Mac & Chao and Thrown Together Wrap After The Fact

I just got back from Walmart and couldn't wait to jump into this!  YUP!  I found it LOCALLY at MY Walmart!  I thought I would have to wait at least 2 more years before seeing this in my area...if at all!  This is certainly a TREAT and not something I would buy every time I went to the store because it was still very pricey at over $5.  YIKES!  I have a few things to share with you on it.  First and foremost is that I noticed a hint of 'hot' when I first bit into it.  Not much but just enough to make me re-read the ingredients AGAIN.  To my surprise one of the last ingredients was HOT SAUCE!  It really was the icing on the cake here, folks!  It MADE the overall experience what it was!  The other thing I want to share is that it suggested 5 minutes in the microwave (that is if you didn't bake it in the oven) and to follow up the original 5 minutes with another 2 minutes.  I found out just how important that extra 2 minutes was!  After the first 5 minutes I thought...oh crap...this is going to suck...it was still all stuck together in a huge block and I didn't think it was going to melt properly.  So...I continued on with the additional 2 minutes and it made all the difference in the world for it melting into a magical half mac-and-cheese and half Alfredo type sauce!  WOWZA!  YUM!  I also have to add that this was my first pasta in about 6 weeks!  I'm pretty proud of myself but I couldn't resist this vegan temptation!

At the risk of sounding 'late for the party'...I have really been getting into cauliflower rice lately.  I know that Cauliflower Rice isn't anything new but I never got into it much when it first became trendy.  And really the only reasons that I am getting into it now is that there are naturally vegan frozen options that are already 'riced' that are much cheaper than a head of cauliflower (here in my area).

Yesterday I started writing about 'said rice' and then forgot to follow thru with the rest of the 'rice story'.  Furthermore, I didn't take a photo of this wrap that I did...VERY SORRY!  But...it was darn tasty so I figured it was still worth a mention.  I had 1 Sun Dried Tomato Wraps that I had to hurry up and use but I didn't really want to get to involved with cooking a meal.  So I decided to warm up some of the Cauliflower Rice that had some herbs already mixed in and put it in the wraps along with some melted Parmela Nut Cheese that I told you about yesterday.  I then topped it with a very little bit of Trader Joe's Vegan Mayo Spread (to finish off the jar) and a bit of Salsa.  Oddly, this combo was YUMMERS!

I was able to find another new-to-me vegan product at my local Walmart today that I thought I would save for another post.  Plus, I still have items from my Wegman's Adventure from last weekend.  So I do have LOTS to blog about in the coming weeks!  Oh yeah...and...I still have to figure out which dishes I might want to do for Thanksgiving Day over any my parents house!

My Sprouting Journey: I Couldn't Resist! And I'm Glad I Didn't!

Last week I found this Sprouting Kit at my local 'Herb Store'.  I probably shouldn't have bought it but I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't.  Come to find out you can buy this same kit online at Walmart for just under $29.  I bought it for roughly $27.  YAY!

You can see that it comes with 3 Sprouting Packets and 3 Trays!

Here's the back of the box.  I think I'm going to keep it.  Or at least cut off the back and save it.  Not sure yet.

I have been pondering a bit of crafting again and starting with Vision Boards.  Maybe on a Monthly Basis.  This would be GREAT to include in this month's Vision Board.  It's plain and simple but inspiration just to look at it.

I tend to go in spurts with sprouts!  If you have been a blogging buddy of mine for a while you might already know this about me.  Previous Posts on Sprouting: Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here.  Oh yeah and Here, Here, Here, and Here!  HaHa!

A few things I am doing different this time...

I'm sprouting at work and not at home.  This time of year I have found unexpected guests in years past and I don't want to encourage that this year.

I'm not sure why but my office at work I have come to be VERY fond of for many reasons.  One is the windows and natural light.  Not that you need these things for sprouting but I just thought I would mention it.  Another being that I have had a lot of luck with various plants growing around my office space so I figured I would try it!

The photo above is DAY 1 on this specific Sprouting Journey.  This was after soaking for 12 hours.  The second photo was taken yesterday at the end of the day.  I have to say that I am OVERJOYED with the first time results.  They seem to sprout much faster than my other attempts in Mason Jars!  It took less than 2 days!

This is the Protein Powerhouse Sprout Mix that came with the kit.  The Mix has Adzuki, Garbanzo, Pea, and Mung.

My goal is to have sprouts going throughout the week - all week long - and break on the weekend.  Another goal is to snack on them throughout the day and include them in my lunches.

I have been rinsing them twice a day.  Here are 2 more photos of them up-close and personal.  Aren't they beautiful!?

Next week I hope to have all of the trays sprouting at the same time.  This week I only did the one tray.

I mentioned that I would be sprouting all week and taking a break on the weekends while I'm not at work...I have a plan for that, too!  I'll take any leftover home for the weekend!

I think these are really reachable goals.  I will post progress here for sure!

On the box of the kit, it said their website is HandyPantry.com but it forwards to another site now.  It's now under the direction of True Leaf Market.

In the short time, I have been thumbing thru the True Leaf Market website I have already fallen in LOVE with it!

I know I will learn a lot but I will probably be so intrigued with their other products that I will have to look into buying some more of them!

I have also been storing my other sprouting seeds in a cool, dry place for a while now so I will be busting those out soon!  PLUS...the ban on selling sprouting seeds in the state of PA has been lifted!  YAY!  I still can't believe that they were banned for 2 or 3 years.  They made it illegal to sell sprouting seeds in the state.  Other seeds were still ok but not seeds that were specifically geared toward sprouting sprouts!  Oye!

MidWeek Munchies: Trader Joes & Walmart

It's MidWeek Munchies Time! 

For this link up, all you have to do is blog about your VEGAN shopping experiences and LINK UP! You can share your hauls, finds, farmers market trips, or online shopping purchases. Even a Vegan Munchie you created yourself! We will be posting the link up each Wednesday and it will remain open until the following Tuesday. The next day we will start another one! Today I will be sharing my trips to Trader Joe's in Buffalo and my local Walmart. I MIGHT have a Part B to my MWM later this week with local produce. 

Over the weekend I traveled to Buffalo to visit the Trader Joe's there! It's been too long since my last visit! Here are a few items I picked up! Tempeh - again because it's been too long since my last Tempeh Attemp - Beet Hummus which was AWESOME - their Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa - and their Vegan Moz Cheese. This was the first time I have seen their cheese so I grabbed it. It's ok in a pinch but I don't love it. It melts almost 'too well' and gets a little oily and runny when melted. It might be good as a melted cheese for pasta but for bread items such a bagels or pizza I found it to be too thin.

Hubby actually picked out this Tomato Basil Marinara! And I actually grabbed the Strawberries from Wegman's in Lakewood, NY.   I blogged a little bit about why I made a last minute purchase of these strawberries HERE. They strawberries didn't last long only 2 days. Thankfully I used most of them before they went bad.  I was sorry that I couldn't find the Indian Vegetable Burger that I used to love from TJ's this time again. I hope they didn't discontinue it. It had a Potato Base and it was awesome!

I did pick up some convenience items while I was at Trader Joe's because it's not often that I am around a TJ's. It takes me about 2 hours to get to the Buffalo Trader Joe's. I think I only go about twice a year if that. I also picked up some corn chips. The total was about $27.

The only thing I bought at Wegman's were the strawberries and I think they were $3.99.

I also went to my local Walmart and grabbed some Organic Garbanzo Beans. I am loving they are carrying more organic items! I was craving Brussels Sprouts and bought 2 bags of the only frozen kind they had. Their frozen veggie section was a little thin over the weekend. In fresh produce I did add a head of lettuce to our cart. The real surprise was seeing Sweet Earth Seitan Bacon in the Freezer Section at my local Walmart. This might not be a big deal for some of you reading but it is to me because my local Walmart only has a limited stock of Morningstar, Amy's Kitchen, and Boca at the most!

And speaking of Morningstar...when I first went veg I grabbed what I could when I could for transition foods. At that time it was ONLY MorningStar. I have to admit I wasn't really fond of (m)any of their products. And when I dropped dairy I found even less that I ever picked up. BUT...here's one of their offering I actually kind of like. I don't buy them often but if we are going camping I have them on standby.

Soooo...it's YOUR Turn!

An InLinkz Link-up