Embracing Fall

Let me start out by saying I am a “summer” girl all the way. My birthday is smack dab in the middle of summer (July 27th to be exact) and I always loved never having to go to school on my birthday, plus the added perk that I could spend my special day at my favorite water park. When I was younger, summer also meant camping, sleepovers, swimming and visiting my grandparents, so it was always a special time of year. Now I love summer not only for my birthday, but for the amazing produce, warm weather, the fourth of July and getting a break from college life. So I was kinda sad when the first day of fall rolled around this year–no more summer for another 9 months. Luckily here in CO, summer’s decided to stick around for a while because we’ve had amazing weather since the autumnal equinox. Plenty of sunshine with most days in the mid 70s to low 80s…can you say ideal? It’s definitely helped me ease into fall but also embrace the season that follows my absolute favorite. This year, I’m actually excited for fall traditions like carving pumpkins and taking pictures of the changing leaves and of course all the delicious seasonal foods.

I’m starting to embrace fall with my wardrobe. I would be an extremely happy girl if I could wear flip-flops and dresses year-round, but that isn’t going to happen here. So I’m transitioning from shorts and swimsuits to sweaters and scarves, while keeping the still-warm weather in mind. I like pairing tights and ankle booties with shorts, or jeggings and a light cardigan with moccasins. I’m still incorporating the bright shades I love, but trying to tone them down by mixing them with darker hues.

Super old pic (from last year, when I was still doing the dorm thing) but you get the idea. This is one of my favorite fall outfits!

I am loving fall-inspired foods this year, more than ever before. Remember this post from last year? Yeah, that was like fall overload and it was the first time I really started embracing fall foods. This year, I’m already on pumpkin overload, incorporating it into pretty much everything and I have no shame. I just bought one of the sweet stuffed squashes they’re selling at Whole Foods by the other pre-wrapped veggies and fruit and I’m excited to roast my first squash. I also got some frozen cranberries which I’ve never had before but I really want to try them out. And I’m excited for my favorite Pink Lady apples. Last year the apples I got were not that great but they seem to be way better this year! So look forward to a lot of fall-ish recipes in the near future 😀

Some of My Favorite Fall Recipes

Spicy Pumpkin Pizza (vegan, gluten-free)

Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls (vegan)

Raw Mini Pecan Pies (vegan, raw, gluten-free)

Coffee Maple Pecan Butter (vegan, gluten-free)

Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip (vegan, raw, gluten-free)

Creamy Pumpkin Spice Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free)

Pumpkin Spice Latte Quinoa Rawnola (vegan, raw, gluten-free)

And as far as fall activities go, I really want to take advantage of my proximity to the mountains and go on a hike to see all the changing leaves. The mountains are so gorgeous this time of year (well, actually any time of year) so I hope my dad and I can head up there this upcoming weekend when he comes to see me for Homecoming weekend. And the house we moved into a couple of months ago actually has trees with leaves, so some leaf pile jumping will be in order sometime soon 😉

What do you love about fall fashion, food and activities?