Halfway There!

 One shot down, one to go!Tuesday morning I got my first shot of the vaccine! I definitely got a little ache-y, yesterday my head was pounding and my stomach hurt a little. Today I feel better, but my head still hurts a little. Nothing unbearable though, and the discomfort is definitely worth it in my opinion!

They asked me to wait a bit after my shot, so I used the wait time to pick up a few easy things to make to eat. The voodoo chips were an impulse buy, and what a wonderful impulse, they are DELICIOUS!

 Remember when I was talking about Gardenburger? It's so weird because this Smith's had their black bean burgers on clearance for two dollars a box, and they're vegan! Oh happy days! The voodoo chips are INCREDIBLE! And thanks to someone on the Gram, I learned that the Almond Dream bites are not vegan!! They are extremely deceptive in their wording. They don't have milk listed as an allergen, and in very, very fine print they explain that the chocolate coating is not suitable for people who are lactose intolerant! It's very shady.

I whipped up some tacos Tuesday night figuring leftovers would be appreciated the next day. I just used beefless crumbles, black beans and a package of taco seasoning. Easy peasy. Topped with lettuce, red onion and jalapeno!

The leftovers were so nice the next day when I was very tired and a little blah. I had some daiya shreds in the freezer, so I threw the leftover taco filling, some cheese and the nacho flavored nooch in some tortillas and made quesadillas with lots of green dragon sauce. Delicious!

More New Vegan Things I've Tried and One I Will Try!

 

I picked these up on a whim at Sprouts, they were on sale and vegan so why not? I've been snacking on them all weekend, and they're pretty good. Nice and crispy, pickle-y and not too salty or greasy. I definitely will buy these again!

I picked this up a few weeks ago, and last night I was feeling the blues so I wanted something easy. Unfortunately I also wanted something tasty and this wasn't it. I think I just don't like jarred pesto. Since the basil isn't that fresh it really is just too lemon-y. I'll have to find a creative way to use the rest of the jar!

I picked these up at the grocery store where I used to work. They had several flavors of veggie burger, and vegan nuggets and meatballs(He he) This is their organic store brand. They were not this vegan friendly when I worked there I can tell you that much! These are really, really tasty. Does anyone remember the brand Gardenburger? These remind me of one of their burgers, either the original or black bean. Those were my favorite veggie burgers in my pregan days!

I've been wanting to try this popcorn for sooooo long, but it's expensive! My patience finally paid off and it was on sale so I scooped up a bag. Ten out of ten this is DELICIOUS!! I mostly taste dill, which is fine by me, but it does have a ranch-y aftertaste. Amazing!

I've never heard of these or this brand, but it was in a little freezer clearance bin so I grabbed one. I would have grabbed more, they were only one dollar, but pancakes sausage and cheese sounds so strange to me. But I couldn't not try one at that price. I will share my thoughts when I try it. 

I'll be back later in the week. Tomorrow is shot one of the vaccine for me. I'm excited and a bit nervous but I'm mostly happy and grateful that I'm finally able to get it!

More Vegan Goodies!

 I have a couple of small hauls this week. One is from Chinatown Superstore, and one is from Sprouts. Sprouts has been killing it with the digital coupons. Today I had five dollars off fifteen dollars of produce. Yes please! I didn't need too much since I did a big shop last week. 

Baguettes for Banh Mi, mint, Thai basil, daikon, ginger, instant ramen, enoki mushrooms, rice, tofu, Korean pancake mix, rice noodles, jalapeno

I almost always go to the market on the weekend when it's insanely busy, so I never really noticed in the back corner they have a little area where they sell food, including banh mi sandwiches, or you can just buy the bread alone!! OMG, I almost cried! I still remember the first time I had a banh mi. It was life changing! I've tried to make them at home, but they're never the same just using whatever baguette I can find at the grocery. 

I took the world's worst picture of course, but this was INCREDIBLE!!! This is stuffed with veganaise, baked tofu, jalapeno, cilantro, Thai basil, mint and of course pickled carrot and daikon. Took me back to the good days in Seattle!

Banana, carrot, onion, grapefruit, red onion, garlic, lemon, booch, ice cream bars, lavash bread, strawberries, micro radish, kale, dill pickle chips,tabouli salad, marinara, avocado, mango

I also accomplished something huge today, I finally got an appointment for my first and second vaccine! I have been trying like mad to get an appointment and there just have been none. I finaaly am scheduled my first shot this coming Tuesday!! I could only make an appointment at some place Ive never been, so that usually spells getting majorly lost, but who cares, I'm going to get vaccinated! Woot!

Some Stuff I've Tried and Eaten

 

I ran across this lonely burrito in a clearance basket and picked it right up. I had it for a quick breakfast before groceries the other day. It's pretty tasty, definitely needed a little extra spice but I'm a spicy gal. I give it a nine out of ten for flavor, but a three out of ten on value because when not on sale or clearance, these are pretty expensive for not a lot of food. 

I've been having lots of pita, hummus and veggie sandwiches for breakfast. I'm trying to eat more veggies and this is one of my favorite ways to get them in. 

The middle pita sandwich has some vegan chicken nuggets under the veggies. About a month or so ago Sprouts discontinued quorn and boca products, seemingly to make room for more plant meats that are unfortunately more expensive. One of the new brands they're carrying is Fry's which I've never seen anywhere. I didn't plan on trying them because they're expensive, but last week they were on sale for $2.99 a package so I decided to give them a try.

I have to say these were just okay. I liked the breading very much, but the "chicken" texture was a bit mushier than I prefer. I'm glad I got to try something new, but I wouldn't buy these again. 

Something else I always look at but don't buy. These puppies are expensive! But Sprouts had them on sale when I went, so I finally got to try them! These are incredible!! When I first went vegan, there was a brand of soy ice cream that had fun flavors like key lime pie and blueberry cheesecake. I used to always find it at Grocery Outlet. I haven't seen that brand or those flavors in years. The ice cream tastes just like key lime pie. Ten out of ten. Sad that I can't have these on the regular!

This is another incredible, easy and super delicious Wil Yeung recipe! This is chili oil peanut noodles! I added some baked tofu and this was AHMAZING! Recipe here! I've tried so many of his recipes at this point, and I've loved every single one!!

Big Old Vegan Sprouts Haul!

 I have a larger than usual Sprouts haul this week. I had a coupon for ten dollars off purchases of seventy five dollars or more. I normally don't spend that much at Sprouts, because when you get past the produce section they can get costly. But, it was a beautiful day and I took my time and got some good stuff!

Strawberries, Fry's vegan nuggets, pita bread, potatoes, oranges, spinach,Live booch soda, ice cream sandwiches, ginger turmeric tea

Tomato, bananas, mangoes, method cleaner, bath salts, treeline cream cheese,Oatly, sweet mini peppers, green onion, broccoli micro greens, tomato paste, refried beans, spring rolls, daiya shreds, onion, carrot, vegan pesto,lemon, booch, silk creamer

I also found my favorite hummus on a BOGO sale at Smith's, so I had to take advantage. I have tried several times to recreate the carrot sriracha hummus and I'm not even close!! It's so freaking good! 

I've been really bad about getting veggies in lately, especially greens. I plan on having a lot of pita, veggie and hummus sandwiches in my future. I always like veggies better when they're in bread for some reason!

Some Food I've Tried and Eaten While it Snows in April!

 As I'm sitting here gazing out of my window, I'm looking at snowflakes in mid April! This whole week has been cold, grey and just blah. I really resent bad days during the spring, because in about a month I'm going to loathe being outside unless it's very, very early in the morning. As someone who has always been a sun loving summer gal, it's hard dreading summer and the scorching sun. I miss the mildness of Seattle so much!

Tuesday and Wednesday were extremely windy. I was scared we were about to have another extreme windstorm and no power for four days! When I got home from my walk yesterday morning, I felt like I had really gone through it, and I wanted something warm and cozy for breakfast, so I made kitchari! I haven't had this in awhile and it hit the spot!

I had it with some paratha bread from the freezer. Paratha is pretty delicious and flaky, not the best for scooping and dipping. I need to make more naan soon!

I ran across these two things at a store I don't go to really ever. I didn't even know daiya had a Swiss cheese! I had a slice on a homemade lentil walnut burger and it melted and tasted great warm. I don't love it cold though. Daiya has a few varieties that I enjoy cold, but a lot of their flavors should come with a must be heated warning!

The Bitchin sauce was on clearance and I kind of know why. I've had other flavors of bitchin sauce and while they aren't my favorite or something that I crave, I've enjoyed them. This was so not enjoyable. I resent spending two dollars on it! The cilantro flavor doesn't taste fresh, and it somehow has too much lime but also needs more acid because it's very dull. It's a no from me dawg!

I also found this at the same store. I LOVE Tofurky deli slices, and I love their holiday roast so this seemed like a sure bet. I didn't feel like cooking too much last night so I treated myself, and man, it was worth it! Ten out of ten for this product! The chick'n has a great texture, and the sauce is delicious! The sauce was what I was most worried about to be honest. But it's maybe the best BBQ sauce I've had, they should bottle it! It's perfect, not too smoky or sweet, just right!

I made some tacos with coleslaw and some homemade pickled onions and carrots. Ten out of ten for the Tofurky chick'n. I will definitely buy again. They also have a lightly seasoned variety!

Tuesday Thangs

 Even though I'm eating gluten again, that doesn't mean I've given up on trying to heal or at least manage my hypothyroidism. If being gluten free would have been beneficial to me I would have definitely continued. Although I'm not obsessed with always eating healthy, I do deep down believe food is medicine. 

I've read and heard that sea moss, or Irish sea moss(not sure if they're all the same, I get confused when it comes to trendy health things) is very good for all kinds of things, but specifically thyroid issues. I'm not going to get into specifics because I am not a doctor, I don't even have a doctor! So, this is just information that I have looked into, and something I'm willing to try. 

Anyway, a lot of people buy sea moss gel and add it to smoothies. Since I'm not a smoothie person, I've tried and tried to make myself become one, but fetch just isn't happening for me. So, I found gummies that are not full of sugar and weird thangs.They're sweetened with rice syrup so no nasty stevia either!

I've been taking two gummies a day for about four days now, and one thing I can definitely say is that I feel a bit more pep in my step. Between depression and hypothyroidism, sluggishness is something I have to really fight and it's hard to fight when you're well, sluggish! I hope to feel more benefits as I continue to take these. 

Sunday morning I was having a lazy coffee in bed day, and I read a really sweet tribute to DMX from Gabrielle Union. She said they bonded on a movie set over watching reruns of Golden Girls. The thought of gravelly DMX laughing at the girl's shenanigans is really touching. 

I picked up this hot pot base last week at the Asian market and decided to try some last night. The base is very, very flavorful so I just added green onion and a little ginger to the broth, and then added enoki mushrooms, shredded carrot, fried tofu, rice cakes and some noodles. My apartment smelled the way I want my kitchen to smell always. Especially coming inside after being out in the cold. Delicious!

So this totally happened! This is as close to a real cuddle as I've seen! His little foot is actually touching Roxy!! This made my whole entire day!

Nacho Spice Nooch?!

 

Last week I ran into Whole Foods for some Dave's Killer Buns, and I remembered that I needed nooch. I was also going to Trader Joe's where nooch is cheaper so I don't know what I was thinking in the first place. Anyway, I grabbed the wrong nooch in a hurry and didn't notice till I got home. I didn't even know this was a thing! I went to more than one store that day, so who knows where my receipt went, and I don't even know if returning during covid is allowed! 

So now I'm stuck with this whole thing. Nacho-y flavors are okay, but not my favorite and not something I eat often, but I do need to use this up so we'll see if that changes. Last night I made sweet potato mac and cheese to use up the butt ends of some cheese I had laying around, so I added this, black beans and green dragon sauce. 

I was hoping the nooch would only be lightly flavored and easy to kind of mask the nacho flavors, but it is very, very seasoned. I'm definitely going to experiment with some more potato queso recipes and use this. But now I still need plain nooch!!

I ran to Sprouts for a few things yesterday. It's that time of year where they practically give mangoes away! For the next month there I will be deep in ataulfo mangoes!

Ataulfo mangoes, cilantro, green onion, black beans, red lentils, live probiotic soda, clover sprouts, tahini(from Smith's) chocolate coverd bananas(Bluth bananas)Silk creamer, spring rolls, green tea,strawberries

I'm so happy to see more berries and mangoes, and I'm so ready for nectarines!! Winter fruits are so boring, bring on the stone fruits!

Mad for Masala Chips!!

 I made a special trip back to the Restaurant and Family Market today for more of those incredible Lay's Masala chips! They're just so addictive! Since the Restaurant and Family Market is right next to my usual Asian market I hit up both places. 

 I also got a spicy hotpot soup base. I've never had hotpot, but I love The Viet Vegan and she has been making some delicious looking hotpots. I feel freer to experiment and try new things at stores that are a little cheaper. 

Clearance oranges, peanuts, pancit noodles, tofu, fruity mochi, rice cakes, sweet potato, sweet chili sauce, tofu cutlet, fried tofu, carrots

 The bag of oranges has to be at least five pounds, and it was on clearance for ninety nine cents! And every orange looks perfect, no spots or softness. Clearance shelves are the best!

This was kind of a spontaneous trip, I was craving those chips, and it's a beautiful day. I need to make a serious list and go back sometime to stock up on condiments and noodles and such. Going during the week is so much more calm than the weekend. 

As I mentioned last week, the apartment directly underneath me is being remodeled and it has been really loud. Like almost unlivable loud. Yesterday was only a little loud, so they were brave enough to sit at the vent listening. Does anyone remember that old Will$ Grace episode where they were nosing on their neighbors through the vent?

A Post of Hits!

 Tofurky deli slices were always one of my favorite things in the world before going gluten free. They're not too expensive, especially compared to a lot of the vegan meats out now, and they're so nice to make a quick sandwich. The peppered slices are my favorite! I recently tried the deli ham slices, and they were pretty tasty as well.

I decided to try Simple Truth's version of vegan deli slices, and I chose this ham to try first. It's very, very similar to Tofurky. I probably wouldn't even know the difference to be honest! The Simple Truth is a bit cheaper than Tofurky, so that's another plus. 

I like to have a frozen pizza in the freezer for a rainy day, so when I saw this on sale I grabbed it! A few days ago I had a rainy day and had this for dinner. Ten out of ten. The crust is thin and crispy, but not too crispy, and whatever kind of cheese they use melts and tastes great. Delicious!

About a month or so ago, Sprouts had a lot of Boca and Quorn products on clearance for super cheap. Like two bucks a box! I think they got rid of Boca and Quorn to make room for some newer vegan meats which are insanely expensive so that kind of sucks. I always find Boca to be reasonably affordable compared to other brands. Anyway, these are so freaking good! The texture is so great, firm not mushy. The coating is crispy and has a decent little kick. I hope I can find these somewhere else because they are definitely a ten out of ten!

I discovered this when I lived in Seattle. I'm so glad they're still making them! I picked this up on Saturday as a treat because well, life. I've tried to recreate this at home, but I never get it quite right. The tahini dip is really the star of the show.Ten out of ten highly recommend!

I've been looking for a rolling pin and although I didn't find one at the thrift store, I did find these two pictures! Two dollars for both!

My poor buns got squished!!!

 

I've never really made a delicious homemade vegan burger. I always struggle with the texture, and also I've made a lot of dry ass hockey pucks. I really wanted to make some lentil burgers to have on hand for breakfast, so I found this recipe and these are the best veggie burger I've ever made! I made a few changes based on what I had, I used regullar mushrooms instead of portabella, and I left out the vegan worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. I subbed soy sauce and a bit of vegan oyster sauce. These are so freaking good! They have a deep savory flavor and the texture is everything I want in a veggie burger!! I highly recommend this recipe. I will be definitely making it again! I would also definitely use this recipe if I were making burgers for a mixed crowd!!!

The bookshelf is one of Joan's favorite places to hang out. She's going to be so upset when I eventually fill it all with books!!

Two Vegan Hauls, One Post

 I totally forgot that yesterday was Easter, so I made the mistake of getting some groceries on Saturday. I have a few things from Whole Foods and the rest is Trader Joe's. 

Two different units in my apartment building have become vacant, and word on the street is that my landlord is trying to sell the building, so she is having the units remodeled. One of the units is under me, so the sound of carpets and cupboards and who knows what else being ripped and banged out is really making my anxiety so bad. And the poor kitties are losing their minds too. I say that to say I was already frazzled when I went to get groceries, and Trader Joe's fully fried me. 

I went to Whole Foods for incense and Dave's Killer Buns, and found a few other goodies on sale. For some reason Whole Foods is the only place I can find Dave's Buns and I love them so. Even though Dave's breads are on the pricier side, they are still so much cheaper than gluten free bread! Just Egg was on sale too, and I've only tried it once or twice and felt meh about it, so I want to see if maybe I like it a bit more. I never loved eggs in my pregan days, but I sometimes did like scrambled eggs on toast.

Spotted in their new items section. I've never had Bolognese sauce, and I recently tried the plant based Bolognese from Simple Truth, and it was so bad I couldn't force myself to finish it. It had a certain spice or seasoning that was so offensive to my taste buds. So, I don't know if that flavor is a common flavor in Bolonese, and I never want to have that touch my mouth again. But I can't wait to see what others think of this!

This was really the whole reason I tortured myself by going to Trader Joe's. I absolutely love and adore their new vegan tzatziki dip so much that I had to try this one. I used to love some Ruffles chips dipped in French Onion dip. This for me was not worth the trip. It's made with a vegan cream cheese as the base instead of sour cream, and it's just too rich. It's also thicker than what I like my onion dip to be. I've seen people loving it on social media, so i think I'm in the minority, but this gets a five out of ten from me. I'll just stick to their incredible tzatziki!