Outlet Madness!

Outlet Goodies!

These are some normally pricey things I found at Grocery Outlet yesterday. I got Veganic sprouted O's cereal for $1.99(!), Lunbberg roasted red pepper pasta and sauce mix,Chocolate Salty Caramel vegan ice cream, seaweed crisps, and in what I consider to be the deal of the day, I got a 1.5 pound bag of hemp seeds for $2.99!!!!!! I could hardly believe my eyes. I don't buy hemp seeds very often because of the price. I don't buy a lot of the "superfoods" for that exact reason. I always feel like I'm missing out on super health. Grocery outlet is so great for finding random deals.

I had to try these!

They look like very dark kale chips.

I had to try the seaweed crisps as soon as I got home. These might be an acquired taste. These are not light and airy like the seaweed snacks you usually find. These have some heft, and they taste VERY strongly of the sea and seaweed. It is intense. I don't hate them, but I am not in love either. But for people that love that intense sea flavor, these are for you.
I didn't feel much like cooking, so I decided why not try this Lundberg pasta. It's pretty easy, you boil two cups of water,(using half plant milk if you want a creamier sauce) then you simply add the sauce mix and pasta and cook for eight to nine minutes. The ingredient list is totally not scary, which I guess is to be expected from a company like Lundberg. It's  gluten and soy free, so it's very allergy friendly.

I added some frozen corn and peas, and of course nutritional yeast!!

The sauce has pieces of red pepper in it, and  is kind of like a mushroom garlic sauce. It isn't macaroni and cheese, or anything "cheezy", so it doesn't have that strong nutritional yeast or daiya taste. It's it's own thang, and I really liked it. I added some frozen peas and corn to up the color and veg factor, and a heavy sprinkle of nutritional yeast and black pepper. The brown rice pasta was a good texture, the sauce was creamy and pleasantly savory. You could really bulk this up with various vegetables, and some tofu or even sauteed mushrooms, the possibilities are endless. I liked this, and would definitely buy it again. I like to have some convenience foods on hand for nights when cooking isn't in the cards.
The best part is when you get your receipt at Grocery Outlet, they show you how much you saved. I spent twenty three dollars, and I saved forty four dollars! Almost or I guess pretty much double what I spent. I love it. Like thrifting or garage sale hunting, you have to be patient, and you can't be looking for anything specific, but you can really walk away with some really awesome finds at even more awesome prices. The outlets I've been to almost always have a nice selection of vegan foods, they definitely don't leave us out. And for you smoothie lovers, they usually have a very nice selection of frozen fruit. I found a bag of organic frozen strawberries for $1.99! Woot woot!

Poor Chunk

 

One of my kitties had to have a minor procedure yesterday, and he has to wear a cone until tomorrow or Monday. I had him secluded in my room last night, but he was going insane this morning, so I decided to test the waters and let him roam with the rest of the herd(pride?). The other kitties are more weirded out by his cone than he is! They just do not know what to think, or how to deal. So I am on mom mode today. Even though it was minor, Chunk is fine, he's handling the cone better than I would it still makes me so sad to see him wobbling around, banging into corners. It's a perfect rainy day to hang with my family, and catch up on a book I've been trying to finish. What are your plans for the weekend?