Vegan Dips, Vegan Buffalo Chickpeas, & Vegan Ice Cream Cake

Last weekend I wanted to use the sweet potato I had bought a few days before.  I also wanted a dip - I make lots of dips in my house! 

I took the medium-sized sweet potato and cooked it.  I then took about 1 to 1 and a half cups of Black Beans and put both ingredients into my Ninja.  I made it smooth and added a little bit of Wildtree's Garlic Galore.  It was AMAZING!  LOVE LOVE LOVE this!  Will for sure be making this again!  I also tried a bit with a little Daiya Shreds in there and warmed to melt.  Both ways were totally YUMMY!

I've posted about my "Guacamole Attempts" before and I ended up making some last weekend as well!  I didn't really make it any special way - just used two Avocados with Wildtree's Guacamole Seasoning.  Just thought I would share another photo, really!

Another thing I made this past week was Buffalo Chickpeas.  Everyone once and a while I miss the "Buffalo" Spices in things and have been tinkering with some ways to use the kicky flavor in veganized dishes.  Since I can't get enough Chickpeas I decided to try the two together.  I took about 1/4 C of Veganese, 3 or 4 T of the now discontinued Wildtree Chipotle Hot Sauce, a few pinches of Celery Salt, and 1/2 tea of Wildtree Dill Dip Blend and mixed well.  This is even better the 2nd day as left overs!

I'm REALLY trying to eat bananas!  As many of you know - it's the ONLY fruit I don't like!  Seriously!  I hate the smell!  I don't like the taste or texture...they just freak me out!  But I know they are wonderful offerings of the Earth and I wish I did like them!  So I decided to try and do a Vegan Ice Cream Cake.  For this bottom layer I took 2 C of Cashews, 1 Banana, 1 C of Dates, 1/2 tea Vanilla Extract, and Almond Milk into my Ninja until smooth.  For the top layer I used 1 C of mixed blueberries and blackberries, about a handful of strawberries, 1 C of Almond Milk, 1 C of Dates, into my Ninja until Smooth.  I poured both layers in a large glass bowl and froze it overnight.  The next day I tried it and it does have potential but it also still tasted very banana-E to me.  You could put more fruit on top or Vegan Chocolate Syrup which I might try next time.  I am happy with my first attempt at this and VERY pleased that I forced myself to eat something with bananas in it!

    

Vegg Egg TESTS - Vegan Zuchini Bites & French Toast

Sorry it's been pretty quiet on the website this week so far but I assure you REAL LIFE has been anything BUT quiet.  I would explain more of what has been going on but I would rather focus on some of my food adventures over the past week instead.  A while back I purchased The Vegg - it's The World's First Vegan Egg Yolk.  Sure, I wasn't sure how this would work but with what little I have done with it so far - I am pleasantly surprised with this product!  I decided to do French Toast with it.  The instructions are right on the package.  4 teaspoons of the 'powder' with 1 and a half cups of water and 1 and a half cups of milk alternative.  I used Almond Milk.  Almond Milk is my go-to or 'default' milk of choice.  I put these ingredients in my Ninja and let it rip for 15 seconds.  It made a HUGE batch of egg-like liquid for dunking bread into!  I ended up doing at least 7 large slices and there was enough liquid left to fill a travel mug.

I added a little bit of Wildtree's Hearty Oatmeal Mix-In to the 'batter' and it turned out pretty good!  I had the perfect bread, too, that was made by a small local grocery store!

Here are two of the pieces that I made!  I also did another one that I tried with Wholesome Sweeteners Agave Syrups!  I used the Cinnamon Flavor and it was AMAZING!

I will absolutely be doing this again!

The most interesting part of this - for me - was that when 'activated' by the liquid this mixture ACTUALLY smelled like EGGS!  Almost like Hard Boiled Eggs, for example.

My attempts with this product didn't stop there!  I ended up trying Zucchini Bites with it as well!  I used 1 Zucchini and used my Spiralizer and then cut the strands.  I used a little bit of The Vegg and also added 1 onion, chopped in larger pieces, and bread crumbs. 

I baked them in the oven and to some of them I added a little bit of Daiya Shreds to them.  I noticed they were NOT doing to be done in the time I had hoped so I took them out - rolled them in tighter 'balls' and added more bread crumbs and put them back in the oven.  This worked really well!  I think my problem was is that I didn't get enough of the liquid out of the Zuke's before putting them in the oven.  Regardless - they turned out super tasty!  My secret ingredient?  Wildtree's Tzatiki Seasoning!  It was great with these Bites!

I have so much more to share with you but I will save those items for tomorrow!

Vegan Zombie Inspired Dishes, Ha Sikil Pak, and Dance School Fundraiser thru Wildtree!

I've been a little more than addicted to The Vegan Zmobie's YouTube Channel as of late and decided to try some of his recipes.  Last night I did these Lasagna Rolls.  I will be having them for dinner tonight but I did sample a small one last night after they had time to cool a bit.  The VIDEO will show you step-by-step "ooo Baby" (sorry KNOTB Flashback!) instructions on how to make them.  I used my own Fresh Basil from my new plant and for the 'meat substitute I used Helen's Kitchen Veggie Ground.  This Veggie Ground is more than just fake meat!  Helen's actually included some mushrooms and Roasted Red Peppers in there too!  I think they turned out pretty good but I am going to try some different combo's down the road, too!

Here's a close up of the Lasagna Roll!  Also instead of sauce I used my new fave thing of salsa cooked down with added Agave.

Another addition to my version is I added some Green Pepper to it, too!

I've been pretty excited because I put the last few Vegan Zombie inspired pics on Instagram and tagged #TheVeganZombie and The Vegan Zombie himself LIKED my photos!  Woot!  YAY!  I'm tempted to buy one of his shirts and be a part of the Zombie Crew!

Another one of his videos I LOVED was his Kale Salad with Special Dressing!  I have been eating this for 3 days and LOVE it!  The Dressing is made up of Tahini, Agave, and Dill.  I used my Wildtree Dill Blend!  It turned out AWESOME!

I used Tomatoes instead of Red Pepper in mine! 

I will be doing this salad and dressing often!  I also thought the dressing would be good over Green Beans so I might do that down the road, too!

I have been trying to be better about eating complete meals for dinner lately.  I have the tendency to be lazy and eat one or two things in larger quantities and sometimes forget to make my plate full - not only with various things but with various colors.  Sure I LOVE colorful dishes (side dishes) but when I am lazier I don't always think about that to fill my plate.

I did do that the last two nights, tho.  Here is one of them.  I had Apple Sauce with Organic Cinnamon, Leftover Tofu Loaf, Green Beans, and Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing!  It was WONDERFUL and I was 'stuffed' with nutritional vegan foods afterwards!  Woot!

I took this photo just to show you that I added Nutritional Yeast to the Salad the one night, too!  It was still great!

A quick side note - a friend of mine told me her student's dance school made regionals and they are trying to raise funds for travel expenses.  Since I was in dance for 8-9 years I wanted to help.  So we set up an online fundraiser with our Wildtree products!  So people can visit MyWildtree.com/KarenJenniferMegan and go to the events clickable link and then shop and 20% of sales will go back to the dance team!  We hope to be doing one for a friend of ours that is receiving treatments for Stage 4 Colon Cancer soon, too!  We have been contacted from a Class Reunion Organizer about doing one for them as well.

I had a bunch of Pumpkin Seeds to use so I thought I would try making some Ha Sikil Pak.  I used about 4 or 5 Tomatoes, Pumpkin Seeds, Water, Wildtree California Blend, Wildtree Hot Chili Pepper & Garlic Blend...and it was alright but needs some work.  I will tinker with this for a while and probably try reposting down the road.

I have lots of other stuff to post but am in a hurry!
What have you been up to!?

Several Recipes & Foods From The Weekend!

I know I am going a little crazy with my posts, today, but I had an awesome weekend and wanted to share with you all!  This is the 3rd and last of my posts for today so be sure to scroll down and see the other two!  This post is specifically about all of the fun foods I made this weekend!

I'm starting off with Jicama Radish Slaw

I have been on a Jicama kick lately and I started off by munching on it stand-alone but then decided to get a bit more creative with it.  Here's what I did with this Raw Vegan Dish!

1/2 Pound of Jicama, Julienned
2 Radishes, Julienned
1/4 C Cilantro
3 T Lemon Juice

Seriously!  That's all!  Totally simple!  Raw!  Awesomely Flavorful!  This is one of my favorite attempts in a while!  I will certainly do this again and soon!

I told Christine I was bound and determined to try a dressing using Jicama so here is what I did and I am pretty pleased with it so far!

1 C Jicama, Cubed
1/2 Lime, Peeled
1 Clementine, Peeled
Pinch of Ginger Powder
1 C of Water
1+ T Balsamic Vinegar

All in my Ninja!  YUM!

Another thing I did this weekend was a dip!  Actually I did a few of them - but this one is an Avocado Tahini Dip...

1 Handful of Spinach
1 Avocado
1/3 C Tahini
1 T Lemon Juice
1/2 tea Cumin
Water to Consistency

This was amazing!  It was Tahini-Rich but I was also able to "Get My Greens On" a little bit!  I could have probably added more Cumin or maybe even some Red Pepper Flakes to spice it up more, too!

For another side dish or even a snack I did these!  I have been wanting to try them for a while and they turned out pretty awesome so I will have to try them again and SOON!  They are Sugar & Spice Pan-Fried Chickpeas!

1 Can of Chickpeas
1 T Wildtree's Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil (It's Vegan -Flavor comes from a coconut!)
1 tea Wildtree Hearty Oatmeal Mix: Sugar & Spice Add-In
1 tea Agave

Yesterday I found a package of Fantastic Foods Tofu Burger Mix in my Pantry and figured I should probably use it!  It's been there a while!  But I really didn't want to do a Veggie Burger so what I did was Tofu Loaf!  I have been wanting to try one of these and figured I had the time to try one before my husband got home from a weekend in Pittsburgh and Erie with his mom and brother! 

Friday they went to the Pittsburgh Penguins Game and then Saturday they went to visit my mother-in-law's husband who is currently in the hospital out there.

Anyways...Here's what's in this Tofu Loaf:


1 T Wildtree Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil
1 Onion
2 T Minced Garlic
8-ounces of Mushrooms
2 Carrots
1 Pound of Extra Firm Tofu
1 Package of Fantastic Tofu Murger Mix
1 and a Half C cooked Black Rice
1 Cup Chopped Cashews

(added half way thru baking)
Just enough to top...
Vegan Bread Crumbs
Tomato Soup
Daiya Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese
Vegan Parmesan Cheese

I have to say - this surprised me - I had two pieces yesterday and will have some of the leftovers tonight!  It's jam-packed with protein, fiber, calcium, and much more stuff!  Pretty Good!  I might add some Black Beans next time, too!

AND...finally...

Baba Ghanoush!  Yup!  I FINALLY made it for myself!  I found a nice sized jar of Roasted Pureed Eggplant at Big Lots a while back and wanted to try it in Baba Ghanoush!  I wasn't sure how much to use so I used about half the jar which was about 1 Cup!

Here's that Recipe!

1 C Roasted/Pureed Eggplant
2 T Minced Garlic
3 T Tahini
3 T Lemon Juice

For some reason I thought it was more involved than this!  I started with a recipe online and tweaked a bit based on the Puree.  It was fantastic!

So...what do you think about all of my attempts this weekend?  I'm really pleased at my efforts if I do say so myself! 

Wild Things of The Weekend

I'll be having 3 separate posts today and this is the 2nd one so remember to scroll down! 

Last week I told you about my adventure to the JCC Campus and touring their Community Garden.  Well, I found out about another one over at the Conservation Demo Area in North Warren.  They really need to publicize this more because I had NO idea!  Read all about it HERE.  I know right where it is and I want to check it out soon!  This is much bigger than the one in Jamestown.  The spaces are 25X25 and are only $25 per year.

In my last post I was telling you about my travels and adventures of my Produce Hunt.  Well, before I left I got into  my car and directly above my windshield I saw this gorgeous fella!  My husband's Grandmother LOVES Cardinals.  I think I might post it to her Facebook Wall.  I noticed that we have a Cardinal's Nest in a tree on the other side of our house...actually the tree itself is in our neighbor's yard but the branches flow over into our side yard.  That's ok because we have a tree in our yard that flows over into their yard so it's an even trade!

Even though the weekend was WONDERFUL and I enjoyed nice weather, beautiful produce, and wild life - both indoors and out - the kids had a really lazy Sunday! 

Suzie was sprawled out on Hubby's recliner.  She's not that big of a dog but she tends to take up a lot of room!  She was sound asleep half way thru the day!

Paco, however, took more time to calm down and unwind yesterday.  He was back and forth between the Sofa, the Recliner, and the Loveseat!

In this photo I just LOVE the way his legs are laying there!  It's times like these he totally lives up to his name/type of chi - Deer Chihuahua.

But things progressed...in this evening of Paco-Chi...

He became quite tired.  I think he was trying to fight it.  This photo makes me laugh every time I look at it.  It looks like he's smiling but it also looks like he's almost falling asleep sitting up!

This pose didn't last long, tho!  As soon as he heard Riley and I move...he moved...all the way over to the Sofa...

...and under the blanket!  He burrows himself in blankets.  Stereotypical of Chihuahua's from what I have seen and heard.  I still can't get over how cute it is, tho!

In this case - he did his burrowing - but then popped his head out and went face first into the sofa cushion.

There was NO argument when it was time for bed!  The little bugger was POOPED out last night!

In my 3rd post - which will be posting in a couple of hours - I will have LOTS of food posts and photos and recipes!  I hope you will visit back and comment!  You know I LOVE comments!  Did you see any wild life this weekend!?  If so - let me know!

Gorgeous Weekend! Colorful Produce Is Starting To Trickle In!

Happy Monday!  I'm sad to see my weekend end but REALLY enjoyed my time the last few days and am still grinning from ear to ear about that!  I think I will do 2 posts again today as I have so much to share it will be quite long!  So to kick things off - here are my foods of the weekend!

On Friday I went over to my parents house to visit and put a fairly large Wildtree Order in - in preparation for our next 4 events!  We have next weekend off, but then we have at least 4 weekends in a row where we will be booked with events!  I know it sounds crazy but I am excited about this!  Excited about being busy!  YAY!  While I was over at my parents house my mother surprised me with these Veggie Sushi Rolls from Wegmans as well as a nice sized mass of Jicama!  I've been CRAVING Jicama lately!  In these Sushi Rolls you will see Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber, Nori, Sticky Rice, and Sesame Seeds!  They were wonderful!

I was so VERY excited that Saturday was Awesomely-Sunny!  I soooo needed the sunshine!  It was fair weather and terrifically positive the WHOLE day!  I am FINALLY starting to see produce!  I still had to buy some from regular grocery store but it's even starting to look so much better than it did!  Here is most of what I bought!  I stopped at Tops Markets but also stopped at Hatch Patch - a local produce stand here and Brigiotta's in Jamestown/Lakewood, NY.  Considering all I bought I didn't spend that much!  I spent more in gas than actually buying the produce! 

While I was out I decided to treat myself to lunch.  I went to The Labyrinth in Jamestown, NY, and had this awesome Havana Shakedown Wrap!  It was jam-packed with goodness!  Black Beans, Seasoned Rice, Tomatoes, various seeds, hot sauce, Avocado, etc.

I did something that I have never done before.  I sat down and ate lunch in the cafe by myself.  I know it doesn't sound like a lot but I usually get stuff to go when I am by myself!

 One of the things I bought on Saturday were these babies!  Basil and Chive Starter Plants.  I'm really thinking I must replant them in a hurry because they are already starting to get limp.  The Basil smelled amazing - all the way home, tho! 

I have decided to DO IT!  I'm going to do a garden this year!  I'm not going to do it in the ground but rather in boxes and try that for this year!

My husband is already excited about the Chives for his Baked Potatoes!

As I type this...I'm thinking I might actually do THREE posts, today, instead!  Next up - in a couple of hours - I will be posting all of the foods from the weekend!  Yeah!  I went a little crazy!  But it was fun!

How was your weekend!?

Foods of the Week

This is the 2nd post of mine, today, be sure to scroll down for more!  Here are the foods I have been grazing on this week!  This first one I have done before or a quite similar dish with a few variations. 

This is simply - Cooked Quinoa with Black Beans, Corn, a handful of Hemp Hearts/Hemp Seeds, and I stirred in Salsa that I cooked down and added some Agave Nectar.

This was a large batch that lasted me two days!  This is one of my favorites the more and more I make it and eat it!

This plate, here, is literally a bunch of stuff I threw on a plate based on what was handy and quick!  I had some Lima Beans that I seasoned with just a sprinkle of Wildtree Lemon Pepper and nothing else.  I also cut up some tomatoes and the larger portion of this plate contains cut up Quinoa Polenta topped with Pepper Jack Daiya Cheese and Salsa.  It was quick, it was easy, I worked from my cupboards and Frig, and it was tasty!

Today I didn't break for lunch AGAIN but I was able to go down the street and get a HUGE salad from Wellness Cafe.  They made a vegan version of their Salad for me and when I got back to the office I sprinkled some Nutritional Yeast on top of it.  This salad had Strawberries, Grapes, Walnuts, Baby Spinach, and a Balsamic Reduction of some sort. 

It totally hit the spot!  I had some fresh squeezed Lemonade, too!  YUM!

Earlier this week I made some Salad Dressing!  I knew I wanted to use carrots and Avocado.  Here is what I came up with in my Ninja!

2 Carrots
1/2 Onion
1 tea Ginger (powder)
2 T Miso
2 T Rice Vinegar
1/4 C Grapeseed Oil
1 C or less of Water
1 Avocado

I'm pretty excited about this attempt!  I loved the creaminess of the Avocado, the sweetness of the Carrots, and the vinegar notes, with a gentle hint of saltiness from the Miso!

What are these?  You might be thinking, right?  Well, there were supposed to be Vegan Cheese Sticks but I turned them into Spicy Vegan Cheese Balls instead.  It was my very first attempt and altho it was a FAIL they ended up being quite tasty as a mistake!

I used Pepper Jack Daiya Cheese and added some Soy Milk.  I froze the mixture and then TRIED to make 'sticks' out of them.  When that didn't work I ended up 'rolling them' into BALLS instead.  The Cheesy Mixture in with Vegan Bread Crumbs.  I then used a little bit of Wildtree Chili Grapeseed Oil (it's now discontinued) from my stash to 'fry' them.  I just did them in a frying pan.  They were creamy, cheesy, crunchy spicy, and tasty for a vegan "cheat" food.

Here is a photo of one of them 'cracked open' showing the inside!

They were a treat - I wouldn't do them often because I technically 'fried' them but still...on a rare occasion...these were fun!

So...what kind of foods did you experiment with this week!?  What are some of your favorite things to throw together from frig/cupboard/pantry to bowl on a whim?  What are some of your 'cheat' foods?  Have a great weekend!

Chiro, Sciatica, FRESH, and Community Gardens

It seems like the days have been flying by and everything has been going pretty crazy lately...hence the reason I haven't been posting much this week!  So sorry about that!  I have so much to blog about that I will be breaking this up into Non-Food and Food.  For this one, NON-FOOD!

I want to thank everyone for the well wishes during my nervousness prior to my very first chiropractor's appointment on Tuesday.  LONG story short on that I now know what has been going on with me!  It's official!  I have Sciatica.  While at my first appointment I was "Cracked" in two spots in my lower back as well as purposely putting immense pressure on the Sciatic Nerve to try and loosen it.  What they think is happening in my cause specifically is flow of fluid in between 2 Vertebra getting 'stuck' or not flowing back after I move which could be causing the nerve to act up.  They told me this is good because at least it isn't a disk problem causing it.  Anyhow...in addition to a few other stretches and exercises I have been doing he now wants me to do the Sphinx Pose (he called it something else but I am familiar with the yoga term!) 6 times a day for at least 2 minutes.  I'm also supposed to force myself to get away from my work computer more throughout the day.  I already knew that but when I get on a roll - I get on a roll and sometimes can't break away!  Anyhow...at least now I know what it is, right!?  Yesterday I went to my 2nd appointment and he moved up my back and cracked me in 4 places as well as my hips on both sides while doing a gentle twist.  Oddly these parts haven't bothered me too much as of yet.  It's the intense nerve work he's doing that takes my breath away!  WOW!

I mentioned a while back that I was going to be tuning in to the Food Revolution Summit online this week and have been listening to a few of the shows as background noise while doing other work.  Sometimes I absorb the info better by doing this.  This week - I think that was certainly the case.  I haven't listened to Russell Simmons YET but want to! 

I signed up for a few more news letters, too!  No...I don't read all of them all of the time but you can never have enough knowledge, eh!?

Last night I carpooled with two other younger ladies to Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, NY, for a tour of their Community Garden and a screening of the documentary FRESH.  As a SUNY JCC Alumni I was excited to be on campus again...it's been since 98 or 99 since I have set foot in any of the buildings.  I found out many of their building are certified GOLD and they continuously work towards a GREENER way of doing things!  This put a smile on my face!  The Community Garden was neat...we really don't have too many of them around here so it was nice to see and learn about them.  I didn't measure them but they looked to be about 10 or 12 by 5 - maybe a little smaller...and there were 12 or 14 of them!  It looked like only one of them had been started for the season but it's good to know that all of them will be underway soon!

After the tour of the Community Garden we walked back to the teleconference center and watched the documentary FRESH.  It was a great film - a few familiar faces from other documentaries I have seen in the last few months - but it was neat to watch it with other people, too!  So far I have only been watching them by myself in the evenings in the comfort of my own home.  It was catered by Planet Earth Catering in Jamestown and they try and use local foods in their business as much as possible.  The did Meatballs - of course I did NOT partake in but I did nibble on a small amount of salad made with greens, wild carrots, a radish, and a dressing made from local Maple Syrup.  They also had regional sparkling water.

I had fun meeting various people and I handed out a few business cards to people as well.  I spoke with some of the Warren County Master Gardeners and they told me about some of their upcoming events including a Kids Day during the Warren County Fair in Pittsfield, PA, in August.

I have lots more to post but will be posting my FOOD attempts later today.  I didn't want this post to be absurdly long...so I am splitting into TWO.

Before I go, tho, I have a Paco Pic for ya!  He's been pretty good lately!  Perhaps it's the weather?  What ever it is - I'm grateful! 

Have you seen FRESH yet?  Do you know if your community has Community Gardens?  Have you been back to an old school of yours after a long time away?  Have you met any interesting people this week?  Which yoga poses are your favorite for back and leg pain?

Gabby's Spot of the Month, Paco & "Wildthing", Bob & Ky-Mani Marley, and Nervous Doctors RANT

Gabby does this thing where she has a "spot of the month" and every month or so she changes it up to a different spot she likes to hang out at.  This past week it's been to the left of the top of the stairs in between the stairs themselves and the door to our Home Studio.  It's a very small spot but then again she's a small cat!  She probably only weighs between 8 and 9 pounds...she's mostly hair/fur, actually!  She's such a sweet heart!  Because she's a Persian cat it's some times hard for me to snap a good photo of her because she often looks angry or pissed off but that couldn't be further from the truth...Gabby is a very happy cat!

Later today I have my first appointment with the Chiropractor.  I'm not going to lie - I'm nervous - but I am nervous by nature - always have been!  I'm terrified of any kind of doctor.  So far I am not freaking out as much as I usually do but then again it's very rare for me to go to ANY doctor because I have been lucky enough not to have any or many problems but when I have gone I have freaked out...especially the last time I went to the Dentist.  And even at the Dentist I haven't had any real reason to act like that!  I have never had a cavity,  At some point I will have to get my Wisdom Teeth out and I am terrified of that, too!  But seriously...I want to know what is happening with my left leg, Hip, Calf, Ankle, Arch, and it's gotten to the point where it's driving me insane.  Oddly enough...TODAY is the first day in a while I have felt this AWESOME, figures, right?

Over the weekend Paco started in with one of his "Play Sessions".  This occurred while Tone Loc's Wildthing was playing on my Pandora Shuffle.  We often refer to Paco as "Crazy Man Stan" when he runs around with the "Zoomies" in certain patterns and is playful and releasing some of his energy!

 
I've blogged a few times now about my LOVE of Bob Marley as well as his family, their charities, and the Marley Brand.  This past weekend my father gave me a very LARGE Promotional Cardboard cut out.  I set it up on a slant off the back of my mom's car.  It's over 6 feet high!  He also gave me two Bob Marley shirts.  The sales person he talked to wanted me to wear the shirts and post them on social media and send him a copy so Marley's Mellow Mood can re-post them on their social media.  I thought that was pretty cool :)

In other Marley News - a good friend of mine - that I have mentioned before - Jen - she's also in radio and over in Yuma and her and her friend and co-worker Teri recently interviewed Ky-Mani Marley for a concert he did in Yuma last weekend!  I was lucky enough to hear the interview and prior to interviewing him Jen asked if I could think of any questions to ask him.  While listening to the finished product of the interview I noticed a few of my questions were included!  I was so excited!  Thanks Jen & Teri for letting me be a small part of it!  I wish I could have been there for the show!

Wildtree & Liberty Winery, Cats & Dogs, Smoothies & Super Heroes, Chiropractors & Corvettes, OH MY!

 It's another Monday Mish-Mash of a post, here, hope you don't mind!  I got a nice "sweet and innocent" shot of Charlie this weekend - don't let the feral cat fool you, folks!  But of course we LOVE him anyway!  Charlie is a BIG Cat!  Then there is Gabby who is the Tiny Tot of the family.  Altho the next photo is a little dark and grainy I wanted to post it regardless because it's cute and rare that I am able to capture a moment like this.  I took it last night right before bed! 

Charlie has this thing with my sneakers!  He lays on them and protects them.  Last night I started wearing my new sneakers which I will blog about later this week.  As you can see he and Gabby are BUDs.  You can also see just how BIG Charlie is and how small Gabby is, here.  They are polar opposites!  Gabby is always happy and mowing and purring and Charlie is our little BAD ASS.  But together - they work!

Last Friday afternoon my husband notified me that our 1972 Stingray Corvette (with T-Tops) was ready for the warm weather and road-ready for the season.  He did a lot of work on it last summer and I hope he/we get to enjoy it this year!  One of the last things that happened before we put it in storage for the winter we ME getting my Michael Franti CD stuck in there!  Grrrr!  I'm still waiting for the CD, hint, hint!

Last week my father was out of town on business.  He's a Merchandise Manager for a local/regional Convenience Store Chain here and he buys beverages for the stores among other things.  Each year they have a large trade show in Buffalo, NY, and it's themed.  This years theme was SUPER HERO(es).  He decided he was going to dress up like Wolverine from The X-Men Franchise.  The X-Men have been one of my faves!  My father is a shorter type man and in his early 60s.  He has Salt and Pepper Hair (we don't say grey)!  But here he is having a blast as Wolverine along side a co-worker as Captain America.  He had a wig for this but dyed his mustache.  He dye didn't come out so he had to shave it off!  My father has only NOT had his mustache twice in my life!  It just doesn't look right but at least it will grow back, eh!?

Saturday we spent the day at Liberty Winery in Sheridan, NY, and had fun with the staff at the winery as well as our Wildtree Tasting there!  It was a very nice day!  Here is my sister with one side of our display!

And here is the other side of the display.  very sorry if these photos are small than usual...I had to use photobucket for storage and uploading today as the blogger platform was taking forever to upload them.

We have the next few weekends off but then we have 4 weekends straight where we have Wildtree Events planned!  One being the Gus Macker 3-on-3 in Warren, PA - I think we might only do that Saturday of the Basketball Tourney - it's paired with the annual Burger Festival.  Then we have a Strawberry Festival coming up as well as Women In The Outdoors event near Chapman Dam State Park but I will fill you in on those as they get closer!

This photo of Paco was taken Sunday.  I thought it was too cute NOT to post!  Paco was a very good boy this past weekend!  He chilled out most of Sunday/Night.

In other news - I finally got an appointment with a Chiropractor tomorrow - I will let you know how this goes but I am not going to lie - I am nervous as hell!

And, finally, for today, anyways...a SMOOTHIE!

This morning I made a HUGE Smoothie - I have enough for tomorrow, too!

Mixed Berries - Raspberries, Black Berries, and Strawberries with Soy Milk and Oriya Protein Powder!  It was one of my better attempts at smoothies thus far!

How was your weekend?  Do anything special?  Did you take any photos?  Do you have any Wineries nearby that you frequent?  What are their names?  Have you ever gone to a Chiropractor?  For Sciatica?  For Leg/Hip/Arch Problems?  Any tips?