Hi I'm Mallory. I just turned 30. It's been an interesting time to reflect on the past decade and to decide what I want the next decade to look like for me.

I feel like I am in a pretty good place. My 20's were a wild ride. So much fun, so much growth, lots of really hard hard things, lots of really beautiful things. The 20's gave me a wonderful marriage and two beautiful girls. I lived in 4 different places across the United States. I wrote a children's book. I blogged a lot. We traveled. 

Aside from the very tangible things that happened in my 20's, I have also found that I have changed quite a bit on the inside. I have entered my 30's with the desire to be really open. Open to new ideas. Open to new thought processes. And open to myself.

Before I turned 30 I thought a lot about a gift I would like to give myself. What could I give to me that would be meaningful. That would be something I really wanted. I ended up feeling like the best gift I could give myself would be to step away from social media and to take a year to be present in my own life. To be present with my husband and children. 

For me, social media has taken up so much of my time. So much of my brain space. What would it be like to disconnect from the world a bit, and reconnect to myself. Instead of giving my time to whatever shows up on my feed, could I give myself over to things that I choose? It's an experiment.

I guess this post is ending up being a scattered invitation to you, to join me in this new decade. To join me as I explore my own self. I know I'm 30, but I'm not sure if I really know me all that well yet. I guess this is becoming a documentation of my own pursuit of sonder. Of my own pursuit to live in the richness of my life, and see other people doing the same. 

I actually have no idea what this is going to look like. But I feel really okay about that. I've found that most of life is like that. We move through ideas and experiences, exploring and learning and sharing and realizing we were wrong and hopefully course correcting and being better and doing it all again and again. So here is to the journey of exploration. I'm in the middle of it moving forward.

We love a good bowl of soup. This recipe for Tortilla Soup is so easy and so delicious! It is a great way to use up leftover rice. It is quick to put together and easy to double. You can freeze it and warm it up for a later time. It feels like there is nothing you can't do with this delicious soup. 

Eating a healthy whole-food, plant-based and vegan diet means that traveling can be difficult. I love to make this soup when we are traveling or are going to someone else's home. It is easy to put together if we are using someone else's kitchen, or we can make it ahead of time and freeze it to take with us for an easy, filling meal.

Try it out for yourself and let me know if you like it in the comments below!

Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

1 Onion

4 Cups Vegetable Broth

2 Cups Mild Salsa

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed

20 oz Canned Jackfruit

10 oz Frozen Corn

2 Cups Brown Rice

1-2 t. Cumin

1-2 t. Chili Powder

Toppings

Cilantro

Lime

Avocado

Toasted Corn Torilla Strips

1. Begin by cooking 2 cups of brown rice in a rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions. 

2. Preheat the oven to 400. Thinly slice corn tortillas into strips and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, tossing half way through and watching closely at the end to prevent burning. Remove from oven when nicely browned and set aside.

3. When rice is finished cooking, place a large pot over medium heat on the stove. Chop onion and add to the hot pot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring sparingly, until the onion starts to become translucent. Add water 1 T at a time as needed to prevent sticking. 

4. Drain the jackfruit and cut off the core. Shred the jackfruit.

5. Add vegetable broth, salsa, black beans, shredded jackfruit, frozen corn, cooked brown rice and spices to the soup. Cook over medium heat until warmed through.

6. Prepare the toppings: dice the avocado, cut a lime in half for juicing, and chop the cilantro.

7. Fill bowls with the soup and enjoy with desired toppings.

If you are looking for more delicious plant based meals to enjoy, I'm sure you will love my Ebooks Earth Fed Family and Whole Plant Foods. Each cookbook is filled with healthy whole-food, plant-based, oil free and vegan recipes that our family loves.