Friday, July 17, 2015

I'm in Love with Joe!!

Dylan wanted to say hi!

Strawberries, Romaine lettuce, Persian cucumbers, red pepper, and pineapple!

Potatoes, Coconut milk strawberry ice cream, savory tofu, coconut milk, siracha BBQ sauce(!), chicken-less strips, and Marsala burgers!
These are some highlights from my first Trader Joe's haul in Seattle!! Man, when I walked in, nothing had changed, and I felt like I was home! I love how almost all of their vegan products have a v clearly labeled on the packaging. It not only makes shopping easier, it also makes me feel like we matter. I remember when I first switched to veganism, it took me sooooo long to grocery shop, because I had to read every flipping label. Anyway, I just can't say enough good things about Joe. The prices are great, the employees are always super nice, and helpful, and I always find super fun vegan stuff. The strawberry coconut milk ice cream is new to me, and they NAILED IT! It tastes just like the strawberry ice cream of my youth. It's super creamy, and the strawberry taste is strong, and it's a natural strawberry taste, not super fake some some berry flavored things. As I mentioned, Dylan also gives the coconut milk ice cream a big paws up. I think I have to go to Whole Foods for Coco Whip, as I haven't seen it anywhere else, so until I make it there, he's happy with this substitution. I think between Grocery Outlet, and Trader Joe's, I might be able to live on more than just lentils. Woot Woot!
Dylan is doing sooo much better. I don't know if it's the medication, or what but his appetite and attitude are back! He is eating more than he has in quite awhile, and just seems happier. Last week at this time, I thought I was losing everything. Dylan got sick, I was still in the crappy hotel/motel, and really questioning what the hell I was doing. It seems like one week is such a short amount of time, but yet so much happened. I don't mean to sound Hallmarky, but maybe all of that stressful stuff happened for a reason. Maybe this medication will extend and improve Dylan's life, and maybe this apartment is truly where I need to be living right now. All I know is right in this moment I am so grateful for all that I have.
I've fallen behind on some of my YouTube videos with all of the chaos of the past week. I'm not sure I want to catch up with some/all of them. It's been kind of nice just doing my own thang, and not feeling like I'm not eating the right way, or working out the right way, lean enough, etc.  It's been so freeing, just being a vegan, and feeling great about that.  There are also so many vegans, and even non vegans who are really fighting the good fight for the animals, and I feel much more inspired by those stories. Anyway, I'm getting gabby, and this post is already soo long! I hope everyone has a great Friday, T.G.I.F and all that jazz.

6 comments:

  1. Dont forget the Tofu Cream Cheese, Orange Morsels and Vegan Tiki Masala!

    Great. news about Dylan!

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  2. I meant to get the vegan Tika Masala in honor of you, and I totally forgot. I was so overwhelmed by all the goodies. I will be getting that the next time, along with the tofu cream cheese. I am craving a bagel with cream cheese and scallions.

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  3. Trader Joe’s vegan Super Burrito is really fantastic if you happen to come across it, usually found near the falafel wraps (which are not that good). The Super Burrito is spiked with a very tasty sweet-spicy chile sauce. It’s very satisfying food for when you’re on-the-go running errands, and even if you’re not!

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  4. That sounds delicious. I had their spicy lentil wrap when I went there the other day. It was red lentils with cabbage, and it came with a spicy tahini dipping sauce. It blew my mind, I wanted to drink the sauce. I will definitely check out the burrito. I do kind of miss Wegman's to be honest, but I am loving all of the other vegan friendly stores I've been discovering. Hows the prep for your trip going? I'm really inspired by what you're doing.

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  5. I just read your post here and realized I still have some of Wegman’s Caramelized Onion Hummus, which I am now enjoying on some crunchy vegan everything bagel chips. I bought a Wild Pea brand hummus from Whole Foods (Pineapple JalapeƱo) today thinking it was going to be great, but it is mushy, watery and really bad. I think hummus needs to have a smooth texture and not be choppy-wet, so Wild Pea is going back to Whole Foods.

    Trip prep is moving along. I’ve made several checklists for various things, like electric/gas temporary shut-off, refrigerator unplugging, etc. I’ve also been studying the hundreds of animal residents at the wildlife sanctuary. There are several lions, several hyaenas, elephants, rhinos, different bird species, some yellow baboons, a couple serval cats, several antelopes, some owls, several duikers, some grysboks, and a bunch of others. I’ve been wondering on how to go about associating/caring for some of these animals without getting hurt. I am going to be spending somewhere between ten to fourteen days at the vet clinic to learn about everything that I don’t know which is basically everything vet-medicine related. I am expecting to become very good friends with the vet ;-)

    I am also in the process of setting up some type of Skype video calls so that I can communicate with my cats from afar. While a trusted family member will be caring for my cats during my trip, I’ll be testing video calls with my cats before I go. The last time I needed to take a couple days trip, my cats practically disowned me on my return. That was only a couple days. This is three long months or more. Back then, I know what they were thinking: “Oh, so you think it’s okay to leave us and then come back and think everything is going to be normal? Not going to happen. We’re not that forgiving. Nope.” That’s when you know it’s time for the never-fail cure, the irresistible cat treats!. So, I go off into a corner and just ignore the cold cat treatment. I shake the cat treat can and wait. Oh, they resist the temptation for a cat treat, but patience always works in the end. What’s this, a couple cats rubbing against me, and purring . . .? Yep, we’re friends again :-)

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  6. Oh man do I miss Wegman's caramelized onion hummus! I guess I need to get a move on creating my own! You're going to be living one of my childhood dreams being around, and learning about all of those beautiful animals! But it is scary to try to help without getting hurt. I've been having to earn back my trust with my kitties too. They make you work for it. I expect you will get a lot of cat side-eyes when you skype with them! I think cats hold onto to grudges much more than dogs. But you're right, treats are the universal peace maker!
    Thanks for the info on that Hummus. I agree, hummus should not be wet. I don't remember the brand, but I tried a hummus that was like that, and it was very unappetizing. Smooth and creamy, or none at all!

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