More Vegan Eats & Women Are Wonderful Event

Have YOU seen these YET?  Clif came out with new (loose) Granola!  I was able to find this Cinnamon Almond flavor and I must say it was GREAT!  Actually, it was a gift from my parents!  They are VERY thoughtful!  When I eat Granola I eat it loose and dry and usually as a snack!  Because I ate many handfuls of this it was more like a meal!

Eventho this photo isn't the best I wanted to post it because it was a meal I had recently.  It was one of the Tasty Bites Microwavable Pouches...the Spinach Dal...actually, and a side of Garlic Parsley Riced Cauliflower.  I ended up mixing it together.  It was YUMMY!

My 40th birthday is in about a month.  I wanted to do 40 Good Deeds leading up to my Birthdate but I haven't been consistent with doing one each day.  One of the things I'm doing is donating tea to our local Cancer Center for those waiting for treatment (and their families).

Another thing I have done recently is volunteer at our local Women Are Wonderful Event that took place this past weekend.  It was a FUN day.  There were about 100-110 participants about roughly 30-50 volunteers.

Participants could take up to 5 classes/sessions of various topics and there was a breakfast bar and lunch served.  This photo is one of the last classes of the day and it was a card making class.  As a part of the Zonta Club efforts, we had many volunteers there.  We also chose the winners of our Basket Raffle Fund Raiser which the money raised goes to our Service Projects.  That day we also took a collection for our "Free The Girls" Project.  The participants donated 66 bras and $56 to help with shipping our next batch of bras to "Free The Girls".

The other night I was roaming around the house - doing a few things - and I caught Cricket on the recliner like this.  Apparently, she didn't want to sit ON the recliner's seat but wanted to wedge herself in the elbow part of the armrest.

I almost forgot to post this photo.  Still not a great photo but it was a good meal.  I made some more Baked Tofu Nuggets.  This time I threw a bunch of spices in with Bob's Red Mill's All Purpose Flour and some Arrowroot.  I probably left them in a bit longer than needed but the texture was nice.  Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!

Animal Friends, Plant Life, Hot Temps, and Colorful Meals!

Last week I took a walk in a nearby park.  This nearby park has a Pollinator Garden in it.  There were some plants that had already 'expired' for the season but there were several that were left blooming and beautiful including this one so I took a picture.

Last weekend I spent commutating back and forth to the fairgrounds.  We still camp there and volunteer each weekend on the grounds.  This coming weekend there is a folk art festival that we will be attending on the grounds, too!  I hope to take more photos of the grounds and of this years festival before we are no longer down there for the winter months.

Since Monday was a holiday I didn't have to work so I decided to take Cricket with me.  She had fun with my mom and dad's dog Lexi and some other dogs that were down there.  She played and walked a lot.  On our way home she was sooooo tired!  She laid down on my lap while I was driving and fell asleep!  She was even sluggish the next day!  So cute and so funny!

Some of you know I adore goats!  Each time I see one I have to spend some time with him/her, make a fuss, talk to them, etc.

This is one of the goats I saw over the weekend - last weekend!  He was giving me kisses and nibbles!

I should be able to see more goats this coming weekend.  Usually, at this festival we go to there is a guy who rehabs animals and brings them for the kids to pet.  I remember blogging about them before/in previous years.

I do have some vegan items to share for Vegan MoFo but first I will get all of the non-food stuff out of the way!

It's been a hot summer but I have to say that the last 3 weeks has been a little NUTS!  I LOVE hot temperatures but I don't like it when the humidity gets out of hand on top of those hot temps!  That is exactly what has been happening these last few weeks. 

The other day it was over 100 degrees AND I swear it was near 100% humidity...then...the power went out for at least 3 hours! 

This is the dash of my new Fiat!  I have to say I love it more and more each day!  I already put almost 2500 miles on it!

Now on to the food!  Today is COLORFUL Meals!  Well, I had to try and fit this into today's prompt for Vegan MoFo!  It's last weekend's Vegan Fair Food Option.  We ended up going to Stoneboro Fair and there was a Mexican Food Truck there and they were SO NICE!  I asked all the 'normal content/ingredient questions' that 'we vegans' tend to - and they told me what everything was made with/how it was made/what it contained!

I opted for these Nachos that I customized.  They had Salsa, Lettuce, Black Beans, and Rice.

They were tasty!  Sometimes...all you have to do is ask, right!?

One of the things I have had at the camper all summer - just in case - I got the munchies and couldn't find anything FAST - and/or didn't feel like a sandwich - or cooking - I had these Salted Caramel Organic Brownie things from Nature's Bakery!  I've tried their other flavors before but this was a FIRST for me with their Salted Caramel!  They are rich, that is for sure!  I have to say...I'm a fan!

Another thing I wanted to mention...my parents went to Erie the other day and brought back one of the Mad Mex's vegan options for the Angry Hippie Burrito...they offer Daiya Cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream as options!  It's been too long since my last trip to Mad Mex!

Chickpea Salsa Soup & Such

After I made the casserole yesterday I had a half of a can of chickpeas left and I didn't want them to go to waste.  I decided to make some more soup!  All in a blender...

1/2 Can of Chickpeas
1 C Salsa
1/2 Small Onion
1 t Smoked Paprika
1/2 t Raw Sugar
2 t Balsamic Vinegar
1 C Water
3/4 C Almond Milk
Basil & Sea Salt to taste
Oil or Vegan Butter Optional

When I came out of the kitchen I found Cricket like this on a blanket on DH's recliner.  She had a funny look on her face and I quickly grabbed my phone and snapped a pic!  She cracks me up sometimes!

I know I have been complaining about the weather a lot but this week is supposed to be somewhat nice!  I think in a day or two we should see high 60's or even hit 70 degrees!  That will be very welcome!

In our travels over the weekend I found a good price on Kiss My Face Deodorant!  It's been a while since I had to purchase any because I had been using the Crystal and it lasted me at least a year!  Sometimes I like to switch back and forth between two.  I'm VERY picky when it comes to deodorants because of all of the chemicals in them - generally speaking.  It's been a long time since I bought anything from Kiss My Face and I thought I couldn't pass it up for the price.  I believe this was $2.99...cheaper than regular store-bought/popular brands I don't buy but most people do.

Vegan Cauliflower Sweet Potato Chowder

It's a NEW Week!?  Are you ready!?  I'm TRYING.

I have to tell you I already have LOTS to share this week but I'm going to try and pace myself so I can post something at least once each day!  I would like to start off the week by sharing this AMAZING Vegan Cauliflower Sweet Potato Chowder I attempted last night!  I combined 2 online recipes and then added a few other things to it.  I altered it so much that I think that I can safely put the recipe here on my blog.

Ingredients for Vegan Cauliflower Sweet Potato Chowder:

1 Small Head of Cauliflower

2 Sweet Potatoes

5 C Water

1 C Cashews

1 T Wildtree Absolutely Onion

5 Cloves Garlic

1 tea Basil

2 to 3 tea Braggs Liquid Aminos

Most of the soups I do - I throw everything into my blender and DONE.  This one took a few more steps.

First I took 3 C Water and boiled.  I added the Cauliflower that I broke up into smaller chunks, added the Sweet Potatoes that I cut up into smaller chunks and too the skin off, and added the Onion, Garlic, and Basil to the pot.  I put them on medium until soft.

While I was waiting for them to get soft - I moved over to my Vitamix and put the other 2 C Water in my blender along with the 1 C of Cashews.  I blended those until it looked like milk.  

I then added the Cashew Milk I just made in my blender to the pot of Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, etc that was on the stove and simmered for another 5 minutes or so.  This is when I added the Bragg's Liquid Aminos, too!

I then took about 75% of the contents and put it in my blender again and blended until smooth.  I added it back to the pot and stirred it.  

I just HAD to try a bowl (or two) and absolutely LOVED it!!!!  YUMMO!  I topped the individual serving bowl(s) with a sprinkle of Smoked Paprika and Nutmeg!   WOWZA!  Totally LOVE this soup!  Or is it a CHOWDER?  You be the judge!

It made an INSANE amount so I will surely been eating it for DAYS!  YAY!

It's been a while since I posted any photos of the furkids.  Not sure why.  Here is Riley on the left and Cricket on the right.  They snuggled up on my lap on DH's Recliner (I rarely sit in it).  Luckily I had my iPhone nearby to snap this pic.  This was Saturday Night.  They were touching 'cheek to cheek' and I don't mean the cheeks on their faces! haha!

Cricket was kind of a little terror this weekend.  She's about 4-ish but she still acts like a puppy!  After all the activity of the weekend and her tear-assin' around the house - this was her last night - sacked out on my lap.  She has gained a little weight since we adopted her over 2 years ago but she still only weighs 7 pounds at the most.  She's so small.  Especially when she crawls into a little ball and sleeps!

Pure Apple Juice With My SlowStar Juicer

Yesterday I blogged about my most Juicing Adventures and I wanted to keep the momentum going!  Since it's the weekend I wanted to Keep It Simple!

Here is a quarter of PURE Apple Juice that my mom and I juiced the other night!

It's about 5 pounds of Gala Apples!  That's it!

Both my mother and father were a fan of this apple juice!

Just a short post today!

I will leave you with this sweetie-of-a-pup...Cricket from the other night!  Everyone have a great weekend!

Playing Catch Up!

I found this cute meme on Instagram the other day and reposted and commented...This is my Monday Face...and Tuesday Face...and Wednesday Face...lol...YEAH...it's been a rough few weeks or months but I am trying to kick the attitude and start a NEW!

Eventho it's been a very mild winter here in the snowbelt I'm looking forward to spring regardless!  So far today we had between a foot or two of snow fall.  I was shoveling my sidewalk and driveway and the city plow came thru and plowed me back in.  Nice!  I'm typing that with much sarcastically - I don't know if you picked up on that!

The furkids are doing well!  Cricket is a 'crazy lady' that is what we call her sometimes but she's also a sweet pea and darling girl!  She puts so much life into our home.  She has a devilish side, too!  She likes to torment her brothers.  Riley has a soft side for her most times whereas Paco is too polite to do anything to snap back and I usually have to stop Cricket from picking on Paco.  Paco is so funny - he actually waits in line to drink from the water bowl in the living room at night.  He lets Cricket and Riley go first and he waits until last to lap up the water!

Paco is doing really well considering all of his medical issues.  He's been on his same meds for over a year now and his blood work is consistently where it should be.  He pees a lot but I would rather him do that than not be with us.  He's still sweet as ever!  And he's so strong to deal with everything, too!  He's plumped up from the meds but just adds to his character.  

I took this photo on a sunnier day than today and just had not posted it yet.  I'm still wearing my glasses and most likely will just continue to.  I think it makes me look older but I don't really care.  I know in the past no one could believe I was 36 but maybe now I will start looking my age anyways.  It is what it is, right!?

Work has been rough but I'm still plugging along.  I've been fairly uninspired in the kitchen as of late and going back to some comfort foods, cheap foods, fast foods, and good old stand by's!

I've been throwing a lot of dishes together much like this veggie curry here.

I've been re-organizing my tea collection and re-visiting some old favorites.

I have been able to spend a good amount of time with my parents the last several months.  They went to Aruba last month.  They LOVED it.  My sister had a rough weekend because she lost one of her furkids to cancer.

I'm still VERY MUCH into the Essential Oils.  My parents have gotten into them, too!  My sister has been buying some stuff online at PipingRock.com so I thought we would try it at as well.  So my parents and I went in on it together and they bought an Essential Oil Starter Kit with about 14 different oils.  I had at least half of them so I didn't get one of the kits I opted for 4 individual oils instead.

I decided to try 2 of their blends.  The Mental Clarity and the Stress Relief blends and I have them at work.  I have tried and like both of them.

Then I grabbed some Grapefruit Oil and Pine Needle Oil.  Those were two of the ones on my results sheet I received before Christmas.  I really like both of these, too!  I will say that the Pine Needle surprised me.  I thought it was going to be way too 'manly' and pungent but it's 'just right'.

I really like Piping Rock so far!  Their prices are quite a bit lower than many other sites I have seen.  I've only gotten their oils but I intend to make a purchase down the road that contains some of their nuts, seeds, snacks, etc.

Fall, Food, and Furkids!

Fall, Food, & Furkids!  Those three things are what you will find in this post!  This past weekend was a little less busy than the last 3 or 4 months of weekends have been and it was NICE.  Saturday I did a few things around the house and spent a lot of time with the furkids. Hubby about about 30 others went to help a friend who is having back problems gather and cut firewood for the upcoming winter months.  Sunday we went grocery shopping!  I will share more about that on Wednesday for the next MidWeek Munchies LINK UP!  Before I jumped in the car to go to the store I took a few pictures of the changing leaves.  I didn't do that last year and regretted it!

This 2nd photo is part of the tree in front of our house.  It's a Japanese Maple and it's my favorite tree on our property at home.

I have been wanting to get a few photos of the forest/mountains/trees where I live but the photo is ruined by power lines.  The mountains I mention where I live are mountains of trees not like snow covered mountains that you would see in Colorado for example.  I live right by The Allegheny National Forest.
Maybe one of these days I will take some panoramic photos worth posting!

Last week I posted photos of Cricket - our newest addition - and I was so excited when I saw so many comments asking for MORE CRICKET!  Well, ask and ye shall receive!  I have two more photos of Cricket to share with you today!  She seems to be calming down quite a bit which is nice.  And this past weekend I decided to let her roam overnight.  She is crate trained - for the most part - but I don't think she really has to be - Paco on the other hand we do it more for his protection while we aren't there because of his health/immune issues and I would feel awful if he fell off the sofa while we weren't home.  But Paco is completely fine with his crate I think sometime he actually prefers it.

I still can't believe how small Cricket is.  Usually when we adopt dogs they are smaller dogs because we don't have the room for large dogs like Labs, etc.  But Cricket is by far the smallest dog we've ever had.  She's only 4 pounds!  She's such a sweetie, tho!  Eventho she's a Chihuahua mix she acts very much like a Chi that is for sure!  We think she's mixed with Rat Terrier.

One thing we have found out with her is that she doesn't like it when animals are on TV.  She freaks out!  This is REALLY funny because she LOVES other animals!  She's a very social dog and doesn't understand if other animals don't want to play with her.  Plus she has no concept of size either.

One of the QUICK FOODS I made for lunch recently was a Sun Dried Tomato Cashew Cheesy Rice.

It had 1 c Cashews, 1/4 C Water, 1/4 C Nutritional Yeast, 1/2 T Minced Garlic, 2 T Lemon Juice, 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 T Mustard, About 10 Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Black Himalayan Sea Salt to taste.

I also added about a tablespoon of Sun Warriors Liquid Vitamin Mineral RUSH.  Of course this is optional.

I have been into raw veggies and making them meals lately!  So that means that dips and spreads are KEY!  Here's the one I made this past week - it was a Sweet Dill Dip!
1 C Cashews
1 C Macadamia Nuts
Juice of 1/2 Meyer Lemon
3/4 C Water (or so)
1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar
3 T Agave Nectar
1/3 C Grapeseed Oil
1 t EACH Of Minced Garlic, Dill, Basil, Onion Powder

More MidWeek Munchies!

Yesterday we brought back MidWeek Munchies so I thought I would do another post today about it.  If you would like to participate the current link-up is active THRU next Tuesday the 13th!  Read more about it HERE.  In this first photo you will see it's all produce!  I stopped at my favorite produce stand (Lindell's Hatch Patch) and grabbed a few things...Spring Mix/Greens, Celery, Red Bell Peppers, Spaghetti Squash, Kabocha Squash, and I even grabbed a FREE SAMPLE of one of their newest apple offerings...it's a Blondee Apple.  Kabocha Squash and Blondee Apples are new-to-me so more on that soon!

I then ran to Walmart and noticed these vegan options!  Amy's Kitchen Vegan Burrito (might be my dinner), Hummus (my lunch), Organic Carrots (my Lunch), 2 types of Fig Bars (I LOVE these and now they carry the VEGAN Seal!), Coconut Milk, and I couldn't pass up a new-to-me TRIO of non-dairy milk (Coconut, Almond, Chia).  I also bought a small cutting board and pairing knife for my car/office/Lunches-on-the-go!

Also part of my lunch today was 2 of the Red Peppers from the first photo!  YUM!

One thing I forgot to mention earlier this week is this new-to-me beverage my father gave me.  It's Alo Watermelon Peach and it tastes just like a smoothie!  YUM!  I've had a few of their other flavors before but I have to say this is by far my favorite!

Yes, I have been driving around a lot again and eating and munching on-the-go so you can see I'm in my Fiat while taking this photo!

Have you tried any of the Alo drinks yet?

Last night I had the hee-bee-gee-bees and need to make something in my blender to snack on.  I ended up making this...it's close to a Vanilla Pudding or some sort of Cake Batter Cashew Cream type thing.  It was pretty yummy!  I submitted the recipe to The Raw Food World NEWS Site and their Recipe Section so be on the look out over there.  It contains the following ingredients: Cashews, Almond Milk, Organic Vanilla Extract, Coconut Butter with Coconut Sugar, Agave Nectar and/or NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia, a pinch of sea salt.

After having a little bit of this pudding last night I spent most of the evening doing research and writing.  Cricket sat at my feet when I was at the computer.  She was so patient - which isn't usually her strong point.  So I laid with her for a while before falling asleep.  She seemed to really LOVE it.  Paco was a bit of a slug last night because I had to give him a pain pill for his knees/hips.  He was still running around but you could tell he was like a penguin on slick ice half the time.  Riley was lazing-out, too!

Remember there is still time to LINK UP on this week's MidWeek Munchies - CLICK HERE!

Cricket, Hair, and Such

TGIF!  Just doing a quick post for today as I plan to switch gears starting next week post-Vegan MoFo.  Remember you can still sign up for the MoFo Off Season Community just click on the first graphic at the top of my sidebar for full details.  Today I thought I would share some photos of Cricket.  These were taken a few weeks ago when we are camping.  I brought her the one day and she really loved hanging out!

That first photo - I swear she's going to start speaking English or something - look at the LOOK on her face!  In the 2nd and 3rd photos she was looking out the window.  And the 4th one was one of the days I took her to work.  She walks around the office like she owns the place - I swear!  I will have near future posts and updates on the other furkids very soon!  Thanks to those of you who always ask about Paco (who has ongoing immune issues)

Here's a silly photo of me - a selfie - after getting my hair done.  It was LONG overdue.

Tonight is my husband's 25th High School Reunion.  I have some ideas as to how the events might go down but I will save it for a post next week!

It's sure to be a brew-haha!

The weather is REALLY cooling down RAPIDLY.  I will for-sure have to wear layers tonight to the reunion.

This week has been a week of QUICK MEALS, Convenience Items, and Comfort Foods.  Next week I will be changing that.  My goal is to start in with more warming soups next week and I want to get back to veganizing world foods, too!

This last photo is of one of the vegan white sauces I made for pasta this week.  Its base is Pine Nuts.  It was quite good but still me I don't think I wrote down the recipe!  Eeeeek!

Question of the Day: Tell me about the last sauce you made from scratch!

Rooftop Garden Check-in & Cricket Update

I've had a few people ask me how our Rooftop Garden has been doing this year.  I haven't talked about it as much and I probably should.  We didn't do as many things this year because of less people to help with it and those who do most of it have been busier than usual.  But what we do have - I have taken some recent photos in the last week or so and will be posting a video, soon, too!

This year we have 3 different kinds of tomatoes we are trying.  2 out of the 3 are starting to produce something.  I will be posting more about which kinds at a later date.  Here's a pic of one of them in the meantime.

You know me and BASIL - I love it!  We have 2 'trees' of it we started this year as you can see here and we have one left inside near a window leftover from last year.  We have 2 'just starting out' plants that are growing from a 'drop off' from previous plants.

My mother has like 9 basil plants doing well in her back yard and she doesn't even use basil much so I guess it's time to start making pesto, eh!?  I know each time I mention it I have people interested in taking some once it's made.  I think I will make that a mini goal for this week and next week!

Another mini goal of mine SHOULD BE to do something with all of the Lemon Balm that is popping up everywhere!  I brought a little bit over from my mom's and it's going NUTS!

We have 3 containers of it going strong and I'm not doing anything with it...it's taking off on its own completely.

All I can think of is include it in tea but I want to try and come up with some home remedies and health/beauty ways to use it, too!

Suggestions for Lemon Balm?  Let me know!

And just a quick update on Cricket before I go...here she is!  She's a sweetie!  Ever since we lost Suzie - Paco and Riley have been going thru the motions with no real 'leader' and Cricket is leader - that is for sure!

She loves riding in the car, going for walks with fur friends, and doesn't mind baths.  But she doesn't like her nails done...so that will be something I will need assistance with soon!  She's still around 4 pounds and done growing but she has no idea that she isn't as 'big' as the other dogs!

My Blissful Camping Journey Begins

Because of all the goodies I have been sharing and contests and giveaways I have been slacking on my other posts but I have LOTS to share! Over the next couple of weeks I have LOTS going on so I will be schedule-posting a lot of things and when I get back from fair week in a few weeks I will have many more posts to share. 

Special THANKS to every who entered the NuNaturals Giveaway!  I will be choosing 4 winners today and will announce them later today in a separate post!  

As you can see above I have something new to tell you about!  Yup!  We bought a camper!  We do have an older camper that is 'planted' up in the woods near my husband's family's land but that has been there since we bought it YEARS ago and will remain there.  This recent purchase is the one we will be 'babying'.  For the most part we will be storing it at the fair grounds and doing a lot of camping there.  Maybe next year we will branch out and take it places but for now we have a plan and that plan involved being at the grounds most of this year.  Hubby's on the fair board and I've been helping when I can.  Last night I stained a wishing well and over the weekend I stained a few decks near the Entertainment Office and Radio Booth.  Saturday there was a show and I worked the food booth, too!

Friday Night and again on Sunday I took Cricket with me over to the grounds.  She really enjoyed it.  Hubby's aunt/uncle's dog Abby was there and the two of them played a while.  Before going back on Sunday I took Cricket over to my parents house and she played with their dog Lexi.  She was quite active this weekend.  I took her into the camper for the first time and as you can see she approved!

The fair is less than 3 weeks away and it seems we are living and breathing everything fair!  Not only is Dale on the fair board we are there full time there for work that week, too!  One of the things I will be posting about is my adventures in mostly vegan food that week like I did last year but this year I will be there even more than previous years so I am sure I will have more to share this time around!  That and the music!  We have 4 concerts this year!  AND new to the radio booth we will have a prize wheel!  AND we always pass out 3 or 4 thousand Whirley Mugs and this year we will pass out about 300 bags of chips for free, too!  Yes...it will be a busy one!  OH!  And I almost forget...this year I will be Dale's co-host on the air each day! 

I'm sure I will have more pictures and posts from the fair grounds before, during, and after that week.  In the meantime I thought I would also show you a neat pic of one of the mushrooms I saw last weekend!