I've always considered myself a "night owl" and it can be both a blessing and a curse when I get hit with creative inspiration at 11 PM, which puts me in the mood to work and get things done. I have never been much of a morning person and I'm sure my parents still have nightmares (haha) about the daily struggle to wake me up to get to school on time. It isn't until very recently that I've really put in a lot of effort to come up with an evening routine that ends with me going to bed at a reasonable hour so that I can wake up easier and have more productive mornings.

I'm sure I will still have the occasional struggle with winding everything down by 10:30 PM during the week, but I can already say that after putting this routine into place, I am much more relaxed and ready for bed. Here is a little insight into my new nighttime routine. Hopefully this might help spark some ideas if you are thinking of trying to put together your own routine.



9:45 PM- The first thing I do is soak my feet for about 10-15 minutes using the Purely Northwest Tea Tree Oil Therapeutic Foot Soak. This stuff is amazing, especially if you've been on your feet all day or had a good workout earlier. I am a fencer, and let me tell you, soaking your feet in the tub with these epsom salts feels so good after 2 hours of fencing. I am already on my third bag. I seriously talk up the evening foot soak so much that my husband has started to do it when he travels.

10:00 PM- My evening hygiene/skin care routine is relatively simple. I am usually to tired/lazy to properly wash my face so I rely on makeup wipes. I am currently using the Acure Coconut and Argan Cleansing Towlettes. I then apply the derma-e Hydrating Night Creme with Hyaluronic Acid to moisturize and keep the wrinkles at bay (as much as one can anways). I use Dr. Brite Natural Whitening Toothpaste to brush and rinse with Dessert Essence Tea Tree Whitening Plus Mouthwash.

10:10 PM- I usually take about 5 minutes to plug in my ultrasonic essential oil diffuser (with a mix of lavender and rosewood) and write in my new gratitude journal. I purchased both my diffuser (The Sparoom SpaMist Ultrasonic Fragrance Diffuser) and a set of 3 notebooks at TJMaxx. (Which I definitely recommend checking out as they usually have really affordable prices on stuff like this.)

I try to come up with three things that I was grateful for on that particular day. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is really important to me and I think writing down something that you are thankful for is especially helpful if you've had a bad or down day. If you are worried that this might take up too much of your time in the evening, just remember that an entry can be as long or short (even just three words) as your time/energy allows for.

10:15 PM- I have really been loving reading actual books in bed, instead of staring at my iPad. I feel like it's better on my eyes and I'm not as distracted by social media. The picture above shows you what is currently resting on my nightstand. (The Star-Trek book may or may not have been purchased from my phone while going down the long, dark road of the ST extended universe with some friends at New York Comic Con this year.)

10:30 PM- Light's out. (Ok, sometimes I get caught up in a book and push it to 10:45. I'm a work in progress.)

Apple picking is one of my favorite fall activities. I love being outside in the fresh air, spending time with my family, and, of course, bringing home freshly picked apples. I live in Virginia and am so grateful that we have a lot of opportunities for outdoor activities with beautiful scenery. This is our second time in a row visiting Hartland Orchard in Markham, Virginia and we could not have asked for a better day.

When we arrived at home with our apple haul, I only had one thing on my mind- DESSERT. I started scouring Pinterest for a pie, crumble, or crisp recipe. I stopped when I came across "The Best Vegan Apple Crisp" by the Minimalist Baker. I actually had most of the ingredients on hand with the exception of a lemon and pecans, so it wasn't very expensive to put together. It also made quite a large pan if you're thinking of preparing something for a party or for a family gathering.  I paired it with the So Delicious cashew-milk ice cream in Very Vanilla and it was a match made in delicious vegan heaven. (Writing this post now is making me sad because the entire pan of apple crisp has already been devoured. IT WAS THAT AMAZING.)

*As a note, I used regular cane sugar instead of coconut sugar, water instead of apple juice, and coconut oil when it calls for coconut or olive.

**I did a little bit of searching and found this coupon for $1.00 off any 2 So Delicious Dairy Free Products at Whole Foods if you want to check out the cashew-milk ice cream. I also highly recommend their French Vanilla and Hazelnut Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer.


What are your favorite fall-inspired vegan treats?