Alkaline Vegan Foods?

Last weekend I mentioned that I was researching Alkaline Vegan Foods!

Here are the 8 MOST Alkaline Foods...and guess what...THEY ARE VEGAN!

I then HOPPED OVER to One Green Planet and found some really awesome vegan foods and recipes that I will have try soon!  Some of them were: 

Za’Atar Grilled Eggplant Salad

Green Pea and Avocado Spread

Onion and Bell Pepper Masala

Cauliflower Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Spiced Coconut Dal

Shakshuka

Summer Zoodle Glow Bowl With Creamy Avocado Lime Sauce

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Red Onions

They seem fairly simple to attempt for the most part.  I have been thinking lately I am over thinking some of the foods I have been looking into eating!    I can't wait to jump into a few of these recipes and soon!  I'm sure I will put my own twist on them and shy or stray from their recipe(s) but it's a great place to start, right?

Deal of the Day, Gratitude Journal, Vegan Foods & Finds!

First I want to apologize for the lack of consistent posts as of late.

Since I am no longer writing for the main site I did in the past I lost a little bit of drive it seems.  But after some re-thinking and pause I am back and have some neat things for this site in the works, I think!

I received some sweet notes from people who miss my foodie posts!  Thanks so much!  I needed this!  I will certainly be posting more starting with right now!

The first photo above is yet another vegan mac and cheese!  It turned out pretty good but I strayed from the recipe so I wouldn't dare try and remember it without my notes (which I do not have at the moment) but what I can tell you is that it's another Pumpkin Base and it was pretty yummers!

This 2nd photo is a quick pic of the Vegan Alfredo I made which was a complete cheat and not my own recipe.  I splurged and bought at Wegman's a week or two ago.  I didn't think the sauce was as smooth as I remember it.  I did get a deal on it, tho, I think the sauce was $3 off!

These lil pods of heaven, however, are my new favorite!  YUM!  I have to watch myself!  They are vegan and non-gmo and organic and all of that jazz!  But HECK they are GOOD!!!!

They are mint chocolate and to LIVE for!

I also found these at Wegmans a week or two ago!  I hope they continue to carry them!

Next up...cute Cricket posing!  She's been adjusting well.  I can't believe it's been more than 6 months since she's been part of our family!  She's about 2 and a half years old maybe pushing 3...she's a spitfire!  Certainly an Alpha Dog!

Since Suzie passed - our home was really missing that Alpha Dog in the house.  It's funny because she's a female, too, as was Suzie...I always tell everyone...you have to watch out for those BLISS girls!  (Mommy included!)  She's still only about 4 and a half pounds but has no idea her size compared to other furkids and furfriends!

One thing I decided to start doing in 2016 is start a Gratitude Journal...deal of the day...was me finding a notebook for 27 cents (tax included!)

I was looking at this site and then started looking at other journaling ideas, too!  This page isn't mine but I will be posting some of mine soon!

More MidWeek Munchies!

Yesterday we brought back MidWeek Munchies so I thought I would do another post today about it.  If you would like to participate the current link-up is active THRU next Tuesday the 13th!  Read more about it HERE.  In this first photo you will see it's all produce!  I stopped at my favorite produce stand (Lindell's Hatch Patch) and grabbed a few things...Spring Mix/Greens, Celery, Red Bell Peppers, Spaghetti Squash, Kabocha Squash, and I even grabbed a FREE SAMPLE of one of their newest apple offerings...it's a Blondee Apple.  Kabocha Squash and Blondee Apples are new-to-me so more on that soon!

I then ran to Walmart and noticed these vegan options!  Amy's Kitchen Vegan Burrito (might be my dinner), Hummus (my lunch), Organic Carrots (my Lunch), 2 types of Fig Bars (I LOVE these and now they carry the VEGAN Seal!), Coconut Milk, and I couldn't pass up a new-to-me TRIO of non-dairy milk (Coconut, Almond, Chia).  I also bought a small cutting board and pairing knife for my car/office/Lunches-on-the-go!

Also part of my lunch today was 2 of the Red Peppers from the first photo!  YUM!

One thing I forgot to mention earlier this week is this new-to-me beverage my father gave me.  It's Alo Watermelon Peach and it tastes just like a smoothie!  YUM!  I've had a few of their other flavors before but I have to say this is by far my favorite!

Yes, I have been driving around a lot again and eating and munching on-the-go so you can see I'm in my Fiat while taking this photo!

Have you tried any of the Alo drinks yet?

Last night I had the hee-bee-gee-bees and need to make something in my blender to snack on.  I ended up making this...it's close to a Vanilla Pudding or some sort of Cake Batter Cashew Cream type thing.  It was pretty yummy!  I submitted the recipe to The Raw Food World NEWS Site and their Recipe Section so be on the look out over there.  It contains the following ingredients: Cashews, Almond Milk, Organic Vanilla Extract, Coconut Butter with Coconut Sugar, Agave Nectar and/or NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia, a pinch of sea salt.

After having a little bit of this pudding last night I spent most of the evening doing research and writing.  Cricket sat at my feet when I was at the computer.  She was so patient - which isn't usually her strong point.  So I laid with her for a while before falling asleep.  She seemed to really LOVE it.  Paco was a bit of a slug last night because I had to give him a pain pill for his knees/hips.  He was still running around but you could tell he was like a penguin on slick ice half the time.  Riley was lazing-out, too!

Remember there is still time to LINK UP on this week's MidWeek Munchies - CLICK HERE!

Thanksgiving Plate - a Little Late...

I know I am a little late posting this years Thanksgiving Plate but here it is. 

From top - clockwise - my sister's roasted squash that she did with grapeseed oil and cinnamon - Wildtree Stuffing veganized - some Thai Curry Rice I made with the help of Wildtree's Thai Green Curry Sauce (also vegan) - mashed potatoes I made with Almond Milk - and my mom's first attempt at homemade Cranberry Sauce.  It was VERY flavorful!  Then there is the dinner roll in the center!  Woot!

Everything was tasty!  Usually I prepare more dishes for myself but with everything going on this year I didn't think ahead like I usually do but I certainly wasn't lacking for food!

4 MISC Foods - Last Few Weeks

Because I have been so busy with several projects and I'm now behind with blog posts here I thought I would do some catching up over the next few days!  This post is focusing on a few of the foods I have been eating over the last few weeks that I haven't posted about YET.  Here you will see I have - basically - Taco Salad - in a soft shell bowl of sorts.  I don't remember what brand they were but I found them at a discount store and they didn't have any animal products in them so I thought I would give them a try and they were quite good!  I used 'greens', Red Bell Peppers, and a little Daiya Cheese sprinkled on top along with some Catalina-esque Dressing for a quick meal.

Sticking with the quick meals and snacks and comfort foods...I had some nachos a while back.  Two different types of Daiya Cheese...one was shreds and the other was slices that I broke up.  Then some hardy salsa on top corn chips!  YUM!  I don't like to rely on fake cheeses and try not to always have them on hand because of all the oils they have in them.  However, I don't want to waste what I do have when I do have it.  These photos were taken within about a 3 week span of time...and not all at once over a day or two if that makes sense!

Another quick snack or small meal I had recently were these crunchy beans that I found at a discount store.  They were pretty tasty!  And no animal products!  Usually the breaded items have milk and/or eggs in them but these didn't.  I decided to make a dressing and dipping sauce for them and it turned out really well!  Recipe...
1/4 C Wildtree Garlic Dipping Grapeseed Oil
2 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 T Agave

And I have no idea why I haven't posted this dish sooner...this was from a month ago!  Oh My!  An Eggplant Lima Bean Curry of Sorts...

1 Small Eggplant
1 Small Onion
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1 T Wildtree Garam Marsala
1 C Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 tea Ginger Powder
1/2 tea Cayenne
1 C Lima Beans
Water

Don't forget to enter my contest for the variety box of Coconut Organics snacks!  I will be choosing a winner on Monday!  Click here for full details!

Spooky, Sweet, and Filled with Treats!

FREE Ground Shipping in the US - Click Here!

I will be posting my Weekly Goals tomorrow but a heads-up as to one of them...more dehydrating!  Yup!  I want to use my dehydrator MORE this week!  I will most likely be using it to dry fresh basil since we have so much from our Container Garden but I also want to try at least 1 sweet treat in there, too!  Since I'm an Excalibur Dehydrator Affiliate I thought I would post a little bit about this and some more news from Excalibur!  CLICK HERE to receive FREE Ground Shipping on your order.

Another thing I wanted to share - in case you didn't know - their dehydrators now come with a clear 'see-thru' door.  You can order your dehydrator with it or just order the door!  I LOVE that this option is available!  I find myself peeking in on my 'goods' while I'm drying and by opening the door you lose some time but if I were to have this 'see thru' door I wouldn't have to peek and extend my drying time.  I might have to order this soon OR have it be on my Christmas List!

Another great thing about their new product offerings is that they now come in 6 colors!

I'll  have a total of 3 posts today...so stay tuned for a recipe...and scroll down to see what I did yesterday...

FUN on a FRIDAY!

Well, well, well! 
It's Friday!  I'm SO over this week and ready to move on to the weekend!  I'm officially declaring today FUN on a FRIDAY - day!  To share with you a few things WHY this Friday is so FUN...here we go!  To start things off...I received another shipment from The Raw Food World today!  YAY!

As you can see I'm very excited about adding these raw food books to my growing collection!  Sometime this weekend I think I am going to have to start a new 'shelf or rack' for my Raw Food Books!  I wanted to get the 80/10/10 Book, too, but it was on back order.  I have two more on order in my next order thru them so I will let you know when I get those in!  As for other items in my last shipment you can see them on the left in this 2nd photo!  More snacks, dried foods, some Nutritional Yeast which is less expensive than I can buy it locally so I thought I would get some of that PLUS some Kale Chips - 3 different flavors...even...some freeze dried Jackfruit and Mangosteen!  YUM!  Some more nuts and such...and I got some chocolate items such as dark chocolate covered figs as well as Peppermint Mint Truffles which are AWESOME, btw!

Between this order and my next order I'm really totally restocking my pantry and shouldn't need anything for a good-long-while expect for FRESH Produce!  I am so blessed to be obtaining a lot of new-to-me foods, as well!  Down the road I might look into getting a Citrus Juicer.  I have my main juicer which is a Jack LaLanne Brand but I might upgrade or get an additional one at some point.  I want to get this Citrus Juicer as well.  My husband will start on a new diet down the road - hoping to reduce his Crohn's related issues and I know he likes orange juice but they don't want him consuming juice with a lot of pulp.

In with my shipments I have also been getting a few things to share with co-workers at work, my sister wanted some raw Cashews, and my Dad wanted some Dried Pineapple.  I thought I would try a 3 pack of these Air Therapy Sprays and keep one at work for our bathroom, too!  I love the way they all smell!  They are a convenience size, too!  In addition...I also bought some roll on pain reliever for my husband.

OH!!!!!  I'm going to a Wilson Phillips Concert tonight so I will be sure to blog more about that next week!  That's another reason today is a FUN FRIDAY!!!!!

We've also been having FUN with our Container Garden/Rooftop Garden.  The Spicy Mix and Sweet Mix Lettuces are doing awesomely!  We've had a lot of luck with both of those!  Our Sweet Basil is getting out of hand, too!  We transplanted 2 out of the 3 plants this past week. 

You can see here some of the lettuces that have flowered so I thought I would add them to the office.  They look nice, don't they!?  Even tho they are flowers from lettuce!?

But that's NOT all...I took pictures of those greens, too!  A HUGE bag full, actually!  Check this out...

It's almost a whole canvas bag full!

I have been doing a LOT of writing lately!  Even more than usual.  It's my busiest time of the year for commercial writing at work AND I've been going NUTS with the Raw Food World News Site, too!

I will do another post soon with some of my favorite posts and link to them for you!  I've done a few reviews as well!

So stay tuned for those!

What have you been up to!? 

What have you been writing about lately!? 

What new foods have you tried lately!?

Been to any concerts yet this summer?

What's the last fruit you ate!?

A Little Behind On FOOD

It's been a CRAZY week or so but I wanted to try and catch up on some things TODAY! 

This post will be highlighting some of my food creations over the past week-ish.

Kicking things off with this sandwich spread.

It's a version of Vegan Egg Salad, I suppose.  Here's what I did...
2 C Chickpeas (sprouted, mashed/in Ninja)
1 T Tahini
2 T Vegan Mayo
2 T Dijon Mutard
3 T Onion "Greens" (Onion Sprouts/Shoots)
1 T Lemon Juice
1/2 tea Garlic Powder
1/2 tea Kala Namak (Sea Salt)
1/4 tea Turmeric

I was able to eat that over a few days.  I had it on a simple sandwich, with tossed salad, and on a 'hot dog bun' with tempeh.  Next up...Portabello Mushrooms on the Grill.  Hubby made these for me.  When I do them I usually use Balsamic for the marinade but he used vegan Worcestershire sauce for these.  He topped them with some Daiya Cheese.  Hubby will use the vegan version of the Worcestershire Sauce on his stuff, too, and he's far from veg.

Speaking of Daiya Cheese...I was sort of craving some nachos with con caso so I made this vegan version using a mixture of both Cheddar and Mozzarella Daiya...here's the recipe...

1/4 C Moz. Daiya
2 Slices of Cheddar Daiya
1/4 C Coconut Milk
2 T Earth Balance
1/2 C Salsa

I did this over the weekend, too!  I was thinking picnic type foods and haven't really had much pasta lately so I did this!  Vegan Macaroni Salad!  Recipe for this as follows...
2 C Cooked Pasta
1/2 C Vegan Mayo
1 tea Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 Small Onion
1 tea Organic sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners)
1/4-1/2 tea Wildtree California Garlic Pepper
2 Pickle Spears, Diced

Normally I would add celery - but I was plumb-out!  So sorry for the short post today - I do have lots more to share and I hope to be back tomorrow!  What have you been up to!?

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!?

Vegan Foods of Late

Yes!  Another post, today!  There have been several today because I have been trying to catch up from the last couple of weeks!  If you are new to my blog - I invite you to keep scrolling and commenting!  I'm always looking for like-minds to be blogging buddies with and link up with!  That being said...a shout-out to those visiting from the BLOG HOP today!  This post is specifically about some of the foods I have been eating lately.  My Eating Schedule has been a little off lately but I still have some things to share, regardless!

First up is my adventures in Roasting Veggies!  I recently roasted some Carrots, Brussell Sprouts, and Parsnip and they were wonderful.  Many of you know that when I do use oil my default oil of choice is Grapeseed Oil.  This worked perfectly for these roasted veggies.  I did half with the Garlic Dipping Grapeseed Oil from Wildtree and the Brussell Sprouts I did with some of the Balsamic/GSO.

Next up...I have been enjoying more and more smoothies the last month or so!  I hope to continue with this, too!  One of the best efforts so far has been Frozen Mango in with Garden of Life Raw Protein Yerba Mate.  It was VERY good.  Even BETTER?  I used their Packets!  They are PERFECT for on the go!  Super Quick!  Super Easy!  Super Packed with Raw Vegan Goodness!

Some of these foods are from a few weeks ago and I have switched phones since then and lost my recipes for them!  So sorry!  I will say another effort of mine that went really well was this Cashew Tomato Pesto Sauce that I hope to tweak a bit (to get even smoother) and re-post at some point.  I only soaked the Cashews for about an hour and I think overnight would be best.  The flavor was VERY yummy, tho!

The last time I went to our local Farmers Market I couldn't resist their Tomatillos again so I wanted to see what I could do with them besides the given-in salsa.  The last time I did a Cashew Tomatillo Sauce and it was awesome...if I do say so myself.

So...I did this Colorful Dish, here!  The majority of what you see is the Heritage Grain Blend from Nature's Earthly Choice!  I totally LOVE this stuff!  This may have been repackaged and rename, however.  I see in on the website now as 3 Continent Blend.  I also used Onion, Tomatillos, Cilantro, Oregano, Cumin, Kidney Beans, Tomatoes, Lime Juice, etc.  It turned out really yummy!  Another great way to get some creative grains in your diet!  Quinoa, Amaranth, Brown Rice, Wild Rice!  YAY!

And FINALLY...another colorful dish!  This Veggie "Cheesy" Pasta!  Total YUM!  I used a Vegan Cheesy Sauce I made with Daiya Shreds and Cashew Milk as the base.  I also added Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Onion, Garlic to it! 

I had a lot of positive feedback on this one on Instagram!  I was so excited about it! 

What foods have you experimented with lately!?  Don't forget to check out the BLOG HOP Today, too!

Making Something Out Of Nothing ~ "Cheeze-E" Wasabi Brown Rice & A Word About Wasabi

I had a random PLAIN package of Brown Rice at work and decided to heat it up.  It really needed some sort of FLAVOR tho!  I had an "Ah HA!" Moment!  You see...I was at the end of my bag of Tamari & Wasabi Almonds and kept the bag because there was a LOT of flavoring in the bottom still there!  So instead of throwing it away I decided to use it in this rice dish!  There were some Almond "crumbs" left as well and I added some Hemp Hearts/Seeds and Nutritional Yeast to taste along with a bit of water.  Considering this was a "what I had on hand' meal - this turn out pretty good!  The Wasabi smacked me in the face but I kept eating it!

Why do I like Wasabi?  Well, let me tell you!  I enjoy powerful flavors as you may already know!  With Wasabi I have a little bit of a reminiscent thing going on, too!  About a year or two before my Grandmother passed away I introduced her to Wasabi Peas.  She didn't think she would like them.  She thought they would be TOO HOT but she had one and kept going back time and time again and thereafter bought Wasabi Peas to snack on from time to time.

It's technically a root/plant much like Horseradish - altho - Horseradish IS a different plant.

It stimulates the nasal passages and clears the senses.  I think it's a nice way to open up and awake your nose every once and a while - just by eating a bit of it!

Some people say that Wasabi is good for slowing down spoilage and bacteria growth.  Wasabi also has Anti-Inflammatory Effects as well as Anti-Cancer Properties.  Just a few fun findings on Wasabi.