New Year, New Glu

 After over three long years of eating gluten free, I have decided to slowly add some wheat back into my life. I've never had a problem with gluten, but about three and a half years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and it seemed that gluten always came up as the top food to avoid. I follow a few people who have hypothyroidism and they all avoid gluten too. 

Since gluten never bothered me in the first place, I never noticed a difference once I cut it out. I didn't feel lighter, more energetic, or any other wonderful side effects I've heard other people speak of when they give up gluten. And it certainly hasn't helped with weight loss. So, it's been frustrating. 

I did a little research, and for every article saying avoid gluten, there is an article saying to have whole grains. So, I'm going to kind of do a reverse elimination diet. I'm going to experiment with some sprouted wheat bread and other whole grain breads. I'm beyond excited!! If I start feeling a bit off or my clothes feel tight then I'll have to rethink my choice, but for now I am so happy to say good bye to gluten free!!! 

I was going to buy Dave's Killer bread, which even though it's expensive it is still significantly cheaper than gluten free bread. But this is from a local baker and seems to be inspired by Dave's. It was a couple of bucks cheaper,  and I love that it says vegan on the front!

After my smoothie I had some toast and it was THE BEST THING ABOUT 2020!!! One slice had peanut butter and one slice had Miyoko's creamy chive cheese. 

 

 

Last night I made tacos with cilantro rice and seasoned black beans on whole wheat tortillas and they were so divine! I used to not care for WW tortillas, but after three years of GF tortillas, WW for the win!!

I've never felt deprived or like I'm missing out with a vegan diet. Making the transition from vegetarian to vegan was easier than I expected, but I have always felt deprived and frustrated with a gluten free diet. The very second I decided to let myself have bread again, well let's just say it was like a two thousand pound weight had been lifted off of my shoulder. I started thinking about so many soups I can make with crackers and crusty bread, and lentil sloppy Joe's on a real bun!!

 

Thoughts on Stuff

 

Kroger/Fred Meyer/Smith's continues to kill in the vegan foods department! Simple Truth organic is their store organic brand, and they have so many vegan options, including dips, cheese and even deli slices and sausages! I almost passed up these rings, but then I saw "baked vegan snack" on the bag and I had to try them! 

I was hoping they'd be similar to fuyons and they are, maybe just a little less greasy. These are pretty dang addictive and I will definitely buy again!!

These were an impulse buy at Whole Foods. I was having PMS and I was hungry so I kind of had no option. These are really, really good. They are very covered in pickle dust magic, so they are pretty salty. Delicious!!!

I found this on sale awhile ago at Sprouts, and it is so horrible I only tasted a bit, and it's just been sitting in my fridge. It's so bad I don't even want to try and mix it with my own peanut sauce for fear of ruining a good sauce. I mean I'm offended by how bad this is, and how expensive it is. It's way too lime-y, in that kind of fake lime way, not enough salt and just all around terrible. 0 out of ten, would never buy this again!!

Another sauce I found on sale. I've tried a few pad Thai recipes I've found online and I've never been crazy about them.

The sauce is okay. I probably wouldn't buy it again, but it's better than any pad Thai sauce I've made. I give it a meh out of ten.

I've seen these JoJo's around, but they're pretty expensive and boast allergen free, added plant protein, all that stuff that usually takes the tre out of treat. The other day at Whole Foods they were handing these out for free at the register, so of course I grabbed one. 

I was right to never buy one. These are pretty bad, at least this flavor was. It has no sugar, so it's sweetened with erythritol which is maybe what gives it a bitter taste. Like not a dark chocolate bitterness, but an additional bitterness. Honestly, if I were avoiding sugar, I'd rather just not have anything sweet because these are blech out of ten!

What I Eat When Feeling Blah!

 It's been a very gloomy, grey week here in SLC. My mood has kind of blended with the grey. I just feel blah. So very 2020!

About a week ago I saw a recipe for creamy mushroom rice soup on Instagram. I wrote down the recipe, and forgot about it. Well, the other day I decided to make it because mushrooms have vitamin D so it seemed like a smart comfort meal. I had to cut the recipe way down because it called for one and one fourth cups of dry rice!! It always seems like comfort meals make enough to feed an entire neighborhood. I don't like to have weeks worth of leftovers, it stresses me out and I don't love having the same thing over and over. 

Even though I cut the recipe way down, it still made a ton which is unfortunate because I didn't enjoy this. I found it flat and boring. It was just creamy gloop. I think when it comes to some foods it's more wanting to like them than actually liking them.

The next day I made another batch of Singapore noodles, recipe of course from Will Yeung, recipe here. I paired the noodles with some hoisin glazed soy curls. This meal hit the spot!!!

These turned out better than I imagined! I just added the peppermint dandies right to the batter and it was the perfect amount of minty flavor!

Although Kevita kombucha is sold at a lot of stores, I've only seen the mango lime at Natural Grocers. It's the best mango kombucha I've had, and my favorite kevitaa flavor! If you find kombucha a little too vinegary, try Kevita. It's definitely the smoothest and least tangy.

Last night my stomach felt a little icky so I made hot and sour noodle soup, but I used rice cakes and some leftover rice. Recipe here. Yes, another Wil Yeung recipe!

What I Ate on a Dreary Day

 Yesterday was a dreary blah day and I had the day off so I figured I'd show what I ate on a blah day. Most days in 2020 have had a blah undertone, don't you think? 

Green juice to start the day. Romaine, celery and pineapple. Pineapple really helps cut the green flavor!

For breakfast I had chia pudding made with Oatly, a little vanilla extract and frozen blueberries and raspberries. During the colder months, I don't eat a whole lot of fruit. Apples and oranges are great but my favorite fruits are nectarines, berries and mangoes. I can't really imagine having a smoothie on these cold mornings, so I thought this could be a way to get extra fruit in. But you know what? I don't care for fruity, sweet breakfasts and I never feel satisfied for long. I was ravenous all day yesterday, which isn't normally the case. I think I might just be okay with not having a ton of fruit in the winter. Why do I read health obsessed articles that mess with my head?

Less than an hour after the chia pudding my stomach was begging for more food, so I had some cashews and this salad with romaine, broccoli sprouts and a dollop of hummus. Also some robust Italian dressing. The dressing and the hummus went really well together.

A little later I had some more cashews and some of crackers and hummus. The hummus is so good, especially for that price, I wish I would have gotten more!

I found these cookies on clearance and they are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've had. They really taste like the classic Toll house cookie. It's not surprising they're vegan, it's surprising that they're gluten free!

I got some Dunkin Donuts decaf coffee, and I love it in the afternoon! And it tastes so much better in my Golden Girls mug!!

For dinner I made red lentil and tofu Tikka Masala. The minute I decided to make this for dinner my stomach felt better. Before even having any. There is something about lentils and rice that just soothes my stomach so much!!

I had a few squares of this delicious chocolate before drifting off to sleep. This chocolate is a bit creamier and milkier than other vegan chocolate and it's a pretty decent price too. 

Are you a sweet or savory breakfast person? I've always felt a little weird because I prefer a savory breakfast, especially if it's leftover curry or something like that, and smoothie bowls and oats seem to be the face of vegan breakfasts!

Random Things I Love and Am Loving!!

 I found this new to me flavor of Teecino last weekend. It's got carob and coconut, so it's a bit like a coconut mocha. Especially with a glug of super creamy Oatly!!

Sunday night my stomach was a bit upset and coconut rice sounded nice and soothing. I didn't have canned chickpeas, so I subbed tofu for the chickpeas and made Wil Yeung's coconut chickpea rice. Recipe here! This was flavorful, but not so much that it bothered an already angry stomach. 

These are my new favorite veggie burger. I like to keep a box of these in my freezer for a quick meal. Lately I've been having them with avocado and mustard in a lettuce wrap. They're only $3.99 for four burgers which is a deal. They remind me of the original Boca burger. Ten out of ten will and do buy again!

Most soba noodles I see are a mixture of wheat and buckwheat so I never get them. I came across these gluten free soba noodles and couldn't resist. 

I made yet another amazing Wil Yeung recipe! This time I made vegan peanut soba noodles. Recipe here. I subbed kale for the broccolini and it was incredible. This blog might be turning into a Wil Yeung fan site, but I can't help it, his recipes are so good!!

I love gummy candy, and vegan gummy candy is hard to find. I know there are some accidentally vegan gummies like Swedish fish and sour patch kids, but I don't care that much for either. Especially Swedish fish, I've never understood the appeal. These come in lemonade, pink lemonade and pomegranate rings. And the rings all taste different, and all taste like what they're supposed to taste like. Ten out of ten, already wish I had more!!!

Part Two Plus Noodles and Cats!

 Well, I have part two of my haul, and it has more snacks than I had planned. I don't know if it's because the holidays are here, but Natural Grocers had a lot of vegan snacks on sale and I just couldn't say no!

Jalapeno GF crackers,celery,kale,booch,chocolate, teecino, soy curls, vegan cheddar crackers, sour cream and onion rings(vegan) woohoo hummus,rice sticks, buckwheat noodles, woohoo GF vegan cookies, vegan ranch chips, peppermint dandies, vegan mint candies

As you can tell by the WooHoo a few items are from Smith's. They have been really, really stepping up their vegan game. I always see a new vegan item when I stop in!

These are vegan! You can't see it in the picture, but it says baked vegan snack right on the bag! This might sound silly, but I give bonus points for saying vegan, not plant based!! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up if I hear the words whole food, plant based or clean eating one more time!

Last night I made another AHMAZING Wil Yeung recipe! This time I made Singapore noodles! I left out the green peppers because cooked green peppers give me the chills. I've followed several Singapore noodle recipes and this is of course the best!! Here is the recipe, I highly recommend! 

Kiki has good and bad days when it comes to Bubba and her feelings about him living here. Today we're having a good day so far!

Haul Part One

 I've got a little Whole Foods haul. I didn't get a lot because for some reason this particular location is ALWAYS out of tofu. Like the last five or six times they're out of all tofu except for pumfu which is tofu made out of pumpkin seeds and it's like three times the cost of tofu. And it's green. And I've tried hemp tofu so I'm extremely leery of tofu substitutions. And also there are some produce items I can find cheaper at Winco and apparently I've morphed into my grandma, going to several stores for "the deals" My grandma was amazing so I don't mind!

Coconut milk, mushrooms,garlic, green onion, bath salts, gluten free lasagna sheets, vegan GF cheese crackers, veggie burgers, GF brownie mix, romaine hearts, gold potatoes, booch, vegan fish sauce, vegan gummies, curry cashews

I love the Viet Vegan and a few of her recipes have called for vegan fish sauce, which she says you can sub for extra soy sauce, but if you can find vegan fish sauce it adds something special. This was on sale, so I decided to invest. 

Last night I had the best dinner! I made yet another Wil Yeung recipe, this time his hot and sour noodle soup! I didn't have gluten free ramen noodles, so I used rice cakes and the broken rice noodles at the bottom of the bag. This is the best hot and sour soup I've ever had!! I remember I tried a recipe awhile ago, and it used cornstarch to thicken and I did not like the consistency. But this lets the noodles thicken the soup and it's so much better! I'm already craving this again. In case it isn't obvious, I'm a big fan!

More Vegan Foods I've Tried!

 

I found this at Sprouts with all their holiday goodies. Taza is one of my favorite chocolates. I don't know if it's because it's stone ground or what, but the texture is different than any other chocolate I've ever had. It's lighter and almost flaky? The spicy little bits of gingerbread go so well with the dark chocolate. I think I need to buy a ton of these since they're seasonal. 

I also found these at Sprouts. They just looked so good, and while it's easy enough to find wafer like treats that are accidentally vegan, vegan and gluten free are more scarce. These are incredible. The wafers are crisp and thin and do not seem gluten free. Incredible, will definitely buy again. 

I saw these on my last trip to Trader Joe's and decided to try them. I felt nervous about quinoa subbing for rice, but it's okay. The quinoa is fine, but I think it's the red or black quinoa that stays kind of crunchy which is a bit off putting. These are fine, but honestly I think I'll stick to the rice filled Dolmas. 

Last night I made another incredible Wil Yeung recipe. This is garlic chili noodles. Here is the recipe and video. I subbed rice noodles for the spaghetti of course. This was yet another super simple but not simple tasting meals. I love him so much!

WooHoo Another Vegan Haul

 Another week, another haul! This week I went to Sprouts and Smith's. I found a few new vegan treats at Sprouts. I love holiday time because there are always new little treats. 

Rice, pasta sauce, peanut butter, sauerkraut, radish, potatoes, chocolate quinoa crisps, apple, tofu, English cucumber, oatmilk creamer, daiya and treeline cheese

The scores of the day were a three pound bag of organic russet potatoes for twenty five cents, and a box of Banza pasta that was a little damaged marked down to one forty nine! Those deals allowed me a little extra wiggle room for some treats!

Coconut milk, turmeric crisps, celery, pears, choclate wafers with almond cream, Thai almond sauce, sour gummies, snickerdoodle coffee creamer,peppermint and gingerbread chocolate,yellow potato, booch, orange, grapefruit, lemons

Sprouts finally has the crisps!! I've been seeing these on on the webz, but nowhere near me. These have a nice pepper-y kick, and the light, addictive texture of Pringles. I definitely will buy again!

Because I found some great clearance items and some great sales, I was able to get some treats and still stick to my budget. Actually my budget was sixty dollars for the week and I was about six dollars under that. Happy Holidays to me!

A Day of Attempted Cheer

 I'm not really a holiday person. I wouldn't say I'm a Grinch, I'm just indifferent for the most part. I'm not sure if it's 2020 in general, or some other reason I'm feeling sentimental and all that stuff. So, I got a tiny little two dollar tinsel tree and some festive lights for my apartment. I guess I'm hoping to bring a bit of cheer to myself.

Roxy was kind enough to snoopervise the whole event because you know, humans need all the help we can get! This little table is under the living room window and I was hoping to find a cat safe plant for it, but everyone decided they liked to sleep on the table, so no one is happy about this. But maybe if they get used to it I can get that plant!

I've also been getting into the spirit with this creamer. I found some peppermint mocha coffee, so I mix a little of that with hazelnut decaf and then add this creamer. Delicious!

I found these a month or two ago at Whole Foods. I was very excited about milk chocolate chips, and they were expensive so it was a real splurge for me. Sadly, they aren't anything like milk chocolate. it's just semi sweet dark chocolate, maybe a tad creamier.

I made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Pretty nice in a cookie, but again they could just be any semi sweet chocolate chip in there. 

 After decorating and making cookies, I definitely wanted a quick dinner, so sesame noodles saved the day! Better than takeout!