in Real Life

If you live in a four-season climate, you know that fall is the best of seasons. It's a welcome respite from the hot and humid days of summer. Mainly it's a hell of a lot better than the freezing cold winters! Cool breezes flow through open windows, leaves begin to turn yellow and orange, and, yes, apples abound on trees. A fall visit to the apple orchard is a necessity - these are the moments that will keep us sane as winter's long months drag on.



Recently, we went to our favourite apple orchard - Avalon Orchards in Innisfil, Ontario. It's maybe an hour north of Toronto, and the apples are organic, which means you can eat 'em right off the trees! (Well, they are covered with a clay mix, but wiping them on your sweater is all that's needed.)


They have several varieties of apples, including Nova Mac and Freedom. We like to test them out before deciding which ones to get. And then we just get them all, haha.


The season runs until October 16th, and we definitely need to go back. In the past we have picked our apples early in the season and found they didn't last the winter. Last time we were at Avalon, an orchard employee told me that the last weeks are the most popular because the apple varieties available then are the ones that last through the winter. Doh!


That leaves me thinking about what I'll make with all of the apples we picked already. I'm working on an apple muffin recipe that will be on the blog soon. Anybody have and tried-and-true (vegan) recipes with apples?


Now for a look at a day of vegan eats. My tummy has finally been feeling better for the most part. My gallbladder is actually fine, so I think I was just having a particularly bad flare-up of IBS. I'm trying to drink lots of water and eat more fibre to keep my digestive system running more smoothly.

Anyway, the kids were off school for a PA Day on this particular day, so we had our traditional PA Day breakfast of blueberry pancakes and vegan sausage. We had also purchased fresh apple cider at Avalon Orchards, so we had some of that in our crystal glasses. It is soooo tasty!


For lunch we had leftover minestrone-type soup that my husband had whipped together the night before. I also had a tomato and lettuce sandwich with vegan mayo. And grapes.


Like I said, trying to drink more water. That means keeping a big bottle of water (sometimes infused with fruit) with me at all times, even in the house. Otherwise I tend to forget to drink water.


For dinner, I had a vegan cutlet with gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and broccoli. We are really getting into the comforting fall meals.


This meal, above, was not something I ate on that particular day, but I wanted to show you the Chili Verde With White Beans and Chickpeas that I made from a recipe on I Heart Vegetables. I saw this on one of Liz's What I Ate Wednesday posts and I just had to make it. It was super (super) easy to make and the whole family enjoyed it. (We served it over rice and that's why it looks more dry than Liz's version.) Thanks Liz!


Do you live in a four-season climate? How much do you love fall? What have you been eating?



Linking up to What I Ate Wednesday by Peas and Crayons, this week hosted at Sprint2TheTable.