It’s not about striving for perfection. It’s about embracing what is and presenting your very best.
The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to implement the above. Whether we like it or not, the jolliest of all seasons is upon us. And with that comes many emotions and arguably challenges as we navigate through all of our commitments and expectations. Did you notice what I wrote there? Expectations. Some of the stress you will experience is self-induced. Some of your worries to make this season “just right” come from you. No one is requiring you to make the most magical Christmas for your family members. No one is keeping score on how successful your holiday party is. Do you want to know what those closest to you actually desire? They want connection. They want meaning. They want to see you happy.
As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, it’s easy for me to get hung-up on the little details. In the past, a minor imperfection could cause me to forget the big picture. I would allow outside disappointment and unrealistic expectations to steal my joy. When I lived like this I was in a constant state of dissatisfaction. Let me tell you, no one should live like this! Thankfully, as life experiences have taught me, I have become better at keeping expectations in check. However, I am still susceptible to focusing on the negative rather than the positive. What helps me is to remind myself of the motivation behind what I am doing. I ask myself, why am I doing this? What am I hoping to gain by doing this? Is this something that brings me and those closest to me happiness?
Earlier this week, my daughter and I decided to make pumpkin pie. For me when I think of Thanksgiving I am reminded of my mom’s homemade pies. Pumpkin to be specific. Every year she would make this pie and would serve it with pride after our Thanksgiving dinner. It’s smooth, custardy texture and warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg spices would fill my mouth with a burst of flavor. As I’ve gotten older however, I made the conscious decision to remove gluten from my diet completely. I also eat very little animal products. For these reasons, I have not eaten her pies in years. This year, I decided to do something about it. I made pumpkin pie my way!
Ruby and I would love to share with you our imperfect vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe! In preparation for making this, I researched a few recipes and pulled ideas from each to create the one you will see below. I am happy to report, my pie filling is delicious and tastes, in my opinion, more flavorful than the traditional recipe. The crust I made, although sweet, remained too sandy in texture and never achieved the flaky firmness I was hoping for. When I make this recipe again, I will try either almond or oat flour. If you have a vegan, gluten-free pie crust suggestion I would love to hear from you!
As I worked in my cold butter and water for the dough in my kitchen, I reminded myself that nothing is perfect. And whether something turns out the way you hoped, you will always gain new knowledge from the experience. I teach my kids to try, explore, and just put themselves out there. To not worry about getting it “right” 100% of the time. To show up for themselves. To be honest with their starting point and be gentle with themselves as they grow. The same applies to me and you! You’re not going to get it right all the time and that is okay!
My pumpkin pie was imperfectly perfect. The crust wasn’t what I had hoped for, but it still tasted great! And you know what the best part was? I did it all with my daughter. We shared a special moment in time. A time of learning for us both. As we sat on the floor near our fireplace with our pie in hand, the sun filled the whole space with warmth. I closed my eyes and smelled the pie before me. It was perfect to me. It smelled like home. It filled my whole body with the glow of the season. This is what the holidays are all about. Embracing the moment.
Before diving into our pie and while it cooled, my daughter and I painted a turkey figurine. Ruby helped me apply the paint in the most generous way. Globs of color got all over. It was not what I would have done and that’s when it hit me yet again. It didn’t matter how the turkey turned out. What mattered was seeing her smile as she painted. What mattered was helping her create her own masterpiece. Once done painting, I looked at that turkey with pride. That turkey was indeed one-of-a-kind, and it was done in the most imperfect way. It was perfect to me!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season! I hope you embrace every imperfection you face as you remind yourself of everything you have been given. And that includes the bad stuff… the hard stuff… the stuff you don’t like to look at. Everything you have experienced and will experience is a part of your life masterpiece. It is perfectly imperfect!
Pie Crust – vegan and gluten-free
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour, coconut flour
- 2 tbs sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, cold and cubed
- 5-10 tbs ice water
Instructions:
Begin by mixing the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. After that has been done, add the cold, cubed butter to the bowl. Next, using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the butter into the dry mixture. Next, add water slowly. You may need less or more water depending on the type of flour you use. After that, get in there with your hands. Work quickly so the butter pieces don’t melt and form the dough into a tight ball. Finally, wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Next, roll dough in a circular shape on parchment paper to your desired thickness. I usually recommend 1/8 of an inch thick. Once rolled, place raw curst into your coconut oil coated pie dish. Next pierce dough gently with a fork for a more even cook on the curst.
Pumpkin Pie- vegan and gluten-free
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch, cornstarch works well too
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin puree, unsweetened non-dairy milk, brown sugar, arrowroot starch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk everything together until well combined. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 55-60 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the tip of a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. The center may still be a little jiggly, but that is okay. It will firm up as it cools. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely before serving. Garnish with your favorite whipped cream and enjoy! I love having my pumpkin pie with a hot cup of coffee!
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