Hanging Out In Oakland

I had a group therapy meeting in Oakland over weekend. We have not been to Oakland in awhile so we had to hit up a few of our favorite places and walk around as the sun set.

The group meeting I attended was across from a mortuary - I sat across the street and watched the parking lot for any signs of un-life floating around.

After grabbing chocolate and caffeine at Timeless we walked down to Issues and I found a copy of Beyond the Dark Veil and I almost hyperventilated in the small store. Watching online auctions sell the book for hundreds of dollars I was bummed that I never got the first print. I was not even sure if they would reprint it but here it is - I bought it!

Hanging out at the Colton mausoleum with one of the sphinx twins at Mountain View. The sun was setting as we made our way along the cemetery trails. We saw some deer and the twinkle lights go on as we left. It all felt very magical. 

We ended the night with vegan deep dish pizza from Zachary's and a stroll around the neighborhood looking at books and in shop windows.

Ace Hardware has a neat display going on. It is part mad scientist part vampire hunter. It had a very old time-y movie set feel.

Long Weekend Fun - Cooking, Baking & Reading

Long weekends are meant to sleep in, catch up on stuff and relax. I did that plus some tea sipping, reading, baking and cooking.

Since Chipotle introduced sofritas I go once a week! I love a nice salad with sofritas, black beans, fresh salsa and guac! Also our mall just opened a Teavana - so I had to get my blueberry tea fix! Matt got my free Izzy at Chipotle - I love text coupons!

We were supposed to BBQ on Sunday but after inspecting our grill and with the wind kicking in we decided not to. After buying ingredients for potato salad, I was craving it! I was sent a copy of Grills Gone Vegan by Tamasin Noyes to review and was looking forward to grilling but I did make the Tangy Dijon Sauce and served it warm over potatoes for a warm potato salad - soooo good! I served it with pan fried BBQ tofu, garlic cheeze bread and watermelon. Good!

Monday we slept in a little too much. After having breakfast at lunch time and trying to get my routine in order (yoga, tea, house work, lunch) I decided to make cookies with a jar of Speculoos spread Matt bought for me at Target. I am still adjusting the recipe - the cookies work well with tea though!

Dinner was a generic East-Feast. I made date-raisin chutney from the first Candle Cafe cookbook (I made some subs, like cinnamon for ginger because the two stores I went to had no ginger to be found). I served it over simple stove top yellow rice, so tasty - comfort food! I made the Mediterranean tofu marinade from Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope Romero (subbing apple cider vinegar for white wine, and pan steaming the tofu instead of baking it). Also from the book I made Roasted Broccoli with Sage and loved it! I want more of it now!

Since Saturday I have been wrapped up in Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. If you like young adult books go get it now! It is really good, I have to force myself to put it down and do things like feed Mar, wash laundry and shower! I have more books in the YA genre that I picked up from the library to go through...First some tea though!

Pile Of Reading Material

I have been on a lifestyle book kick lately. I have bought a handful of them and like at a salad bar it is easy to pick and choose the advice you want to take away from the books. I can't get behind all of the advice and while the books are plant based they are not 100% vegan. Oh and quinoa is a major book trend! I hate you quinoa! Food is trying to kill me!

Here is a rundown of the books, what I liked mostly. The points I did not care for in the books are all very similar: restrictive, stuff that is necessarily good deemed bad and way to much emphasis on detoxing.

My favorite out of the bunch is Relish by Daphne Oz. I did not even know who she was till I saw her in  Cosmo (I think) and liked her plate collection and her popcorn with coconut oil snack idea. I started watching The Chew (I was not aware of the show - though I do know the other hosts from various shows!). Relish is more like healthy, happy and fun living rather than diet and green smoothies. Daphne comes off as a way less pretentious Martha Stewart who also is a lot hipper. There are a few noted vegan recipes, some that would be a cinch to make vegan and day to day advice that puts a smile on your face.

Undiet by Megan Telpner was a purchase after I seen it on a blog tour. I like that it includes some beauty info - though the DIY beauty recipes are not vegan, and would not work the same if made vegan. It is a good source to show you how to clean up your routine in the kitchen and outside it.

Kimberly Snyder's The Beauty Detox Foods is good at showing you food to consume to address skin, hair and nail needs. It looks like a mighty book but I feel there is so much more that could have be said. This is the most 'diet-y' of the books and a lot of the food advice is not something I would live on day to day. There are a lot of salad and dressing recipes - perfect for upcoming warm weather eating!

Also over the weekend I got the new issue of Marmalade Umlaut - I skimmed through it in the car and read it on Monday. If you want to get your own copy or check out some vegan food action head on over to Food Feud today!

I have more books to talk about later. Then I am going to try to say no to books for a bit to cool my credit card! Books are so tempting - like vegan brownies!

[Vegan MOFO day 6] Weekend Roundup: I Rather Be In Bed

This weekend was spent doing not much of anything. Maybe the cold weather is getting under my skin or I am just PMS-y.

Friday I went to the DMV since Matt got out early. He had a team building day at work - his work even picked him up a vegan lunch from our fave Thai place down the street! I had to renew my license.It was so crowded and I hate being jammed into a room with a bunch of people. Not the best way to start off the weekend! I needed a new ID though and got to wear my gently used $12 jeggings I bought at Plato's closet - the same pair I was looking at online for $58...Score right?

I started reading Catcher in the Rye - because you know it was banned book week...Matt recommended it to me...I spent Friday night reading while Matt broke in his new Resident Evil game! In between chapters I put up a new zine in my Etsy shop! Ohh and mending a burnt mouth - my plate of nachos tempted me way to much for me to check the temp before I took a bite!

 

How does one fix a burned mouth the next day? An ice cold Slurpee! After Matt and I ran around looking for props for his next project and doing errands we went to 7-11. I was armed with this list hoping to score some vegan snacks. I only found the mint cookies which I shared with Matt that night. They were good - thicker square thin mint type cookies! Oh - if you are wondering, the Slurpree flavor is cherry with a splash of banana at the top!

Grocery shopping was another weekend event - my favorite part was getting a new rewards card with pink doughnuts all over it...Oh and I got a handful of Seventh Generation laundry soap samples at the store...I like free stuff! 

Maybe it is the fall weather but I am craving Speculoos spread on toasted wheat bread. I pulled out a jar this weekend and have been using it on toast...It is about lunch time now, I think I need some toast with Speculoos spread as part of my lunch! Maybe that will perk me up!

A bonus pic of Mar - we spent time playing in the yard this Saturday! I think he kinda has an eggplant shape!

Anna Dressed In Blood - Review

I just finished reading Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and loved it! If you like ghost stories, then this is for you. You have a ghost hunter named Cas and a ragtag group of witches and high school kids on a mission to stop a ghost and then redeem her. You have blood, guts, voodoo, ghosts, spells and more - this is not a mild YA book! It was a quick read that I picked up for my Kindle Fire and could not put down. I cannot wait till August when the second book comes out.

Peculiar & Strange

I am addicted to American Horror Story - I can't wait for a new show to pop up on my cable box. I savor the episodes - I even watch them twice at times. So far my faveorite has been episode 6 "Piggy Piggy" - it was well written, the plot line was great, I love the twist and there was something heart breaking about Tate's existence.
Many people might assume I am into a lot of horror - I am not. I like a good scary story line, real characters and thought provoking stuff. I am not a fan of the 80s slashers - I have never watched one all the way through. I think American Horror Story is scary but above all it has a story line. If more horror took shape like this I would be more into this genre.

I have had Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children on my list of 'to read' books for a few months - then my friend sent it to me and I dug right in. The photos are amazing - I really have this urge to go track down old photos now! I am on the last chapter of the book and I can't wait to see how it turns out. The story line fits perfect with the photos and the characters are amusing! Matt informed me that Tim Burton wants to make this into a movie. I would like for Tim Burton to stay away given his last handful of movies...I would hate to have one of the characters turn into a Johnny Depp pedophiliac atrocity.

Catching Up On Birthday Fun

I am officially 32 now! It was stretched out a few days and my actual birthday was spent just catching up on errands around the house and opening gifts! Also consuming my mom's banana nut bread!


This plush ice cream sandwich has to be one of my fave gifts from my boyfriend!


My mom and boyfriend know that I love books and movies...Here are a few I got. Plus my boyfriend found me a vintage Pee Wee doll - yes!!!


Last night we met up with our friend Rae for dinner at my fave place to eat in town Thai House. When we got there Rae had the table decorated with birthday confetti and pineapple straws! Spoiled right! Also on the psychic front she bought me the new O.P.I. black shatter polish I was lusting after!

Thank you to my friends and family for a wonderful birthday!