Trying Some New Thangs!

I picked this up at Target the other day. It was under five dollars which is a freaking miracle for all natural deodorant. The only natural deodorant that has worked for me is Primal Pit paste and Smith's no longer carries it. I posted this on Instagram, and I think I got more comments than any other post. People really struggle with natural deodorants! I thought I was alone. Most people who have tried this brand didn't like it, one person warned that it stains white clothes, and only a couple of people said they like it. Yikes, I'm scared. I'll report back, but I don't have the highest of hopes. I wish Primal Pit paste was easier to find!!!

I also picked this up to try. I've been reading amazing healing stories about CBD oil. I don't talk about my depression a whole lot because I don't know why. It's just something I've dealt with for so long that it's just a part of me. But it's been really difficult to handle lately, and I've been having some super dark thoughts. I would say so far it does help me to be a bit more calm. Yesterday I was really struggling, I felt irritated, anxious and very sad. I had to ride the bus from hell which wasn't helping matters and I took a half of a dose and this calm washed over me. And I take a little before I go to sleep and the past two nights I've slept like a baby! When I take melatonin, I'll fall asleep but I wake up multiple times throughout the night. But I stayed asleep and I wake up feeling very rested and refreshed.

I saw these on my Target trip an couldn't resist. It was an impulse buy. I knew they weren't going to be loaded with broccoli, but they just sounded good.

I made some chunky oven fries, some broccoli tots and a little salad for dinner. The tots are pretty dang tasty to be honest. Like I said they're not brimming with broccoli, but it's in there. They're no millet tot, but I would still buy these again for sure!!

I tried this key lime coconut yogurt for dessert. It was okay. The lime tasted super fake which is why I don't like a lot of fruit flavored things. Especially with citrus because it can swerve into perfume/aromatherapy flavor which no one wants. I definitely would not buy this flavor again.

So Much Vegan Food!

Tofu, red lentils,lemons,Opal apples, fizzy water, garlic, carrots,onion,live soda,grapes,oranges,Persian cucumbers,tea,more apples,Healthade booch,avocados,orange pepper,bulk ginger, so delicious coconut yogurt

I just couldn't get up as early as I wanted yesterday so I skipped Trader Joe's. Sometimes those deals just aren't worth the anxiety. Luckily for me Sprouts is still having an awesome BOGO sale so I   still scored some deals. They have four pound bags of oranges on sale for $1.50!!!! So I got two because I have been loving orange, carrot ginger juice. I credit that and kombucha for helping me to combat all the germs from people who cough all over me at work and on the bus.
I'm nervous because I did buy tofu, and we all remember the smelly, exploding tofu incident. But so far the package remains unpoofed and in tact so finger crossed!!

Look what Sprouts has now! I've only been seeing this new oatmilk So Delicious ice cream popping up on social media in the last couple of weeks so I'm excited to see it at Sprouts already!! I didn't get any, but if and when I do try it this will be the flavor I try!! Peanut butter and raspberry, brilliant!!!

Here are the three flavors I saw at Sprouts. I think these are all the oatmilk offerings. They all look good, and I'm always a sucker for vegan caramel so the caramel apple sounds amazing too!

This is quite the accomplishment! I made a chickpea omelette to fuel myself for Saturday shopping! I have never, ever in my life been able to make an omelette. They always turned into the world's ugliest scramble!! But the stars aligned and I was able to make this beauty!!! I seriously feel like a chef!!

Last night I made this delicious Tom Yum soup last night for dinner. OMG I forgot how much I love Tom Yum soup. I love the lemongrass and the slight sourness of it. I added slices of fried tofu and Thai basil. This hit the spot!!

King of the Mushrooms!

This was my delicious dinner last night. It came together in under fifteen minutes and tasted like a restaurant dish! I just shredded the king oyster mushrooms and gave them a quick saute in a little coconut oil, then added some hoisin sauce an a few strips of fried tofu. The mushrooms are chewy and dense and soak up the sauce really well. And I find mushrooms to be filling unlike jackfruit which I can eat a whole can and be hungry ten minutes later.
I was searching the webz for different ways to use king oyster mushrooms, and I came across this really nice looking recipe for ribs!! I might try that next time! Bosh TV has a ton of awesome recipes by the way. They make some fancy and more complicate dishes, but they also make a ton of really simple and inexpensive dishes. I love them!

Laundry never put away.. check!!

Poor Joan had the whole pink sweater and the bed to herself, until Kiki the queen of the lounge came along and made herself at home!
Happy Caturday!!

Asian Market Haul!

Yam noodles,fried tofu,spicy baked tofu,Thai basil,enoki and king oyster mushrooms,rice noodles,green onion, Tom Yum paste,mushroom powder,seaweed snacks,rice cakes,soft tofu,pickled radish,gochujang paste

I finally made it back to the Asian market yesterday. I've been out of mushroom powder and gochujang paste for quite some time so I made myself go. The market I love, it's just the bus that I have to take to get there. But it was totally worth it! I got all that stuff for thirty bucks which is a steal!
I'm excited to try the King oyster mushrooms. I'm going to shred them like jackfruit. I saw a recipe on Bosh TV for a pulled mushroom sandwich using shredded king oysters. I rarely use jackfruit because I don't find it very filling, so I'm hoping these mushrooms will give me all the texture with none of the hunger!

I made a gochujang stew for dinner. It had soft tofu and a few pieces of fried tofu, enoki mushrooms and rice cakes. It had been way too long since I've had this stew and it hit the spot! Perfect comfort food on a blustery winter night!

WooHoo Chobani Makes Vegan Yogurt!!!

I found some more awesome WooHoo deals at Smiths! I always looks at the watermelon water and roll my eyes at the price. But for $1.99 I gave into temptation for a bit of liquid summer! And I got all natural, cruelty free and vegan toothpaste for $.90? Yes please!!

Why didn't I take my ratty glove off????

Who knew Chobani made vegan yogurt? I had no idea. Usually I read about these things on social media but this is either really new or I just missed the news. I saw peach and vanilla, but only the peach was WooHooed. I have to say texture wise this is the closest to dairy yogurt I've tried. It was almost too realistic. Did anyone eat Light and Lively yogurt in their pregan days? My mom always got yogurt that was barely sweetened, slightly clumpy and fruit on the bottom. I loved any chance to get the smoother, sweeter yogurts. This reminded me of my old friend Light and Lively.  Flavor wise I wasn't blown away, but to be fair I never ever like anything peach flavored. I don't even like peaches that much, I'm team nectarine. So I think for people who love peach flavored things this would be a hit. Now that I know the texture is great I'll be more willing to pay full price for a different flavor.

Bubba update. He has come inside for the past two mornings. I close the door but leave it a teensy bit ajar so he knows he can leave if he wants. This is him sitting on my lap on the couch!!! He'll stay for about thirty minutes or so, but he ends up leaving. But we're making progress. I keep telling him he can stay and be the king of the castle. I worry because he hasn't eaten much the last couple of days so I hope I can convince him to join our little family. Also I need to think of a more fitting name than Bubba. He's not a mechanic!I usually name animals after musicians so I guess I have to think of who he would be if he were a musician. Keep wishing us luck.

Team Cauliflower!

Sprouts is having a pretty big buy one get one free sale this week and this Health Ade kombucha is one of the bogo items. They were pretty picked over when I got there and they only had pomegranate and cayenne flavors. It's funny because pomegranates are my least favorite fruit and cayenne is my least favorite spice! I chose the cayenne because I guess I dislike pomegranate more. This is actually pretty dang good. I would actually buy this again.It isn't super spicy, but it definitely has some warmth.

I was at Trader Joe's awhile ago and they were handing out soup at the sample station. It was curried cauliflower soup, and they said they just cooked the riced cauliflower with onion, garlic an curry powder, then blended it with coconut milk. So this is what I did. I did write down the exact recipe, but it turned out a little thinner than I wanted so once I perfect it I'll share the exact recipe. Because it's sooooooo good! I had some leftover rice so I threw that in which helped bulk it up. This also took no time to make thanks to riced cauliflower.
I've been a cauliflower hater my whole life. Now I've learned I like cauliflower gnocchi, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower Alfredo, cauliflower wings, and now this cauliflower soup. I guess I just need my cauliflower a little dressed up!

Snowy Sunday Eats

I started my day with this delicious carrot, ginger, celery, apple and orange juice. The ginger really helps cut the celery taste. This gives me more pep than a cup of coffee.

Later on I had a rice cake with peanut butter, banana and blueberries. I'm loving rice cakes lately. So much cheaper than gluten free crackers or bread! I also had a rice cake with caramelized onion hummus.But it was so good I forgot to take a picture!

I've never had Cedar's hummus before, and I really try not to buy packaged hummus but I couldn't resist buy one get one. And I am a sucker for caramelized onion hummus. Guys, it's so freaking good. The balsamic really makes it. I'm going to have to try and recreate this because I want to eat it all the time!!

I made a simple pasta salad with tri color quinoa pasta, black olives, carrot, red pepper and green onion. And Italian dressing of course. I love that pasta salad you get at delis that's always a little too mushy and drowning in dressing. I had some on top of a regular green salad. This was so tasty! It reminded me of summer as I watched the snowfall.

This ugly looking bowl of food was actually super delicious! I made Moo Shu veggies and tofu. I used this recipe. I had mine over rice instead of a tortilla. I could have had lettuce wraps but I wasn't thinking. Either way this was so tasty.

What I'm Going to Eat

Well, I shopped on a Saturday and lived to tell about it. Honestly I barely survived with my sanity and I've realized I need a new day to get groceries. Trader Joe's was so bad there was a line to go down the chip and nut/cereal aisle!! I came very. very close to having a panic attack so I definitely can't do that to myself again.

Sweet potato tortilla chips, rice cakes, oranges, bulk crushed red pepper, Jasmine rice, dilly pickle, Healthade booch, gala apples, red pepper, veggie burgers,cantaloupe, live soda, veggie burritos for a coworker, hummus, daiya cheese, avocado, blueberries

I used to roll my eyes so hard when my grandma would scroll down the receipt at the grocery store. It was like oh so embarrassing. But, you know what? You have to. When I left Sprouts I felt like my total was more than it should have been. I checked my receipt, and sure enough the apples were on sale for $1.88 a bag, and they rang up and $3.99, and the daiya was buy one get one but the second didn't ring up free. So I went back in and I was overcharged a total of $9.25!! It definitely happens so whether you're on a budget or not, check your receipts!

Lemons, ginger,celery,cauliflower gnocchi, riced cauliflower,tofux2,mushrooms,frozen corn, frozen strawberries, raw slivered almonds,green onion, carrots, pickles, romaine and butter lettuce,bananas, coconut milk

Look at me, the cauliflower hater buying two cauliflower items! The gnocchi is possibly my favorite Trader Joe's item, and I'm going to use the riced cauliflower for a blended soup and I decided to take a shortcut.

I was drained from the crowds so I opted for a lazy dinner. I had a huge butter leaf salad with two gardein chipotle black bean burgers with avocado and green dragon sauce. I don't get to eat much gardein because of gluten, but the chipotle black bean burgers are gluten free and delicious. This meal hit the spot. I didn't even miss a bun!!

Books and Food!

Remember back before Christmas when I was interested in the Eating to Live way of life? I've since decided that I don't want to live that strict of a lifestyle. I struggled with two eating disorders for fifteen years of my life, and I'm not interested in being super restrictive again. I already find being gluten free to be so frustrating.
I forgot that before the holidays I had reserved a copy of the Eat to Live cookbook at the library. A copy is finally available so I decided to check it out anyway. Because while I'm not going that hardcore, I have been trying to make improvements in my diet and I always like to learn more!

I can never, ever leave the library with only one book!! The only reason I don't have a huge stack of books is because I walk and take the bus. If I had a car it would be a whole different story. When I was a kid and would go to the library I would always get a HUGE stack of books, and my mom would only let me get all the books if I swore I was actually going to read them all in the two or three weeks allowed and I always did. Books were my friends!

I found these perfect oranges in the clearance bin in the produce section. I love that more groceries are doing this. It's a great way to save money, and reduce waste. If they didn't bag these and sell them at a discounted price they would end up in the garbage!! These are going to make some excellent juice!

I also treated myself to this ginger lemon kombucha. Ginger is my favorite flavor of Gt's booch, but I have to say this ginger is so much better! It's nice and spicy!!

Last night I made a quick tofu and rice bowl with a spicy peanut sauce. But I also added the one ingredient that can make peanut sauce even better, hoisin sauce!! This was super simple and really, really tasty!
Because I really, really like to torture myself, I'm getting some groceries today. Sprouts is having some great sales so I'll definitely be going there, and maybe Trader Joe's if I'm feeling super brave. So I'll be back tomorrow with another haul!

WooHoo!

Valentine's day came early for me yesterday when I popped into Smith's for cat food, and came out with a clearance bottle of vegan and cruelty free bath foam! Baths are one of my favorite treats, and usually I just use Epsom salt and powdered ginger, so this makes it extra special!

Thanks for the Valentine's gift Smiths!

I kept it simple for dinner. I just made some roasted potatoes and had them with ketchup and a little Just Mayo. I seasoned the potatoes with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and lots of nooch. This really hit the spot!

Yesterday was a blustery, rainy, stormy day and the girls were in the mood for snuggles. Everyone was in a kitty pile except Roxy!! I just could not get her to join the crowd!! Kiki and Afro were celebrating Galentine's day with a little heart!

Pasta and The Beanstalk

A few weeks ago I tried red lentil linguini and was pretty disappointed. But I'm always kind of disappointed in long cut gluten free pasta. It's never as twirly as gluten full pasta. I decided to try the green lentil penne from the same brand.

There are so many bean pastas on the market now, and I see people raving about them but I have to be honest, I'm just not a fan. I've tried several brands and shapes and they're all the same.  For me it's a texture thing. Gluten free pasta is already less tender than gluten full pasta, and bean pasta is even less tender!

I made some basil and parsley pesto and tossed the penne with the pesto, edamame beans and sliced olives. Everything tasted great, I just don't like how firm the bean pasta is. It's almost hard to stab it with a fork.
For me, if I feel I want all that extra protein and fiber in my pasta dish, I'd rather just add actual beans to whatever pasta I'm using. Plus, actual beans are cheaper than bean pasta!!

The heat vent is Joan's favorite spot to sleep. Usually she can enjoy long naps with no one bothering her. I guess Kiki needed a new cuddle buddy because she is taking over the vent and forcing Joan to cuddle!!

What I Ate on a Sunday

I started my day out with this celery, pineapple and collard greens juice. The pineapple definitely helped sweeten the celery and collards.

I decided to kepp it green for a little while longer. I decided to have a simple salad for breakfast. This is just a head of Romaine with Trader Joe's Goddess dressing. This really hit the spot. I like having salad for breakfast because in the morning I'm much more motivated to chop and mix and all of that. Sometimes at night, especially after a long night at work I just want to throw whatever together, and I'm not always worried about getting in those greens.

After cleaning and working out I made this delicious smoothie with frozen strawberries, coconut milk, peanut butter, banana and maca powder. This was so creamy and it tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!!

I had some of this delicious roasted garlic hummus with crackers for a little afternoon snack. This roasted garlic hummus is really, really good. The garlic flavor is assertive. not aggressive.

It's been far too long since I've had mashed potatoes and gravy! I had a packet of my favorite Mayacamas gravy in my pantry along with some potatoes that needed to be used, and I needed a hug so mashed potatoes it is! I added some lentils to the gravy for  protein and fiber. This hit the spot, and now I have leftovers for breakfast!

So Much Stuff!

Yesterday was grocery day so I hit Sprouts and Trader Joe's. I also got some tea at Natural grocers. I'm really grateful that Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Natural grocers and Smiths are all within blocks of each other. It makes it very easy to get the best deals!

Ginger live probiotic soa, sweet onions, opal apples, parsley, powdered ginger, dried elderberry and hibiscus flowers, pineapple,roasted dandelion tea, Cara Cara oranges, bulk rice and pink salt, Gluten free pasta, Bigelow beauty tea, avocado, collard greens

Everything above is from Sprouts except the dandelion tea and the unmentioned Newman's own peanut butter cups. Those are from Natural Grocers. This week Sprouts has pineapples on sale for $.98 each!!  And they've had the Live soda on sale for many weeks now and that makes me so happy!!

I spotted some new to me vegan ice creams at Sprouts! The Hukuna Banana is banana and coconut milk based and the O' My is coconut cream based. They have a root beer float flavor!!! Although it's on sale now, I'm not too crazy about the regular $7.99 price.

Frozen strawberries,lemons,Romaine lettuce, coconut milk, basil, nooch, soy creamer, celery, tofu,carrots,roasted garlic hummus and bananas

Trader Joe's has the best price on organic celery anywhere. I keep reading about the amazing health benefits of celery juice, so I'm going to try to get back into that habit. I'm going to add pineapple to make it a bit more palatable.

Trader Joe's is now carrying Miyoko's vegan cream cheese. My Trader Joe's only has the lox flavor so far, but I think some also have plain? I have two packages of clearance gluten free bagels in my freezer that would LOVE some cream cheese, but this is pretty pricey even at Trader Joe's, and I've never had lox so I don't know if I would like it. But it's awesome to see!

I made homemade pesto last night and tossed it with cauliflower gnocchi. I used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts and it turned out so delicious! If you haven't tried Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi, you need to!! It's one of my favorite Trader Joe's products!

Nothing better than a fluffy, chunky Etta belly to cuddle with! I swear Kiki is relentless in her pursuit of a cuddle!