Kesa has taken quite a shine to Serafina these days.

She loves to give her kisses…

and hugs.

I love the look on Serafina’s face in this one.

This is what I have to put up with.

It is so nice to have these three girlies get along so well. I truly am blessed to have such sweet girls.

The weather here has been so mild for winter, which is nice, but makes you wonder if it is really a good thing. It has mostly been around zero and the coldest that it gets is -10.  Definitely not normal for a Manitoba winter. Still, we are enjoying going out for long walks and appreciating every bit of it. Quite a contrast from last winter.

In other news, we’ve been sick. I have had a bad flu which I got from Autumn who had it first. Headache, sore muscles, runny nose, sore throat and hot and cold flashes on and off. It is quite awful, but still I made it my priority to make soup yesterday because I knew that I really needed soup. I also made a quick-rise whole wheat bread to go along with it because I love fresh baked bread. So at least now I don’t have to worry about preparing meals and can take it easy today.

Tomato Cabbage Vegetable Soup

Makes one big pot of soup, feeds my family of four for at least two meals.

Ingredients –

• 9 cups of water
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons dried dill weed
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins (4 cups chopped)
• 5 ribs of celery, chopped ( 3 cups chopped)
• 1 small head of green cabbage, chopped
  (8 cups)
• 3-4 round tablespoons vegetable bouillon powder
• 1 (796 ml) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (540 ml) can mixed beans or red kidney beans

Directions

Bring the water to boil in large pot. Add the onion and dill and boil a few minutes to bring out the flavor. Add the chopped carrots and celery and boil for 5-10 minutes, until beginning to soften then add the cabbage and boil 5 minutes more until all the vegetables are soft. Finally, add the vegetable bouillon powder, tomatoes and beans. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes more to bring the flavors together. Serve with quick-rise whole wheat bread.

I love making soup and make a soup once a week or at least once every two weeks. I always make enough soup to have leftovers for the next day, plus I find that it tastes even better the next day as it sits and gets even more flavorful.

Quick-Rise Whole Wheat Bread

• 2 tablespoons quick rise yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 4 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

1. Place the yeast and sea salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm water, maple syrup and sunflower oil and whisk everything together.
2. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, whisking in the first two cups and stirring in the next two cups with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and lightly knead the dough a few times in the bowl.
3. Place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and form into either a round or rectangular loaf shape. Slice the top of the loaf diagonally with a knife to add a design if you wish. Cover and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes.
4. Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

I have also been working on meal planning and want to share on the blog what our family eats and what we spend on groceries. I thought that would make for an informative and helpful post because most people don’t believe that they can afford to be vegan. Since we are a family of five and only my husband works and we have no credit cards, I wanted to show that it is indeed possible to eat healthy vegan meals on a budget.

That is where life is at these days. Wishing you all an awesome weekend! 🙂