Catching up with Raw Revolution!

Today is CATCH UP Day!  Well, one of the MANY Catch Up Days, I guess!  First I want to start off with Raw Revolution!  If you have been to my site in the last month or two you may have seen my many posts about the different flavors of Raw Revolution Bars I have had the chance to try!  Well, today I am going to share a few more experiences with you!  These are GREAT Bars!  Raw Rev has LOTS of awesome flavors and I've enjoyed everyone I have tried! 

Chocolate Coconut Bliss - well, of course I LOVE the name!  Anything with BLISS in the name gets extra points with me!  This bar has the following ingredients - Organic Cashews, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Dates, Organic Coconut, Organic Cocoa processed with Alkali, Organic Almonds, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed.  My personal findings were that it had LOTS and LOTS of Coconut in it!  The Crisp and Flavorful Slivers are wonderful!  Naturally sweet and chewy!  The Chocolate is Semi-Dark in appearance and on the tongue and I LOVED that!  The Almonds are HUGE!  And FRESH!  MOVE OVER ALMOND JOYS - this Raw Vegan Bar kicks the other guys butt!  At the end of this lovely edible experience - the chocolate becomes more sweet than dark - probably because of the coconut, dates, and Agave trio...and the sweet, crisp, and creamy aftertaste lingers that tasteful coconut-goodness!

Heavenly Hazelnut Chocolate - This one smells like Hazelnut AND Chocolate - it certainly lives up to its name!  Upon first tastes I could notice the sweet dates and chocolate.  There are many nutty notes playing their tunes, here!  Hazelnut, Almond, Cashew = A NUT Powerhouse!  I can taste each one individually as well as together to create its own flavor.  For some reason I picked up a hint of a coffee taste...maybe because I hear and see a lot of Hazelnut Coffee's and it's one of those flavor association things with me - not sure - regardless my taste buds are delighted with this bar!  The ingredients in this specific bar are: Organic Cashews, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Dates, Organic Cocoa processed with Alkali, Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed.

Coconut Delight - I have been consuming more and more Coconut Products lately!  I will talk about that in near-future posts!  As for this flavor of the Raw Rev Bars...another winner!  Sweet Coconut and Cashew upfront - then the dates come into play!  It's not a tropical banana/coconut type flavor but more straight-up coconut and cashew and I LOVE IT!  This has a wonderful chew and texture to it!  It's FRESH!  It's a little sticky but not overly-so.  Most importantly...it's SUPER YUMMY!  As for the official ingredients for this bar it has Organic Cashews, Organic Dates, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Coconut, Organic Almonds, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed.  Powerful and fresh ingredients are always appreciated!

And Finally...

Spirulina Dream -  I sure do appreciate Spirulina!  I'm very excited this company uses it in some of their products!  The very first Raw Revolution Bar I tried was this one!  I was lucky enough to have another not too long ago!  This flavor smells SWEET and of GREENS, too!  To the eye - it's very VERY green - dark and rich in color with specks of nuts.  It's slight oily on the surface.  It has a very nice chewiness to it.  It's surprisingly sweet, satisfying and delightful!  Ingredients include: Organic Cashews, Organic Dates, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Almonds, Organic Spirulina Powder, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed.

So...YES...I am a FAN of Raw Revolution!  I think as a special treat these are wonderful!  Of course I wouldn't have one everyday but it's a nice treat or snack on-the-go!  The flavors are great!  Have you tried any of them yet?  If so which ones!?  What were your thoughts?

I will have at least two more posts today...stay tuned! 

Some Product Reviews & Near Future Happenings!

I have a few things to share with you today - a few products and such - as well as some things in my near future that I am looking forward to - but I will get to those in a moment.

First I would like to tell you about yet another Raw Revolution flavor that I was luck enough to try a while back!  It was their Cherry Chocolate Chunk and it was marvelous!  The Cherries were awesomely flavorful!  Juicy!  Sweet!  Plump!  It really activated the taste-buds!  The chocolate chunks were HUGE!  Some where even the size of my thumb!  This flavor completely lived up to it's name, that is for sure!  It was VERY Fresh and terrifically chewy!  The cherry flavor lingers with a somewhat creamy and slightly tart finish!  This has been one of my favorite flavors from Raw Revolution YET!

Another product I recently finished was New Earth's Awesome Almonds!  These Almonds are RAW - therefore - a living food!  They've been activated!  Their website explains how and why they do that!  It's quite interesting!  They are crispy and certainly helped curb my hunger!  The best part?  I only needed a small handful of them at a time in order to do this!  So this bag of Almonds DID last me a while!  They have just a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt - which is GOOD - because I am not much of a salt fan!  The amount they used was perfect for my palate.  These were wonderful! 

Remember my post earlier this week when I used Boku Super Greens in my Fruit Berry Smoothie?  Check out this link!  I really like this product, too!  I'm trying to educate myself MORE about Superfoods and tinkering around with them and the powders and "green" powders more! 

For this specific one - Boku - I do like it because it doesn't have much flavor to it when you blend them in with berries and/or fruit!  I'm going to try this one again, tho, because I have only tried a few teaspoons at a time so far and it says to work your way up to about 4 Tablespoons!  I might take that leap next week!  I think it will be easy to do, actually, based on the successful attempts I have had so far with this product!

This weekend is going to be a nice one...almost a clam before the storm...of busy weekends, that is!  Eventho the weekends of the 20th and 27th are going to be busy I AM looking forward to them VERY much!  Our busy events season is now underway!  Both of those weekends we have Wildtree/Vendor events!  On the 20th we will be at the Youngsville Art & Vino Venue in Youngsville, PA, and the following weekend we will be at Liberty Winery in Sheridan, NY.  I will do my best to take some pics and post them here once they take place!

Last night I went over to my parents house and my mom and I got two shipments in and sorted them.  We had a Wildtree Party last week over at a Salon in Russell, PA, and then we had The Vendor Showcase I blogged about earlier this week in Jamestown, NY.  In addition we submitted another order last night!  We had several people who wanted to order and re-order various Wildtree Products from us.

We also decided to FINALLY do a website last night for our Wildtree Business.  I will add it to the sidebar next week but incase you would like to take a look you can visit it HERE or HERE.  It's the same website but we have 2 different extensions!  If you have any questions about anything with the Wildtree Line let me know!  And/Or feel free to shop 24/7 on the website!

What are your plans for the weekend!?  Have you tried any of these products yet?  I will have more smoothies next week, too!  And more Recipes!  And more Products!  LOTS and LOTS on tap! 

I'm just really itching for Farmers Market Season to get here!  YOU DON"T EVEN KNOW!!!! :)
Have a BLISSful Weekend, everyone!

Leftovers, Vegan Mexican Casserole, Winnings, Reviews

Once again...I have LOTS to share today...including the 3 winners of my VeganDelish iPad/iPhone App Giveaway!  But first...I have some other things to blog about including WHY I am posting a photo of cracked-up Corn Shells!

Yesterday I posted about my Tacos and my Husband declared this week Mexican Foods Week so I wanted to try a few things I have never tried making before.  Well, that's a whole world of foods because I have never been much of a 'cook' before now and even now I use that term loosely!

So, yes, I had leftover corn tortillas from the other night!  I didn't want to throw them away or waste them!  So I ended up attempting this Vegan Mexican Casserole and I must say I am in LOVE!

I started off by pouring out a layer of Salsa on the bottom of the glass pan.  Then I started layering!  Next layer was the corn chips and then a layer of bean/tomato/pepper/onion mix, and then a little Daiya Cheese, and then layer after layer until I got to the top!

Please disregard the grow-dee pans...I am in the process of trying to find new ones at a good price!

What's in the bean mixture, you ask?  Well, let me tell you:

2 C Diced Tomatoes
2 C Black Beans
4 Mini Red Sweet Peppers
4 Mini Red Yellow Peppers
1 Onion
2 tea Wildtree Fajita Seasoning (because it was heavy on the cumin)

Other things you will need for this is:

Vegan Cheese of your choice - I used Daiya - or you could probably use Nutritional Yeast or Vegan Parmesan (or even bread crumbs or potato flakes)

1 small jar of Salsa or about 1 to 2 cups of your own Salsa.

Optional Ideas Include:

Jalapenos, Greens, Olives, Capers, Red Pepper Seeds, Vegan Sour Cream, Vegan Cream Cheese, you could even add some seasoned or flavored TVP, Meatless Crumbles, Tempeh, or other meat alternative if you wish!

And here is a photo of the finished product!  Yes...I'm sporting my Red Bowl!  Yes...I need to get some new Bowls for photos and presentation!  They are on tap AFTER the new pots and pans!

Now...for some WINNERS!  Here are my 3 winners for the VeganDelish iPhone/iPad App:

Christine, ChickpeaFreak, and Azzrian!  Congrats to all three of you!  I will be in touch with you today for your info!

And speaking of winners...I WAS A WINNER over at CarrieOnVegan!  It was announced on Monday!  I am the winner of this awesome cookbook and I can't wait to get it and jump right in!  YAY!

I will be posting another contest TOMORROW so be sure to come back and check it out!

You know how I have been on a Raw Revolution KICK lately!?  Well, I have another flavor to share with you today!  It's their Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Bar!

 

There is a good amount of chocolate flavor throughout the Raw Vegan Bar but there are not HUGE chunks of chocolate like in a few of their other bars but it works out great with the chocolate and the raspberry ratio!  The juicy Raspberry has a glorious flavor and aroma!  The Cashews give you that nutty goodness you are looking for - which is nice, too!  The Cashews with the addition of the various seeds provide a good texture and 'filling' crunch.  The Dates contribute to the overall sweetness and chewiness - that I just LOVE!  This is the perfect go-to for fresh, nutritious, nutty, fruity, sweet snack or quick meal on the go.  The Dark Chocolate and Sweet Combo are always a lovely addition to any day!  YUM!

Convenience Foods with a Twist, Product Reviews, Happenings

I left the last couple of days without a new post so I have a lot to catch up on today!  I have been cheating with some convenience foods lately but have been trying my best to increase the nutritional value of the foods even if they are convenience foods.  For example...I found store-bought vegetarian Stir Fry.  It was oddly low in sodium for a stirfry as well as a store bought item it was gently flavored but lacked a good a mount of veggies.  So I added a little bit of Coconut Aminos (which I will be doing a review for soon!) and added a few more veggies to it!  It turned out pretty well!  The 3 reasons I am posting about these couple of 'convenience' foods is ONE - the produce - for the most part - in my area is LACKING.  I can find it but the quality is not very good.  TWO - time!  I hate to use that as an excuse but between the ice storms, our work schedule, and medical issues between my husband and now my father - it's been a little crazy lately!  THREE - I have been starting to coupon a little bit - nothing extreme - but - the coupons I have been finding are for things I enjoy and/or haven't tried before and am getting good deals on them - PLUS - my VitaCost and VeganEssentials orders came in over the past week!

Speaking of VitaCost...here is a photo of my order!  I removed some of the packaging, tho.  There are some other items in there that were not necessarily part of my order but I received in the mail and will be blogging about them soon!  I'm VERY excited about it!

I ended up getting $10 off my VitaCost Order AND got FREE SHIPPING!  As far as the coupons go - I saves $21 this past weekend and the weekend before saved about $20.  I wasn't able to find everything I had coupons for either and I need to use them before the end of the month! 

One of the MANY things I got in my VitaCost Shipping was a different new-to-me kind of Kale Chips!  They were tasty but the crumbed quite a bit.  The flavor was Sweet Mustard.  I am going to do this flavor at home myself once I find some good Kale!

Speaking of crumbled Kale Chips...here is what I did with them!  I got Pacific Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup for a good price so I had this for lunch yesterday.  I sprinkled a generous amount of Kale Chips/Crumbs on top!  I LOVE these two colors together!  It added nicely to the overall flavor, too!  Actually I ended up getting two Kale Chips, now that I think of it!  The ones I used on the soup were from Rhythm SuperFoods and were Zesty Nacho Flavored!

Just another convenience food with a little more added nutrition!

 I need to use an open bag of Daiya "Cheese" so one evening over the weekend I made these snack bagels.  I know that Daiya Cheese does contain added oils but I had not been using as much Grapeseed Oil in the foods I have been making the past week or so.  I wanted to increase this comfort and convenience food with a bit more nutritional value so I squirted a little bit of FoodsAlive Flax Oil SuperDressings on it - you can see the little bit of orange color under the 'cheese'.  They were really tasty!  I have to admit!

I asked my husband to pick this week's country for my Foods Around The World.  He picked Mexico!  I LOVES it when I make Tacos!  He's not a vegetarian - far from it - so he had his and I had mine!  This is a photo of mine!  I had Organic No Fat Vegetarian Refried Beans, a small amount of Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, a very little bit of Daiya Cheese, and a little bit of Hot Sauce. 

For Breakfast I had this Mom's Best Organic Cinnamon Plum Oatmeal.  I just added water and a small teaspoon size packet of Wholesome Sweeteners Blue Agave.  I plan on doing some reviews for these products down the road, too!

Speaking of Cinnamon...recently I tried the Apple Cinnamon Bar from Raw Revolution.  It was fantastic! 

At first bite it was like eating dehydrated Apple Chips and Cinnamon!  Then the textures came in to play!  The powders and seeds contribute to the texture as well as the hardiness and chewiness!  Both the flavor and the texture were satisfying!  As I continued to munch on this bar of delight it continued to be sweet - super sweet - but in a good way!  Apple, Cinnamon, Seeds, and Grainy-goodness from the powders - all played a part!

Here is what's inside of it!

Organic Dates, Organic Dried Apples, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Hemp Protein, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed Powder, Organic Wheat Grass Powder, Organic Spirulina Powder, Organic Spinach Powder, Organic Oat Grass Powder, Organic Kale Powder, Organic Broccoli Powder, Organic Barley Grass Powder, Organic Broken Cell Wall Chlorella Powder.
Nutrition Facts Serv. Size: 1 Bar 1.6 oz. (46g) Amount Per Serving: Calories 150. Fat Cal. 45. Total Fat 5g (8%DV), Sat. Fat 0.5g (3%DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholest. 0mg (0%DV), Sodium 0 mg (0%DV), Total carb. 27g (9%DV), Fiber 6g (23%DV), Sugars 20g. Protein 3g, Vitamin A (6%DV), Vitamin C (8%DV), Calcium (4%DV), Iron (10%DV). Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

 Have you found any new-to-you products lately that have interested you!?  Share in comments! 

Rice is Nice, Naturally Sweet, and Never Any Meat!

This week was Irish Foods Week on my blog and I didn't do as many as I usually do...I have been doing about 3 dishes a week!  I do have one for you today, but I might try and do one more LATE this weekend!  I will have several posts today!  It's been a busy week and I have to do some catch-up!  First...I have a recipe or at least an idea starter for you.  I don't have a picture of it tho!  So sorry!

Many of you know I love to mess around with Rice Dishes.  And if I see a type of rice I do NOT have in my pantry I can't help but grab it!  Oddly - I'm running a little low on rices at the moment!  I will have to go find some more and SOON!

As for this Rice Dish, today, I wanted to try and incorporate some Irish Inspired Flavors with it, too!  After doing some research on "Irish Rice" I found something called Irish "Dummy" Rice...Well, I don't think that's very nice!  So, I'm going to put MY spin on it...here we go...

Irish "Nice" Rice

2 T Earth Balance
1 Small Onion
1 C Mushrooms
1 C Cooked Brown Rice
2 T Parsley

Basically I cooked the rice - by itself - and 'browned' the other ingredients in a different pan.  I combined them, added the Parsley, simmered for a while.  You could add water or veggie broth to it while simmering if you wish.You could also use your choice of oil instead of Earth Balance or another way is to add more Onion and water instead of oil - just keep an eye on it a bit closer so it doesn't stick or burn.  Most Onions will give you not only a good flavor but the natural juices to help 'cook' it.

In other news I got a few things in the mail yesterday!  I'm SO excited!  I received my VeganEssentials Order and also got a HUGE box from Wholesome Sweeteners!  I will be doing MANY reviews on these products as well as a Wholesome Sweeteners Giveaway SOON.

Speaking of Giveaways...

I will have a GIVEAWAY for the VeganDelish iPad/iPhone App VERY SOON!  If not today - tomorrow!  I will be doing a review as well as a couple of giveaways!  Courtesy of the creator who is Carrie from CarrieOnVegan.com.  LOVE this App!  LOVE IT!

AND...speaking of reviews...I have one for you right now, too!  This post I would like to chat about Raw Revolution's Golden Cashew Bar!

Product Description on their website:

Organic Cashews, Organic Dates, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Almonds, Organic Sprouted Flax Seed. CONTAINS TREE NUTS. PEANUT-FREE
NUTRITION FACTS:Serving Size 1 bar 1.8oz (51g) Amount Per Serving: Calories 230, Calories from fat 130, Total Fat 14g (22%DV), Saturated Fat 2g (10%DV), Trans Fat 0g (0%DV), Cholesterol 0mg (0%DV), Sodium 0mg (0%DV), Total Carbohydrates 23g (8%DV), Dietary Fiber 3g (13%DV), Sugars 15g, Protein 7g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 6%, Iron 15%, DV=% Daily Value.

I think the Golden Cashew Bar from Raw Revolution is absolutely WONDERFUL!  It's sweet and nutty - thanks to the Cashews, Dates, and Almonds - and it projects that terrific flavor right upfront - as soon as you bite into it!  The Nuts and Seeds provide a nice crunch, too!  Of course the Agave and Dates contribute to the overall sweetness, as well!  I really LOVE that this is full of Protein, Calcium, Vitamins A & C, Fiber, and Iron.  It's full of GOODNESS thru and thru!  A glorious delight, indeed!

Check back for many more posts!  Today, Tomorrow, thru the weekend - I'll be around!  Comments ALWAYS welcome!

Weekend Recap - Ponderings & Photographs

This past weekend was my husband's birthday!  Our birthdays are 6 days apart!  So this next weekend is mine!  With everything that has been going on with his sinus issues and many near and dear friends and family members of mine and their health issues it makes me thankful the only issue I have is a 'bum ankle/foot/arch".  It really pushes me to try better and work harder in daily life...to stay positive, to continue learning, try and stay as healthy as possible, and be grateful for everyone in my life while they are still here.  I don't take any of that for granted.

I'm thankful I have my digestion issues under control and I am very happy with my diet and lifestyle changes.  Now that I know my discomfort in my leg/foot was an arch issue I am now working toward "fixing" the problem or at least living with it and working around it.  I've been feeling consistently 90 to 95% better!  With that in mind and moving forward - this week I hope to increase my physical activity - slowly and gently.

The weather this past weekend was very nice!  It even got up to 64 yesterday!  But tomorrow we could get more rain and snow!  I seriously cannot wait until spring and summer!  Most of the photographs from this weekend are of the Dogs!  Suzie has always LOVED her picture taken!  She's always been a ham! 

Towards the end of last week - she was 'fired up' when I got home...more than usual!  She would run around the house and it was a wonderful sight to see!

Here is this weekend's photo of Riley!  He's been receiving a lot of attention on Instagram.  It's amazing the communities and sub-communities that are on social networking sites!  It's refreshing and fascinating to me!  Corgi's are one of the sub-communities I have found to be in the mix with.  There are a lot of great Corgi and Corgi-Mixes on there!  Chihuahua's are another - which of course the BABY OF THE FAMILY - will have some photo's in this post, too!

 In other Riley news...his ears are starting to bother him again, which isn't a surprise - every other month or so they tend to - so I will start in with some of his ear solution again this evening.  The last medicated tube our one vet gave us seems to work better than the others and in less time!

Once again we found some great deals on Dog Sweaters at BigLots this past weekend!  They were $4 or less so we grabbed a few for Paco!  Someone told me he "looked very dapper" in this one!

That put a smile on my face!  Dapper!

Paco has gotten to really like his sweaters!  He's not fond of the Snuggie, tho, but these type of sweaters...he LOVES.  In these photos you will be able to see parts of "Daddy" in them.  Pardon the "ashtrays" in this background...no...they are NOT mine...I do NOT Smoke!  Just HAD to add that disclaimer!

This was just 'by chance' lighting!  No filter or anything.  I LOVE the little collar but it won't stay up. 

I also have been 'washing' Paco's eyes, too, I think between his tears and Riley's ears it's due to weather changes a little, too!

This is one of the longer sweaters Paco has now!  Even tho the 'body' fits on the other ones they aren't as long!  But he still likes them!

We have multiple nick-names for all of our furkids.  One of the many for Paco is "Chi Monkey"...well, because he's a Chi (Chihuahua) and because he's a little monkey - he runs, jump, hops, and climbs EVERY WHERE!

So when we saw this sweater we KNEW we HAD to get it for him!  Of course it doesn't hurt it has Syracuse Orange colors in it!  You can see it even better in this next photo, tho!

I totally LOVE this little Monkey!  It's adorable! 

I do have a lot on tap for this week!  It's Irish Foods Week, for one!  Plus I have LOTS of new products to share with you!  I'm so excited!  I have more giveaways this week, too!

My husband's Grandmother gave me a Waffle Iron and I hope to post some Vegan Waffle's SOON as well!

One thing I want to mention today, is one of the many Raw Revolution Bars I have been chomping lately!  Today I want to share with you the Almond Butter Cup Flavor! 

Organic Almonds, Organic Dates, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Sunflower Seed Kernels, Organic Chocolate Chunks (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Soy Lecithin, Organic Vanilla Extract), Organic Sprouted Flax Seed, Organic Sea Salt. Contains Tree Nuts, Chocolate Chunks made in a facility that handles milk. PEANUT-Free
NUTRITION FACTS: Serving Size 1 bar 1.8oz (51 g) Amount Per Serving: Calories 230, Calories from fat 120, Total Fat 14g (22%DV), Saturated Fat 2g (10%DV), Trans Fat 0g (0%DV), Cholesterol 0mg (0%DV), Sodium 10mg (1%DV), Total Carbohydrates 23g (8%DV), Dietary Fiber 3g (13%DV), Sugars 15g, Protein 7g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 6%, Iron 15%, DV=% Daily Value.

Check this out!  This bar packs a lot of great stuff in a small bar, doesn't it!?  When I first bit into the bar I LOVED that I could taste the Vanilla and Almond Flavor right away!  It seems the older I get the more I enjoy that little bit of Vanilla Flavor in things.  The BIG chunks of 'chocolate' are awesome!  They are randomly placed throughout the bar and are not over-done but certainly fits the bill with those who may have a sweet tooth!  I love the nuttiness and the chewiness is great, too, the texture is perfect!  The Dates give it that wonderful sweetness and it's gently salted.  The flavor ratio of sweet, fruity, salty, chewy, nutty couldn't have been more perfect!  This is a terrific bar!

I have LOTS more on tap this week and I do hope you come back and visit.  In the meantime...I would LOVE to hear about your weekend!  Drop me a comment or two!