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!

Blissful Journey ~ Personal Wellness & Enrichment & iTunes Tuesday!

I was a little lazy last night with the food situation as I still have to get to the stores and produce stands this week (I hope to do that tonight, actually!)  I had a Veggie Sub from a local 'mom and pop shop' that usually has awesome subs - but last night - I thought it was just 'ok'.  So no real foodie type post today but there are a few other things I would like to touch on including some Mini-Goals, Health/Wellness Updates, Personal Enrichment, and iTunes/PodCasts I have been 'into' lately.

 

First up...a wellness update...if you will!  I have been doing VERY well with my Sciatica and visits to my Chiropractor.  So much so that I think I might have to only go every OTHER month (or quarter) to maintain everything as a precaution.  Now...I don't mind going.  I remember being SUPER Nervous about it at first, tho!  Speaking of being nervous...I still have one more dentist appointment but it's not for another few weeks and I'm NOT looking forward to that either.  Grrr!  But I am really trying NOT to worry about that until I HAVE to - like the day of the appointment!  My digestion is still doing REALLY well and I have no plans on turning back to those old habits (ie the dairy habit!  Blah!)  This past month I was 'off' on my 'monthly' but think I am back on track and totally FINE, now!  I think it was between stress at work, still losing some weight, next to no-sleep for about a week and a half, and schedule changes that messed me up.  Once 'everything was back on track' I rejoiced and was very thankful for everything! 

 

To continue with these positive feelings I want to get back on track with my exercises - most specifically - my Yoga.  I have been using Hulu+ as well as iTunes Pod Casts lately for that.  In my queue is Yogamazing with Chaz Rough.  I really like his laid-back delivery and encouragement without it making you feel like it's a competition or that you won't be able to 'get' a stretch or pose.  He's wonderful at telling you 'go as far as you can go' and 'do what you can do'.  I access my Hulu+, Netflix, iTunes, and PodCasts thru our Apple TV which I might do a more lengthier review on down the road.  I really like AppleTV and you may have read about one of my previous mentions about it.  Another Yoga Program I follow on there is the one that Yoga Journal puts out.  I also subscribe to their magazine.  I'm pretty fond of Tara Stiles, as well as others, as far as the Pod Casts go!

I'm REALLY happy to be back writing FULL TIME over at Sororitea Sisters.  For those of you who don't know it's a Tea Review Site that Anne and I co-founded a few years ago.  Anne has been a wonderful Sororitea Sister and friend by letting me catch-up on several things and issues time and time again.  If you are a Fan of TEA please swing by!  We have nearly 3,000 reviews on that site with TONS more on tap!  We update EVERY DAY at least once!

My mind is going a 'mile a minute' because there are so many things I would like to get started on but know there are other things that need attention, too!  Last night I worked on Paco's Pen and Play Area a bit and tonight I am going to work on the Cat Rooms.  Even tho they have the run of the house most of the time they have their 'areas' they feel more comfortable in time and time again.  

I have been crafting in spurts again - mostly Mixed Media and Art Journaling.  I hope to post more projects soon!  I have been thinking about re-doing my craft room.  First I was thinking of making a pantry.  But I am thinking about tweaking it to keep my Crafting Room THAT and pair it with a small space for Yoga.  I have so many art and crafting supplies it's really hard to do much else with that room.

I guess this was more of an UPDATE Post and a venting/blabbing post.  BUT...venting in a GOOD way!  I'm just feeling so thankful things are looking up and I'm feeling better thru and thru!  I don't want it to end, ya know!?  More tomorrow, friends!