Taking a Break

I just wanted to pop on here really quick and say that I'm going to be taking a little break from blogging. Between my tight budget and feeling so uninspired in the kitchen I just feel like this blog has gotten stale.Like I cannot describe another curry or tofu, veggies and rice bowl which have become staples in my diet. I've tried to get inspired again, checking out cookbooks from the library and such, but nothing has really been helping.
I also try to keep it kind of light here, and I haven't been feeling light and I don't have the energy to fake it.
With August coming up and being MOFO month, it seems like the perfect time to take a break. The blogosphere is going to be full of amazing, fresh content. I'm excited, MOFO is my favorite time of year, although hasn't it always been in September?
I also deactivated my Instagram account and I have to say it feels AMAZING! Not checking for likes is the best feeling in the world! I don't compare myself to beautiful people with perfect bodies on Instagram and feel bad, but I do feel like such a pathetic loser with beautiful food pictures, and products I'll never be able to afford. I feel like that enough of the time, I don't need social media to help.
So I'm going to sit on the sidelines for awhile, and hopefully once I catch my breath I'll be back to feeling inspired and a little happier.

Random Wednesday

I found this spice packet at Winco the other day and since it was only a dollar something I decided to give it a try. Although the packet says it's for chicken, the packet itself is just a bunch of spices, so it's vegan friendly. I used tofu for the chicken, and added red lentils because why not!

The recipe is super easy, all you need is an onion, tomato sauce, protein of choice and this packet. I would definitely buy this again, it made an easy and delicious meal!

I also picked this up at Winco. It's pretty dang tasty and it isn't very sweet. I just pour some over ice when green tea isn't quite enough.

I picked these up at Sprouts the last time I was there, and I swear I read the ingredients, but I guess not because last night I had them in the oven, and I noticed they had kind of a coating so I read the ingredients to see if they had wheat in them, and sure enough no wheat but they contain MILK!! What the hell, they're tots with roasted garlic and pepper. I put the milk filled tots in a container that I'll take to work and see if someone will eat them. I hate for them to go to waste. Wish I would have caught that before I cooked them!

Luckily I had some tofu in the fridge, so I just threw that in the oven and made some rice and a peanut sauce. Simple, easy and beige. This very much soothed my nerves because I already had the day from hell, and then I was really, really hangry so this meal really saved my day!
I hope today is a Happy Wednesday!

Good Vegan Eats

Last night I made something totally new to me! Carne asada style soy curls! Now I've never had vegan or non vegan carne asada so this wasn't something I was craving, but the recipe just looked flat out delicious!! I used this recipe. The only change I made was using a veggie bouillon cube instead of no beef broth.

 In their video which is where I originally saw the recipe, they served the carne asada in tacos with chopped white onion and cilantro. So I had mine over quinoa with cilantro and white onion, and lots of green Cholula hot sauce. I highly recommend this recipe. It has a great smoky flavor, and I really love the texture of soy curls!

Isn't it so pretty? Swirly with marshmallows and sprinkles, my inner child is so happy right now! I only took a bite when I got home, but that bite was magical! I don't know how to describe the flavor. When Nada Moo first introduced this flavor, they said it tastes like Lucky Charms cereal. I've never had that cereal so I don't know if that's accurate. But I did get a mini marshmallow in my first bite so I'm sure that means they're generous with them! I will report when I eat more and can maybe figure out the mystery flavor!

Lazy Caturday Afternoon!

Oops!... I Did It Again!

I went back to Sprouts yesterday because they have tofu for $.99 and I really wanted to try another flavor of Nada Moo. Buy one get one for vegan ice cream is a very rare event, and I know they will sell out over the weekend.

Plums and nectarines, cherry tomatoes, green grapes, rice cakes,popsicles, brown rice and quinoa(bulk),bananas, probiotic soda, hummus, Nada Moo,tofu, bulk spices

I am going to give one pint of the Nada Moo to a non vegan friend who loves snickerdoodle cookies, so I got the vegan ice cream version! I got the marshmallow stardust flavor for myself. It has sprinkles and vegan marshmallows in it!! I'm definitely stocked up on ice cream for awhile! I don't think I've ever had three pints of ice cream in my freezer at once!

This is a horrible picture, but to be honest I was too hangry to care! I just wanted to get this in my mouth! I made a Thai red curry with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and tofu. With sriracha of course! This hit the spot!

This was the calm before the storm. Not even a minute after I took this picture, Afro's alter ego Brutus came out and I had to protect poor Kiki!
Happy Caturday!

Sprouts Haul

I went to Sprouts yesterday because they're having a BOGO sale on some things, and in my experience people at Sprouts go hard on big sales and grab everything. I didn't want to risk seeing empty shelves. Specifically they have Nada Moo ice cream BOGO and that is one of my favorite ice creams. I rarely buy it because of the cost, and I didn't want to miss out on this deal.

Carrots, avocados,ataulfo mangoes,tofu,lemons, oranges,green onion, cilantro,cherry tomatoes,celery,red and yellow onion,yellow plums, red pears,celery, nectarines

Roxy and Joan were going insane chewing on my celery leaves! Celery leaves and pineapple tops are their favorites! Roxy also loves fresh parsley. Divas like to have fresh breath!

Holy Kombucha,garlic and pepper tater tots(!!),coconut milk,jalapeno nacho chips,Starbucks almond milk frappuccino, Korean BBQ sauce,Epsom salts, Nada Moo ice cream

Both of these were buy one get one. I have been wanting to try the strawberry cheesecake Nada Moo for the longest time! They have a lot of really intersesting flavors, it was hard to choose!
This is my first time trying Holy Kombucha. Buy one get one is a pretty good deal, but I was still nervous because if it's bad, I wasted my money and I have two bottles to drink! But I tried the blood orange when I got home, and I'm happy to report it's delicious! Not too dry or sweet, and the perfect amount of fizz!

Here's my little huntress Joan trying to get that pesky moth that flew inside! I always try to save bugs because the girls will get them, but it's hard with moths because they fly and are fast. And also I'm a little terrified of moths to be honest. It's not that I want them to die, but it's very difficult to save them!

Fun With Butter Beans

I used to buy this vegan cheese made by WayFare when I lived in PA. I think WayFare is maybe an east coast company because I've never seen their products in Seattle or SLC. The cheese is made with a base of butter beans and oats and it is so creamy and cheese-y. I was thinking about that cheese and butter beans the other day, and I decided to try to make a butter bean mac and cheese!!

I picked up this pasta from Trader Joe's to use. It's tiny little elbows, more like what you find in boxed mac and cheese.

So Tiny!

I soaked about one fourth of a cup of raw cashew pieces, and blended those with some water, a can of butter beans and some seasonings.

I used turmeric, nooch and garlic powder for seasoning. I also threw in a couple of slices of FYH American style just to make it extra decadent! It really didn't need the extra cheese, but I had it so why not add it! When I make a cheese sauce made from beans or veggies, I never feel too bad adding some vegan cheese.

I had mine topped with green dragon sauce. This was really, really delicious. The butter beans are really so creamy! I definitely need to make a butter bean hummus! I was going to post the recipe, but I still want to tinker a bit. I used ACV for the acid, and I think maybe lemon juice might be better.

Look at who is most pleased with herself? I swear Kiki is happiest when she has found that perfect, sweet cuddle spot!!!

What I Ate

I had the day off yesterday, and I had one of those lazy but productive days. I did a bunch of stuff around my apartment, and some laundry. I also gave myself a pedicure and did a face mask. I love those kind of days! It also seemed like a perfect day to take a picture of all my food!

I started the day with celery, pear, and romaine juice. It's so much easier to drink celery juice when you add fruit!

My favorite of all berries, raspberries!

I also had half of an almond milk mocha frappuccino Starbucks drink. So sweet I can only drink half at a time, but so good!

Chickpea pancake with green dragon sauce

I snacked on so much fruit yesterday!! I just couldn't get enough. The cherry plums are already gone!! And the nectarines I got at Sprouts are so freaking good!!!

I decided to make Feijoada last night. This is one of the first dishes I made when I first went vegan. I had a subscription to Vegetarian Times at the time and they introduced me to this delicious Brazillian stew. For some insane reason I haven't made it in years! Last week I saw the Happy Pear brothers make it on YouTube, and I knew I had to make it again! This time I followed their recipe. I subbed carrot for sweet potato, did not add red peppers because bell peppers should NEVER be cooked, and I used tempeh bacon instead of vegan sausage. I served mine with rice, a little raw red onion and green dragon sauce. I highly recommend this dish. It's so smoky and deep and rich. I think I like The Happy Pear's recipe better than the original Vegetarian Times recipe which is saying a lot!!

Pineapple Coconut popsicle for dessert!

My little introvert Joan loves to sleep under the chair in the corner of the living room. She's got her privacy, but she can also keep an eye on all the goings on!

Three Stores, One Haul. All Vegan!

I finally made it to Sprouts and Trader Joe's! Although I have to say I was at Trader Joe's right at eight am when they opened, and it was still busier than I would have liked!!!
I also popped into Smith's and found a few awesome sales!

Joan and Roxy just had to get in an argument!!

They had so many different teas on close-out and since the temps have spiked I've been drinking tons of iced tea. They also had the Starbucks almond milk drinks on sale for two dollars so I couldn't resist! And I got some butter beans because I want to experiment with a butter bean based cheese sauce!!

Tofu,lemons,coconut oil, green dragon sauce,peanut butter,coconut milk,gluten free macaroni,celery,frozen blueberries,romaine hearts,champagne vinaigrette,sesame oil, avocado, sweet potato tortilla chips from Smiths

There are just some things you can't find for a better price than Trader Joe's. Coconut oil and sesame oil are two of those things. I use coconut oil for cooking and skin care so I use it every day and need a deal!

Tempeh bacon,hummus,oatmilk ice cream(!!!!) FYH American slices,gluten free pretzels,cauliflower puffs,booch.soy sauce,live probiotic soda

Bulk rice, quinoa, black beans, sunflower seeds, pink salt, nectarines, red pepper, Brussels sprouts,apples and pears, cilantro,raspberries, plum cherries, onion, avocado, blueberries,garlic, jalapeno

Sprouts had watermelon on sale for an amazing price, but they were all sold out by the time I got there. They were sold out of a few things actually. But I still definitely got a lot of greaat deals! They have the live probiotic soda on sale two for five!! Usually one six pack is five dollars!!

I saw someone try these on YouTube, and I had never heard of such a fruit! I went back and forth on getting these because of the stupid plastic clam shell. I finally caved and decided to try them. Guys, they're so good! They're like a super sweet and extra flavorful plum!
It feels so great to have fresh fruit and veg in my refrigerator. And of course to have some condiments back in my life! This is going to be a delicious week, and I will never take another salad for granted!

Tiny Target Haul

Yesterday kind of got away from me, and I didn't make it to the Sprouts and Trader Joe's area. I could have still gone, but it was mid to late morning and I didn't have it in me to deal with Trader Joe's. It's even worse now that it's summer because there are tourists and kids.
I did make it to Target, but I didn't get a lot of food because this Target isn't a super Target with a lot of fresh produce. I was going to get tofu for dinner, and they didn't even have any!!

Black bean burgers, carrots, vitamin C mask, Pacifica drink mixes, iceberg lettuce, guacamole, pineapple coconut popsicle

I really liked the Slay All Day Pacifica drink mix and I had a coupon so I picked up another plus I decided to try the greens powder. Most greens powders I've tried are very, very green but this tastes kind of like lemonade. I'm going to drink the Slay All Day whenever I want, but I'm going to keep the greens powder for emergencies like last week. I really felt a difference not having any fruit or veg in my life. Physically and mentally. So this could really help out when times are tough.

This was dinner last night and it hit the spot! Black bean burgers, shredded refreshing crisp iceberg, guacamole and some tortilla chips. Kind of like a taco salad/ I swear iceberg is the best lettuce in the summer because it's so freaking refreshing!
Today I'm hitting Sprouts and Trader Joe's. I'm going to go as soon as they open to avoid the heat and people as much as I can! Sprouts is having a great sale on produce, and I have a coupon so I have a feeling I'm going to overestimate my strength and get too many heavy things. Story of my life! I'll be back tomorrow with so much fruit and veg!!

Finally a Salad!

It's time to celebrate, my week of lentils and rice is over!! I seriously couldn't be happier. I'm taking an extended vacation from lentils! The old me would have celebrated with a ton of beer, but booch is my fizzy beverage of choice these days! This is one of my favorite flavors! They use just the right amount of cayenne.
I have almost nothing food wise in my house, even condiments! I'm out of tamari, sriracha, green dragon sauce, everything except a random bottle of spicy mustard. It's bad. My food has been real bland this week.
I didn't feel like shopping yesterday, so I just got some tofu and one of those bagged salad kits. I got my favorite, the Asian salad kit with cabbage and carrot and Romaine. You have no idea how much of this past week was spent dreaming of salad, and fruit. I even miss my nasty old celery juice!!!

I ate the whole bag of salad, and I could have had more! The crunch, the refreshing flavor, the FRESHNESS!! It was so, so good!!!! And of course the tofu was amazing. Man did I miss tofu!!!
I'm going to go to Sprouts and Target today so I will be back tomorrow with a haul. It's probably going to be pretty big because my cupboards are bare!

Random Saturday

There is a fence by my apartment that has concord grape vines growing on it. I noticed yesterday that the grapes are starting to grow! In a couple of months I'll have all the free grapes I can handle!

Yes, those are hail balls that fell on July 4th! It hailed heavy here for about fifteen or twenty minutes. One minute it was ninety degrees and sunny, and the next minute ice balls were falling. In July, So scary.
I've been eating pretty basic and boring. Lots of bean and rice variations, and that will be continuing through this week.

Lentil and tofu curry is always on my menu regardless of my budget. Last night I was just going to have beans and rice, then I remembered I had some masa flour so I made pupusas filled with mayocoba beans, green onion and nooch.
My food this week is going to be super boring and super bare bones. I had pretty much no budget this week hence the no haul, so I'm just going to take this week, or most of it off of blogging. I know it's a fun and trendy thing on YouTube to do budget challenges, or living below the poverty line but it isn't fun or trendy to actually have to live it.
So, I'll be back probably next Saturday with a haul, and hopefully a little cheerier mood!

That Budget Life

Yesterday I was downtown, on my way home when I remembered that I needed an onion. I was near a grocery called Harmons which I never shop at because they are ridiculously overpriced, but it was nine million degrees and I didn't feel like taking another bus somewhere else so I bought the overpriced onion.

I wondered around a bit to see what fancy vegan stuff they had, and I saw these new to me deli slices. I haven't even seen these on the Gram! They look so real!

They had four flavors, one was veggie carpaccio, and one was lupini bean. Sorry for the horrible picture, I feel very, very, very out of place at Harmons so I just tried to be very quick. Anyway, I always love when I see new vegan stuff, even if I can't afford it! It means the demand is up! I do sometimes hate seeing the high prices because I fear it discourages vegan curious people who might think they can't afford to eat vegan food.

Speaking of budgets and food, last night I had the classic budget vegan meal, rice and beans!! Jamaican rice and beans to be exact! I've never been to Jamaica, so I cannot speak on the authenticity of this dish, but I can say it is incredible. And you would never guess it's a very inexpensive dish! I used this recipe, subbing coconut oil for the butter. It's so good, the coconut milk makes this dish so incredibly rich and satisfying. Highly recommend!

Sunday Eats

Yesterday was a grey, dreary day and I had the day off so I did some cleaning and reading. I also remembered to take a picture of everything I ate. It wasn't a super exciting day, but I felt satisfied and nourished.

I started my day with chia pudding. It's just chia seeds, hemp seeds, blueberries and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Really good!

Later on I had some celery and pear juice. Not as pretty as watermelon and celery, but still tasty!

I snacked on a few baby cucumbers throughout the day. Cold, crispy cucumbers are so refreshing on hot days!

I also had a ripe, sweet, and very juicy nectarine! Nectarines are one of my very favorite fruits! I've never understood why someone would eat a fuzzy peach when they can have a glorious, non fuzzy nectarine!

For dinner I made a little tofu and rice noodle stir fry with a spicy gochujang sauce. Delicious and easy. Not to mention quick, it was ready in under fifteen minutes!!

I had to take this picture of Joan! I was trying to get a picture of Roxy doing something, and Joan started flopping and posing so of course I have to acknowledge the cuteness!