Rock Paper Scissors Collective 5th Annual Vegan Cupcake Challenge

On Saturday we headed to the good ol' East Bay. First stop was Rock Paper Scissors Collective to take part in their 5th annual vegan cupcake challenge. I arrived wanting cupcakes and needing a sugar boost. We paid our 5 dollars each to get in and started sampling away!

 

The crowed wants cupcakes!!!

 

First up in the line of cupcake sampling was the Dark and Stormy by Mollie Rose Baking Company. I actually sampled this one last - though it was first in line. It was my favorite - the one I voted for and the winner! It had a salty sweet taste going on and the lime shooter slice at the end was a tasty whimsical touch.  

Matt voted for the strawberry cheesecake - he is a sucker for cheesecake! 

Pumpkin Pecan Passion Cupcakes in the mix made me think of fall!

 

Coconut cupcakes - I liked these, though Matt passed them up due to his coconut-hate (more like dislike, hate is such a strong word!).  Tropically-tasty indeed! 

After sampling cupcakes they did a drawing and Matt won a prize! He seems to win prizes at vegan events pretty easily! Lucky him. He won a a pass to the Pacific Pinball Museum! Right up his alley! Yay!

A super fun start to our day in the East Bay! I love vegan events! So fun! I even got some inspiration and kind words! Thanks Matt for braving the cupcake crazed crowd and scoring me some photos! 

Recent Eats - Tofu Pizza, Greek-ish Salad & GF Ice Cream Sundae

Pizza night last week: garlic pizza dough from Trader Joe's (soooo good) topped with pizza sauce, Daiya, savory baked tofu and balsamic vinegar. To go with it a nice side salad!

A scoop of Purely Decadent Coconut Cookie Dough, smothered in chocolate sauce ontop of Lucy's brownies makes this one tasty vegan & gluten free sundae!

Summer calls for salad! This was on last night dinner plate: organic baby greens and a large organic tomato dressed in lemon juice, olive oil and herbs. Topped off with marinated balsamic tofu and zucchini slices and pine nuts. I used The Vegan Foodie's balsamic glaze recipe but adjusting a few things. It was so good. I had extra marinade so In tossed in a sliced zucchini and baked it for 15 minutes...I served the salad with some cheezey garlic bread and I can't wait to have it again!

Mar Update - Good News!

 

We started off last week on a not-so-good note. Mar was having trouble getting to the litter box, moving around, eating - just a lot of stiffness.We took him in to the vet and while his BUN and creatinine where at good levels his potassium was once again on the low side. So after starting him back on his supplement and giving him a few days to rest he was back to his old meowing at 5AM self.

When he was not feeling well he had an accident on his favorite scratching post and we had to throw it out. Mar recently got a get well gift from my good friend - $50 to spend at PetCo. So after the accident with his scratching post/lounge we went on a mission to find him one he would use, not like the other 5 collecting dust he has no interest in. I picked out the biggest one and he is content! I catch him chillin' in it often, like last night before bed. 

Thank you again everyone for the love and support you have showed my baby kitty over the last month. It means the world to me. Mar will be relaxing for a 2 week off from the vet break. I release my newest zine this week in hopes of getting some of the vet bills paid off. Stay tuned!

Another Tea Time Tuesday: Teavana JavaVana Maté

 

JavaVana  is a yummy rich maté tea that has a hint of coffee flavor. I pick up the vanilla and nutty tastes right away. I like it as is - to taste the chocolate undertones or with a splash of vanilla almond milk. It is bold without coming on to strong or bitter. This is for coffee lovers who want to try tea or those that like tea and coffee...I have been drinking it a lot and need to go buy some more.

Birthday Celebration Food, Friends & Fun

I turned 34 last Friday! Yay right! Matt spoiled me, Mar feels better (we are still trying to balance his numbers) and we got to spend time on Saturday in the lovely East Bay.

First up we shared some taquitos at Flacos, I ordered a side salad, Matt had the refried beans. I love the taste of the fried corn shell the best. I am always the fool forgetting how hot the hot sauce really is...


I stopped by Lush in Emeryville - spent way to much money. Looked around some other stores and stocked up on nonperishable items at Whole Foods in Oakland. Then off to Berkeley to enjoy friends, pizza and cake!

Saturday was International Vegan Pizza day so to celebrate that and my birthday you know pizza was on the menu! Gigi and Larry invited us over for Zachary's deep dish pizza but when we got there Gigi announced she was making a pesto pizza while we waited for Zachary's to be finished. Larry busted out a salad and we munched away.  Pictured above is a slice of Zachary's and Larry's yummy salad! Perfect combo!

So if the good could not get any better Gigi busted out a sugar free - vegan - peanut butter - chocolate cake that was to die for! Served with some Rice Dream it was super heavenly! Gigi has mad baking skills - check out her Etsy shop Veganville for some classic treats with a twist!

Thank you Gigi and Larry for making me feel special! You really made my day! Thank you to Matthew my wonderful boyfriend who took me up to the East Bay and did not even flinch when he looked at the $14 bottle of vegan sauce I wanted - paid with a smile.

We will be back in a few weeks lovely East Bay to celebrate some movie night fun staring Matt's work....Oh and Lush - try not to drain my wallet this time around! :)

Crafty Cat Projects: Blanket

 

I love my baby-kitty blanket! 

I have tried my hand at making fleece tie blankets a few times over the years. Each time they come out lumpy. I always get fustrated - everyone can do these after all! After buying baby tuxedo cat print fleece to line Mar's vet carrier with - and it not working out I decided to make him a blanket.

I sat down with the kitty print fleece fabric and black fleece fabric feeling confident. After all I had a power chat session over lunch with my cousin who makes them all the time and the fabric department lady who even gave me a simple instruction sheet to follow. I got this! I cut off my corners, cut it into strips, tying it, moving Mar off it a few times, trying to keep the scissors away from him at one point...It still came out lumpy.

Once I put it down though, Mar walked up to it, sniffed it and flopped on top of it. Lesson learned: your cat-baby sees the love in handmade things even if they are not perfect! Mar loves his blanket and wherever you sit it down he flops onto it and falls asleep!

Look out for more cat crafts, CKD diet talk, and kitty videos coming in July! 

Tea Time Tuesday - Teavana Honeybush Vanilla

Mat bought me a bag of Teavana's Honeybush Vanilla over the weekend. After having one cup - I am hooked! For a herbal tea - it is really rich, almost like a black earthy tea. There is a sweet note to it, but nothing artificial tasting like some teas. I like it with even more vanilla flavor in the form of vanilla almond milk, however on it's own it is pretty good. I am going back to get more!