Another Vegan Haul

Yesterday was grocery day again and just like last week I didn't have the mental strength to even contemplate Trader Joe's. To be honest, I wish I could afford to do all of my shopping at Natural Grocers because every time I go there I'm almost the only one in the store.  It's a dream!
I went to Sprouts and Natural Grocers for a few things. I love their Epsom salt!

Carrots, ataulfo mangoes, zucchini, avocados,oranges,romaine hearts,live probiotic soda,Yukon gold potatoes,grapefruit,vanilla protein powder

Potatoes, hummus,gluten free pretzels,powdered ginger,grapes,booch,popcorn,tofu, green mint tea,maca powder, mud mask,lemons,garlic,epsom salt,booch,coconut milk, Pacifica slay all day drink mix

I did also run to Target for cat food which is where I got the potatoes and the Pacifica drink mix/supplement. I saw someone test it on YouTube and I was intrigued. The slay all day formula that I chose has ashwagandha which is supposed to be good for hypothyroidism.

I had some when I got home. It's pretty tasty, it tastes like pineapple lemonade. It does have stevia but don't worry, they must not have used much because this doesn't have that stevia aftertaste that is so blech. I did really well with my food budget so this was my little treat after a very hard, draining week.

Look what I spied at Sprouts! I read about these at least a year ago, maybe longer and I never saw them anywhere. I kind of forgot about them! I didn't buy them because they are of course more expensive than just regular daiya cheese in any other form. And although some of daiya's new formulas are tasty, I don't know what these might taste like. Especially because obviously these are meant to be eaten cold. Has anyone tried these?

Thursday Treats!

I've loved every flavor of humm kombucha that I've tried. For the longest time I was afraid to try the coconut lime flavor, which was silly because it's delicious, so I decided to try this blueberry mint flavor. I also love the Chloe's pops so I decided to try the dark chocolate flavor. It's made with bananas, cocoa and cane sugar. I've ha the mango and the strawberry flavors and they're both incredible.
I did try the kombucha and while it was really tasty, it's probably my least favorite. The other flavors pop and this was kind of just meh. I will report back on the pops once I've tried them!

When I got home yesterday there was a package waiting by my door! I've had a kind of hard week and I really needed some cheering up. It's all the way from the UK!! It's from Caroline from Tea and Sympatico! There was also a vegan milk chocolate bunny but I ate that right away. The milk chocolate from the UK is everything I could ever dream of. I was a milk chocolate girl through and through! Thank you so much Caroline, this was so kind and couldn't have come at a better time!

I had some leftover rice, some shredded cabbage and edamame that neeed to be used, so I made a quick curry fried rice and baked tofu. To make it all even more delicious I made a quick sriracha peanut sauce to drizzle. Isn't it funny how sometimes the most thrown together meals are the tastiest!

Trying Some Thangs!

I always look at these edamame puffs when I'm at Sprouts. I've put them in and then taken them out of my basket so many times! They're pretty pricey as a lot of this stuff is, almost five dollars for a small bag. But last week the BBQ were on a discontinued sale so I finally got to try them!

They're similar to the snappea crisps that are so dang delicious. They're a little denser, probably less processed because they have a decent amount of protein per serving. The BBQ flavor was pretty disappointing. Smoky, but not a lot of other flavors. I would have been upset if I splurged on these at full price. I feel very meh about these. Glad I got to try them, and SUPER glad I didn't pay full price!!

I experimented with a chipotle sweet potato cheese sauce the other day. I used a sweet and one small russet potato, and added sunflower seeds, nooch and chipotle salsa. I did write down the recipe, but I need to experiment some more. It was still pretty sweet. I made a sweet potato cheese sauce that I liked awhile ago, but I think I added miso which helped offset the sweet.I'm always trying to find ways to sneak more sweet potato in my diet so I'll definitely continue to work on this recipe!

I used the sauce to make some gluten free mac and cheese with black beans. I think chipotle, black beans and sweet potatoes go really well together. I had some nooch-y baked tofu and sauerkraut on the side. Delicious!

More Stuffed Potatoes!

I love this sauerkraut so much but I rarely buy it because of the price. At Sprouts it's almost nine dollars, and it's at least over five or six dollars everywhere else. But lucky for me yesterday I ran to Winco for cat food and saw it for under three dollars!!

I also picked this up. It's only $.98 and I've been curious about it since my first trip to Winco! I had some after dinner and it tastes great, very banana-y and not too sweet. I wasn't super crazy about the texture. It's basically like eating cold, flavored silken tofu. I might try whizzing it in a blender to get it more like pudding. But I definitely won't buy again!

For dinner I stuffed some more baked potatoes! That's becoming one of my favorite easy meals. I simmered some cooked lentils in Carolina Gold BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's and stuffed those in the fluffy potatoes. I also made a quick coleslaw to go on top. Served with a side of sauerkraut. So simple, but so, so satisfying and tasty!

I've mentioned a million times that Joan is my little introvert. So relateable! I love it when she tries to hide but just doesn't quite get it. At least her face is covered!! Ha!

Trying New Things

I was watching a random video on YouTube the other day and someone was eating one of these NuGo bars. They were saying that it's a protein bar but tastes like a treat. I don't eat bars and I've never heard of these, but I have been trying to find healthier treats for after dinner when I really want something sweet. So I saw these at Sprouts and picked up two. I chose the chocolate pretzel and chocolate peanut butter.

The inside is kind of like a rice crispy type thing. I kind of got a hint of pretzel, but mostly puffed brown rice. I definitely wouldn't guess this was a protein bar. It's sweet but definitely not too sweet. I wouldn't guess this was a protein bar, it tastes more like a healthy candy bar. It's very filling, I could only eat less than half. This seems like a good bar to throw in your bag for those times when you need a quick bite.

I saw this hummus at Natural Grocers for a good price so I decided to give it a try. It's pretty tasty. The jalapeno is tamed a bit so it's not super spicy. It's nice and creamy and tastes pretty close to homemade.

Last night I whipped up some basil pesto and had it with my favorite Trader Joe's item, the cauliflower gnocchi. I also added some white beans and topped it all with crushed red pepper and nooch. Such a tasty meal.

It is warming up so cuddles have slowed down a bit, but luckily these three still find time in the morning for a quick session!

What I Ate and What I Found at 7-11!!

I started my day with this ginger, collard green and pineapple juice. I've been drinking mostly orange carrot juice and even though it has a lot of pineapple in it, this was super green!!

Later on I made this smoothie with frozen cherries, mango, coconut milk and half a packet of vanilla protein powder. Almost like a milkshake!! Also, I don't know why I always hold my smoothies and juices sideways for pictures!!

This made the laundromat a little more tolerable! There are two washing machines in the laundry room of my apartment, and one has been broken since I've lived here(!!!) and the other seems to be breaking down. It doesn't rinse all the soap out and so anything black comes out with soap stains. Also it was Saturday which meant everyone who lives here is trying to do their laundry in the one remaining washer. You know it's bad when I lug my dirty clothes to the laundromat, one of my most dreaded places!!!
I stopped at 7-11 to get cash for quarters and look what I spied and of course had to buy. I saw on Instagram that these are available at Target, but my Target is behind the times. Crazy that 7-11 is the first store to carry this!!
It is really good, tastes just like I remember these tasting. But it is really, really sweet. My diet was a bit unhealthier back when I used to drink these so I never noticed how sweet these are. I could only drink a little less than half. But now I have some for today!!

I made taco potatoes again for dinner! This is one of my favorite easy, quick and delicious meals! I made the filling with black beans, corn and some beyond beef crumbles. I made tacos for a non vegan and they got a thumbs up!! I added a little Violife cheese on top, and of course some Green Dragon sauce. Delicious!!

Sprouts Haul plus Library Haul!

Yesterday was grocery day so I went to Sprouts. I was going to go to Trader Joe's too, but I was just having one of those "I can't emotionally handle Trader Joe's" days. Sprouts is having some great sales this week so it was okay!

Nag Champa, coconut milk, basil, carrots,ataulfo mangoes,avocados,Himalayan pink salt,tofu,sunflower seeds,blueberries,vanilla protein powder,grapes,sweet potato,raw cashews,pineapple,cuties,vegan chocolate nugo bars

Lemons,collard greens,tea,rice cake thins,super greens powder,hummus,edamame puffs,peanuts (for the squirrels)

Roxy apparently loves collard greens because she wouldn't stop chewing on them. By the time I was done she had taken out quite the chunk!

Of course I got potatoes!!

We all know I love the bulk bins, and I was super happy to see these little reusable bags for sale right in the bulk section! The best part is they're only $.99 each! A lot of reusable bags can be pricey, or you have to order them online so this is great! A lot of the more sustainable, green whatever buzz word you want to use products are not affordable to everyone including myself so this is very encouraging!

Library haul!!

The Good and The Bad!

I ran to Target for cat food yesterday and picked up these two treats. The kombucha was not my favorite. This is the second or third flavor from Health-Ade that I've tried. Their kombuchas are very dry and I don't care for that. Dry kombucha reminds me of hard cider and I don't like it at all. A short while after I moved to Seattle I discovered hard cider and I mean really discovered it. So the flavor just reminds me of a huge hangover!
The banana bites are a whole different story. It's dried banana covered in dark chocolate!! Peanut butter is the only thing that could make these better!

They're rich and just sweet enough. It feels like a treat but not a treat to feel guilty about. I definitely love these and would buy again!

This scene on the couch shook me to my core if I'm being honest. I don't know if I've ever seen Kiki choose to lay next to someone without cuddling! Especially Afro! Afro and Etta are her two favorite cuddle muffins!!!

Mango Monday

I'm on week two of no processed sugar and it's been rough. Interestingly last week when I wasn't even eating fruit I was fine, but the last couple of days I just want something a little sweet after dinner. I bought some mangoes which I've already eaten, and I bought some apples that were less than flavorful. Yesterday I was looking for an all fruit popsicle with no added sugar but the only ones I could find had artificial sweeteners which I didn't want either. So I chose these, they have sugar but not much, it's the last ingredient so I decided to live in the grey area!
I also had to try the mango passionfruit humm kombucha. I think humm might be my new favorite kombucha! So far I've had the hopped grapefruit, strawberry lemonade, coconut lime and now mango passionfruit and they're all really great. Not too sweet and not too vinegary.

This plate looks very bland but I promise it wasn't! I made the lemony garlic potatoes from Veganomicon and baked some tofu with lemon pepper. I dipped it all in spicy mustard. I meant to have a salad with this but I was too lazy to chop lettuce!

Dessert. This tasted like a frozen mango. I just had some delicious Ataulfo mangoes and that's exactly what these tasted like. I highly recommend, 10/10!!

Sunday Stuff

Another delicious breakfast salad! This beauty had romaine, Kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds and sliced pickles with balsamic vinaigrette. I love starting the day with a big salad!!

Last week we were having some gorgeous spring days, and then BAM! snow on Friday. It was that really wet, heavy snow. But look at these strong little daffodils surviving the storm!

This is what happens every day when I roll out the old yoga mat! Most days I'm just rolling it out for the girls, and I do yoga next to the mat!

I sauteed some soy curls, black beans and corn with taco seasoning from Trader Joe's and stuffed it in baked potatoes! I added a little violife to the top and topped it all with green dragon sauce. Taco potatoes are where it's at!
Happy Monday!