Temptation with Foodstuff

I’ve been busy in the kitchen! Check it out, yo:

 

^ Vegan Coconut-Pineapple-(Blueberry) ww Pancakes from Vegan with a Vengeance. This was so great! It’s been so long since I’ve had pancakes. I made them Friday morning, when I have no school or real reason to be up early, so it started a leisurely day off well! I did not make the “Pineapple Sauce” they suggested, but mixed up canned pineapple (with a bit of juice), blueberries, coconut, a bit of smilk & plain yogurt & agave. Just enough “moisture” for these beaut’s! I will make this again. I burnt one side of one, so I shared part of that with Jas-i-per & Tuck-i-fer! They didn’t complain!

 < I randomly went to Whole Foods (grr, competition for independent stores like mine! But I wanted to check it out & compare) & was greeted by this temptation. I passed by it, backed up, took a deep whiff, snapped a picture, & moved on again. Go Me! Is this 4 weeks, holding strong with no coffee? Even at dinner parties we serve coffee afterward & I have to make it. And free coffee at work. Well, free tea too, so I’m set! Yazoo! I feel real good with my decision & don’t feel deprived of it, though Sunday I was draggin’… I lovez me some teaz!

 < Why didn’t I use this orange bowl & spoon sooner?! It’s purr-fect, along with my Breast Cancer mug. In this bowl is oat bran, a banana, almond butter, cinnamon, walnuts & smilk!

So, I went grocery shopping (not at WF) & here are some things I got that are new to me. The other stuff, I hid already!

 

^ 3-bean salad, Artichoke-Lemon Pepper “Hommus”, Annie’s Tuscany Italian Dressing, og. Tamari Pumpkin Seeds, Dairy-Free Mac’n’Chreese (haha- anyone try this?) & also Garden of Eatin’ “Bible Bread”- traditional pita pockets with a great, short ingredient list: Organically grown whole wheat flour, water, organically grown sesame seeds, yeast and sea salt. I’ll take it! I love the hummus & dressing, too- new flavors for me!

 

^ Breakfast Parfait, in an effort to switch it up from oats. Then I deconstructed it because it became difficult to get more than one ingredient in a bite… with Mr. Bigelow tea. In it was: plain yogurt, blueberries, chopped apple, cinnamon & Sunflower-Pumpkin Seed granola

 I made a wheatberry salad, inspired by these hoots! I don’t know the real recipe, so I just added chopped celery, apple, walnuts, wheat berries (duh!), plain yogurt & the thing that brought out the ingredients= apple cider vinegar, with some salad seasoning herbs on top! YUM!

Another cooking-success?! From 101 Cookbooks. All her recipes & photos are amazing & this dish, the Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh was no exception. I served it with spinach & wheatberries (because I made a TON when I made them!) & a salad with dressing & sliced almonds:

   

Guess who liked it, too?

 

Welp, I hope that those of you with exams & other important things on your “to-do” lists are doing MORE THAN okay!!!

I’m still working on getting a new header & theme & such… I’m workin on it, but if you could send me some help & ideas, I’d love an e-mail at smbvb10@hotmail.com. If you know-someone-who-knows-someone, too, I’d so appreciate it. Should I make a contest? How do people catch on & how can I make that worthy?!

THANKS, Lovely Ones!

I think I’m clear!

A few days ago, I picked up some things from the store, new to me: 

^ cherry-pomegranate Fruit & Grain bagels, sunflower seed butter, & multi-grain hot cereal

^ Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness juice (2-for-$2.79!), vanilla Chai tea (after seeing it frequently appearing on Miss Gliding Calm’s blog), some stir-fry veggies… & Orange Pop? Plus, a couple of bars!

So, I thought I was all good, buying sunflower seed butter, even before the recall! 

 < crunchy with full sunflower seeds!

Then yesterday I busted out one of my new PB Cookie Luna bars at school the other day, & tossed the wrapper, without a thought. Later, when I started feeling icky, I thought about it. Yesterday, I went to the store in which I bought it to check if the same box might be there with the date on it. Well, if it’s from the same box, it’s “Best By” September ’09, which makes it safe. 

Thank you for all your concerns!

The bagel, by the way, is great!!! The ingredient list is short, & though they’re smaller than a lot of bagels out there, the flavor is excellent!

 < great with  VeggieGirl’s flavored nut-butters!

Some other eats lately:

^ veggie egg-scramble (check out that bubble!)

^ sweet potato fries with Agave, ginger & cinnamon, plus a mini-squash thrown in there!

^ seasoned tempeh, my fries + broccoli. I’m not a huge ketchup gal, but I tried it with my fries & really liked it that way! I pretty much ate this with my hands… like “tempeh-nuggets?”

It’s weird, I’m feeling head-heavy & stuffed-up, with a sore throat today. I’ve got no school today, just work later, so I’m planning to relax, drink some tea (weird I don’t even want coffee today!) & maybe take a trip to Target. Maybe.

Everyone stay warm & happy! Have a super-duper weekend! Have any fun plans on the agenda?! I hope so!

P.S. There’s a dog whimpering on the Today show & my pups are going crazy!

The Ghost of Christmas past has come

 < Jasper

 Tucker \/ 

“Ho! Ho! Ho!”

We had Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt’s house (mom’s sis) after church, which was great. My aunt really gets into the holiday decorating and had this display up and kept adding to it, since September! It looked great & festive!

   

 

 Isn’t it just awesome?! Can you see the Grinch on the mountain (pic #1) & my aunt in the mirror (pic #2)?! She has a train going through, which is in motion in pic #4 and she made that cute little peppermint path! She’s worked hard on it- it’s great!

 

 < The mini Christmas tree in my room, with little ornaments, T & J, and there’s also 2 school pictures of the kids I babysit on there somewhere. I got the BELIEVE ornament this year… it’s sorta my word!

 

On Christmas day, we woke up to stockings & gifts at our house, then we went to my grandparents’ (Dad’s side of the family) to do the same & eat breakie. Breakfast was homemade quiche, mixed fruit salad, pastries, *ahem*sausage*ahem*, tomatoes, OJ & coffee. mmMmm… Only one of my sisters could come home for the holidays, so I reveal to you THEE. BEST. DECORATION. OF. OP’s. CHRISTMAS, who stood in for my other sis, who couldn’t be with us. Check “her” out, drinking some wine:

She’s made fun of that thing, since the day I brought IT home in 6th grade, 9 years ago… it’s not Christmas without it! We literally took pictures with (hmm) SISTER CRACKER as if it was really her. My dad ALWAYS reads ‘Twas the night before Christmas in bed on Christmas Eve, so we called her up, had her on speaker phone, and tucked the lil’ cracker in bed with us!!! (aawww) I think she got in more photos this Christmas than if she had actually been here… oh man- GOOD TIMES!

   

  

Some gifts: a great wild-pattern dress shipped from my sista’; an organic cotton long-sleeved tee (I also got the same brand gray bag that can hold the world in it!); some Nike shoes (& a gray half-zip Nike hoodie); salt + pepper shakers to add to my collection (a holiday one & the Wizard of Oz one- isn’t that one soo cool?!); my stocking from home; the obligatory tangerine & in that cute little cloth envelope… a Starbuck’s  gift card!

since I’ve mentioned food in all my other posts, I’ll add one to this: it was a gift from the neighbors, and I’m not quiiiite sure what it is, but I’ll describe what I think it is. It was like toffee/brittle covered in a thin layer of chocolate with almonds in it! sooo rich & buttery & dee-lish! 

I got spoiled for sure! I got so much more than I could need or want, aww, blessings!

So, yesterday I went grocery shopping at the health-food store/work, to re-stock my uncle’s pantry & fridge with some more yum-si-ness. (Bella is laying on my arm, so I keep misspelling things and pressing odd keys!)

Here are some boring staples: garbanzo beans, my favorite Annie’s salad dressing, & plain soy yogurt

Produce: I filled a bag full of salad greens from the salad bar (way cheaper & organic: a bag full, for about $1.50!), an avocado, Roma tomatoes, Sweet Clover sprouts, red bananas (I have some tangerines & apples still!)

…and some goodies I hardly ever get, or have never had, but was excited about: Nutiva hemp protein powder packet, 2 different trailmixes, 3 Betty Lou’s energy balls (tee-hee, I said “BALLS!”), a raw organic food bar, & some dark chocolate ginger

^ MORE goodies:  Ruth’s Chia Goodness cereal (Chia-pet for breakfast!), Food for Life  Genesis English muffins, crackers, & roasted garlic beets from the deli!

I brought my own bags like a good lil’ girl. My store donates 5 cents for every bag someone brings in, to a charity, which is different every month! I helped yesterday with 10 cents! I spent about $35 on that schtuff!

Later, I went to good ol’ Publix & picked up a bag of baby carrots, organic blue corn chips & a Luna sunrise bar: Strawberry flava’.

Yesterday, I went with my parents, sis, & grandparents (who loooove dogs) to see Marley and Me. Loved it! Adorable! I didn’t read the book, but it was sweet, none-the-less! 

Afterward, I met a friend to catch-up at Border’s. We used to meet up there in high school and take allllll the magazines we could carry to the kid’s area, look at them, talk, & put them back. Sorry, Border’s workers- guilty! We didn’t take mags this time because we had a lot to talk about in a little bit of time (because she met her mom afterward)…

You know WHY we had so much to talk about?! Well… 

…well, before that, here was a light dinner with some new goods:

^ a toasted Genesis English muffin with some Baba Ganouj hummus, sprouts, greens, & tomato. Also, a salad with carrots, sprouts, & Newman’s Own honey mustard dressing. After I took it, I added some sunflower seeds to it. My tummy was acting weird, so something light was just what I needed. I had some of my favorite tea, too: Celestial Seasoning’s Honey Peach Ginger to soothe the tum-tum.

Okay- now, the good stuff:

Me, lil’ Miss Orange Poppity-Pop had a date! *GASP* I don’t have much dating experience because in high school, I was always so busy with sports & activities, that I just didn’t care much about that. But, I met him at work– he shops there all the time & eats in the deli whenever he can. Needless to say, he’s super-healthy & a total foodie! He’s also smart, cute, sweet…

We went to a raw/veg/vegan restaurant and got a few different things, tried each others’ food, shared dessert, talked the whole time, he showed me where he is workin‘, he drove me back with plans for something else in the works! We went out once before- met at a pub, actually (he’s not a “pub-guy” but met some old buddies there), and I thought it’d be awkward, but it totally wasn’t! His friends included me & I even recognized/knew some people that were there, too!

YIPPEE! He, like me, am not a night-owl, and he had a busy day today, so we’re not getting together tonight for the last time this year in 2008, but next year for sure! I’m going to dinner with my parents tonight and just layin’ low.

When I was little, my family would turn the clocks back a few hours so we wouldn’t be up so late… we’d bang pots-and-pans and light sparklers on roller blades at like 9 or 10 PM every year! HA! This year, it’s all about the true midnight!

*FUN FACT: this year is one second longer because the earth’s rotation is slowing… so enjoy your extra-second-longer year & have fun (& be safe) welcoming a new, fabulous year in 2009! (PEACE in 2009, as we always say!)

“Here I go again, my my…”

Soo, while I’ve been slacking on the blog, I have been cooking and trying new things out in the kitchen. Well, first off, my parents are going to Ireland tomorrow to celebrate their anniversary and leaving the house and the dogs to me for a week or so! So I stocked up on some groceries and produce this weekend! I got a lot of good deals. I do have to say that the local market where we shop for produce hasn’t been carrying my favorite apple (Galas) so I went with Pink Ladies, which are crisp, juicy, and similar to Galas. I’ve been craving something *crunchy* so I got these bad-boys:

…which were very good! I also love those Snyder’s pretzel pieces and got some of those. For lunch the other day, I whipped out my Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook and made my first creation from that book, and here it is: the Curried Tempeh-Mango Salad. I subbed a few things, like dijon mustard for the Vegenaise, and Mango Poppy dressing for the lemon juice. I had it over some greens:

I also bought some loose tea from work (by the way, thanks for all the messages about work– I’m over it now, and I’m not dying them! ha, just wearing different pants), but when I brewed it in my “Happiness” mug, the leaves fell through the strainer and I had tea with bits and pieces in it… not good! So I’ve got to get a strainer, tea ball, or make my own bags, I guess. I’ll leave you with a picture of it: It has it’s own hat!

I ended up using a tea bag after my misfortune with the tea. It was Orange Dulce flavor, what else?! I sweetened it and added some soymilk. Yummy.

My parents, sister and I went to see Mama Mia last night! I L-O-V-E-D it, it was so happy and fun! I am inspired to take a dance class… you know, one of those with a cheesy performance at the end. Hip-hop? Salsa? Hmm, I’ll have to look into it. I have a really good friend who’s into Broadway and musicals and stuff, but she might laugh at me! haha, but I don’t blame  her, because, despite being in dance for 4 or 5 years when I was a kiddo, my skills in that area are limited…

Have a great week!

A gassy experience…

Ha… okay, not THAT gas, but the over-priced, stinky, liquid kind (STOP- get your mind out of the gutter!). I dropped my oldest sister off at the airport and my plan was to go to the mall, which is over there, and then pick up some things at the store. But first of all, I needed some gas, so I stopped off, pre-paid, put the nozzle in the gas tank, and it came out! Squirting all over me! EW! So I filled up what I had paid for and went home to scrub myself off and change. So I probably wasted some more gas driving home, AND drive back, but I felt like this was a good day for errands and I should get to it before I was stormed on!

I ex-nayed the mall went to the grocery store. Of course, I had my coupons, which is good because I saved $4.05 on a total of 20 items! Go, me! It adds up, I’ll tell ya. I feel a bit better about this, because I probably wasted some money on the gas that spewed all over me…grrr! Anyway, I found some new things I’ve never bought or seen before, so I feel good that I’m expanding my tastes, too.

Here they are:

Ta-da! I’ve been drinking Emergen-C powder as a supplement into water, which also makes me feel spiffy and I’m trying to find a go-to flavor, so I picked up 4 new ones: Pink Lemonade, Tangerine, Mixed Berry and Black Cherry. I got some Cranberry Stuffing Tofurkey slices I’m excited to try. In the plastic bags I got some bulk items to try: dark chocolate coffee beans (Wow! Those babies are tasty and I’m sure will get ya zippy!), dried dates, and dried apricots. I got 2 So Delicious Cinnamon Bun-flavored soy yogurts because I’ve heard they’re stellar. They were all out of these on the shelf, but I asked and it was my lucky day! The guy who helped me said they were the only flavor that flew off the shelf! (Imagine! Yogurt, flying!) Organic Valley Soymilk enters the mix, as do 2 Wallaby yogurts: Pineapple Coconut and Strawberry Guava. I got some Spinach Dal, an Amy’s Burrito, an Amy’s Tamale Verde meal, my beloved tempeh, Chocolate Pecan Pie Luna, PB&J Dipped Mojo bar, and lastly, some Apricot & Nut (and Coconut!) Nature’s Path granola bars. *Phew!* What an accomplished feeling! Now I have some tasty snacks and food-stuff to take to work, or eat anytime, that I’m enthusiastic to eat!

I’m not vegan, but since starting at work, I’m contemplating this idea. I’ve tried it before, but wasn’t doing it very health-fully, so I added dairy, eggs, etc, so I wasn’t so rigid and restrictive, which is what happened. So, gradually, I suppose. I prefer the taste of soymilk, though, so I’ve stuck with those, but lately I’ve been eating a lot of cottage cheese and yogurt, so those may be the last to go!

Anyway, another night of dog-sitting and then work tomorrow, mid-day! I’ve gotta refund my gas money and grocery bill! Have a super Monday (not the case of the Mondays! <- what movie, anyone?!) and the rest of your week 🙂