Vegan Weekend Fun

It was a laid back, time changin' weekend around town! Complete with Matt getting an allergy shot, yum food, theater, meeting other veg folks, promoting and computer stress! Matt's computer is getting repaired so that means my zine is not going to be finished on my personal dead line. I print my hard copy on Matt's printer then go from there. It means I can fiddle with it more. Maybe make it a double issue at 40 pages!

I am part of the Veg News street team, I get to promote a magazine I really dig by carrying this cool new bag and handing out copies of the magazine. Last week in my promo pack I got to try the new Go Max Go Tumbs Up bar - ohh yes!  It was good!It reminded me so much of a Butterfinger!

Vegan fashion fact: the shoes I am sportin' are vegan sneakers that contain faux snake skin, faux suede and faux fur. With all of the Beyounce shoe drama lately I feel the need to wear my cool cruelty free kicks! They are by Akademiks and were really cheap with a bunch of mark downs! I know some people think wearing faux is wrong but I am all for faux. I think it comes down to showing people you can celebrate animals cruelty free and educate the clueless or ill informed. Saying racist things about a celebrity or calling her names will not change her mind or anyone's mind for the matter. 

In my Veg News bag I had my usual Target vegan food haul that I stock up on weekly (Rotel, Luna bars, snacks, chips) but I also picked up the new issue of Rachel Ray because it featured the vegan food truck Cinnamon Snail plus a recipe for their fig pancakes! Awesome seeing vegan food in a mainstream non-vegan magazine!

Camp 4 gave us a preview of a upcoming vegan sandwich on their new spring menu. It is a black bean hummus sandwich with black bean hummus, avocado, onion and a potato crisp (sorta like a thick slightly crisp waffle fry). Matt and I split the sandwich and salad (because Saturday is a sleep in day and we had a late lunch to begin with and would be eating dinner shortly). It was really good, fresh! I am glad they are offering something vegan on the menu and hope they will put another vegan option or two on it! Also I ordered a french press of coffee and they had two almond milks to choose from! Matt does not even like coffee but totally dug on my mug and insists we get a french press.

I am cooking up a lot of new food this week and can't wait to share! I hope your week gets off to a great start!

Happy 16th Birthday Mar!!!!

 

Mar turned 16 today! He woke up to a can of his favorite food, he loves it so much he sucked it down and proceded to barf it up minutes later. No worries, mama is going to go buy him another can once daddy is home from work. He opened gifts and played outside. It has been a nice sunny day and he enjoyed his outdoor sunshine break! I hope you enjoy the pictures I captured of him - he is often camera shy or camera grumpy, a mixture of both I assume!

Happy birthday and many more my to my wonderful companion, my baby, my best friend and furry soul mate!Everyone who knows you loves you!

Saying Thank You Contest! CLOSED

Ohh Girl Scouts, you tempting cookie sellers standing in front of the stores I frequent with your boxes of joy. I live in the ABC Cookie zone - 4 cookies are vegan, lucky me!

I have one box of the Thanks-A Lot cookies for one lucky reader! Yummy vegan cookies that give you a language and manner lesson in a tasty form - yes please!

I am a big believer in saying thank you! I do not like people who cannot say thank you. I want to thank you for reading my blog! Please comment below with something that you are thankful for - be it big or small, be it serious or goofy say what is on your mind. Easy huh? This contest is open to everyone. Let me know how to contact you. One winner will be picked on March 7th - the day of Mar's birthday - 16 years with my cat - yes I am thankful!

Tropical Shower Delight

I am slowly feeling better from whatever I caught last week. I enjoyed a roller derby game over the weekend, lots of sleep and a tropical shower! My mood is still blah and I get drained pretty easily but all in all I am getting better!

I received my body care order from The Sudsatorium last week and even with a stuffed up nose I smelled the delights wrapped up in the package.  I found the company while searching for new vegan beauty booty online. At first the packaging/display reminded me of Lush but then I was caught up in the unique scents and ingredients they were using.

Enter Monkey Business Soap, a delightful banana packed bar of pure delight. It has actual banana pieces floating in the bar. It smells fruity and creamy thanks to the real bananas and soy yogurt. Not tons of lather but tons of scent and it leaves me feeling clean. The bar actually scents up the whole bathroom and I cannot stop smelling it.

There are many delights I want to try from The Sudsatorium, where do I start? From body care and lip products to shampoo! So much to choose from. All vegan and handmade to boot! Go check them out for yourself! Get clean and smell nice!

Comfort Food Easy Style

Hey guys, I have been awfully sick since Monday night. I woke up with a sore throat and it just got worse from there. This week besides feeling all ouchy I made a bunch of comfort food. Recipes need tweaking when I can actually taste again but feel free to use your imagination for inspiration!

 

You're A Jerk Tacos: Tofu dry rubbed with a hand blended jerk seasoning, baked, topped with: spicy sauteed kale, carrot and sweet potatoes a thick queso like adaption of Isa's Red Hot Tahini. I served it with lime rice on the side!

Mac & Cheeze Veggie Dog Casserole: I made a tangy cheeze sauce with Daiya, mustard, nutritional yeast and spices added the macaroni and a few cut up veggie dogs to the mix. This went into a parchement lined baking pan, topped with hot sauce and bread crumbs, baked and served with butter'milk'  drop biscuits and sassy spiced kale and carrot saute!

Zaterian's Jambalaya: A box meal doctored up with tomato sauce, hot sauce, frozen corn and veggie kielbasa. Easy and comforting...



Back to bed! Seriously....Sleep is my friend lately!

Teenage Dreams Do Come True

Last Friday as a post Valentine's - Valentine's day Matt took me to see Marilyn Manson! In 96-97 when I was a senior in high school I discovered Marilyn Manson, not as a way to shock my parents but as a way to cope with a bunch of crap going on. Instead of turning to drugs I turned to black clothing. Hot Topic was really new at this point, and if you are in your 30s you will remember Hot Topic being different than what it is now. Everything was black, a lot of Lip Service and goth brands...no cute, colorful rainbow pony things in site! I could not afford anything in HT, the one day I could thanks to a bit of Christmas cash I walked up to the register with a skull sweater feeling so good, only discover someone pick pocketed my coin purse and my money was gone. I went the hand-me-down route, my mom found stuff at yard sales, I had a few band shirts...I even wore some of my favorite stuff to meet MM in San Francisco at his book party. I was so nervous I remember throwing up that morning. My autographed book and my clothing was burned in a fire a few months later due to an electrical problem or as we think someone setting our house on fire.

MM's show on Friday was a great show. Full of costume and set stages. Matt said he would make a great Joker...The only complaint is the crowed. People came to the show looking for a fight, so wound up on drugs and still getting high in the crowed....I think if you can't enjoy a show unless you are high - maybe pick something else to do that you will enjoy. I had a glass of wine before the show and was set...Matt had a beer...We did not need to get wasted to enjoy ourselves. At one point a giant of a man who was 6"8" and about 300 pounds barreled through the crowed with some other giant dudes to mosh with kids...The crowed got would up, people were slammed into me and someone broke my toe...I had sturdy boots on too. A few minutes later some chick fainted at our feet. People were smashing into me and I was concerned about the pregnant chick behind me...There was no security in the crowed, no crowed control. 2 people fainted, parents brought their kids who ended up crying and wanting to leave...People did you loose your brain???

Shows are supposed to be fun. The show was fun! The crowed just sucked. I hope the promoters take word and fix these problems or I will avoid shows from them in the future. I have never been to a concert that did not have some control...I do not go to a show wanting to get hurt...I think people do go to shows looking for a fight. They should not be there...Security should be in place to promote a safe environment for everyone.

Cat fact: Many of you know Mar is named after Marilyn Manson. I use Mar online and in front of strangers because trying to explain why my 19 pound male cat is named Marilyn goes over people's heads!

Spicy Sweet Potato Chili

I made this simple chili last night. Like everything I try to do, I kept it around $10 and under 30 minutes.  Matt said it was to spicy - I thought it was just right. Mar was happy because I baked a few sweet potato pieces for him when I made the Sriracha drop biscuits (Bisquick mix with rice milk and Sriracha swirled on top)...Yes my cat goes crazy for sweet potatoes!

Spicy Sweet Potato Chili

- 1/2 package of Trader Joe's (or your fave brand) of Soyrizo

- 1 cup of small diced sweet potato chunks

- 2 cans of pinto beans: drained

- 1 can of Rotel (original was used): drained

- 1 teaspoon (or less if you are a spice wimp - shout out to Matt!) of Mexican spice blend

- 3/4 cup of water

- a bit of olive oil

In a large stock pot heat up a splash of olive oil on medium. Add the Soyrizo, breaking it apart. Then add the sweet potatoes, let them cook down and blend together for about 5 minutes. Add your beans, Rotel, spice mix and water. Give it a stir and reduce the heat to a medium low and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. To see if it is done poke a sweet potato chunk and make sure it is fork tender. Serve how you like it...I just went with simple biscuits because I was in the mood for them!