Sprouts Haul

My grocery day has switched again due to my ever revolving schedule. I got some groceries yesterday and I decided to switch things up and get my weekly groceries at Sprouts. Sprouts has some great deals on produce, but they have a lot of specialty stuff that is expensive so I've never attempted to get all my groceries there. But I decided to challenge myself and I did really well. I even got a few treats and specialty things. I've posted Sprouts hauls on Instagram and had people comment that they always spend so much money there, they didn't know you could find deals! Ha!

Tofu, waffle fries,spinach,Ezekiel English muffins,nori wraps,turmeric matcha tea,green onion, yellow onion,carrots, oranges,lemons&limes,tofu, bulk oatmeal and rice,strawberries and blackberries,potatoes,kombucha,mangoes,watermelon,honeydew melon,bananas,pina colada bars, spicy "chicken" patties,basil, three avocados,lemongrass

I had a five dollar off a thirty dollar or more purchase so this was $44.00 with the coupon. I feel like I got a lot, and also some fun stuff that I don't have very often. I got a four pound watermelon for forty cents!! And the honeydew melon was only eighty eight cents. For the whole thing, not per pound. And the spinach was cheaper than Trader Joe's! If you live near a Sprouts I highly suggest checking them out!
I'm super excited about the spicy chicken patties because every vegan chicken style product I find is either vegetarian or made with gluten and Sprouts brand are vegan and gluten free! I hope these are similar to the Boca spicy chicken patties.

They had some fancier teas on sale and I was doing so well with my budgeting I allowed myself to splurge on this turmeric, chili and green tea. I had a cup this morning and it's nice and mellow. Not too spicy and not too turmeric-y.

These are the stand-out for me. I almost cried tears of joy when I tried this. Creamy, with little pieces of pineapple. They've kicked the fruit frenzy bars right out of the way for my number one favorite cold treat. Expect to see these a lot over the summer. I always liked Pina Coladas from the cheesiest bars and restaurants because they always made really weak drinks and they mostly just tasted like the pina colada mix. I've never like rum. Blech. These are for all of us virgin Colada lovers!

I didn't get any of these because I am trying to watch my girlish figure, plus for some reason I mainly like ice cream in the winter, in the summer I like fruity popsicles.But it's great to know Sprouts has all the new flavors and they are on sale. People seem to be the most excited about the peach! I want to try the banana Foster even though I've never had bananas Foster. But anything banana for me!

Meanwhile back at the home office lots of papers were filed. Someone has to keep track of the comings and goings of those birds and squirrels!

News and What I Ate

I know there are a lot of Miyokos Kitchen lovers out there, and I just watched a video from the Vegan Zombie where he was taste testing three new vegan cream cheese flavors that aren't out yet, but are supposed to be out by this summer! They tasted plain, cheddar and a vegan lox flavor. Here is the video if anyone would like to watch it. Vegan cheddar cheese cream cheese sounds pretty amazing!

This was a green smoothie believe it or not. I really packed in the spinach but the blueberries took over! This also had flax seed and banana. I've noticed that using flax regularly definitely helps with my depression. It doesn't take it away of course, I just find it easier to deal with. And it gives you that Omega glow!

I made lentil and rice burritos with the Ezekiel tortillas and potato queso. I just love that it feels like you're eating a super creamy decadent burrito but the sauce is made from veggies!! I used this Salsa Queen salsa in the queso and a little on top of my burrito. It's a local company started by a mother who wanted healthy snacks for her kids. The gourmet red chili is spicy and smoky, I love it!

I had one of these delicious goodpops for dessert. Although I've never had an actual mojito with rum, I've had mojito flavored things and I feel like mojito fans will love these!

Joan intensely watched a birds for cats video for forty five minutes yesterday! It was pretty funny because she would go from the laptop to the window and she would chirp at the birds and almost jump to the windowsill, but then get drawn back in to the video. It was pretty adorable!

My Best Curry Yet!

I was off yesterday and it was a cool grey day. Perfect weather for a curry! I struggled for years with making curries. I either added too much or too little curry powder or paste and after awhile I gave up. I lived in Seattle at the time so it was easy to pick up an inexpensive curry pretty much anywhere. I miss those days. I started getting better at making curries while living in Erie,PA. It was either learn or not have curry anything. I had some major fails but finally kind of figured it out. Where there'e a will there's a way right? Last night my curry was probably the best curry I've ever made. I think it's because I added a little tamari near the end of simmering. It gave the curry a deeper flavor. I feel kind of silly posting the recipe because it's so simple and I'm sure everyone has a favorite curry, and also I've posted simple curries before, but this just tasted so dang amazing and maybe there is someone reading this who also struggles with curry dishes.

                                                                                                                                                
                                                         Red Lentil and Potato Curry

• 1 Onion Minced
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 3 Medium Russet Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
• 3/4 C. Red Lentils
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 2 T. Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 T. Tamari/ Soy Sauce/ Braggs Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos
• 1 T. Sambal Oelek
• 1 Can Coconut milk
• 3/4 C. Water

Saute the minced onion and garlic with water or a little coconut oil on medium heat for three or four minutes. Add diced potatoes, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and curry powder. Saute for about two more minutes and then add the lentils and water. Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, and add the Sambal Oelek. Simmer for about twenty minutes until the potatoes are tender and the lentils have softened. Add the tamari and let simmer for a few minutes.

I love making curries with red lentils because they kind of dissolve into the curry making it really thick and luscious. Also red lentils are super quick cooking so if you get a spontaneous craving for a curry this can be dinner in under thirty minutes. Since curries always taste better the next day, I like to make this earlier in the day, and then reheat it while I cook the rice. This would be great with some Naan bread to sop up every last bit of sauce!

There is just so much bird an squirrel activity going on and the girls have been loving it! There is activity going on outside of all three windows that are available so they all have ample space for watching!
           

                                                                                                                                                                                   

We've Come a Long Way Baby!

I saw a post on Instagram about the coconut kefir from GT's a while ago, and when I went to Natural Grocers I was surprised to see it on the shelves. It's definitely more expensive than kombucha so I don't know if I'll try it, but nice to know that it's available!

These Alive drinks are new to me. They are probiotic ciders made with medicinal mushrooms and apple cider vinegar. Again these are pricier than booch, but if I have a splurge day I might try one because I know medicinal mushrooms are really good for you, and they have a mate mint flavor and yerba mate is one of my favorite teas ever! Gt's also is making coconut yogurt! It's almost five dollars for a not very big jar so again this would be a splurge for me. But I do miss yogurt and these come in a glass jar that I could reuse so it would be worth the splurge. I saw a picture of a Yoplait yogurt container from the seventies that washed up on a beach and it was in perfect condition. I haven't bought a yogurt since. Anyway isn't it crazy how many probiotic related stuff keeps popping up? I remember when GT's was one of the only kombuchas you could find and if you did run across more than one option it was like the best day ever!

Sorry for the worse than usual picture! Last night I actually got off work at ten P.M. instead of midnight, so I celebrated with some lentil, jalapeno and daiya cheddar quesadillas on Ezekiel tortillas.
Just like probiotic beverages and foods vegan cheese has also come so far. Look at that melt!! These were ooey and gooey and so satisfying. I bet non vegans would even know the difference. I'm starting to see all these lactaid free dairy products like milk and several ice creams. They aren't dairy free, just lactaid free. I don't know, I don't get it. There are so many amazing vegan cheeses out there. And the plant milk options are pretty astounding. Vegans really will make milk out of anything. Ha!

I have today off and Roxy and Afro are lounging in bed with me.The birds and squirrels are really active today so the other girls are running back and forth between windows!

Another Vegan Haul plus Cats!

I went to Natural Grocers and Trader Joe's yesterday. I did not want to be anywhere near Trader Joe's on the Saturday before Mother's Day!! I wish I could afford to get all my groceries at Natural Grocers. The aisles are big and wide and they're never super busy. They also play the best music. It's always very relaxing to shop there. But some of their prices really stress me out!

I got the pink Himalayan bath salts for my coworker who suffers from eczema. I'm trying to help her heal her little hands! The soy curls and Epsom salts are for me. Afro wouldn't stop circling these three things as you can see. They love the bags that the Epsom salts come in for some strange cat reason.

Frozen strawberries and blueberries,Ezekiel wraps,spinach,cauliflower gnocchi,red and green lentils, lemons,green onions,potatoes,tofu,fruit frenzy and fruit floe bars,bananas,coconut milk, avocado, kiwi,green dragon sauce, watermelon, complete cookie(chocolate chip)

I'm so mad at myself for grabbing the Ezekiel wraps. For some reason I compared them to the gluten free rice tortillas and they seemed more flexible. But the problem is Ezekiel wraps and bread are not gluten free so I am a total spazz. If I'm going to have gluten I would have preferred to go all the way with regular flour tortillas. Like I always say vegan is super easy, gluten free is a total pain in my arse!!

This was my treat for making it out alive! Last week I tried the lemon last week so I decided to try the blackberry. Delicious!

I had some soy curls for dinner last night. I marinated the curls in a mixture of hoisin, soyaki, sambal oelek, crushed red pepper and a little tamari. While the rice cooked I baked them in the same dish I used to marinate them. After tofu soy curls are my favorite soy product. They're so easy to work with and they have a great texture. And they are just like tofu in that they absorb all the flavors!

Sometimes yogi tea freaks me out. I always love the quotes on the bags but some days it's scary how much I needed to read what is on my tea bag!

It's been a really weird spring here in SLC. One day it's almost ninety, then two days later you see snow. Last night dipped down in the forties so I turned my heat on this morning to bring the temps up and Joan made sure the extra room got none of the heat!

Some Stuff I Love

When I stopped at Smith's to get some bulk spices I had to check out their clearance racks. They were super picked over but I found this wasabi paste for $.99! Perfect timing too because I had just run out!

Smith's also had a buy one get one for half price sale on all candles. I decided to treat myself to these two. I got them for about nine or ten dollars which is a great deal. I'm trying everything to keep my nerves calm and depression at bay. Aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, diet, everything! I have the lemongrass coriander burning right now and it is so wonderful! Very subtle, fresh and natural.

In honor of my WooHoo wasabi paste I made a quick sushi bowl for dinner last night. I really love the high protein tofu from Trader Joe's. Since it's vacuum packed it doesn't need to be pressed at all. Perfect for spontaneous meals!

What a creepy picture! I took it in bed with the lights off and the flash! It's a banana popsicle! I don't like many fruit flavored things because I can't stand the fake taste. Like don't try to get me to eat peach or mango flavored anything, I'll just have the real thing. But for whatever reason ever since I can remember I love banana and grape anything. I was all about grape bubble gum as a kid, and like I said banana anything! I'm ignoring that these have yellow dye and corn syrup because sometimes a girl needs a banana popsicle in bed!

My coworker thought of me when she saw this cat reuseable bag so she got it for me!I'm going to hang it in my blogging/cat room. Etta approves.

Kitchen Experiments

I use to love jalapeno poppers. Specifically stuffed with cream cheese. When I would come across a cheddar cheese stuffed popper it was always disappointing. When I first went vegan I dreamed of making a vegan version, but my deep deep fear of deep frying always stopped me. Somewhere along the way I guess I just kind of forgot about jalapeno poppers. Until Saturday while at Trader Joe's, I picked up a little bag of jalapenos and told myself I was going to make poppers. I kind of looked outside of the traditional popper box and decided I was just going to bake them. I made a cream cheese out of soaked slivered almonds and added a little daiya jalapeno Havarti that I shredded.

Here is my first jalapeno popper in ten years! Isn't she pretty? They aren't perfect, I have to tinker with my cream cheese recipe but they still turned out pretty all right for my first attempt. I've been in a bit of a rut in the kitchen so it felt good to experiment with something new.

Here is my whole dinner from last night. I made a cheese-y chili mac kind of thing. It's basically green chili mac and cheese with lots of mayacoba beans, This was a really tasty meal. And I felt like I really treated myself by having an appetizer!

This is the desk that I planned on using for blogging. In my mind the extra room would be the cat play room and my blogging room. Well, now that spring has sprung right into summer and the windows are open, my blogging desk has become cat nap station. The shirt in the back has been there for months as a nap place, and I moved their beloved laptop bag from the living room floor to the table for extra comfort. They can lay on the table while keeping an eye on the birds and squirrels, and jump to the windowsill very easily so I see their logic!

All Good Things

I feel robbed of spring as it's just pretty much summer now. So it's time to start having cooling and hydrating hibiscus tea. I like this blend from Trader Joe's a lot. Sometimes hibiscus tea can be super floral-y so the mint an lemongrass help cut that a bit. Also according to Dr. Greger hibiscus tea is one of the healthiest drinks for us.

For some reason most yellow curry pastes I've come across have fish sauce in them. I think Trader Joe's has a yellow and green curry sauce and only the green is vegan. The jar with all the veggies caught my eye and convinced me to read the ingredients. Much to my surprise it is free of fish sauce or anything else weird. It has all the curry suspects, lemongrass, lime, ginger etc. I decided to have it last night with some oven baked tofu and rice noodles.

It's pretty good for a jarred sauce. It doesn't have any weird preservative or chemical taste, and they went heavy on the lime juice and lemongrass which I also like. It also is very mild, I added even more sambal oelek after taking this picture. It also isn't super heavy on the coconut. I haven't had a Thai yellow curry  dish in quite sometime so this was a really nice treat. Next time I'll have it with rice, but last night I really wanted noodles!

Warm days mean lots of bellies and I couldn't be happier! This girl also has been renamed. Her new name is KiKi because she likes to talk and also it's similar enough to Kanye that it won't cause any confusion. Plus KiKi is one of her nicknames anyway. She feels much better with her new name!

More Food Has Been Eaten

Here is my very beige dinner of tots and tofu nuggets a few nights ago. Every time I have a beige dinner which happens more often than I'd like I have to laugh at the stereotype that vegans live on salad and wheatgrass shots! I made a dipping sauce using Just Mayo and jalapeno mustard.

Here is kind of the same thing but with sweet potato frites from Trader Joe's. I realized as I was eating these that I really prefer white potatoes. I have to accept and be okay with not being the biggest sweet potato fan. I just like savory fries and I don't really like the texture of sweet potatoes. But I like them blended in soups or cheese sauces. Kind of like cauliflower. I have a limited relationship with those two foods.

This was a really tasty and easy meal I made the other night. I just blended some coconut milk, peanut butter and curry powder together and then cooked some rice noodles in the mixture. With some oven baked tofu and sriracha. It could have used some cilantro and green onion but sadly I had neither. It still hit the spot!

Frozen strawberries and blueberries, banana, flax meal, and spinach

Orange carrot ginger juice

I still have smoothies and juice daily. Well, smoothies daily juices on my days off. Since I just go for quick and easy meals after work I like to make sure I'm still getting in my greens and fruits and veg.

This was my dinner last night. I had a mental health sick day yesterday meaning I called in sick to work. I really shouldn't have because we on't have sick days where you still get paid but sometimes your mental health has to come first. I've been feeling like I'm going to lose it at work and just leave for awhile and I am doing my best to fight that impulse until I find another job but it's so HARD. So anyway I had some chickpeas soaking so I cooked them and made chickpea fritters. These were kind of half falafel and half red lentil patty. I flavored the fritters with cilantro, green onion and the last bits of olive tapenade I had lingering in my fridge. I made a spicy dipping sauce with tahini and sambal oelek. On the side I made some potatoes with lots of garlic and Italian dressing I also had lingering in the fridge. This was a really delicious clean out the fridge meal!

It seems that spring is over and summer is here with temps being in the eighties already. This makes for some lazy lounging ladies!

Sunday Haul Day

After last Saturday at Trader Joe's I was terrified to go there yesterday especially with it being Cinco De Mayo. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I expected which made my day! I still managed to forget two things on my list but what can you do.

Bananas,red onion, green chilis,tofux3,flax meal,potatoes,lemons, frozen strawberries,frozen blueberries,vegan shreds, jalapenos,protein cookies,sweet potato frites,fruit frenzy bars, lime floes,hibiscus tea, yellow onion, coconut milkx2, fizzy water,coconut water

How cute is this bag? Uni-corny it's hilarious! One of my coworkers has eczema really bad on her hands so I got her some flax meal, turmeric and some dried fruit bars to put in this bag. I told her I'm going to look up all the natural remedies. I know green juice can help with a lot of skin ailments so I'm also going to look up some recipes for her. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. She's a really sweet girl and I'd love to help her heal. Some days she can't even wear her wedding ring!!

This was my refreshment as I waited for the bus after shopping. I also got a raspberry lime flavor. I like the lemon because it tastes like a super tart lemonade. The spindrift fizzy waters are a lot more flavorful than La Croix. They use fruit juice and water as opposed to lemon flavor.

I don't know what I walked in or through yesterday but Joan was OBSESSED with my flip flops all day and night. And yes that is packing paper behind them. They still love making tunnels with it so who am I to argue?