Tag Archives: vegan

Packed Snacks Save the Day

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It’s been a great day of family fun.  Bowling was great; especially because we had the bumpers up so I scored more than a 40 for a change!

While at the alley I snacked on a Buddy Fruit pouch.

Mushed fruit pouches are kind of my favorite thing but I never buy them because of the packaging waste.  However, the road trip seemed like a good excuse and it was a nice treat.

I tried to eat this Chocolate Green Superfood bar.

Eeeeeeyuck!  I had a bite, and I regretted it, the flavor tasted way off to me.

Unfortunately the superfood bar had been my main plan for the evening and I was starving by the time we made it to dinner.  I had a slice of bread (x2).

I’m not 100% that this was vegan but I was starting to feel faint by the time we sat down.

For my meal I ordered a plain veggie wrap.

Another failure; the wrap was chunks of cold lettuce with cooked peppers, which I hate.  I demolished the fries but couldn’t even choke down half of the sandwich.

Thankfully I had a better back up plan for dinner.  I’ve been eyeing these Allergaroo packages for months and I was glad to have an excuse to buy one.

The nutritional stats were pretty impressive and the meal was super tasty and ready in under a minute.  It would be super easy to stir in some veggies to this too.

All total this was probably my hardest day of the vegan challenge.  I am still pretty hungry (starving actually) and will definitely do some snacking this evening.  We are heading home tomorrow so I’ve got to soak in some family time but I’ll do a snack recap in the morning.  Good night!

What “for kids” foods are you a fan of?  I kind of love them all 😉

Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

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Good evening everyone!  I feel exhausted and gross (still?!?!) so I’m keeping this quick in the hopes that I get to bed soon.  I always say that, it never happens, and still I keep on hoping.  It’d be like not clapping for fairies to admit I’m an “early to bed early to rise” loser.

Our grocery trip went well.  The communal coin jar was full and Coin-Starring it paid for our groceries 🙂

This afternoon Adam and did all sorts of healthy stuff like take a long nap and split this Jokerz bar (i.e. a vegan Snickers).

It was good but not great, I’m not sure why they went with mockolate instead of just dark chocolate, I had about 1/3.

For dinner I made Tomato, Dill, Lentil Soup from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan.  It had a 60minute simmer time though so I had a small bowl of cereal while I waited.

1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch with plain, reduced fat soymilk.  Two notes here – 1. I know Kashi has honey in it; honey and gelatine are still on the menu here, even during the vegan challenge.  2. Always measure your cereal.  You guys know I am not any sort of dieter, but I always measure my cereal.  Many (healthy) varieties are still calorie dense and it is such an easy item to overeat.

Followed by a small serving (1/2cup) of the aforementioned soup.

I’m not gonna lie, I was saving myself for dessert.

Thank You Angela!  To Die For Cocoa, from Oh She Glows

·         Ingredients:

  •  
    • 3/4 cup coconut milk (full strength, not light!)
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)  I used plain, fat free soy
    • 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
    • Pinch of sea salt to bring out the sweetness
    • 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
    • marshmallows and cacao nibs/chocolate chips to garnish (optional)

Directions: Throw all ingredients into a pot and whisk like crazy. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for several minutes while whisking to remove clumps.

I poured it in one big mug but I’ll probably drink 1/2 – 3/4 and then put it in the fridge for the husband.  A perfect (super) sweet note to end the day! 

What do you do with your lose change?

Mini Explosions

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I did not have another mimosa last night, but did make a decidedly Northern dessert.

Mmmn.  However, today was NOT feeling as romantic.  It seemed like everything I touched today exploded!  I was cleaning up messes and putting out (metaphorical) fires all over the place.

For starters I was running late for volunteering so I made my breakfast smoothie a bit smaller than usual.

1cup frozen mixed berries + 1cup plain fat free soy milk + 1T fat free sugar free jello powder.

It was super tasty, but I spilled 1/3 of it all over the counter 😦

I managed to clean up the mess and get to the hospital on time though.  And they actually had a lot for me to do at volunteering which was nice.  Not nice, was 30minutes after my shift when I was still there and I started panicking about getting home in time to make my important phone calls.  No worries though, it’s President’s Day, no one was open.  Boo 😦

And I was supposed to submit my college application today but since there was no one to help me override the system I have to wait until tomorrow to imput my Caribbean high school into the online form.  I did some major damage on this bag of chips during the whole 2hours of failure.

At least they were vegan!  Next I tried to recreate last night’s dessert, only to have it explode all over my microwave.

On the plus side, now my microwave is sparkling, and I put it to good use on a late lunch.

Tandoor Chef Vegetarian Pad Thai is seriously my favorite frozen meal of all time and it’s super awesome that it’s vegan too.  If you see it at your grocery store, buy it!

I had hoped to go to the gym today finally but I’m feeling just under the weather enough still that it seemed like a bad idea.  I would kill for a diet soda so maybe I’ll at least get in another walk (I walk to/from volunteering).  Other than that the plan is dinner and bed.  See you then.

Anything explode on you today?  I’m all ears if you want to gripe about it?

A Tropical Getaway

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I may be stuck in Buffalo until spring break but tonight’s meal felt like a tropical getaway!  And what better day to celebrate the sunny Caribbean than a day that’s all about romantic getaways?!

Every single aspect of tonight’s meal was tropical and tasty.  We started with a Uniq fruit as our appetizer.

We have tried Ugli fruits before, but this was our first Unique.  It was a little too bitter/sour for me.  We each ate 2-3slices from the mound and the rest got packed away.

Dinner was much more successful.

Lime Ponzu broccoli with walnuts,

and my Coco Loco Tofu.

Everything together was delicious.

Coco Loco Tofu is my favorite tofu recipe, it is the perfect blend of savory and sweet.  For the side dish I sautéed a big bag of frozen brocoli in clementine olive oil, then added a few walnuts and some Kikoman Lime Ponzu Sauce.

The sauce came from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and was the perfect addition to our Caribbean night.

Even our drinks were tropical!  We made hibiscus mimosas.

I’ve carried this hibiscus juice from Brooklyn and I was almost sad to open it.

For the mimosas we used a little extra oj because the champagne (from our wedding!) wasn’t cooled, with a splash of hibiscus juice.

Wonderful!

I’ve got to work on my lab before we head to bed, but I’ll probably be pouring a 2nd mimosa!  Have a great night lovers!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s today?

Vegan Grocery Tips

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My grocery trip this morning as a success.  Even with a lot of household items (toilet paper, shampoo, etc) on the list I managed to keep the bill reasonable.  Here are some my tips for successful vegan shopping

  • You don’t have to buy pricey fake meats.  I know those products can be a lot of fun, but it can be cheaper and healthier to stick to traditional non-meat protein sources such as tofu and beans.
  • Go in with a list, and stick to it!  Knowing what produce you need for the meals you’ll be preparing in the upcoming week can keep you from overbuying and throwing out items later.
  • It’s ok to rely on the freezer section.  In winter months it’s hard to find a lot of fresh produce variety.  As long as you stick to items that have no added salt or sugar frozen can be the way to go for fruits and veggies.
  • Pick one or two new items that look fun.  Especially if you are a new or part-time vegan who misses some animal products a new try to get excited about can be a good distraction.

When I got home I used some of that frozen fruit to make an amazing smoothie.

1cup frozen peach slices + 6 ice cubes + 1cup oj + 2T fat free sugar free Jello pudding mix.  I ended up with a little extra which I served to the husband.

This mix was so creamy and delicious.  I got the pudding mix idea from Mama Pea.  Her post was actually about how she has stopped using the artificial sugar stuff but I can’t find gums around here and damn it I want thick smoothies too!

As soon as our smoothies were finished (too soon, I was freezing!) we headed to The Spot to do some studying.  I am officially 80% done with my reading for this week!  I got a China Breakfast Tea to sip while I studied.

It was kind of gross, like dirty murky water, but I drank most of it just to keep warm.

I’m glad we did a date night yesterday, clearly our Valentine’s was sort of a bust.  I did throw on some purple mascara this morning to be festive!

Now I’ve got a fun dinner to make and a little bit of lab homework that I want the husband’s help with.  I’ve talked about earlier bedtimes all year but Adam’s been saying how tired he is lately and the thought of my Valentine feeling run-down will hopefully be enough to motivate my butt into bed!

What are some of your no-fail grocery tips?

Great Expectations

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Nothing went as planned today, in a perfectly great sort of way.  I ended up not lying down – exhausted from my foodgasms – as Adam came home with the mail which included an unexpected check from my old job.  Yays!  I’m not going to lie about how excited I was about that $, I got a little bit teary.

I was in such a good mood I even “wasted” a cute outfit on class.

Don’t worry, there are flip flops below that blazer.

Class unexpectedly was let out early, and I ended up at a friend’s house with Adam for an unplanned study session.  I love sitting and listening to the studying med students so much, it is so interesting!  And I got a lot of my own reading done.

We didn’t get home until 11, and my planned dinner of frittata leftovers got gobbled up by the husband.  I was pissed that I had to eat another Sunshine Burger for dinner!  🙂

Dipped in some stolen Arby’s sauce.

I used less sauce than anticipated, and couldn’t bear to throw the extra away, so I smothered a small turkey sandwich with it.

I was still a little hungry anyway so this actually worked out well.

That seemed to be the theme of the day, things going better than planned.  One of my favorite quotes (and in general I’m usually not too keen on ‘God’ quotes) is “If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.”

What got REplanned in your day today?

Foodgasms

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Good afternoon!  Today has been nice and productive; I mixed together a schedule of work and fun and this online stopwatch has been crucial. 

Amid the work has been the cleaning of the kitchen, the completion of the laundry, and a major chunk of Chemistry reading.

During some of the fun (NCIS watching) I shared a cup of tea and honey with the bears.

Did you know that Ulrick moved all the way from Brooklyn with us?  Unfortunately the tea didn’t really rock my socks.

I guess I only like Yogi if we are still talking about bears!

A bit later I had a strange snack that was exactly what I was craving (yes, in my dirty tea mug) –

Sliced bell pepper and 1/2C stuffing bread crumbs with 1T prepared pesto (from the Foodbuzz Festival!).  It sounds strange but it was a craving-fulfilling, 100ish calorie snack that held me over until lunch.

And what a lunch it was.  OhMyGosh.  It’s funny because Jenna and Brandi both talked about how much they enjoy food – like really really enjoy it, more than just ‘oh this is good,’ like foodgasms – in posts today and now I’m going to do the same.  Sometimes I get so excited about what I’m eating that I flap my arms like a deranged bird.  Today’s lunch was super simple and yet it elicited tons of flapping.

Today felt life-changing.  Today was the day I tried Sunshine Garden Herb Burgers.

Holy frick.  I didn’t think it was possible to get so excited about a veggie patty but I’ve managed.  This might be my new favorite food.  It’s not, because I love roasted brussels sprouts and broad rice noodles too much to demote them, but it’s close.

I microwaved one patty and ate it on white toast with Jack Daniels mustard.

One of the best sandwiches ever.  Chewy and hefty and the mix of flavors was to die for.  I love love loved the vinegary kick from the mustard and burger.  I almost got up and made myself a second sandwich.

And then I remembered dessert.

This is the best idea I’ve ever had.

Ricemellow, the filling scooped out of a slice of ‘Smores Pie, and a few chocolate chips.  Melted in the microwave for 20seconds.  It was like ‘smores x1million.

I love my readers.  I really do.  So I’m going to take this opportunity to remind you to make some good decisions.  #1 – Make ‘Smores Pie.  The recipe is here.  It’s from my grandma, it’s easy, and I’ve literally never met someone who didn’t like it.  #2 – buy this:

It’s vegan, it tastes like marshmallow fluff, and it is socks rocking.  I’ll be honest, even if it wasn’t wonderful I’d like it just because I’m in love with the packaging.  Seriously though, go buy it and report back to me.

That is all.  I got myself so excited I just may need to go lie down.  I will get up in time for class at 6:30 though, and I’ll see you for a dinner post this evening.

Is there a food YOU would like to strongly recommend today?

Sunshine

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Now that I unpacked yesterday, we got up at 9:30 today and went straight to the laundromat to deal with our 4+ loads of dirty laundry!  I packed a Cinnamon Apple Prana Bar to eat in the car.

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Mmmn.

On the way home we stopped at the store to buy some cereal ($2.99; Challenge Balance – $61.15) and I picked up lunch, free.

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Several readers recommended Sunshine Burgers to me but I wasn’t sure about them and didn’t want to make the $5 commitment.  So I e-mailed the company about some coupons and they happily complied. 

I decided to try the South West variety today.  Verdict?  Super-duper impressive, I totally see what the fuss was about.

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I ate two patties, topped with low fat mozzarella, and a heaping side of guacamole and hot salsa.

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So good!  I was full, but I almost went back for a third patty just because I didn’t want to lose the taste in my mouth!  I did however, gobble the last T of cheese while I was making lunch.

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Thankfully, I got some distracting excitement –

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My Foodbuzz box is here!  I can pretty much promise I’ll be eating some sampler cookies for dessert.

Now I’ve got to tackle my loads of schoolwork.  Adam and I are actually going to a semi-formal with his school tonight so it’ll be a late recap.  Happy Saturdaying everyone!