{a day in the life} The Frosted Vegan

Today’s “a day in the life” is Abby of The Frosted Vegan. Abby’s mouthwatering vegan recipes will appeal to not only people who follow vegan diets, but even to meat-lovers. I know there are many recipes on her site that I cannot wait to try! 

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Tell me about yourself and how you started food blogging.

Hi! I’m Abby and am so excited to be taking part in Rachel’s series. I always love hearing about how others spend their days and am kind of nosy, so this series is perfect for me. I currently live in Milwaukee, WI by way of Central Illinois. I’ve lived in Wisconsin for a few years now and I love living by a lake and being walking distance to a ton of local stores (including a wonderful Italian grocery store).

I started food blogging back in September 2012 as an outlet for my vegan baking and cooking ventures. My family transitioned to a plant based diet right before I moved to Milwaukee so after I moved I wanted an easy way to share recipes with my dad (who is the cook in the house now!). I’ve always thought about starting a food blog and had been reading a few blogs for a few years, but finally made the jump when I started working in an office and knew I needed a creative outlet. One random Monday I bought the domain name, wrote up a post, and hit publish! I’ve never regretted the decision and have found so many opportunities through blogging. From new friends to discovering a love for photography, blogging has brought me so much joy and I hope to keep continuing and growing for years to come.

Take me through your day.

4:30am Wake up, stumble to kitchen and feed cat/start coffee maker. I wake up so early because I tend to work better in the morning, but I do like to sleep in a bit on the weekends!

4:45 am Gym! I like to workout before work so I can get it in before I can procrastinate later in the day.

5:30am Breakfast/Getting Ready/Checking Blogs- This is the time where I get everything together for the day and start reading blogs.

7am-4:00pm Work! I work in social media, so I usually check blogs, my own social media, etc. throughout the day so I don’t feel like I’m way behind after work. A lot of the day consists of content creation, writing for our company’s blog and updating social media channels. At some point during the middle of the day I usually run to the grocery store for a forgotten ingredient or to stock up my snack drawer at work.

4pm-6:30pm Blogging time! This is when I usually shoot as soon as I get home (especially in the winter!) and write posts/edit pictures. I usually try to prep recipes ahead of time so they are ready to photograph when I get home, but that doesn’t always happen.

6:30-7:30pm Time to make dinner! My fiancé gets home from work a bit later, so dinner either happens or I decide I’m too tired and eat a taco made out of leftovers. I might also do cleaning/prep for a recipe for the next blog post in this time too.

7:30pm-9:30pm Eating dinner/ reading/more social media time. I try to remain productive during this time period, but I end up sinking into the couch and playing on Pinterest while the fiancé watches some sort of sporting event. If I’m into a book this is the time I take to read it too. Right now, I’m between Plate to Pixel and An Everlasting Meal, both of which I refer back to constantly!

What is your one must-have kitchen tool or gadget?

Food processor, hands down. I was completely against buying another appliance a few years ago, because I thought a food processor did the same job as a blender. Boy was I wrong! Especially as a vegan, blending creamy sauces, soups, etc. are so much easier in a food processor.

What is your favorite part of your day? Why?

Coming home and switching from ‘day job’ mode to ‘blogging’ mode. I do love my day job, but coming home to do something where I can be active and hands on while still being creative is a perfect balance for me. During the day I sit in a cubicle and hardly see the outside world, but when I’m blogging I am moving around, creating recipes, and running out to the store. I love this pocket of time when I feel like I love what I’m doing but am still feeling productive.

If you could choose one room in your house to spend the WHOLE day in, which room would it be? Why?

This sounds cliché, but the kitchen! We are fortunate enough to have a large kitchen and I love the natural light that comes into the space in the morning. I also love that I am away from the front of the house, so I don’t feel too tempted to flip on the tv and plop down on the couch!

What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

Friday! I usually work from home on Fridays, so I can sleep in a bit, get a lot of work done from the week and I have a standing happy hour date with a friend on Friday nights. Our favorite bar is a few blocks from my house that is a corner bar who allows dogs inside. We’ve gotten to know the staff there so well they know our order as soon as we walk through the door!

If you had to choose one place to travel to every year, where would it be? Why? Have you been there before?

Australia, without a doubt. I studied in Sydney for a few months in college and would love to go back every year. Australia is beautiful, while still having the typical city feel and amenities of a big city.

What is your guilty food pleasure that you’re embarrassed to fess up to? Kraft Mac & Cheese? Spagetti-o’s? Canned cheese? We promise not to judge!

Oy, chocolate and peanut butter melted together. If I’m hankering for a dessert or just need quick comfort food, I’ll take a handful of chocolate chips, add in a few tablespoons of peanut butter and nuke it for a minute or so. This would usually be something people would put over ice cream, but I just love to eat it straight up!

What have you learned since you began blogging?

Be yourself! I tried so hard to mimic other blogger’s voices at first and it just wasn’t a fit for me. I’m still finding my voice and style, but I feel like I have a better hold on my strengths and what works for me.

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Thanks Abby! I’m totally craving chocolate + PB now! 

You can find more of Abby on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram.