Scenic Views, Office Plants, Vegan Food, and a Cute Puppy!

I somewhat recently found 2 vegan waffles here is one of them.  When I do eat waffles I tend to eat them dry as a snack.

These were the other waffles I found.  I want to say I found one at Wegman's and the other at Mustard Seed but I'm not completely sure.

Here is another Amy's Kitchen Bowl I recently found at Target.  It was tasty!  I'm thrilled that Amy's is coming out with more vegan options.  I just wish they were a little cheaper.  I usually only grab them if they are on sale OR if it's something I have never tried before.

Here is another Gardein find.  I think I found this at Wegman's but maybe it was Mustard Seed.  I guess that's what I get for waiting so long to post my hauls, eh!?

Of course, this one I found at Trader Joe's!  I have to say I was a fan!  

I blogged yesterday about the VioLife Shred finds but I think they are worth another mention!

These are still in my frig and I'm hoping to eat them soon so they don't go bad.  Has anyone else tried them?  I think I found these at Erie Whole Foods Co-Op.

I've never tried these before but when I saw they were all vegan and all on sale I knew I had to grab them!  Has anyone else tried these yet?

I've been traveling around several different communities the last couple of months - for work - and more than usual.  This is a snapshot from Warren but there are several others I will be sharing over time, too!

This is another from the Warren area.  It's in the Crescent Park neighborhood near the hospital.

At the end of fair week I saw a teenage boy carrying a young puppy around in a bucket.  He said the puppy was newly adopted and overly tired so he wanted to carry him.  This puppy was 'happy as a clam' in this bucket!  It was so funny!

Oh!  I almost forgot to post this photo.  I'm sure I have other photos of this downtown Warren Hickory Street Bridge but it was just a gorgeous day so I had to take another snapshot!

Here is one of my office plants from a few weeks ago!  It's a Purple Waffle Plant.  If you look at the underside of the leaves...they are purple!

And this is my Sunny Star Croton Plant and I LOVE it!  It's one of my FAVES!  I would like to find a Croton that is tri-colored with red, orange, and yellow highlights!

More Vegan Finds, Plants, Community, and Such!

With the many months I took off from blogging - I still have TONS of photos and things to share!  I'm trying to schedule a few blog posts in between to try and catch up, too!

Here you can see one of the painted rocks I found this year.

This was on the fairgrounds.

I'm still LOVING these Swapples!  If you haven't tried them yet you should!  They are VERY dense and VERY filling!  Soooo versatile, too!

I ended up grabbing 3 different flavors of these at the beginning of summer and they helped me in between meals during fair week.  They are a little dry but the flavor is good.

I'm having some ups and downs with my office plants lately.  I'm pretty sure it's because fall and winter are coming.  I remember that happening last year.  This is one of the plants that seem to be doing well lately.  It's one of my newer plants.  It's called a Dragon's Tongue.

Near the end of August I attended a community event in Irvine, PA, at the Wilder Museum.  There was a speaker from SUNY JCC highlighting the life of a local suffragist by the name of Elnora Monroe Babcock who was born in Freehold Township and grew up around Columbus, PA.  She went on to do AMAZING things in the Suffrage Movement throughout the state of New York, too!

This isn't one of my plants but it's a hanging basket I got for my mom for Mothers Day and it's still going strong!

This past summer I spotted a new-to-me product from Earth Balance and HAD to try it.  It doesn't taste extremely different from their other vegan butters but it is tasty!

I was going to safe this for a work lunch some day but I ended up having it for dinner one night in stead.  It has been way too long since my last vegan meal from Annie Chun's!

I'm pretty sure my new favorite shreds are from VioLife!  I got these at Mustard Seed but just spotted them LAST WEEK at my local Tops and I couldn't be happier about it!

I also spotted a new-to-new product from Gardein while at Giant Eagle in Erie, I believe.  They are still in my freezer and I haven't tried them yet but I'm thinking it will be SOON!

At first taste I wasn't overly thrilled with this Good Karma product but have since paired it with some things like Salsa and it wasn't too shabby.

This is a product that Hillary and I have been boasting about on IG.  I really enjoyed it and wish I would have bought 5 more!  I'm pretty addicted to it, actually!

And here is one of the new-to-me Amy's Kitchen products I found at the Erie Target a while back.  I really enjoyed this, too!

Volunteering, Unboxing, Booch Making, Plant Saving, Vegan Eats!

Well, I had to break down and purchase a few groceries earlier than I wanted to but the plus side is that I bought all of this for $23 and I had a $25 gift card so at least I didn't have to touch my bank account.  I still have a lot of what you see here including the celery, hummus, rice, spaghetti sauce, and apple sauce.  I will be using those items as the week progresses.  

At the end of last week, I had some cubed butternut squash topped with a sweet brown mustard sauce my parents found at Walmart that just happened to be vegan.

Before I get into more of the foodie type photos I thought I would tell you about a few things that happened Friday and on to the weekend.  Most of you here in the states are aware of the government shutdown.  In our county we have approx. 100 federal employees AND their families that were being affected by it.  Friday I jumped in last minute and helped at a local church that was having a dinner for Furloughed Families.  There were about 150-200 people or-so that attended.  

When I saw on the church website they were saying there would be a tea/coffee bar - I knew I could help donate TEA from my boxes and boxes of tea leftover from The Sororitea Sisters.  I brought 3 boxes and gave away a lot of it and served a lot, too!

Saturday Morning I stopped over at a place here in town that does Community Breakfasts and volunteered there, too.  I wasn't sure if they would see an influx of people because of the Furloughed Families or not but I knew I had the time and wanted to help.  When I got there I learned that our local Special Olympics Athletes were going to be volunteering as well.  

It was a nice morning and those who volunteered with The Special Olympics did GREAT!  Over 20 years ago I volunteered with the Special Olympics for about 2 or 3 years and LOVED it!  I helped with Basketball, Track, Softball, and attended a few Swimming and Bowling tournaments.  I really enjoyed my time with the Athletes.  And I enjoyed Saturday morning with some of them serving breakfast, too!

I just received another goodie box from Thayers!  WooHoo!  I'm totally LOVING their products and have so much more to share with you but that will be for another day and another post!

Check this out!  BOOCH!  It's official!  My father and I started brewing!  I figured that my parents' house is the best place to try it!  He already has all of his winemaking stuff set up!  Special thanks to a family friend who gave us 2 SCOBY's to get us started!  YAY!  This was the 'granddaddy' of the booch we are brewing.  We had 2 smaller ones we are trying, too.  And with a creative way to cover them, too!  Up top...that's a sterile mouth mask that my dad had and it fit nicely.  We used a bunji cord on this one, too, just in case!

I do have more foodie pics...I swear...but first...my poor plant!  I'm told this is a Dumb Cane Plant.  I've had it for 5 years and over the last 2 or 3 months it's been wilting away to nothing.  I've been trying to save it any way I can.

But after months of this happening to 90 percent of the leaves I knew I didn't have any other choice but to hack it.  It pained me to do it but I had to!

It even had new growth on the top.  So, I took the better-looking tops off and I'm trying to propagate a few of them.  So far they aren't rooting so I'm not sure if they are going to work or not.

There was also new shoots on the bottom...as you can see here...after I hacked nearly everything off.

Here's another look at what I had to do to try and save what I could of this plant.  I'm not sure if it's going to work but time will tell and I will surely report back!

So...on to the FOOD!  First up...Potato Celery Soup!  Saturday I went over to my parents' house and my mom and I cooked for several hours and actually did some meal planning (which I am horrible at).

This soup contains the following:

1 T Earth Balance (Vegan Margarine)
1 T Coconut Buttery Flavored Oil (Vegan, of course)

1/2 Onion

3/4 Bunch of Celery (I used leaves)

2 Small Potatoes

2 Carrots
About 2 and 1/2 C Water
1/2 C Almond Milk
1/2 C FRESH Parsely
Pinch Onion Sea Salt
Pinch Black Pepper

After cooking everything in a pot until soft I took about 75 percent of the mixture and pulsed in a blender and then added the rest of the mixture in for a heartier soup.  It was YUMMY!  I think we also added just a little bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos and Old Bay Seasoning to it - to taste.

Next up...we made a HUGE batch of Lentil Veggie Stew.  This is the veggie part!  I could have totally eaten it just like this!  It was tasty!  We then added the Lentils and cooked down and it looked a little like this...

Here's what this recipe contained:

1 and a 1/2 C Green/Brown Lentils
Coconut Oil - Vegan Butter Flavored as needed
1 Sweet Onion
1 Carrot
2 Celery Stalks
1 Potato
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Zucchini

1 tea Ground Coriander
1 tea Ground Cumin
1 tea Turmeric
1/2 tea Cinnamon

2 and a 1/2 C Water
3 C Canned, Diced Tomatoes with Juice
1 C FRESH Parsely
2 T Lemon Juice
1/2 tea Old Bay Seasoning
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Agave Nectar - to taste

This was pretty wonderful and we divvied it up into many meals for my parents and myself for the week.

And...finally...Quinoa Black Bean Spinach Stuffed Peppers!  These had the following in them:

About 3 C Cooked Quinoa
3 C Spinach (cooked down)
1 C Black Beans
Oil as needed
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
2 tea Cumin
2 tea Smoked Paprika

1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Juice
1/4 C FRESH Cilantro
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Lemon Juice, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, Chili Powder - to taste

We put the mixture into 4 Bell Peppers that we cut lengthwise.  They looked a little dry and we all like sauce so we poured some sweet spaghetti sauce over top of them.

It worked really well!  And we are still eating leftovers!  My mom has been doing a lot of cooking for the two of them since my father has been out of the hospital and watching his food intake more.  He's been doing really well.  They aren't vegan or even vegetarian but they are eating more plant-based foods than before.  My father has lost about 15 pounds already.  And has enjoyed nearly everything we have been fixing!  PLUS...it's great because I can grab some leftovers! 

16 Days of Activism Re-Cap, Zonta, Vegan Christmas Cookies, BOOCH, Office Plants, More!

Happy New Year!

I'm still trying to catch up on the last several months so I'm sticking with the clumps of 6 to catch up on some photo posts.  In this post, you will see a lot of Zonta related posts because most of them were taken/posted during the 16 Days of Activism!  You can see the first one in the middle of the top row.

You can also see 3 Vegan Finds - 2 on the top and one on the bottom.  The Miyoko's I found while out and about - I think Wegman's.  I think I also found the new Zesty Daiya Cheese Sauce there!  And I know I found the soup that was on sale...actually...it looks like they aren't going to carry it anymore...so it was super cheap!

A snapshot of Cricket's lil paw-foot while she was sleeping on my lap and under the blanket - just because!  The one on the end and on the bottom was from the Friday after Thanksgiving when our Zonta Club Members were selling raffle ticket.  The money raised goes towards our many service projects!  More on those down the road!

I've told you about our new, local Ollies!  I have had good luck with vegan finds there - including Larabar Bites!  YUM!  At our local Tops, I found Red Lentil Pasta.  I really liked it!

I also briefly mentioned how I have made a few 'forts' in my parents Living Room for Trinity.  Here is a snapshot of one of those!  If you click on the pics - they get bigger - and you can see her in the right-hand corner.

I did find some Vegan Mashed Potatoes on sale while in my travels, too, I have had them before but since they were on sale I knew I had to grab them!  

Total Evolution in Warren hired a Vegan Chef and he specializes in Buddha Bowls!  There is one of the pictured in the top center of this 6.  

I recently spoke at a networking function for our local Women's Care Center.  Our Zonta Pres and I talked about our ongoing collection of new and gently used bras for FTG (Free The Girls).  You can see another photo of that on the bottom center and a few posts on the 16 Days of Activism.

I did try another Garde'in Bowl.  The flavor was ok but I could do without the fake chicken in this one.

For the past year or two I have been getting THE BIRD OF THE WEEK in my inbox from The American Bird Conservatory.  I LOVE seeing the different birds and regions they come from.  This one is the rarest of the rare...the Blue-Eyed Ground Dove.  It's found in Brazil and Critically Endangered.  As of the last count, there were only 16 left.  So sad - but - SO IMPORTANT to share!

Our FTG Bra Collection/Drop-Off made our local media...both radio AND print!

Over at The Whole Foods Co-Op in Erie, I spotted some Cheddar-Style Dip from The Honest Stand.  Since I haven't tried it before I scooped it up while I could!  It was alright!

I'm glad that my father is making wine again!  Here you can see some of his latest batch.  I helped bottle!  He does make vegan and non-vegan wine so he always lets me know which ones contain what.  The one pictured is vegan!

Over at The Whole Foods Co-Op they now have Aqua ViTea Kombucha - from Vermont - on Tap!  Woot!  I sampled a few that day and ended up buying one of the Blood Oranges.  It was FAB!

I have been spotting more Well YES!  Soups in more places!  I'm happy to see the vegan options and I have tried the vegan ones I have found - they are ok - but I prefer to make my own soups at home.

I was super stoked to see a Sabres Game on Hulu Plus LIVE a while back but they have been few and far between.  We thought we would get more LIVE Hockey games that we wanted to see so we recently discontinued that add-on because we weren't getting the use out of it, really, and we were trimming unnecessary costs across the board...more on that in a few...

In the meantime...I'll tell you more about our outings and adventures!  Including our stop at Mad Mex in Erie.  I LOVE that place because there are SO MANY vegan options - but - I haven't been there as often as I would like.  I am thankful for the last two times we did go, tho...once with hubby...and the other time with my parents, sister, and niece.

I found a HUGE tub of Follow Your Heart Sour Cream somewhere, too, and it had been YEARS since I tried their Sour Cream.  I have to say it's better than I remember it.  I do like making my own at home but when it's on sale I usually grab what I can.

Many places have been getting more of the Green Giant Diced and Riced Cauliflower Steamables.  Of course, I always double check the ones I purchase are vegan...some are and some aren't...but I'm thrilled they are coming out with more options that ARE VEGAN!

I couldn't resist this Drew's Grains and Kale Salsa!  It was hardier than most salsa's and pretty terrific!

We did make another trip to Mustard Seed in Ohio before the snow started flying!  I was pumped to find their own VEGAN Pumpkin Bread!  It was great!

Another thing I saw but didn't buy (and now wish I had) was Buddha's Hand!  Have you ever bought and made anything with Buddha's Hand?

I mentioned earlier about one Kombucha now being on tap in Erie but GUESS WHAT...there is a place in Warren that has BOOCH on tap now, too, it's Total Evolution and the BOOCH they have is Earth Below that is regionally brewed in Emporium, PA.  So far I have enjoyed everything I have tried from them!

And that blob in the middle on the bottom - NACHOS - with the sour cream and salsa I mentioned above. 

Eat Pastery VEGAN Cookie Dough is BACK at my local Wegman's!  I also grabbed one of the Wegman's brand BOOCHES while I was at it!

The Baba Ghannouj and Garde'in Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers were from Mustard Seed.  The Baba Ghannouj was ok...I like the one I have made better but haven't made it in ages...and when I see a vegan new-to-me-baba I have to try it!  And I had not seen the Chipotle Lime ones anywhere locally so I thought I would grab a package while at Mustard Seed.  I figured I wouldn't be back until spring.

A few people on IG have encouraged me to post more PLAYLIST and MUSIC stuff so that is what you see in the first photo above.  Then another furkids pic.  Then more Vegan Finds! 

The one is a Cashew Queso.  I found that at Mustard Seed, too, it was alright.  Because it was on sale I grabbed some old school Mac & Chreese.  The last time I saw the Hummus Pods I only bought one package.  I LOVED them so this time I tried two other flavors and they didn't disappoint!  LOVED THEM AGAIN!  I also found another Pupusas that was vegan and finally had those the other night for dinner and enjoy them quite a bit!

Our Zonta Club does 'gifts for mothers' thru our local Salvation Army and I donated a gift bag with goodies in there.  Most of which were vegan...including this Salt Scrub!

In the next several photos you can see some office plant progress.  I have re-potted a few since these were taken.  I have lost a few plants in the last couple of weeks, too, which is disappointing.

I have been drinking tea - as usual - and slowly but surely - submitting more reviews over at Sororitea Sisters.

I did find more VioLife cheeses!  YAY!  And Smoked Gouda from Daiya while in Ohio!  Along with Field Roast and LightLife sandwich slices.

More office plants!  The top 3 are currently doing well.  The one on the bottom right I have since lost.  For some reason, I don't have luck with Begonias.  I have NOT been successful with 4 different varieties of Begonias.

You can also see one of my quick lunches from a while back.  I think it was a Vegan Burger from ALDI and Couscous with Tomato Sauce.  I remember eating this over at my parent's house the one day and I shared some Couscous with Trinity and she LOVED it!

And another bottled BOOCH from Earth Below - available at Total Evolution!  I think that one was either the Honeycrisp Cinnamon or the Grapefruit Rosemary.

While at the Zonta Christmas Party - one of the other members made Vegan Coconut Lemon Balls!  They were AMAZING!

Oh Yeah!  And...Morning Star's Buffalo Wings are now VEGAN or at least have a Vegan Option and labeled differently!  They were on sale at Tops for 3 for $9 so I stocked up!  They are pretty good!  I haven't had many Morningstar products the last several years but glad they are coming out with more Vegan Options!

Since I have been pretty bored with TV lately I have been re-watching The Golden Girls.  Classic!

And more plants!  I was REALLY loving the one on the left...until it fell off the shelf and I lost quite a bit of it.  The African Mask plant on the right I LOVE, too!

This past Christmas I TRIED to do some vegan baking again...with supervision...that is!  I say that while laughing because I am an awful baker!  My mom and I tried a few recipes and everything tasted great!  The picture of the Lemon-Glazed Shortbread in the upper left took a while and was pretty hard the next day.  We found that if you put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds they softened well, tho.

I also have some pictures from the Zonta Christmas Party, too!  It was FUN!  You can see a few of us with the 'Gifts For Mothers' for the Salvation Army that I mentioned earlier, too!

And here are a few other vegan cookies I tried making this year!  The one in the upper left is actually a no-bake with only 3 ingredients we just needed to put them on something while they set.  Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, and Oats.

My parent's cats and my mom and I making fun of CVS's receipts - my mom only bought 3 things and her receipt was 4 and a half feet long!  CRAZY!  Such a waste!

Hubby and I judge Christmas Trees at a local factory.  I posted on IG a few of the trees!  This year we agreed the Paws Along The River Humane Society DONATION TREE was the winner!  Everything was being donated to the shelter!

And more cookies!  The Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies were a hit everywhere I took them!  I just made them a little bit smaller than I should have!  Then I did Vegan Snickerdoodles!  With some help smushing them half way thru baking them they turned out good!  Funny thing...I don't think I got too many of those...but someone must have liked them!