Recent Cheap Eats & Zonta Happenings

Today I have updates on recent cheap eats and local Zonta updates.  I thought I would start off with food stuff and I'm working a little backwards because this is what I had to eat last night for dinner.  I made a couple of sandwiches.  Chickpea Sandwich Spread Sandwiches to be exact.  I still had some canned chickpeas from a Brandless order in my pantry.  I added some Just Mayo, Garlic, Parsley, Black Sea Salt, and Smoked Paprika.  I made a double batch so I still have some for dinner tonight.  I might try and pair it with something else, maybe, to change it up.

I've been a little too addicted to making sauces and homemade vegan sour creams with a cashew base.  It's been too pricey and I really shouldn't do that in January which is the worst month budget-wise.  So I challenged myself to make a vegan Mac & Cheese with no nuts, no seeds, no potato/carrot-combo, and using just a few ingredients.  This is what I came up with.  It's been a while for a vegan cheese sauce like this for me.  I used a little Vegan Butter Flavored Coconut Oil, Earth Balance, Yellow Mustard, Flour, Almond Milk, Onion Sea Salt, and Nutritional Yeast.  It turned out pretty good.

Saturday I continued cleaning our kitchen that has gotten out of hand.  While I was doing that I was able to take some time to cook a few things for a bit of meal prep...such as Lentils!  But before I get to what I did with the lentils I have to tell you about this dish, first.  What you see in the photo above is a Sweet Potato Spinach Mash topped with leftover homemade vegan sour cream.  It was AMAZING!

Enter the LENTILS!  After I cooked up the lentils I added the leftovers from the Sweet Potato and Spinach Mash and that is what you see in this next photo  I ended up adding quite a bit more vegan sour cream (because...why not) and it was super tasty!

Late last week we had our monthly Zonta meeting.  This month was a lunch (next month will be a dinner).  They are VERY open to vegan options and always accommodating!  This month we did a Taco Bowl Bar!  This was mine!  They set aside the bean and corn salsa without the dressing special for me and they had a taco seasoned chicken that was cooked separately and offered off to the side!  Of course, I passed that over and opted for extra avocado instead!  Mine contained Quinoa, Tomato, Corn, Black Beans, Avocado, Red Onion, and Lime Juice.

During our Luncheon, we recognized 3 women in our community who make a difference.  These are the 3 ladies we recognized.  I knew all 3 of them.  The one I nominated is the person on the right.  She is highly involved with several dozen aspects of our county fairgrounds as well as our local Red Cross.  The person in the middle is involved with many literacy programs, student programs, senior citizen programs, voter registrations, and others.  And the person on the left is involved with early childhood education, child literacy, area fire departments and first responders, and more.

That evening we had a Service Committee Meeting.  That went really well and we planned for the next several months.  In addition, we had another Free The Girls (FTG) Bra Shipping Party!  We shipped another 456 bras in 5 large boxes!  

Stresemann's Bristlefront & Lazy Vegan Meals!

For the new year I am going to include more animals on my blog.  More specifically ones that need attention.  Whether that be educating myself and others about an Endangered Species or posting about another animal in need.  I thought I would start this off by sharing info about a bird that goes by Stresemann's Bristlefront.  I have been reading on this bird because of the information I received in my inbox from The American Bird Conservatory.

It's a unique bird that nests in underground tunnels.  They went unrecorded for over 50 years.  Back in 1995, there were about 15 birds that were located.  As of today, there is only 1 individual female bird of its kind that has been accounted for.  Professionals are saying that it's due to logging and other issues as to why the Stresemann's Bristlefront Bird could be the world's rarest bird.  It was recently found in Northern Brazil.

The group is trying to raise money to locate and start bringing the species back from the brink.  You can learn more about that HERE and even hear what she sounds like. 

I've been in RESEARCH MODE over the last several months.  Whether it's for the Votes For Women National Trail to celebrate 100 years of Women's Right To Vote and how I can submit historical places in my area to show up on the national trail map - or if it's Geography based to learn more about different countries and cultures.

While researching different countries and islands and such I have been keeping an eye on my Flag Counter.  It's the widget on my sidebar if you scroll to the bottom.  Yesterday I had people from 40 different countries visit my blog!  Overall, I've had 223 countries visit.  As of today, I'm only missing 20 country flags!  I will be researching these 20 countries and see how I can not only learn more about their culture but their foods and see if I can veganize them!

Speaking of food, I'll move on to my LAZY MEALS as of late!  The photo you see above is a little diddy I threw together.  It's made of frozen, riced Cauliflower & Sweet Potato.  I added Tofu that I pan fried and added garlic while pan frying.  I added a little brown sugar and dijon mustard and mixed well.  I know it sounds like a strange flavor combo but I'm kind of hooked on it now.

This past Sunday we went to a potluck and my mom and I made a HUGE tossed/veggie salad and some Vegan Macaroni Salad.  Here is a photo of the Mac.  We made the elbow mac like we usually do and then I added Just Mayo, Frozen Peas, Relish, Garlic Pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning!  We brought back an empty container.  I know most people didn't know it was vegan!

Another lazy meal I made not too long ago was this dish.  I made it in the microwave.  It has Rice, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, and Tomato Sauce.  It only cost about $2 to make and I had enough for 2 to 3 meals!

Vegan Air Fryer Ideas, Raw Food, More Vegan Finds!

I think I'm back to the point of 'regular' blog posts!  Woot!  So I will do away with the 6-pack of photo splashes for now.

I briefly mentioned getting my parents an Air Fryer for Christmas.  Well, we actually bought my sister and brother in law one - as well as - my hubby's grandmother an Air Fryer, too!

So...basically, I'm the only one in my family that doesn't.  I'm thinking in the near future that might change.  DH also is intrigued by InstaPots so I'm betting that will be in our future, too!

Because I have been spending more time at my parent's house since my Dad has been out of the hospital I thought I would see what the Air Fryer could do!

Mom and I did Sweet Potato Fries from raw...and then we did Asparagus from raw, too!  

The Raw Sweet Potatoes took a little longer than frozen - I would imagine.  They turned out great!  As for the Asparagus - the taste was intense - which we all liked - and we like the crisp - but - if you let these little buggers sit too long they get a little rubbery...so serve immediately!

 While we were traveling we visited a different Ollie's...not the one in our own town...that I normally post about.  I found a Raw Food Cookbook at the other store for only $3.99.  Of course, I had to grab it!

This will be a shorter post today because I'm in a hurry and have a lot on my plate for the day!

Yesterday I stopped in at our local ALDI and found Good Foods Plant Based Dips!!!!  Woot!  Check out this Queso Dip that IS VEGAN!  It was pretty darned tasty!  I have to buy more ASAP!

Thayers Unboxing, New Camper, Christmas Recap, LOTS of Veganized Food, Family Update!

I'm ALMOST to the point where I am caught up enough to start posting regular daily posts again!  YAY!  This SHOULD be the last post of 6-pack splash of photos!

In this first photo, you can see the kitchen in our new camper!  I'm sure I will elaborate on that soon!  But...YES...we traded in our 2014 Starflight Travel Trailer and bought a 2017 Cougar 5th Wheel! 

I recently received a WONDERFUL gift box from Thayer's!  I will be doing a full post on this VERY SOON!  Spoiler warning...I LOVE the products Thayers sent me!  There was a soap bar, Lozenges, and 2 Witchhazels!  One was cucumber and a spray and the other was lavender and a large bottle at that!

My father was recently in the hospital.  Right before Christmas, actually.  We were thrilled to have him home in time for the festivities!  He's been a lifelong Asthmatic and had 3 bouts with a terrible cold over the last couple of months.  It turned into Bronchitis.  He was treated by his regular doctor for that but everything they gave him didn't work.  He ended up in the hospital and had Severe Bronchial Spasms.  He was put on at least 3 steroids - among other things!  He would go on hour long coughing jags.  It was very scary!  With all the steroids he was on it messed with his blood sugar.  They tried combating that with other things and that messed with his heart rate.  They combatted that and it messed with his oxygen levels.  Now that he is home he has made a lot of changes to his diet and really keeping tabs on his diabetes.  He's doing much better with the bronchial issues - THANK GOD!  I signed him up over at MyFitnessPal and they are cooking at home a lot more.  Mom and Dad are trying new foods, too!  He's already lost 7 pounds!

The plate of food you see above is one of the meals I ate with them the one night (minus the chicken he added to his plate).  Mom and I made seasoned Sweet Potatoes, Seasoned Cauliflower, and I made some pasta.  Sweet Potatoes are a near freebie for him so we are trying to incorporate more and more into his diet.  I bought them an Air Fryer for Christmas.  This was even before all of the doctors and such.  So far they have tried Sweet Potato Fries and Asparagus in there and enjoyed it.

As you can see in the one photo...my little niece is holding a hella-huge Sweet Potato.  She thought it was a football and started running around the house with it!  GOD...I love her!

Here you can see Trinity in her Christmas Eve Coat.  It's a faux fur type material that her other grandmother made for her.

I've been posting a lot of the Thayers stuff on IG because I love it so much!

A few days before Christmas I was still going over to my parent's house a lot for my Dad's meals and holiday prep!  My mother found crazy leggings at Walmart for $2 each.  She bought a few pairs and we decided to wear them that night and again on Christmas Day...you will see that photo below with my sister and Trinity photo bombing us!

Like I said before, my father is starting to eat more and more Sweet Potatoes!  And to be honest I have been too!  I figured WHY NOT and other than stand alone and fries I haven't done much with them.

I was trying to figure out what to top it with and I'll tell ya...I have a new favorite!  Baked Sweet Potato topped with Salsa and Guacamole!  YUM!

A while back I found Kite Hill Rav's and finally made them the one night for dinner!  I LOVED them and can't wait to get my hands on them again!

On Christmas Eve, my mother made some Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins!  They turned out GREAT!  We had them on Christmas Morning!  Other Christmas Eve foods you can see above are...Vegan Cream Cheese Pinwheels or Roll-ups that I made with Daiya Cream Cheese...my sister made a Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.  She used Earth Balance Mayo, Tofutti Sour Cream, and Follow Your Heart Parm.  Mom made some Spiral Pasta, and we also made some Cheesy Potatoes!  They made a regular version for them and a vegan version for me!   Actually, it was a tag team effort...my mom made the potatoes and left some out for me after cooking them up plain...she then added Daiya Shreds and baked.  She was busy with other hustle and bustle so I took them out of the oven and added Earth Balance Margarine and more Daiya Shred!  They were YUMMY!

Christmas Eve, Trinity wore a cute plaid dress under that coat (pic above).  The next morning she had a blast opening presents and we had an even bigger blast watching her!  She got a Disney Tent/Tunnel thing from my parents as you can see above.

The last two photos on the bottom here show her opening gifts and one of the things Dale and I bought her...a Farmers Market Produce Cart!  Leave it to the VEGAN AUNT, eh!? 

Christmas Morning we always do a big breakfast!  I usually make grits.  To mine, I add vegan cheese.  This year I had some leftover Smoked Gouda I cubed up from the night before.  I paired that with leftover Vegan Spinach Artichoke dip from the night before and it was darn tasty!  I ALMOST forgot to mention that I finally used the JUST EGG and my first attempt with it was a success.  I did a plain omelet.  I'm looking forward to trying other omelets and getting more creative with the product down the road.  I threw a little salsa and gauc on there, too...and a half bagel!

This is the time of year we usually try and pinch pennies a bit.  First quarter is always tighter than the rest.  I wanted to see what I could buy for very little and will probably be doing more of this in the coming months as I have in Jan-Feb-Mar in years past.  I recently went to our local Tops and bought 6 different frozen veggies, 4 cans of tomato sauce, rice, and quinoa.  I only spent about $8 on this trip!

How was your Holiday Season?

Riced Cauliflower Diddy & Plant Strong Book

The days seem to be getting away from me!  I have been meaning to blog about a dish I made from the Thug Kitchen 101 Cookbook but I lost the photo!  That is mostly due to the fact that I FINALLY got a new phone!  I've been watching mine die and slow and painful death for at least a year now.  I'm stubborn.  That's my problem.  But anyways...

I did take this pic on my new phone last night!  I'm already like the camera on my new phone a whole lot better!  This dish was FAB by the way!  I used frozen diced cauliflower and then threw in those frozen cubes of garlic, onion, and cilantro.  I also used a can of diced tomatoes!  I will be doing this dish more and soon!  I LOVED it!  Oh!  I also added smoked paprika, cumin, and nutritional yeast!  YUM!

For Valentine's Day hubby asked me what I wanted.  I told him flowers die in 3 days and I would enjoy vegan cookbooks WAY MORE!  So he did just that...he gave me the nod to go on a vegan cookbook shopping spree of sorts.

I just received this one in the mail today.  I will surely update you in the next couple of weeks the other books I got, too!

I ordered them off of Jet because I have found them to be lower in price most of the time.

I've been a fan of Rip Esselstyn and other members of his family for a while now and thought I would finally add this book to my collection!  What are some of the books on your wishlist lately?

Random Updates & My Parents Went to St. Lucia(...And All I Got Was Digital Photos)

I might be showing my age here...but does anyone remember when they were growing up and someone went on vacation and you either gave or received a T-Shirt that said 'so and so went to (insert location here) and all I got was this (insert adjective) T-Shirt!!  Well, my parent recently got back from St. Lucia and I'm so glad they had a great time eventho I was back here freezing my arse off!

They did, however, send me photos while they were away and I thought I would share some of them with you, too!  Up top, you can see a gorgeous sight, eh?  And here to the left, you can see my father.  Apparently, my parents went on a Pirate Ship Adventure and my dad was able to shoot a canon.  My mom opted to dance with some of the crew!

Not only did they send me photos they also brought home some coins from the island - as well as - Canada - since they flew out of Toronto.  I was greatly appreciated!  St. Lucia is one of the islands/countries that use the East Caribbean States currency.

Since we used to live right near the Canadian border I still had a few low-value coins from a while back but since travel to/from Canada now requires a passport and I still don't have mine it's been several years since I have been up there.

Since my parents know I'm a reggae and Bob Marley fan they sent me a photo of one of the Bob Marley inspired drinks they had while they were there.

I love the colors!

The first full day they were gone we had another snow storm.  Blah!

Other than that, yesterday and the day before were pleasant...the weather was in the 40s each day.  But today we are back to more snow and temps in the 20s.

Can you tell I was jealous of their beautiful weather and sightseeing?

In related yet additional news...DH was also out of town last week - Wednesday thru Saturday.  So it was pretty strange not having anything to do but, to be honest, all I wanted to do is be under warm blankets when I wasn't at work.

As you can see...Cricket had the same idea.

The last couple of days, DH has been REALLY sick.  He picked up some bug that he and at least 6 other people got, too, while at a convention.  I've been sleeping downstairs so I don't get it.

I think the furkids enjoyed the HOME TIME.  Paco has been burrowing under more than one blanket for weeks on end, now!

With all this cold weather, I tend to go into HERMIT MODE.  Sometimes I don't even feel like thinking about what to eat or make to eat for that matter.

One of my default foods is vegan nachos.  Sometimes I go simple with homemade vegan cheese and salsa.  Altho, not pictured here, recently I added some homemade vegan sour cream, too!  Sometimes I add veggies, other sauces, spices, etc.

About a week ago I did do a vegan grocery haul after watching The Vegan Zombie's take on it.  2 items that were not in his video that were also new-to-me items were these two soups you can see here.

As you know, I enjoy making my own soups, and you will see that I have done just that later in this post.  But, I also came across these two at my local Dollar Tree and thought I would give them a whirl.  For a buck - they come in handy at work - when I don't have time to make something else or get something downtown.

Both of these soups were clearly marked VEGAN, not once, but twice!  I tried them both and they were pretty good.  Heck, I would buy them again for a dollar!  Why not!

Here's the other one I found.  In addition to this thrifty vegan grocery shopping, I must tell you about another SCORE at the STORES, lately.  I had won a gift card a while back and wanted to see how many articles of clothing I could buy with it.

I went to our local Label Shopper and to my surprise, they were having their $3, $4, $5, and UP Sale.  I walked away with 16 shirts for a total of $57.  I bought one shirt for $6 but the rest of them were between $2 and $5 each.

This was great because a lot of what I was able to find I could layer for the extremely cold weather we have been having lately.  Which was something I was lacking in work clothes.

And finally, here is that soup I was telling you about!  It's a vegan Black Bean blended soup.  The swirl you see is homemade cashew cream or 'sour cream'.

Ingredients include 1 C Black Beans, 1 C Salsa, 1 Small Onion, 2 Cloves Garlic, 2 Cooked Carrots, 4 C Water, Pinch each of sea salt - cumin - cayenne - celery salt - cilantro.

And then I added some of the cashew cream and a squirt of Sriracha.

Cashew Dill Dip, Coin Update, Pain Update, Vegan Grocery Hauls, Veganized Great Depression Cooking, & Tomato Cakes

I'm really trying to make the most of this crappy weather that we have been experiencing but it's difficult.  Especially when my parents are soaking up the sun in St. Lucia for about a week.  Lucky Stinkers!

I've been testing new recipes, doing research on several topics, and making mini goals for myself.

Yesterday I made this Cashew Dill Dip.  It's made up of 2 C Cashews, 2 C Water, 4 T Lemon Juice, 1 Small Onion, 6 Cloves Garlic, Dill and Black Sea Salt to taste.

Today I had some HAPPY MAIL - about 30 coins from all over the world.  I was VERY excited to add these to my collection.  I'm up to 98 countries now!

I've been trying to tackle ongoing pain issues that seem to mirror Fibromyalgia.  I've upped my intake of Spirulina & Chlorella and hope to up my Vitamin C, B, D, & Magnesium mostly thru foods. 

Today I did 2 mini budget hauls.  This first one was at my local herbs store.  It was unplanned but these items caught my eye because they were on the discount shelf (except for the Hemp Hearts which I needed).  Those were over $8.  Other than that the rest of what you see here was roughly $10.  As an afterthought - I don't think I have ever tried the Kamut Spirals, Spinach Spaghetti, or those Simply Organic flavors before.  The last couple of times I bought Hemp Hearts online they were about $6 so I know they can be found cheaper but since I was already there and it is a small business and locally owned business I thought I would splurge a bit.

As for this other grocery haul - it was 'sort of' planned.  What I mean by that is - I watched The Vegan Zombie's video on Vegan Shopping at Dollar Tree and thought I would see what I could find at ours. I found 2 soups that were clearly marked vegan, Gnocchi, Soy Milk, Bread, Olive Oil, Chickpeas, Black Beans, Sweet Corn, Saltines, and Diced Tomatoes.  The Diced Tomatoes were 2 for $1 and the Corn was 79 cents...other than that the rest was $1 each.  That bought my total to $12.79.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I have been doing a lot of research.  I like to call it 'personal enrichment' or throw it in the 'more you know' category.  Regardless...check this out!  One of the many things I have been researching lately is Great Depression Cooking.  I have looked into that topic in the past before but the spark was re-lit the past couple of days.  This also falls into 'Eating on a Budget' that I like to do as much as possible.  What you see here are Tomato Cakes.

Tomato Cakes are made up of 2 ingredients.  Canned, Diced Tomatoes and Saltine Crackers.  All I did was crumble up about 30 Saltines and mixed them in with 1 can of diced tomatoes.  I then made patties out of them and pan-fried them with a little oil.  If you want you can kick it up a notch and use Basil infused oil for a twist.  These turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  I topped them with leftover Cashew Dill Dip.  I will be making these again and soon!  They cost $2 or less for an entire batch.  I easily made 10 patties out of these ingredients!

Vegan Pupusas & Sauce

A couple of weeks ago when we were in Erie and visited Giant Eagle I saw these 'bad boys' in the freezer section.  I had never seen them before and I don't think I ever had a Pupusas and even if I did they were very memorable so I wanted to try these.

It was 1 of about 3 items I bought that day.  I really appreciate that the ingredient list was so short on these, too! 

Organic Corn Masa (Organic Corn Masa, Trace of Lime), Water, Black Beans, Corn, Olive Oil, Salt...those are the ONLY ingredients!

Of course, you know me...I have to have a dipping sauce.  I didn't have many ingredients to work with in the frig or in the pantry.  

All I did for this was take some leftover salsa and add a little bit of water, garlic, balsamic Vinegar, and about 2 ounces of cashews to my Vitamix and blend until smooth.  I think it turned out pretty good, actually!

And speaking of cashews...I found 2 ounce bags of them at the Dollar Tree so I grabbed 2 bags to tide me over until I can get a pound of them at Aldi's later this weekend.

I have 2 posts today so make sure you scroll down and check out the other one, too!  Question of the day - do you enjoy a dipping sauce for your Pupusas?  If so I would love to hear about it in comments!  CHEERS!

This Is What Happens When I'm Too Lazy To Eat Vegetable Curry...

Yesterday I posted a recipe I used for 'whatever you have in your kitchen' Curry and I had a lot of leftovers but the problem I was having was I wanted something super simple to digest and I was being lazy and didn't want to be a slob and get the huge broccoli chunks all over me.  So I decided to put it in my blender and pulse and this was the outcome.  I know it probably doesn't look pretty to some people but it sure was yummy!  I added a little bit more smoked paprika and turmeric powder!  Yummers!

I figured I would also take this time to do a bit of catching up on what I have been watching, listening to, reading, writing, etc...

What I'm Watching...

Or...should I say...what I watched?  Yup!  I binged watched it and I'm NOT sorry!  I can't wait for season 3

As for music I always have an eclectic mix.  Lately, it's been flashing back to Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty while squeezing in some 90's Billy Joel and Guns N Roses.  Not to mention some random show tunes now and again!  Oh yeah...and some Reggae to lift my mood!

As far as what I'm reading and writing...well...

I write commercials for a living (among other things) so I'm always writing something.  But lately, I have gotten back into writing short poems.  I haven't done this in many years.

As for reading, I'm not like most people...I don't ready books cover to cover.  I read collections of poetry, magazines, cookbooks, and such.  

I have so many eBooks that I have been thumbing thru that there are too many to remember but some of them off the top of my head are...

The Best Sh*t I've Ever Made by Tess Challis
Mend Your Way To Healthy, Happy, and Strong by Victoria Moran
Heal Your Hunger Workshop from Alex Jamieson
#MakeItYourself Healthy Kitchen Essentials from Happy & Raw
7 Day Healthy Dinner Challenger Quick Start Guide from Happy & Raw

What about you!?

"What Ever You Have" Curry

It's been 'slim pickins' with the foods that are left in my pantry and the last thing I actually bought was (canned) lite coconut milk so I knew I could get away with some sort of curry.  

I like to call this my "What Ever You Have" Curry

If you are anything like me - it's all about the curry sauce or broth that can make it or break it and I knew I was CRAVING a savory one so here is what's in this version - this time around...

1 can of Organic Light Coconut Milk

2 T Coconut Oil

3 to 4 Tomatoes, Diced

1 t Minced Onion

1 T Minced Garlic

1 t Garam Masala

1 t Curry Powder

1 t Turmeric

1/4 t Cumin

1 t Lemon Juice

Pink or Black Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

2 t Coconut Flour

About 6 or 7 Mini Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers, Diced

About 1 Pound of Broccoli

About 1/2 C Corn

Smoked Paprika to taste

This 'hit the spot' and I will be doing variations of this recipe again very soon!

What's In My Kitchen ~ Current Top 10 ~ 2 X 2

For once I really wasn't sure what to blog about because I haven't been buying much even in the way of groceries and what I have been buying is pretty standard.  I haven't done a What's In My Kitchen in a long time so I thought I would do one today.  This time around I thought I would do my Current Top 10 in 2X2 format.  So...2 in each category!

SPICES - Turmeric & Smoked Paprika

I try and add Turmeric in as much as I can and it's tremendously easy to include in sauces, dips, and spreads!  Same with Smoked Paprika!  I just use a pinch in just about everything and it really kicks it up a notch!

Everyday Fruits/Veggies - Tomatoes & Mini Peppers

I eat some form of tomatoes nearly every day!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I REALLY enjoy sweet red bell and mini peppers, too!  Especially Red, Orange, and Yellow!  I eat a LOT of these and they usually have a top spot on my What's In My Kitchen List!

Nuts/Seeds - Sunflowers & Cashews

Cashews are almost always on my list whether it's actually IN my kitchen or on my grocery or wishlist.  However, I have had to start replacing them with Sunflowers lately because of prices and availability.  I adore both of them but haven't found them as interchangeable as some other bloggers...YET. 

Tools - Tupperware Holiday Cups & BlendTec Wild Side

Many of you may know that I have a VitaMix that I use often but a few years ago I bought a BlendTec Wild Side Jar that attached on my Vitamix base.  I still use my Vitamix but will also use this BlendTec Jar other times.  Just like anything I think there are Pro's and Con's to each.  The most important PRO for me for the BlendTec Wild Side Jar is that it's more user-friendly in getting the contents out (better than the Vitamix Jar).

One purchase I haven't talked about yet was Tupperware.  A friend of mine had a book party and I grabbed the Holiday cups similar to the one of the top of this photo.  They are small and cute.

Condiments: Lemon Juice & Dijon Mustard

I have found that I am using more and more Dijon Mustard in my sauces, dips, spreads as of late to enhance the flavors.  Lemon Juice is almost ALWAYS in my frig, too!

Convenience Items: Aldi Guacamole & Vegan Veggie Burgers

Avocadoes are ALWAYS expensive where I live.  The cheapest place to buy them here is my local Aldi but the last 6 months or more even Aldi's has made it so I can't or won't purchase them.  As of this weekend, they were priced at $1.69 each....the highest I have seen them at Aldi.  So instead, I opted for one of their prepared Guac's which was priced at $2.99 but you get 2 packets which would last me longer than 1 Avocado!  The other convenience item is their Vegan Veggie Burgers which I blogged about last week.  I added them to Taco's this weekend!  YUM!

Must-Have's For Munchies: Carrots & Celery

I have been trying to shy away from massive amounts of corn chips and have been opting for Carrots and Celery Sticks instead.  So far - so good!

Oils: Grapeseed & Pumpkin Seed

As many of you know, I sell Wildtree Products.  But not for long because we will end that journey the end of this year.  I have and will probably continue to use Grapeseed Oil as my main oil of choice when I do use oil, however, I found some Pumpkin Seed Oil a few months ago at a really good price and I'm almost done with that bottle.  I will be on the lookout for new good deals on oils, soon!

Superfoods/Additions: Sprouts & Chlorella

As you can see from my recent blog posts I have been getting into sprouting again and have been trying to include Chlorella into my daily intake more and more.

Superfood Contents: Genuine Health Gut Superfood Summer Berry Pomegranate & Hemp Seeds

Here's a new product I need to tell you about and upon opening the tub it smells AMAZING! It's Genuine Health Gut Superfood Summer Berry Pomegranate! @genuinehealth #GHsuperfoods - Genuine Health sent me samples to work with and I'm in the process of working on ways to include this product in some recipes. In the meantime, I'm simply mixing it into water and BAM! There you go! I'm always excited to try a new product that helps with gut health and is VEGAN!

WHAT'S IN YOUR KITCHEN Link-Up!

Simple Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Side Dish ~ My New Favorite Comfort Food!

Since I have been trying to avoid bread and pasta this month and because I didn't want to buy anything at the store until I absolutely HAD to - I have been eating some really odd things! 

This was one of them.  But it ended up being VERY memorable!  I went to Giant Eagle in Erie a weekend or two ago and found a bag of frozen Cauliflower and Sweet Potato.  Those were the ONLY 2 ingredients!  So, of course, I was curious about them! 

I heated them up in a frying pan on the stovetop and added a bit of Earth Balance, Cinnamon, and a pinch of Black Himalayan Sea Salt.  It was absolutely incredible!  It was certainly a comfort food!  In addition, I did a side-by-side with frozen corn.  I always like adding dill to my corn!  YUM!

I had some leftovers of both side dishes.  I found a can of spinach that I had to use quickly so I decided to throw it all together in a bowl.  This was the outcome.  It was pretty good, too!  Next time I would probably try adding a sauce and a bean of some sort.

Have you ever seen and/or tried the frozen, diced Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Combo?

I have been working on a few projects in the evening that requires research so I have been at my desktop typing away.  The other night I turned around and saw Riley and Cricket basically spooning!  LOL

Fall is certainly here.  It's getting much colder.  The last few mornings have been at freezing point. 

I hope to do some more soups and blender recipes and dishes soon!  Happy Friday!

Mixing Leftovers & A New Mug!

Here's one of 3 new mugs I bought over the weekend!  It's from a local vendor that I couldn't find online anywhere but HAD to post this bit of pottery!  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  I will save the other 2 mugs for a later date.

As for my Food Challenge for this week - I didn't spend any additional money yesterday on food and used leftovers and added it to something I had a little bit left of in my pantry...pasta!  It turned out tasty!  It was a bunch of stuff thrown together that is for sure!  I ate it for dinner last night and the rest today for lunch!

I used the leftover black beans, and leftover cauliflower rice, carrots, and peas from the night before and added it to elbow mac.  I used - all to taste - Vegan Mayo, Dijon Mustard, and Garlic...YUM!

This is a different take on a Vegan Macaroni Salad.

Also a good way to get in more veggies for the day!

I was pleasantly surprised!