All Sorts of Updates ~ LONG Post Ahead!

I'm not quite sure where MARCH went?  It's been VERY BUSY for a March but at the same time I couldn't wait for April to get here.  Mostly because of the weather.  I'm SO OVER WINTER and ready for better temps! 

So as you can imagine, I'm WAY BEHIND on posting!  Here's the official warning...this will be a VERY LONG POST!  Possibly the longest post I have had to date!

There is a possibility I will be obtaining a few more vegan cookbooks over the next month so I better get up to snuff on that soon, eh?  Here is one from my last shipment.  Sweet Potato Soul from Jenne Clairborne.  I have thumbed thru it and already KNOW I need to try many of the recipes inside!  The photos are lovely!

Many of the photos in this post will be of foods I have been gnawing on or finding.  We have been taking a bunch of day trips the last month or two but I have been grabbing some filler in between our hauls.  I found these vegan burgers at Aldi.  I'm sad that the vegan line was a limited run but have been seeing some of them stay on the local level.  I try and grab them when I can to let them know there are buyers in our area!

I used some sprouted bread to make a simple lunch and/or dinner with this.

It seems like this next dish is something I had forever ago!  It was literally something I threw together...an accidentally vegan rice and quinoa packet...I threw in corn, black beans, green chilis, tomato, and garlic.  It was YUMMY.

I'm in the process of joining Zontas International on the local level and they have monthly lunch or dinners paired with their meetings.  They have been GREAT with veggie options.

 I usually opt out of the meal and go for the conversation in situations like those.  But they had Quinoa and Make Your Own Salad the one night and I was THRILLED!  They have a Summer Surprise Event each summer and you don't know what the details are until it happens.  One of the things someone suggested was to have a Vegan Meal such as a potluck and asked me for suggestions.  They thought it would be neat for the other members to try something new.  I will let you know if anything comes of it.

Here is a cheap, quick, easy, and breakfast I have out at a local restaurant.  Oatmeal with Blueberries, Pecans, and (sometimes) Brown Sugar!

And speaking of eating out...it was my birthday back on the 16th and DH, BIL, and I took a trip up to Buffalo and ate at The Pizza Plant.  I've blogged about some of their vegan options before but I was REALLY hungry for some of their Vegan Pizza (instead of trying something new, that is) so I got that and had PLENTY to bring home for leftovers! 

Oddly, this past weekend, we took a day trip back to Buffalo and the Pizza Plant and I grabbed another Vegan Pizza!  Oops!  I probably won't have it again for months or even a year!  The trip we took for our birthdays we did share an app...the vegan curry nachos!  The boys didn't even mind the vegan cheese!

One of my many finds the last couple of weeks was the Forager Project Cashewgurt LEMON.  I've been waiting to get my hands on this flavor and I finally found it.  And I have to say YUM YUM YUM!  It sort of reminds me of Lemon Meringue Pie...but BETTER!  This is certainly my FAVORITE FLAVOR so far!

In our day trips, we have been lucky to hit up a few places in Ohio a couple of times...and Buffalo area...twice.  Plus, Erie.  I've been VERY fortunate to have a couple of nice grocery hauls mixed in. 

More on that in this post and future posts - for sure!

With the first trip to Buffalo about 2 months ago when we went to the Indian Restaurant I stopped at a Halal Grocery Store that was right next door and found these little gems! 

These are called Chai Paratha.  They are the size of a big pancake but are sweet, savory, and contain chai spices. 

I read a website that said they are good for breakfast or with tea.  I did have them with tea once.  The other time I had them I ate them as a dessert with a Mango Chutney I made. 

They were totally yummy and I wish I had more!

One of the many blog posts I wish I would have done was one on how I recently cleaned my Excalibur Dehydrator.  But I'm sure there will be another day and time for that.  I hope to start using it again more. 

After I gave everything a good cleaning, I made these Raw Vegan Crackers.  I wasn't overly thrilled with the taste so I won't post it here until I have a better attempt after some tweaking.  They were a bit too salty for my liking.  As you can see I used several spices, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Chia Seeds, Flax Meal, etc.

With all of our running around, we have also had some RnR with the furkids.  It's rare if I can get a pic of all 3 of them at the same time but it happened this past weekend.

As for a furkid update - things have been ok.  I've been working with Riley's ongoing ear infections but that's nothing new.  I was finally able to get Cricket over to my parents for a playdate with Lexi.  Paco keep truckin' along, too!  I wouldn't be shocked if we had to adjust his meds again over the next couple of months for his ITP.  Charlie is aging by the day but still his feral self.  Age-wise we are thinking that he's about 18, Riley 16 or 17, Paco almost 7, and Cricket - about 5.

We take day trips because of the dogs.  We haven't been overnight somewhere in years other than fair week and that's the week they go to 'Uncle Jack's' as we call him. 

With Paco's ITP (Immune Issue) he rarely leaves the house unless he's going to the vet.

Cricket is still the leader of the pack.  Riley and Paco are followers.  When we lost Suzie to cancer there was a hole that is for sure.  When we got Cricket the flow was better because of her alpha-ness!  I know you can't tell by the pictures but I assure you that this little 6-pound wonder is a spitfire!

Like I said before - I'm still waiting for the weather to get warmer.  In the meantime, I have been enjoying some more soups I can easily make in my blender. 

This first one is a Black Bean Soup.  Because I waited a while to post it - I'm afraid I misplaced the recipe!  YIKES!  Sorry!  It was tasty!  And as you can see I used some homemade Cashew Sour Cream to mix in, too!

The 'red' is smoked paprika!  I can't get enough of Smoked Paprika these days!

This next soup I used Chickpeas as the based along with Coconut Milk and Tahini.  There is also Smoked Paprika, Garlic, Nutmeg, Onion, and Nutritional Yeast, too!

A couple weekends ago I went with my parents to an RV Show at the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood, NY, and while we were there we stopped in to a few places.  One place we can't pass up when we are there is the one Kitchen Store.  It seems like we always find something.  The blue edges you see in this photo is a pasta maker type bowl.  It's supposed to 'nuke' your pasta quicker.  That is yet to be determined but it makes a nifty bowl, regardless!

I guess you can also see the dish here, too!  So far I have found that it doesn't really cut the pasta time but it could be because I have a low watt microwave. 

The dish is pretty sturdy/heavy-duty and of a good size.  I like that there are little ledges/handles on the sides, too!

I made a Garlic Dill Alfredo Sauce for these noodles.  It's a Pumpkin Seed base that I used here, too!  It was pretty good.  Of course, I topped it with Smoked Paprika!

I almost forgot to post a few selfies.  I'm a horrible selfie person.  This first one is from the RV Show at the mall.  I saw this hat and thought I would try it on.  I regret not buying it.  It went well with the jacket I was wearing, too!  As you can see - I don't wear make-up.  Yesterday, while I was at Walmart I noticed a "Wet & Wild" brand section that was clearly marked "Cruelty-Free" and "Vegan" in several places.  Not only on the individually packaged items but on the signs above each product.  I thought for the heck of it I would grab some.  It was CHEAP!  Probably the cheapest I saw in 3 isles of make-up!  I bought some foundation, concealer, and mascara.  I know I won't wear it often but when I do I know it will be vegan!

Here's another selfie I took back on International Women's Day.  I even wore purple to celebrate!

I feel that ever since I decided to go back to wearing my glasses it's added about 10 years on me!  I need to get my hair done, again!  YIKES!  I actually like this shirt I bought at Label Shopper several months ago!  I think it was only $7.  I wear it for work a lot and will probably wear it to some upcoming Zonta Meetings.  And speaking of meetings...I have a League of Women Voters Board Meeting today!  There are lots of things in the works and I will share more details about those projects soon!

Photos I enjoy sharing more are of this little girl!  Here's my adorable neice!  Trinity is going to be 10 months on Saturday!  I can't believe it!

My parents watch her about 3 times a week and they sent me this photo on my birthday!

Her hair is getting thicker.  She can pull herself up and stand but hasn't walked on her own, yet.  She hates wearing shoes.  I think I have taught her how to say "Nom Noms" and "Nom, Nom, Nom" when she eats!

I can't wait to take her rolling skating and ice skating!  I'm a terrible bowler but I can't wait to go with her.  My parents and I are already making plans for camping and fair week!

She's a fan of Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars but REALLY doesn't like Taylor Swift (I can't say as I blame her). 

She already likes animals.

And I think her and I not only have an understanding of each other but we also get a kick out of each other, too!

This photo was taken yesterday.  She had an Easter Dress eventho my sister and her husband didn't take her to church.  Her husband is Catholic so that was pretty shocking they didn't go but I guess they had some churchgoers that were sick and didn't want her picking it up.  (Again, I don't blame them!)

My sister, her DH, and Trinnie are going on vacation later this month.  My parents and I were trying to go, too, but it didn't work out.  They are going to Charleston, South Carolina for about a week and a half.  As much as I wanted to go, I can't take that much time off from work and leave Paco for that long.  Dale said he would stay home but the planning process wasn't in our favor - nor were the prices!

I was, however, able to take last Thursday off and we took another day trip to Ohio.  We went back to Mustard Seed Market and this time we grabbed something at the cafe before we left.  Dale got a Strawberry, Orange Juice, Banana Smoothie and I got this juice.  They call it Waldorf Hysteria.  It contains Fresh Juiced Carrots, Apple Juice, Celery, and Mint. 

I ended up really liking it and the mint helped with the aftertaste, too!  The photo doesn't really do it justice.

My mom and I are already planning on taking my juicer to camp this summer!  So I hope to have more to report on the juicing front, soon, too!

And...last but not least...this MONSTER MEAL from our trip to Buffalo on Friday!

We went to Amy's Place for brunch!  It's been YEARS since I have been there!  They have LOTS of vegan options including what you see here!

It's Lentils and Broccoli, Rye Toast with Vegan Butter, Breakfast Potatoes, and Seasoned Tofu!  I added a little Ketchup and Frank's Hot Sauce and it was pretty amazing!  It made me wonder why I don't make Lentils on a lazy Sunday and use them throughout the week!  I need to start doing that!  I'll stop right there since this post was LONG enough but I have LOTS on tap so make sure you check back often!

WNY VegFest - Part II - The Juices & Food!

Today's post is all about the juices and food we had at WNY VegFest on Sunday!  Be sure to scroll down for the speakers and other photos from yesterday!

As for the first photo in this post I HAD to give major shout outs to the folks at Ashker's Juice Bar in Buffalo!  They really pumped up VegFest full of color with their juices!  It was so awesome seeing so many people walking around with fresh juiced juices!  I really hope more juice business start opening up in the region!

Check out this first one...Heated Heart...with beet, carrot, lemon, sage, apple, and ginger!  It was SO tempting...I almost bought one but decided on a different one which you will see in a moment.

The one on the right of this photo is the one I opted for it was called Clean Greens and it had cucumber, kale, celery, apple, parsley, and mint!
It was FAB.

I wanted to try all of them!  As you can see there was a Zinger that had orange, lemon, carrot, apple, and ginger.  Then there was one called Golden Child and that one had gold beet, ginger, carrot, apple, and turmeric.

As you can see in the back there is a sign for their newest addition and I just HAD to get that, too!  That was the Watermelon Slushie and it had Watermelon, Lemon, cucumber, apple, and beet and it was AMAZING!

Here's a pic of me with the Watermelon Slushie with my green juice in tow.  We saved that for the upcoming speaker.  My sister and I both had some but I probably drank 75% of it to her 25%.  It was great!

My sister doesn't like watermelon - actually it doesn't like her.  My father has the same problem.  Not me...I could live off of it.  My mom and I usually treat ourselves when watermelon season is here.

We were sitting in a grassed area re-grouping before the speakers.  What you can't see in this photo is that we were watching and listening to one of the musicians on their outdoor stage.

The weather was great this year and I really think there were at least 5 (if not 10) times the amount of people at the event this year!

This was one of the first things we had when we first got to VegFest!  It was from a local bakery D & M Confections!  This is their Vegan Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Cupcake!  It was YUMMY!  My sister and I split this, too!

I don't usually eat sweets mostly because there are no local vegan dessert options near me and I'm certainly NOT a baker!

D & M Confections is located in Tonawanda, NY, and about 2 hours from where I live.  It's not a 100% vegan bakery but at least they have options, right?  I will say that THIS option was awesome!

The color was out of this world, too!

Taking a look at the Food and Food Trucks this year!  This place was there last year, too!  I was tempted by many of their menu items and probably would have ate more if I could but it seemed like we were eating and drinking all day!

The BEST part - at VegFest - everything is VEGAN - so I don't really have to think too much about what I can eat!  YAY!  I know this might sound silly to some people but where I live that isn't the case often!

There was at least 1 food truck that was missing from the previous year but there were many new food vendors this year which was AWESOME!  And some of them weren't even trucks but tents regardless the options were terrific!  There was a stand that did vegan nachos and another that had vegan ice cream.  I would have gotten some ice cream but didn't want to walk around and eat a cone.

Amy's Place in Buffalo was there with Amy's Truck!  Years ago I visited Amy's Place and LOVED it!  The truck stop was packed so we didn't grab food from there but I want to visit their location again, soon!

There were representatives from Strong Hearts Cafe in Syracuse, NY, at the event and I wasn't able to meet Joel but I saw him there!  My sister and I are planning a day trip to Syracuse with Strong Hearts Cafe in mind and top priority!  I'm sure we will find other things to do while we are there, too!  It's about a 3 and a half hour drive but I know it will be FUN!

One tent we did stop at for food was this place!  The SoHo Project!  The one guy was telling a fellow festival go-er that it was a proof of concept type food business.  The business helps their non-profit and the non-profit is to help animals.  I loved the idea!

My sister and I each had a quinoa bowl from here which you will see mine in just a moment.  We both opted for the Cilantro Lime Dressing.  Mine with WITH jalapenos and my sister's was WITHOUT.

My sister said it was one of the BEST quinoa bowls she's ever had!  In addition to quinoa it had black beans, avocado, corn, lime, cilantro, and lettuce!

We didn't get a "candy" apple but they sounded wonderful!

And here's what my quinoa bowl looked like!

All I want to eat now is variations of quinoa bowls!  They were so tasty!  I do make them often so it's not that much of a stretch to do them but it's nice to try other people's bowls, too, right?

So as you can see we had plenty to eat and drink during WNY VegFest!  It was bigger and better than last year and I know it will just continue to grow and I'm so excited about that!

I still have at least one more blog post I will be doing about VegFest so stay tuned!  I want to share many of the vendors that were there, too!

Amy's Place, Buffalo Sabres Hockey, Photos on the Road, & Paco's Nails

This is sort of a PART 2 from yesterday - since I blabbed on for quite a while!  I still had a lot to say!  A big part of today's blog post will be about Amy's Place in Buffalo, NY!  I was lucky enough to go there last week while with my Mom & Dad after the Carrie Underwood Concert the night before (see next post for photos or find me on Facebook I have over 170 posted there!)  Amy's Place is located in the University Height section of Buffalo and is a Lebanese and American Restaurant with a great eclectic feel to it!

Their menu is HUGE and includes LOTS of Vegetarian and Vegan option which I was so VERY thankful for!  When I actually HAVE options at a restaurant it takes me a long time to choose what I will have as it's not very often I have that many choices!  It was wonderful!  Their  Vegan Options are clearly marked with a V inside a leaf.  They have a neat collection of Coffee Mugs they serve their warm beverages in.  It's interesting to see which one you get when you are served!  My mom got one with sunshine on it and my dad got one with veggies on it.  You can also see a photo of some of their mugs on their site linked above.

I decided to go with the:

Falafel Sandwich

Mini $4.99 / Full $6.75

Ground fava beans, chick peas, onions, parsley & spices rolled into patties and fried, then rolled in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, tahini & house dressing.
It was AMAZING!  I got the half which was Gigantic!  I couldn't imagine what the full looked like!  I gave the chips to my dad and my dad gave me his marinated cucumbers!

I had such an amazing time at Amy's Place and I can't wait to go back!  I think my non-veg husband would like it, too!

I noticed this "Be Nice or Leave" Crafty-Looking Sign hanging on their wall and LOVED it!  So True!!!  I've been in Customer Service my entire life and have always tried to stay positive and treat everyone nice and I think when you are in that position you have a new appreciation for others in that same situation.  YES...there are not-so-pleasant customers but lately there have been straight-up HORRIBLE customers that treat others with so much disrespect - it's awful!  Sure - if you are dissatisfied - by all means - let someone know - but there is a right and a wrong way to do it, ya know?  So, YES, I LOVED this sign!

Another reason I frequent Buffalo whenever I can - other than being FROM that area originally - is I still follow the sports!  Especially Hockey!  And with the Trade Deadline approaching my eyes and ears are on the news!  This past year The Buffalo Sabres acquired Steve Ott and I have come to LOVE him.  I hope I am not jinxing him by saying this but out of everyone on our team - I hope he stays!  I really hope they don't trade him!  He's wonderful with the media, a great player, and in a season of uncertainty has been one of the few rays of light on our team!

As you can see here - his number is #9 - I saw this jersey on sale in LUXE in the Walden Galleria Mall!  I didn't buy it but wanted to - but also didn't want to jinx it - my last favorite was Paul Gaustad - and he's no longer with the team.  I'm still not over it.

But...I SHOULD be used to it as I am a life-long Buffalo Sabres Fan.  I've had a laundry list of favorites over the years!  I was lucky enough to meet a few of them, too!  I haven't met Steve Ott (YET!) perhaps one day I will.

My mother is a HUGE Hockey Fan, too!  She was actually the one who got my father into the sport more when they met!

She was really into the French Connection so I was lucky enough to learn a lot thru her!

Here is a photo of the (new) French Connection Statue (now) outside of the First Niagara Center.  This past week was the first time I was able to see it since it was placed there and dedicated. 

On our way home we did stop at the "Galleria" as I mentioned above.  We stopped at Teavana and bought some tea, we stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods to see about getting a new Canopy for our Wildtree display, too but were unable to find one we liked.

My parents then spent the weekend up near Syracuse with friends of the family.  My Dad is actually their daughters "God Father".  They were able to find a Canopy that they thought would work nicely for this next year!  I'm excited that it's now April!  Our "Busy Season" officially begins TONIGHT and will go thru the end of the year!  Yes...that's a LONG Busy Season, eh!?

I'll have more on the Wildtree Adventures as they become available and happen!  We have an event tonight and another one on Saturday!

In other news I did take Riley to the vet this morning and I know a little bit of what they think it 'could be' but I am going to wait and let you know tomorrow after I know for sure!  Thank you for the comments and emails with positive thinking and vibes for our Riley!  They are appreciated!

Because my morning was "out of sequence" I spent some time with the 'kids' and Paco was quite the character!  He learned this behavior from his brother Riley!  He's chewing on his feet!  What a little weirdo!  But of course - we love them ALL!