Oddz & Endz Prior to Christmas

I have to say that we have been pretty spoiled the last month or so in the snow belt!  NO SNOW!  That, however, is supposed to change today, tho.  This first photo was taken last week during one of my lunches.  It was a lovely day!  We were near 70 degrees some of the days!  Woot!

My father works for a company that deals with snacks and beverage companies and he gets free samples a lot.  He recently introduced me to Core Organics and I have to say they are AWESOME!  I have liked every flavor I have tried so far!  YUMMO!  They say VEGAN right on the bottle, too!

A few finds over at The Raw Food World for my last shipment I received were Chocolate Snakaroons and Lemon Snakaroons from Laughing Giraffe.

I also got some Chocolate Kale Chips, Sesame Dijon Zuke Chips, and Tomatoe Pesto Chips!  Woot!

I stocked up for a few breakfasts to keep at work with some Superfood Cereal Cups.  I needed to grab some more UNsalted Sun Dried Tomatoes to add to my pantry as well as 3 pounds of Raw Cashews!  One thing to highlight is my NEW FAVORITE...Salt and Vinegar Almonds!  YUMM!  Sometimes I crave vinegar...I know that is weird but I do...and already tried these almonds and they are AWESOME!

Some of the foods I have been making at home prior to the holidays was a vegan taco meat made out of chopped cauliflower, walnuts, and Coconut Aminos!  LOVED IT!

And this Hemp Seed & Hazel Nut Sour Cream!  Not bad!

Many more posts coming VERY SOON!

9am Nachos & Sweet Sleepin' Suzie

I decided to call these Nacho's...9am Nachos...WHY?  Because I had them for a Brunch the other day!  I know that sounds weird but it's true!  And they were FAB!  I did a layer of corn chips topped with lettuce, brown rice, black beans, salsa, and a Vegan Sour Cream that I made from scratch!  The Vegan Sour Cream was AMAZING!!  Recipe as follows...
1 C Cashews
3/4 C Almond Milk
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
4 T Hemp Seeds
1/2 t Red Jalapeno Powder
Pinch Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

YUMMO!

We've been keeping Suzie as comfortable as possible.  We still don't have much to report to her vet of what's been going on...she's just sleeping more than usual and showing her age, I guess.  I did make the switch to wet food at the end of last week and she absolutely LOVES it.  She did have a sudden burst of energy over the weekend - in the evening - and ran from one room to the other a few times - something that she hasn't done much (or any of) in the last few weeks.

I have a few projects in the works and will report on those soon, here.  Work is going to get a little crazier the next several weeks - if not MONTHS - but there may be somethings changing and I am trying to keep my CHIN UP about.  The weather situation is looking HAIRY for this week...we've already gotten 3 inches of slush before 8am and we can get 6 inches of snow today.  Over the next several days we could see in the FEET range.  I'm hoping it will be ok by Thursday afternoon so Megan and I can go see Dave Coulier in Erie as we planned.

Virtual Vegan Potluck Linky Participating Post

Eventful Weekend - Hair, Cars, & Food!

This past weekend was a good one!  I FINALLY got my hair done.  I haven't done ANYTHING to it in well over a year...maybe even a year and a half.  It needed some attention and I needed a change!

I ended up 'going blonde' AND took about 3 to 4 inches off the end! 

I'm really liking the color.  I have to say!  Apparently I have shocked quite a few people I see on a daily or weekly basis already.  I've also stunned quite a few people on Facebook. 

The weather has been and looks like it will continue to be super cold along with more snow and more winds and wind chill.  I honestly cannot wait until spring and summer! 

In other news...this past weekend we decided to buy another Fiat.  Yeah...that might sound crazy.  No...we didn't trade ours in.  This is in addition to our other Fiat.  I absolutely LOVE Fiats since I bought mine and my husband thinks they are pretty cool, too!  Of course the MPG and Gas topic is once again a hot one and twisted our arm a bit in our decision making.  Plus...we have a new Fiat Dealer a little over an hour from us.  Lucky for us my Brother-In-Law works there, too!  So...yes...it's the same year and model as our other one but mine is Black and hubby's is Olive Green.  His is NEW and only had 132 miles on it.  We got it for a SUPER AWESOME Price, too!  We couldn't resist and everything made sense on paper.  Last night I looked into Fiat Clubs.  I found out that Western New York and Southern Ontario has one so I emailed them for more info and they do a lot of different things that I think we would be interested in!  I'm pretty excited about it, actually!

When it comes to food for this past weekend I must say I was very proud of myself and my attempt with this Mexican Lentil Stew.  It's similar to an Indian Lentil Dish but with more Mexican Spices and Flavors.  Here's what's in this dish...

1 C Red Lentils
2 Roma Tomatoes
3 C Water
1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore
1/4 tea Turmeric
1/2 tea Cumin
2 T Hot Sauce
2 tea Lime Juice
1 T Wildtree Hearty Spaghetti Blend

I can't wait to try this again!  How was your weekend!?

Fearless Friday & a CONTEST!!

I have a CONTEST TODAY!

I'll give you a hint...it's YUMMY!  And it's from my friends at Fearless Chocolate!

WHAT?

OH Yes!!!!

But first I have a few other things to tell you!

Yesterday I blogged a little bit about NO MEAT MARCH and I mentioned to the organizers about my blog post!

This morning in my inbox was their weekly newsletter going out to everyone participating and they mentioned me and my blog!  YAY!  Thanks so much, guys!

I'm so excited to be featured and I welcome anyone visiting from NO MEAT MARCH!

Let me know if you are participating and what you are doing to participate!

I'm looking forward to the weekend!  It's been a real busy work week but I have to say My Blissful Journey has been my escape!  I'm very thankful for this online place I call home - especially in times like these!

So...on to Fearless Chocolate on this Fearless Friday, eh!?  I can't say enough about this product!  I absolutely LOVE them!  Right off the bat...I LOVED the packaging!  It's so much fun!  Eye-Catching!  Earthy!  Their packaging is printed on 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Paper!  They are Organic, Vegan, Direct Trade, and more!  Their direct trade is from family-owned farms in the Rainforests of Bahia, Brazil.Yesterday I tried my very first Fearless Chocolate Bar.  It was the Coconut Flakes one.

As for the taste...it's 70% Cacao, and yes, it tastes like a 'dark chocolate'.  This flavor tastes like a darker tasting chocolate with a tinge of sweetness!  The Sleek Chocolate on the outside with random coconut flakes mixed in with the solid "chocolate" on the inside, too!  The coconut gives it a coconut-lemony type taste to it!  This has SUPER flavor and texture with a delicate crispy crunch of the coconut flakes!

This is SERIOUSLY intense and I just LOVE it!  I also LOVE the "Missing Bite"...I'm a very visual person so I found this clever and nifty.

Now...it's time for a GIVEAWAY!  Fearless Chocolate and My Blissful Journey are giving away a Coconut Flakes Flavored Bar RIGHT HERE ON MY SITE!  Do you want to win?  Here's what you must do:

* Follow My Blog
* Leave Me a Comment

* Follow Fearless Chocolate on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BeingFearless

* Like Fearless Chocolate on Facebook  www.facebook.com/FearlessChocolate

* And Follow then on Instagram @FearlessChocolate

I will choose one person to receive this Coconut Flake Bar NEXT WEEK but don't wait to enter!  U.S. Residents only.

I'll leave you with a photo today - UNexpected Winter...just when I thought it was spring!  Sigh...Have a great weekend!  I hope you will enter to win that Fearless Chocolate Bar!  Thanks for visiting!