Finding Those Deals, and Eating and Drinking Your Greens!

I was strolling through the grocery the other day, and something told me to check out the freezer section where they have veggie burgers. I try to avoid that section because I really want gardein, and all of the veggie burgers I like have gluten in them, but I went with my intuition and strolled down the aisle. They had these Chez Marie spicy black bean burgers on clearance for $1.61 a package, and each package has four burgers! I've seen these burgers for awhile, but they're normally pretty pricey. They're vegan, gluten free and contain ingredients I can pronounce. They also had the Hampton Creek dressings on sale, so I just had to try the Just Caesar.
I made a nice big salad with Romaine, kale, red onion, and sweet mini peppers and tossed it all with the Just Caesar and topped it with one of the patties.

The dressing is AMAZING!! I don't know how Hampton Creek does it, but they are absolutely brilliant! This is tangy without being too tangy, it is seriously drinkable. The cashier was looking at the bottle, and she mentioned that she loved the FYH vegan ranch, and I told her she had to try the Just Ranch because it seriously is the best ranch ever. I love meeting random people who are vegans and sharing food tips, it really makes my day! The burger is okay, it has that dry and mushy texture that Hillary's burgers have which isn't my favorite, but they have a nice spicy flavor. Honestly, I would never pay full price for them.
One of my tips if you're on a budget is to check every aisle, even if you don't need anything from it. Some stores like natural Grocers kind of move their sale/clearance stuff to a specific area, other stores just leave the items in their normal spot. Smith's puts stickers that say Woo Hoo on their sale stuff which is nice because they're very eye catching. About two or three weeks ago, I found a container of Treeline cashew cheese on a Woo Hoo sale for $1.99!! I love that cheese so much, but at nine dollars a container I never buy it. I've found that looking for deals at the grocery is like thrift shopping. You just have to be patient, and be somewhat flexible. Anyway, there is my budget shopping tip for the day!

Here's one of my favorite smoothies. Spinach, banana, frozen pineapple and ground flax. The pineapple and banana make it taste like a delicious tropical drink, and you can really put a lot of spinach in there! Don't mind all the random junk on the floor in the background, cats. Everything is a toy to them!
Before I sign off, it's been a great week for vegan ice cream! First, Ben & Jerry has come out with two new flavors, and I saw on twitter yesterday that Breyers has secretly launched a vegan ice cream!
Here's the blurb! I see this as not only great news for ice cream loving vegans, but a step in the right direction for animals. These corporations do everything for profit, so obviously they see a demand for non dairy ice cream, and want a piece of the action. I feel like almond milk makes a really great and creamy ice cream, so I bet it will impress non vegans just like the Ben&Jerry's has. In these very dark times, it's nice to see glimmers of hope and light!

I'll leave you with my two little cuddle muffins, Afro and Etta. This is their normal spot every morning!
Happy Friday!