A Lovely Bunch Of Randomness

There has been a lot going on.  Some of which I am not quite ready to talk about but I will fill you in soon, really!

Sorry I have been away for more than a week and a half...it's been a very weird couple of weeks - but, again, more on that in the future.

Today I have a bunch of random updates for you!  Including this photo of me wearing one of my favorite hats of the season!  Some of you know my LOVE of hats!  This came in handy this winter with the bitter cold temperatures...it's probably the warmest hat I have right now! 

I have been working on my Craft Room again but still have a long way to go!  Here's a nook in the one corner that I took so you can see some of my supplies as well as some of the stuff I am working on organizing! 

In the white canvas compartments I have smaller paper, some scraps, random photos, and other odd-ball things I didn't know what to do with yet.  In between the two larger shelves/racks you can see a smaller structure that I have put my ink pads in.  At first I was going to pitch or repurpose that but I decided to keep it just the way it was.  It works just fine for what it's for and sometimes I need to tell myself to 'leave well enough alone'.

This structure is NEW, however!  A couple of weekends ago my husband did this for me...he's been getting into his tools again.  I thought it was great since he hasn't really been into the tools for years...unless he needed to...so I have been encouraging him!  I think it's GREAT! Plus...he's been making some really great stuff for around the house including my craft room!  For this space I really needed something that I could put a BUNCH of stuff ON so I could have it in front of me...I'm a very visual person - that needs to see everything in order to use it!  We also weren't able to hang anything from the walls since our house is over 114 years old and the room I use for my craft room has wall of a Spackle or something close to it anyway and it's very "weak and crumbly" so I don't want to many any more holes in the walls than are already there, ya know!?  So with this massive shelving unit it was able to sit on the table top up against the wall - we did try and adhere it to the wall a but just for a little extra sturdiness.  It's working GREAT so far and it is as long as the table...so...6 feet or so.

The other night I noticed West Side Story from 1961 on Netflix and it's been a few years since I have seen it so I decided to sit down with the furkids and watch it.  I think it's the first time I have watched it since they remastered it in 2011 and I thought the quality was wonderful!  I've always LOVED West Side Story!  Of course, I have been a fan of musicals most of my life.  I'd like to get back into them more this year!

Last weekend my mom, sister, dad, and I were over at our local mall for an Outdoor Show with our Wildtree Products.  This is the 2nd year we have done this show and it's a fantastic one sales-wise!

We stocked up as much as we could on product and it was good that we did.  We ended up taking some orders and got a few more orders after the event was over (throughout the week!)  We even got a few leads for parties and a possible rep!  YAY!


As for food - I have been plugging along with some home made stuff, of course, as well as some stuff from my stash from my trip to Trader Joe's a few weeks ago.  I do need to go shopping to replenish my frozen and fresh foods very soon!  I have been going thru a lot! 

I have been doing a few Bento's the last couple of weeks and need to get back into DAILY Bentos!  This was one of my bigger meals which included a nice salad with a little bit of Daiya Shreds and Nutritional Yeast.  I did a smoothie for breakfast that day.  I used some leftovers of Garlic and Pine Nut Couscous topped with peas and Hemp Seeds.  In the snack sections I packed cashews that I had seasoned at home and they were great - along with a bit of Coconut Chips.  The dark liquid is just red wine vinegar for my salad.  I didn't have any home made salad dressings left at that time.  It worked out well for a Vegan Bento Box, tho!

Eventho I don't have a complete recipe for you with this photo here, I will tell you what's in it!

The photo doesn't do it justice...it looks a little "iffy" but I assure you the flavor was YUMMY!

It has the following in it...Avocado, Corn, Lime Juice, Coconut Sugar, Hot Sauce, Cumin, and a very little bit of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Crystals.

As for this Dressing...I must say I LOVE it!  Here's what I used for this and it make quite a bit!

1 C Water
1 Large Orange Bell Pepper
1 Large Red Bell Pepper
1/4 C Tahini
2 T Lemon Juice
1/2 C Cashews
2 Sundried Tomatoes
1/2 C Nutritional Yeast
1 T Hot Sauce

And FINALLY - my lunch for today...Mustard Brussell Sprouts and Corn:

1/2 Small Onion
Garlic Powder to taste
Onion Powder to taste
1 T Lemon Juice
1 C Frozen Corn
1/2 pound Brussell Sprouts
1 T Coconut Oil
1 to 2 T Yellow Mustard

What have you been up to!?

Funky Drink & Today's Bento

Good Morning!  How was your weekend!?  Mine was great!  I will have several posts today and this week - clumping together MANY things that have been going on in my world in the last week or two!  I thought I would kick thinks off with my morning beverage!

I'll just call it a FUNKY DRINK for right now but it's literally thrown together!

I used Garden Of Life's Perfect Food Yerba Mate - about a scoop - maybe a bit less and about 16 or 17 ounces of this Pomegranate flavored water I found a while back with Aloe "chunks" in it.  I know it sounds weird but the flavor is quite good!  I ALMOST reminds me of Strawberry Milk (way back in the day).  This FUNKY DRINK is tasty - slightly sweet and fruity, benefits of aloe, and Yerba Mate for energy, paired with a GREAT product from my friends at Garden Of Life!  What a great way to start the day!

Remember the insulated bag I bought for my Bento Box stuff!?  Well, I think I forgot to mention that it has 2 stretchy pouches on each side.  If you look to the right you will see a pink breast cancer awareness reusable bottle in one of the pockets.  That's what I put this FUNKY DRINK in today and brought it with me to work.

What inside the bag?  Well, let me tell you!

It's my Bento for today!

From top left - Homemade Corn Chips, then a little bit of Vegan Miso Mayo which I will be posting about in the future - it's an awesome condiment - then a few Falafels, and on the bottom Cheesy Kale Chips!

BOO YAH!  I'll be back later today with another post or two!


Participating Post: Meatless Monday Bento, 

Colorful Bento & Holiday Arrangement Surprise

I will surely be catching up from the Holidays in several mini-posts over the next week or so.  Earlier in the week I took this Bento Box to work.  From left are...Garlic Pine Nut Couscous with Peas flavored with a little bit of liquid from the Sundried Tomatoes that are next to it...then a little leftover white rice.  Next to that is leftover Cheesy Raw Vegan Kale Chips and Home Made Corn Chips that I made in my Excalibur.

Christmas Eve - a few of us at work were surprised with these very nice and festive holiday arrangements from our Sales Staff.  I LOVE the pine cones and pine needles.  It smelled lovely.  The ribbon is awesome, too!  The Glass base is VERY heavy-duty...I will certainly be reusing it after the arrangement loses its life.  More in the coming days!  In the meantime...how was your Christmas!?

Marinated Cucumber Tomato Hemp Seed Salad, Butternut Squash Lentil Walnut Kale Curry, Today's Lunch!

TGIF!  What am I eating today!?  Well, here's a peak!

From top left - Butternut Squash, Lentil, and Kale Curry (Recipe Below), on the side - Cucumber, Tomato, and Hemp Seed/Hemp Heart Marinated Salad (Recipe Below), at bottom - store brought dried crisp "snapeas"...I found at a random store that aren't too bad but I will be dehydrating some of my own in the near future.

I used a Cucumber and a half and a Large Tomato for this.  After I cut them...I added the following...

3 T Red Wine Vinegar
2 T (or less) of Wholesome Sweeteners' Organic Sugar
1 to 2 T Hemp Seeds/Hemp Hearts (Manitoba Harvest)

I marinated it overnight in the frig.  It's very flavorful and yummy!  Since I haven't gotten cut with the decor in the Bento Boxes I'm hoping the colors of Red & Green will qualify for this week's Christmas Theme?

For the Butternut Squash, Lentil, Walnut, Kale Curry
I did the following...

1-pound of Butternut Squash
1 C Kale
1 Shallot
Splash of Grapeseed Oil (Wildtree Basil Pesto Flavor)
2 tea Curry Powder
1/2 C Walnuts
2 T Cilantro
Lime Juice to Taste

Participating in: Pin Me #64, Bento For Kidlet's Meatless Monday, Freedom Fridays, Bento Blog Network #116, Leftovers On Fridays, 

EcoJarz, The Vegg, Today's Bento Box, 2 Vegan Recipes

There's so much happening in my world and I'm so excited to blog about it!  I received a few items in the mail that I will be playing with, testing out, and blogging about soon...but...here is a sneak peak of one of them!  EcoJarz!  Woot!  Can't wait!  There are all sorts of goodies in this box that I received today and they go hand-in-hand with many of my Mason Jars!  Another one I received Monday was a package from The Vegg.  I've used Vegg in the past and blogged about it a few times but I now that I have more in my pantry I will surely keep you up to date with my adventures!  Including one TODAY listed later in this post! 

Better Yet...I also received their Vegg Cook Book!  I'm so excited!  (Later today I will be editing this post to include the Recipe)

I made Quinoa Bites or little Vegan Quinoa Quiches, almost!

Another photo I thought I would share with you is my Dinner Plate from last night!  I had a "DUH" Moment thinking I had a head of lettuce in the frig.  Hubby grabbed a head of Cabbage instead so once I realized that I switched my plan of attack!  I skipped the planned Salad and came up with this instead!  I did have a HUGE bag of washed Kale on hand and steamed a few cups.  I didn't let the Lemon Tahini Dressing go to waste that I had already prepared!  I drizzled it over top and it was just as good warm!  You'll also see some mixed veggies including cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc...topped with Nutritional Yeast Flakes.  And some baked fries!

Here's a photo of the dressing/sauce I made after blending it in my Ninja!  It's a Sweeter Lemon Tahini Dressing and/or Sauce.  Here's what's in it:

1/4 C Tahini
1/4 C Water
1 tea Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil
2 tea Apple Cider Vinegar
Sprinkle of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 T Parsley
3 Drops of NuNaturals Lemon Stevia
1 tea GoL Wheat Grass Perfect Food

Next...I want to THANK the Bento Box Blogging Community for such a WARM WELCOME yesterday!  It was AMAZING!  I responded to all of the comments you left for me and appreciate the encouragement!

Here's my Bento Box for today!  This was using the Salad Kit I got but I didn't use it for salad!  I do, however, have a Garlic Sauce in the green container for the Quinoa bites.  I have the rest of my homemade Cheesy Protein Crackers and some Dark Chocolate Nuggets that has Ginger in it!

This is the bottom layer!  I put some Kale on the bottom and added a handful or two of Walnuts throughout as well as the Quinoa Bites.  It was very filling!  I was unable to eat all of the Walnuts and was satisfied for the rest of the day!

I used the Vegg in the Quinoa Bites and I really enjoyed them!  They were tasty!  I also added some hot sauce to the mix but they only had a small kick to them...if you are craving even HOTTER flavor...just add more to the mix before baking!  I put the mix into a muffin pan. 

Here's what the Quinoa Bites are made out of:

1.5 C Cooked Quinoa
Vegg (Equiv. of 2 to 3 Yolks = followed directions on package)
1 T Minced Garlic
1 T Cilantro
1 T Hot Sauce (Next Time I will add more)
1 T Agave
1/2 C Vegan Bread Crumbs
2 X 2 Inch Sliver of Daiya Havarti Vegan Cheese, diced small

Peer Pressure Exists For Adults, too! Bento Box...Here I Come!

Yes...Peer Pressure exists for Adults, too!  A while back Opal blogged about Bento Boxes and I was intrigued!  I think for days (or even weeks) after reading her post I thought Bento Boxes were a 'special box'...but after doing some online research I found out it can be any box, really, because Bento Box literally means "Meal in a Box" or "Boxed Meal".  (I don't know WHY I assumed that - Opal didn't mention that it was a 'special box' in her post!  Eeeek!  Silly Me!)  To further the Peer Pressure I randomly stumbled upon a few bloggers who focus on Bento Box Blogging!  How Trendy!  I was hooked and I didn't even have one...YET!  The only thing is since I don't have kids I don't think I would do the super creative CUTE and FUN looking ones that I have seen online thus far.  Instead my REAL reason for caving is because I tend to bring leftovers or a dish I made the night before for my lunch the next day but I want to focus on incorporating more foods for a compete meal...and not just eating a whole bowl of one thing, I guess.  Call it a mini goal if you will! 

Well, this past weekend I was able to locate a great deal on a Bento Box of sorts that would fit my needs.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on one until I knew more about them and wanted to see if I would use it as much as I hope.  I ended up finding TWO of the kits along with an insulated bag/carrier for about $30.  Most of the ones I saw online were $30 for 1 of them and with less compartments.  I figured IF I really got into it - I could always buy another one...a more involved one, you know!?  So here is what the first one looks like!  Along with my very first assembled Bento Box attempt!  Woot!  Starting at the top you will see 1/2 of a Tomato - diced, with Hemp Hearts/Hemp Seeds sprinkled on top.  They are marinating in Balsamic Vinegar as well.  To the right...simple Mandarin Oranges...the large container - at the top as a section of sandwich spread LEFTOVERS I made (more on that later today or tomorrow), below that is small triangles of Whole Grain Pita Bread, then in the center is leftover Pinjur that I finally finished, more triangles, and leftover rice towards the bottom.  You may also see 4 small Apple Cinnamon "chips" in each corner leftover from my dehydrating attempts.  Then on the other side is Corn that I added just a little bit of Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil to with Cashews outlining the top.  It was interesting because the moisture from the corn was soaked up by the cashews and they tasted wonderful!

I think this may have been RubberMaid Brand and if it wasn't it was a close knock-off of the brand.  I also bought a salad kit one that I will most likely be blogging about tomorrow or the next day!  Also as a mini goal I hope to blog about my adventures with Bento Boxes and Meal Portions often so you will probably see a lot more of these types of posts.  Another thing I like about this set I bought is that the little compartments snap into place.  It also fits nicely into this insulated bag carrier I found in the same row at the store.  NOT Pictured here but included in each set is a freezer pack that snaps to the bottom (or top).  As you can see in this photo there is plenty of room left over for additional items in the bag!  This made me happy because I have been struggling with remembering to eat breakfast and I think I can account for that, too!  So far I am very happy with this purchase as well as my first attempt!

Here you can see my Oatmeal packets (I just add water) and fruit cups.  I know store bought isn't the best - fresh is - but I had them and am trying to use them and not waste them plus they are good in a pinch!

Apparently I had an insanely productive weekend because I have about 5 other things to post but I think I will wait until tomorrow!

Be sure to keep scrolling because I have a few other posts that might be of interest, today!  Question of the Day...what are some of your favorite Adult "Brown Bag" or "Bento Lunches" for the office and/or workplace?