The Missing Video!

                                                    To anyone who read my post yesterday before I edited it, this is the video that was supposed to be included in the post. It was there when I published the post, and got lost somewhere in the webz I guess. That first paragraph must have sounded like the ramblings of a crazy person! Anyway, this guy represents Utah and makes me feel so ashamed of living in this state. As an adult I have never had health insurance or an iphone, and I doubt I ever will have either. I love when people who have never had to support themselves on minimum wage try to explain sacrifices and choices to us. Total Gag.
Anyway, sorry for the weird mishap yesterday, how embarrassing!

This was my breakfast yesterday. Leftover kitchari and a big vegan Caesar salad. Hampton Creek's Just Caesar is so amazingly delicious I just can't get enough. Today is day five of my little kichari cleanse and I think I'm going to loosen up a bit and have other foods, but still have a potato heavy diet and also eat kitchari several times a week.

For dinner I decided to try some of the Alexia clearance fries I found at Harmons along with my usual russet potato fries. I mentioned before that sweet potatoes aren't my favorite, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about these. They smelled delicious even frozen, I could really smell the smoky spices. They have a nice BBQ flavor, and the little kick of heat balances the sweetness of the potatoes nicely. I still prefer regular potatoes, but I would definitely buy these again.

I ordered a huge bag of kitty litter online so I can have a break from lugging it home on the bus, and it came wrapped in this long sheet of paper which is now being recycled as a kitty toy. They love it!

Under the paper bridge!

Happy Friday!

All Over the Place

Here are some adorable baby tulips I saw yesterday morning. Spring is on it's way!

I know it's kind of hard to see, but I loved this billboard I saw yesterday that was promoting caring for your heart and eating right. All the foods were fruits and vegetables, not one single animal product in the group. I'm so used to seeing advertisement promoting lean animal proteins this was refreshing. And it was not a vegan billboard, I think it was from a hospital so no one can say they have an agenda.

I stopped at Harmon's on my way home for cat food, and look what I found! They had Heidi Ho cheese on sale for three bucks, and although it's not on my cleanse I had to get it. I've heard this tastes like goat cheese which was one of my faves. I also found these BBQ sweet potato crinkles on a Last Chance sale for $1.61! I'm not the biggest sweet potato fan, but the bag says they have a spicy kick so I figured why not! And the little rice milk chocolate bars were sixty cents!! They also had the pupusas on sale for $3.99, and usually they're six dollars a box so I couldn't resist. And lastly I got cholula hot sauce to try for the first time. Someone I follow on Instagram and YouTube always uses this and swears by it so I had to try it. Spoiler alert, it's delicious and may now be my favorite! It's not too vinegary and has a nice balance of flavor and heat!

For dinner I made potato tacos with lettuce, cilantro and avocado. Topped with the cholula. I know it's kind of a cheat because I'm supposed to be eating kitchar(which I had for breakfast) and potatoes only, but the corn tortillas aren't full of funky ingredients so I gave myself a pass. Plus, I'm trying to be flexible with myself, not super restrictive. I see lots more potato tacos in my future, these were amazing!!

Here's a rare moment when Joan is cuddling with someone. Sometimes she'll want to cuddle with me, but for the most part she's Miss Independent. I suspect Roxy kind of forced herself on Joan. Joan is kind of giving me "help me" vibes!

What Did I Eat?

I figured I'd do a what I ate post for yesterday which was day two of my Kitchari cleanse where I'm eating kitchari, raw veggies and potatoes. And green smoothies. For breakfast I had leftover kitchari with some Persian cucumbers with Hampton Creek Just Caesar. I felt amazing after eating this.

Before dinner I had this smoothie with lots of spinach, banana, chia seeds, and frozen mango. Trader Joe's has the best frozen mango in my opinion. You can tell the mangoes were nice and ripe before they froze them.

For dinner I had what else? Oven fries with garlic, lemon pepper and dried oregano, and a little salt. I dipped them in my all time favorite dipping combo, Just Ranch and Carolina Gold BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's. It's a mustard based BBQ sauce and it is crazy delicious.
I also had a few squares of Chocolove's salted almond butter dark chocolate. It's that time of the month where chocolate is vital if you know what I mean.
All in all I'm feeling great, and not bored. My digestion is on point, and it feels good to be proactive.

Here's my little ball of love Roxy sound asleep. She likes to sleep either right where I sleep, or right next to it. Sometimes if I get up during the night to go to the bathroom, I'll come back and she's stolen my spot!

Vegan Haul Time

Spinach,Romaine,Persian cucumbers,garbanzo beans,unsweetened coconut milk,household cleaner,red split lentils,Carolina gold BBQ sauce,frozen mango,olives,Basmati rice,tofu,bananas and lemons

Kale,cilantro,garlic,onions,avocado,chocolate bar,economy size kombucha(six servings) nag champa incense,Tusli tea, 10 lbs. of potatoes

In addition to this stuff I also got a seven pound bag of cat food. It's about three blocks from the bus stop to my apartment. My shoulders were on fire when I got home!!
Most of the recipes I looked at for Kitchari called for yellow split mung beans, and on Sunday I called everywhere, Natural Grocers, Sprouts, even Whole Foods and no one carries them!! I'm guessing the Asian Market carries them, but it's in the opposite direction as Trader Joe's, and after lugging all this weight home I didn't feel like taking another bus somewhere. So for my kitchari I'm using split red lentils.
The Tulsi tea was on clearance at Natural Grocers for two bucks which is a steal! I was reading up on the health benefits, and there are so many. Tulsi tea is also beneficial for thyroid issues so I am a lucky gal!

I also found this for around the same price as the tea I was going to order, but it's actually cheaper since I don't have to pay for shipping. Shipping costs are so annoying. I was reading a post from a woman who had hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's and she fixed her thyroid and healed the Hashimoto's with no medication, and she swore by ashwagandha root.

This was my delicious dinner last night! First I had a salad with Romaine and Persian cucumber and Peanut vinaigrette from Trader Joe's which is AHMAZING by the way, and then I had kitchari made with Basmati rice, split red lentils, kale and spices like turmeric, cumin and coriander. Topped with cilantro and of course sriracha. It was just what my body needed. And I feel like my shoulders should have been achy today, but I feel great!
Today is day two and so far I'm feeling amazing! I feel great that I'm at least trying to heal myself. In a way I feel lucky that I can't see a doctor, because all they would do is try and pump me full of medicine anyway, which is not what I want. I hope that maybe I can heal myself and be an inspiration for other people to use food as medicine.

New Me for A New Season!

For breakfast yesterday I diced up one russet potato along with some of the Trader Joe's frozen hash browns and some red onion and baked this in the oven while I did Pilates. It was delicious! If I had kale I would have loved to have that in the mix. I was out of ketchup, so a healthy splash of sriracha worked just fine.

I had another strawberry, banana, chia smoothie in the afternoon, and had a nice lazy dinner of BBQ tofu with rice. I used the Korean style BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's, and once again I licked the bowl. If you like gochujang sauce, or are a fan of spicy, and sweet you need to try this. I cannot say enough good things about it.
I'm starting a little cleanse today. I saw someone post something on Instagram about The Hot Belly Diet and so I looked into it, which led me down a wormhole learning all about the healing benefits of Kitchari. I read somewhere that it's a good cleanse to do in between seasons, and it's been spring-like some days, and winter others so now seems like a perfect time to do this. I will probably never have a job that provides health insurance. That's just a sad fact, and because of personal experiences I am very leery of free/low income clinics so I need to do whatever I can to heal myself. Most of what I read about this cleanse calls for oatmeal and Kitchari to be your main meals. I'm going to do potatoes and kitchari because I'm not a fan of sweet breakfasts, and I just am not a huge fan of oatmeal to be honest. I'm also ordering some Atman Tea. I tried it for Sororitea Sisters and when I was researching the health benefits, I was pleased to learn that ashwagandha root is excellent for hypothyroidism!
I haven't decided how long I'm going to do this cleanse, probably either three or five days. If I love it and feel awesome and not too bored I might do it longer. Truth be told, I really do feel best when I stick to very simple foods. When I have a day where all I eat is potatoes and a green smoothie, I always feel so light and energetic. Anyway, after being in a slump and feeling so depressed and helpless and hopeless, I've had a change of heart and I'm going to make food my medicine and really work on healing myself. So, my food might be boring for the next few days, but hopefully the results will be totally worth it!

There is a squirrel who lives in the tree behind my apartment, and he/she loves to stop and stare in my bedroom window and say hi to the kitties. I think it wants to be friends, but unfortunately I think my kitties have other ideas, especially Joan!

Trader Joe's Does it Again!

I always have greens in my smoothies, but I forgot spinach at Trader Joe's, mostly because the produce section was a complete chaotic mess. So this smoothie with banana, chia seeds and strawberries was kind of a treat. It's such a pretty pink color! As you can see in the background, Afro/Brutus is working on shredding the other end of the couch.

You know how sometimes you discover something and you wonder how you ever lived without it? Well, that happened to me with Trader Joe's Korean style BBQ sauce. I used it to make some more cauliflower wings last night, and it is the best thing ever. It's sweet and spicy and a little sour and just absolutely delicious. I mean I wanted to lick the bowl, okay I did lick the bowl. I cannot recommend it enough. I'm going to try it on some tofu tonight. I want to try it on everything to be honest. This sauce was worth all the anxiety I felt while shopping amongst the crowds!

Here's Kanye hiding from the dreaded vacuum. She always stays in the cat cave for a few minutes after I'm done just to make sure it's put away and everything is back to normal!

This was the quote on my ginger tea this morning. It really hit home for me on several levels, and I feel like it's perfect to reflect on getting ready for the new week.

All Good Things

No matter how much winter is fighting it, spring is on it's way and these cute little flowers are proof!

You can see the beautiful mountains. This is the tracks for the light rail, or the trax as the locals call it. I still have yet to ride it because I'm scared. I don't know how it works, or how to ride it. I have ridden buses ever since choosing to not drive, and I guess you just stick with what you know. What's funny about this picture is the guy looking through the fence was sightseeing, so I ended up passing him as I was walking down the bridge. At some point my grocery list fell out of my back pocket somehow, and he came running up behind me to give it to me. When he first came up to me, I was pretty defensive until I realized he was being nice and not a creep!

Frozen hash browns,vegan cheese,bananas,cauliflower,corn,black beans,potatoes,Korean BBQ sauce,tomato paste,olives,corn tortillas,tofu,frozen strawberries,Jasmine rice,cilantro,onions,peppermint tea

Speaking of grocery lists, here is what I got at Trader Joe's. It's kind of a mini haul for two reasons, one I also had to get cat litter so I couldn't get too much and weigh myself down, and two I've learned Friday afternoons are the WORST at Trader Joe's, at least the one in SLC. I was almost having an anxiety attack by the time I left.
I'm super excited to try the Korean BBQ sauce. It has gochujang in it, so I know it will be delicious. I'm going to use it as a sauce for more cauliflower wings. It still amazes me that I am eating cauliflower!!

When I ran into Smith's to get cat litter, I was stoked to find these chocolate bars on sale for $1.49 each! They also had the lemon poppyseed which is my favorite on sale, but sadly they were sold out. I tried the cinnamon, cayenne and cherries last night. I really can't taste the cinnamon, but the cayenne really does add some heat. I love spice, but I don't know about spice in my chocolate. I think I'm a little more traditional when it comes to my candy. In my pregan days I was a Hershey's milk chocolate kind of girl.

I made this enchilada casserole for dinner. It's just corn tortillas layered with black beans, corn, red onion, black olives, vegan shreds and homemade enchilada sauce. Topped with black olives and cilantro. This was very tasty. It's been forever since I've had vegan cheese, so this was a real ooey, gooey treat!
Before I sign off, I fixed the comments and I can now see them! And anyone is free to comment, I will just delete and ignore any trolls.

Happy Caturday!!

Queen of the Dorks

You guys, I am the dorkiest of all dorks. Like the Queen of the dorks. Before I took my blogging hiatus, I went into the settings and tried to block anonymous comments because I was having issues with someone who disagrees with my political views attacking me, and also some of you who comment. Anyway, then I took my break and came back and no one has been commenting, or so I thought. I felt kind of sad about it, but I wasn't going to bring it up and make anyone feel obligated to comment.
Well, yesterday I decided to go to the settings and allow anonymous comments again. I've decided that person is not going to have that much control anymore, and I'm not going to be scared of them, or of speaking my mind. So, imagine my surprise when I saw that I had a TON of comments waiting to be moderated! I have no idea what the hell I did when I messed around in the settings, but I did something weird! Ever since I started this blog, I pride myself on responding to every single comment, so I feel terrible! I seriously cried, let's say sobbed when I saw the comments! Like the ugliest of ugly cries!! I feel so bad, I never knew they were there. Usually comments show up in my email, and these didn't! I tinkered around, and I think I fixed the issue, but I'm not sure. I'm the least tech savvy person I know, seriously eight year old children are more advanced than me, so it may take a while to fix the issue, but I am so sorry for the lack of responses, and so so happy you guys still care! This weekend I plan on really going in and figuring out the issue. The problem is I just go in and hit buttons until I accidentally fix the problem. I also plan on catching up and responding to these comments. Like I said, major dork here!

Since the public bus is a cesspool of germs and various coughs, sometimes right on my neck, I've been drinking lots of either orange, carrot ginger or grapefruit, carrot ginger juice. It seems to be working because I haven't gotten sick yet. (Knocks on wood immediately) This juice was pink grapefruit, carrot and ginger. Very refreshing and delicious. Grapefruits have been cheaper than oranges this year for some reason.

Last night for dinner I had what else? Oven fries! I got a five pound bag of spuds for $1.25, so this huge plate of fries was probably between thirty and fifty cents. Math isn't really my strong suit, but you get the drift. I always feel full and very satisfied after eating potatoes too. And they keep me satisfied for a long time. I mixed some Just ranch with sriracha for a dipping sauce, and also had a little spicy mustard on the side. Potatoes taste excellent dipped in spicy mustard if you've never tried it.

Here's a few sweet pictures of Joan deep in slumber. It's so rare to see her so deep in sleep, she is usually a ball of energy. Play hard sleep hard around these parts!

Spinach Pesto

Here's my little mini haul from Harmon's yesterday. And of course Joan is very interested! I found the Heidi Ho smoky chia cheeze on clearance for two dollars!! I could hardly believe my eyes! I think I might try a potato Au Gratin type dish. I also found the two candy bars for seventy cents each! They're dark chocolate, blueberries and black pepper!

I made a spinach pesto for dinner and tossed it with the gluten free spaghetti. I'm really enjoying the Ronzoni gluten free pasta. It's a decent price and has great texture and flavor. I also had some broccoli slaw tossed with Just Caesar. Really delicious!
The pesto was super simple to make, and I wrote it all down on a Post it note!
                                            

                                                    Spinach Pesto

• 3 T Water
• 1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 3 T. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tsp. Lemon Pepper
• 3 Big Handfuls Baby Spinach
• Salt to taste
• 3 T. Nooch

Process everything in a food processor until nice and smooth. Add a little more water or oil if needed.

Here's Roxy lounging on the kitchen counter. She likes to "help" me cook. I don't have the heart to tell her she makes everything more difficult!
I came across this quote on Instagram the other day, and it really moved me and I wanted to share.
"Everyday, our species participates in the mass genocide of other species without care or concern or even questioning whether the violence we ingest and condone plays any role in our apathetic support of the war machine we have become."- Saul Williams

The Super Potato

I really like this quote that was on my ginger teabag this morning. I've always loved dandelions myself, and as a little kid I used to pick huge bouquets of them for my grandma. She always loved them, and acted as if I had bought her a dozen roses.

Yesterday was day of the potato for me. Other than a green smoothie, I had potatoes all day. I wrote on Instagram that as far as I'm concerned, the little old potato is a superfood. I always feel powered and energetic when I start my day with potatoes, and they keep me full for a looooong time. They're also full of potassium and vitamin C. They're also one of the cheapest foods you can find. It seems like superfoods need to be super expensive and hard to find to be trendy and considered a superfood, but if you're on a budget, potatoes are where it's at.

I had mashed potatoes with my favorite gravy for dinner. Even though this gravy says vegetarian on the packet, it's vegan. It also sells for a decent price at Natural Grocers, not sure about other groceries. I do not have the gravy making gene. I have tried making my own recipe, and also recipes from other people and I fail all the time so these packets are just easier and less frustrating.

Here's a close up of Joan deep in sleep. She is definitely the most energetic and playful of the bunch, so to see her so deep in sleep is kind of a rarity!