Vegan Eggnog

I'm lactose intolerant, and I was invited to a Christmas cookie party by a pregnant woman, and I was in charge of bringing eggnog.

Now, we live in Hong Kong, so it's not a normal beverage to have around, even if I wanted the dairy kind. I've made the egg (and liquored-up) version before. But without the raw eggs, homemade eggnog is a different creation altogether.

I used this recipe and this recipe for inspiration and came up with my own version. It was a hit! The Vitamix even made it frothy enough on the first day to have that "homemade eggnog" feel. I used the leftovers to make eggnog lattes for a couple days. Yum!


VEGAN EGGNOG
(makes about 1.5 liters; easily halved)

4 cups almond milk
2 cans full-fat coconut milk
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup (not the corn syrup kind, but the kind that comes from a tree)
12-14 small pitted dates*
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 pinches of salt
2 dashes of cinnamon
2 dashes of cloves

--Place all ingredients into a blender*
--Blend until smooth and uniform (this could take several minutes because of the dates)
--Refrigerate your eggnog until chilled
--Stir or shake before the first time serving to work the foam back in (this will make sense when you see it)

*If you don't have a strong blender, like a Vitamix, it might be wise to pre-chop your dates, and you may have to blend for longer to make the texture smooth.

Stitch Fix!!

Recently I brought out my bin of pre-pregnancy clothes, and with absolute glee, I hung up cuter, non-nursing- or pregnancy-specific shirts. After that glee faded, however, I realized many of my staple shirts were worn out, out of style or just no longer a good fit.

Sigh.

Since the idea of clothes shopping makes my stomach turn, I did not jump for joy and start planning a shopping spree. I simply resigned myself to thumbing through my closet each morning and trying on multiple shirts before settling on something to wear.

Enter Stitch Fix.

Have you heard of Stitch Fix yet?

I'm pretty sure this company was invented with me in mind. Get this: I fill out a style profile online, and a stylist chooses five things she thinks I'd like. She sends them to me in the mail, and I have a few days to try them on and mull it over, then decide what to keep and what to send back.

The cost? A $20 styling fee that applies to your order!

Brilliant!

Alright, here's what I got. Isn't it fun to see nice new clothes splayed out on your bed ready to try?



The clothes came with style cards suggesting how to pair the pieces included with other items already in my closet. At issue: I don't have these items in my closet! Oh, well.

First of all, the fabrics were all gorgeous, and the clothes well-stitched. I liked the style of everything,  but as you'll see, not necessarily the fit on me. The nice thing about Stitch Fix, though, is that the stylist gets smarter the more feedback I give.

HELMA DRESS: fun, but boxy on my shoulders 
and hips. The bullets don't work for me.

SHILOH TONAL DOT PRINT SLEEVELESS BLOUSE:
Cute style, but looks like a tent on me.

ADORRA SKINNY JEAN: Comfy and perfect fit, but I'm 5'5"
and these bunch like crazy around my ankles. 

The tag said "Ankle Jean."
Maybe if I was 5'11".

MONI GEO PRINT BLOUSE:
I wanted to love this, but somehow it make
my shoulders look particularly bulky.

CLARICE MULTI STRIPE KNIT DRESS:
Fun, flirty and perfect length. WIN!

So, I kept 1 out of 5 and had some fun. I can't wait for my next fix! 

*If you're interested, sign up using my Stitch Fix link here, and I'll get referral credit!*