As you read this I'll probably be on a plane heading back to NYC after a weekend in Ohio. Brett and I flew into Dayton, Ohio on Thursday to attend Brett's cousin's wedding and spend time with Brett's side of the family. It was a FULL weekend with lots of family time, socializing, dancing, playing with our niece and nephews, and answering questions about our upcoming move to China. By Sunday night I was drained!
I also had my first I-can't-explain-how-I'm-feeling-about-moving-overseas moments on our last day in Ohio. For a while I've been aware of the fact that as our move to China gets closer, and as we say goodbye to friend and family, I'm probably going to have days when I won't feel like my normal, bubbly self. Sometimes I won't even be able to explain why I feel sad or drained or irritable, but I know that moving overseas and leaving family isn't something I should take lightly. I really want to give myself grace as I process through all these life changes and experience different emotions and feelings than I'm not used to experiencing.
This weekend, Brett and I answered question after question about our move to China. Our extended family is so loving and caring and I really enjoyed talking about all the details. But on Sunday afternoon, I started to feel really sad and as if I didn't want to be around anyone. I didn't feel like I could focus on anything either. Brett and I were supposed to go to dinner with some of our extended family that night, but all afternoon I felt on the verge of tears (and couldn't even pin point why) and when dinner time rolled around I told Brett that I didn't feel up for it. I just needed to be alone and to not feel like I had to be my normal self.
The weirdest thing about these occasional bouts of sadness is that I truly am so excited about everything involving our move to China. I'm excited to sell all of our furniture. I'm excited to only own the things we can carry in a few suitcases. I'm excited for our summer of travel and spending time with family. I'm excited about the actual plane ride to China. I'm excited to look for an apartment and learn how to buy groceries in China. I'm excited to learn Mandarine. I really am excited about it all! But I know that with all of that excitement comes quite a few negative things too. Saying goodbye to our close friends in NYC, saying goodbye to family, and saying goodbye to our comfortable, American life is going to be hard. That's why I think that even amidst all of the fun things to look forward to, I'm going to have days where the negative realities of our move to China will overpower the excitement.
And I need to remember that that's okay.
And normal.
And to give myself grace.
Man, I feel like the things I've been sharing on the blog lately have made it really hard to segue into talking about food!
Oh well. It is what it is! And even though I don't have a good segue from China thoughts to this recipe, doesn't mean this Gluten-Free Low-Fat Vegan Mac and Cheese isn't delicious! I made huge serving of this recipe last week and it was perfect for dinner after a long day. Even one of my non-vegan friends tried it and gave it a thumbs up! It's creamy and filling and has the perfect kick from freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of cayenne. Brett and I LOVE sautéed mushrooms so I added in a bunch for added flavor and texture. Feel free to add in any other veggies you like such as onion, zucchini, or roasted broccoli.
I hope you enjoy this cheesy, plant-based Gluten-Free Low-Fat Vegan Mac and Cheese!
Gluten-Free Low-Fat Vegan Mac and Cheese
This Vegan Mac and Cheese is creamy and filling. It has the perfect kick from freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of cayenne.
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup homemade cashew milk
- 2 small yellow potatoes, chopped (~2 cups)
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- lots of freshly ground black pepper
- optional: pinch of cayenne
Noodles:
- 8-10 oz. whole grain gluten-free macaroni noodles
- Sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, onions, etc.
Instructions
- In a steamer, steam the chopped potatoes until fork tender. While the potatoes are steaming, sauté your favorite vegetables.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside
- While the noodles are cooking, place all of the cheese sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add in more spices, nutritional yeast or the optional pinch of cayenne if desired.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked and drained macaroni noodles and add in your favorite sautéed vegetables.
- Serve hot with more freshly ground black pepper.
Lauren says
Wow, this looks awesome! I'm not even vegan, and I would totally make this!
Faith says
Thanks Lauren!! You should try it out! My non-vegan husband even likes it:)
suzanne says
Faith - this is a beautiful post - it is completely normal to feel whatever you are feeling...it is a huge transition you are about to experience...and even the best of changes create a shift in our energy and our emotions. Things happen inside of us that we do not even realize. This is why you are having emotions that you cannot explain...and it is OK - just feel them (it is when we do not feel or we judge ourselves that we create a problem!)...
I lived in India with my family for 6 mths (such a short time - but felt like a long time when it was first starting)...I cried more than ever - even though it was something I wanted and loved...being thrown out of your comfort zone triggers intense emotion...and that is ok - it is how we grow.
Good luck with the process....and be loving with yourself 🙂
Faith says
Thanks so much Suzanne for your encouragement and understanding!! I totally agree that I don't even know what's going on inside my head right now, but I'm just trying to give my self grace and my stuff my feelings....even if they cause me to feel weak. Thanks for sharing your experience too!
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks says
My boyfriend recently went dairy-free with me, and I've been looking for a new mac n cheese recipe. I'll have to give this a try!
Faith says
Definitely try it out Dani!! You can adjust the seasonings to your taste and add whatever veggies you like. It's delicious!
Sydni Jackson says
Totally normal - glad you're able to recognize what your emotions are telling your body. Give yourself lots and lots of grace!! <3
Faith says
Thanks Sydni! I'm usually so even-keel it's hard for me to see myself so emotional haha! But I'm just gonna roll with it and do exactly like you suggest...give myself loooots of grace:)
Meghan says
I definitely can relate to what you're feeling and the bouts of sadness, and although you know this already, I'll say it again -- it's totally normal to feel this way. I think it's great that you can at the very least document that you're feeling this way because that at least acknowledges it. I think trying to ignore and push through those feelings would be a negative thing later on, so it's better to embrace the ups and downs as they come right now. I hope that the ups will become more frequent and the lows less so once you get closer to the move date.
Faith says
Thanks so much Meghan for the encouragement!! I hope the same thing too. Either way it's all a part of the adventure so I'm going to try and embrace it:) thanks!!!
Debbie says
Heck, I'd get emotional moving to another state let alone a new continent. No matter how exciting it is still going to be a huge change. I'm sure it will be a wonderful change though.
I love Mac and cheese! This sounds so good. I admit I go the easy route frequently now that Earth Balance has a boxed version 🙂
Faith says
Thanks Debbie!! And I didn't know earth Balance had Mac and cheese. Yum!!
Kate @ Kate Lives Healthy says
What a creative and unique recipe Faith! Definitely going to give this a whirl this week. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Faith says
Thanks so much Kate! I hope you like it!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
I think it's natural to have ups and downs about moving it's a big life change. Fortunately you can still stay in touch with all of us! These looks super yummy -everyone loves mac n cheese. Thanks for linking up with us!
Faith says
Thanks Deborah! And that's so true. It's so fun to have this community no matter where I live:) thanks for hosting!
Welcome says
Stellar work there evoeyrne. I'll keep on reading.
Faith says
Thanks!!
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
I'll be keeping you in my thoughts! I can't imagine all of the emotions you must be going through right now with such great excitement and anticipation but also sadness and nostalgia. And on a completely different note, your mac n cheese looks incredible!
Faith says
Thanks so much Liv!! That means a lot!!
tina muir says
Ooooh what a delicious sounding mac and cheese, love all the additions, and using cashew milk; genius faith!! I think you are handling the move very well, and you are doing the right thing by embracing all those emotions 🙂
Faith says
Thanks Tina...for all your sweet words!! I'll just have to take one day at a time:)