The Preserves

We've been doing a lot of biking and trying to find "free" things to do to occupy our time. We live in a really boring city where your choice of activities are movies or bowling..movies get expensive and bowling gets old. So, we recently found The Preserves!! They are not too far from our house so I bought a bike rack for my car and last week we drove out there! I had planned it for days and it was raining in the morning. Luckily it cleared up enough for us to get out there later!

It's basically a wildlife preserve with a bunch of lakes around. However, we only saw a hawk, cardinal, more birds, a bunny! and a HUGE SNAKE! I don't think I'd ever seen a snake like that that wasn't behind glass. It was right in the middle of the bike path but did not bother us. Phew!

This is Marc's it's super bright outside face--he found this geocache called "I'm not a nut" hanging from a tree. There are a bunch of geocaches out there but some do NOT seem worth the risk to me. HUGE SPIDERS in the woods.

The water was so clear! And yeah my neck was all orange from spray on sunscreen on those cheap ball necklaces...but look at the cute little turtle on the necklace! I got it at a little shop and wear it almost every day.

Are there any cool places to go biking where you live? This place is nice because cars aren't allowed! There's a long paved section and then trails (some for biking some more for hiking) coming off it at different sections.

Kristi(E)

My favorite vegan snack!

I know this picture is super blurry but you get the idea. When I first heard about this I thought, that must not taste very good--but it is AMAZING!!

crackers, creme cheese, daiya mozarella.

Then I just microwave it so the cheese melts. It is so awesome!!!!

Photo update

It's been a really busy week, I worked like 5 days in a row (okay I guess that's normal but I'm part time so it's usually no more than 2 or 3 days in a row haha).

Also, we decided to go to Portland, Oregon for my birthday!!!!!! So, I have been planning for that and am beyond excited! There are so many awesome vegan restaurants to try and places to go. I will feature some in the upcoming months (my birthday is September) and be sure to spill the beans when I get back.

Some quick food updates from the past few days:

I put PEPPERJACK DAIYA on my pizza!!! I was so excited when I saw the bag, I hugged it.

Made some stirfry with brown rice, seitan, and mixed veggies. Seitan is so awesome!

Quinoa and garlicy kale.

I have a bell pepper plant! This little one fell off but they get really big, about half the size of one you'd get in a store which is perfect!

Also, I found this on tumblr. I totally wanna do this for the final movie! I am a HUGE Harry Potter geek.

Hope the week is treating you well!

Kristi(E)

Forks Over Knives + Whole Foods

Yesterday we went into Tampa to see this film:

Forks Over Knives

It was really inspiring! The website has a good trailer but basically, it followed two doctors who had grown up on farms but after becoming doctors and doing the research, advocate a plant-based, vegan diet with astounding results for patients suffering from various diseases. There are also two other really awesome doctors who take patients grocery shopping, show you how to prepare meals, everything! They also show a large-scale study on populations showing correlation between the intake of animal-based protein and an increase in cancer and other fatal diseases.

So afterwards, of course, we went to Whole Foods and spent $150 on food. Well, we got a TON of food and I don't live near Whole Foods so I stocked up on lots of things like rice (I say rice 'cause I got about five different flavors/types) and vegan cheese (they had the new Daiya Pepperjack!!) and my favorite ever Mango Lemonade, not to mention this delicious pizza:

Daiya mozarella, spinach, mushrooms

and strawberry sorbet! YUM!

I was in Whole Foods Heaven and we now have enough food for the next two weeks. Marc found vegan fish sticks...I could never ever eat seafood but he is very excited.

Do you live near a Whole Foods? It's an amazing store.

Kristi(E)

Chick-un Noodle Soup!

It's so delicious I could honestly eat the whole pot. Just add water, bring to boil, simmer for 20 minutes and you're ready to eat!!!

Made with this:

Everything I've ever had by "Fantastic Foods" is absolutely delicious!! I get mine from Vegan Essentials.

Funk Off!

I really have to hand it to this company. First they were my favorite body wash and chapstick and now I'm also in love with their spray and lotion!!

The body wash is amazing. I honestly use a tiny dot and it lathers up so much!

The chapstick comes in the most delicious flavors (including chocolate buttercream, mocha, and rootbeer). Whenever I put it on at work people next to me go, "Did someone go get coffee!?" "Who's drinking rootbeer?" "It smells like cupcakes." It's not an obnoxious or overwhelming smell but it definitely does the trick.

And I can't forget the spray!

I had a travel pack from Funk Off (soap, chapstick, spray, and lotion) but had never used it. The other night when I was going to the Etsy party, I knew that I just HAD to wear my "End mass production, buy handmade" shirt. I mean, I even got it from Etsy! It was perfect! However, I had totally just worn it to Marc's (smoke infested bar) show the other night and it was laying on the floor with a hint of cigarettes left in it. I sprayed it with all different sprays to no avail when I remembered my Funk Off! spray sitting in my draw. One spray and you honestly could not smell the smoke anymore. I gave it another spray for good measure and off I went (smelling good the rest of the night, mind you). I really love their earthy smells and all of their products are excellent and I think the packaging and handwriting are adorable!

Definitely check them out :)

Kristi(E)

What are friends for?

Every now and then, my totally awesome friend Frances comes over and cooks for us! This week we made goulash. When I was little, my grandma always used to make "goulash" but hers was elbow noodles, gravy, and beef. Most other goulashes I've seen are more tomato sauce-based. Not sure about the different origins. My grandmother is German so perhaps that has something to do with it?? Not sure.

The recipe was really simple and kinda like a chili. Tofu crumbles, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, onions and garlic (you saute those before mixing in everything else), and some spices. The recipe we used called for a bit of oregano and paprika. Basically just cook that all in a pot and serve over your choice of noodle. Really simple and tasty pasta dish.

Do any of your friends like to cook? I'm definitely more motivated when there is an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.

Kristi(E)

Wishlist

It's the end of the week, so what have I been lurking online recently?

Reusable sandwich bags from Naturally Adorable on etsy!

If anyone is into quilting or anything like that, The Dainty Squid is selling scraps! While you're at it, check out her new pouches. They are so cute!!!

This jacket from MungoCrafts! I have one already and it is honestly the comfiest jacket I've ever owned, not to mention how often I'm commented on it while out! The neck flap is great for cold, windy days.

Choose your location plugs from ArksEndeavors! She actually has a lot of cute plugs so you should poke around her shop.

These mini cupcake papers from HeyYoYo! 4th of July's coming up and I think these would be really cute!

Anything you've been eyeing lately?

Kristi(E)

Vegan Oreo Cakes!

Well, you could cookie cutter out nice little circles and put a thin layer of frosting in between two, but why make homemade oreos to mimic the things that I don't really like about oreos? For one, the cookie is a bit hard and too strong for me and there's just not enough of that delicious creme in the middle. So, a bit makeshift but, I made these crazy vegan oreo cakes!

They were absolutely delicious! You only need one to feel satisfied and it doesn't hurt to wash them down with a nice glass of vanilla almond milk (my absolute favorite!)

The recipe is actually really simple.

Cookies:

3/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

1/2 cup black cocoa powder

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

You mix together the shortening and sugar until it's fluffy. Then mix in the milk and vanilla. After that, mix in the rest of the ingredients. If it's a bit too gooey (mine was) just stick it in the fridge for a few and it will stiffen up so that you can mold it into the cookies.

Filling:

1/4 cup of the shortening

1/4 cup of margarine

2 1/2-3 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla

Mix together the margarine and shortening. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla.

Bake the cookies at 325 degrees F for 12 minutes. Let cool, then add the frosting in between and you're done!

Hints:

1. I was using an electronic handheld mixer and the frosting didn't look like it was completely coming together, it kinda stayed in little balls/clumps but they were easily molded together by hand after a few minutes of mixing.
2. Also, I'm not sure what black cocoa powder is..I happened to have a bit of regular cocoa powder and then some dark and I just used what I had in the same amount (1 cup altogether) and they came out fine.
3. The frosting by itself isn't very sweet but altogether it definitely is..I think frosting that was extra sweet on its own would just be too much.

I would definitely make these again!

Kristi(E)

ETSY CRAFT PARTY

Hi Everyone!

Last night Marc and I went to an ETSY Craft Party!! There were a bunch of free craft projects and food, including some amazing hummus. Some of the projects we didn't get to included making your own leather keychain (yeah, not very vegan friendly), cupcake decorating, painting, and bracelet making. However, we did make these:

For the first time ever I did embroidery! I LOVED IT!!! It was so much fun and not too hard at all. I've been wanting to do embroidery/cross stitch/etc. and was so excited when this was one of the projects :D

It's actually really easy to do. Basically, just get the fabric onto something that will pull it taut. I've always seen those adjustable circles used but she simply glued the fabric between popsicle sticks to make a frame for this simple craft. Then, you start one stitch. After that initial stitch, you will come up from the bottom of the fabric in front of the stitch and then go back through the end hole of the first stitch. Does that make sense? It's called a "backstitch!" You can find tons of stitching tutorials here.

Then I made one of these button necklaces! I've seen them a few times and always thought they were interesting. You pick however many strands you want and double the strings. So if you want three rows of buttons, you would take three long strings but then fold them in half to make six. Take two strings at a time. Feed a button through one string and then tie a knot with about an inch of slack so the button can slide. Continue doing this until you get to the end of a string and then start on the next two! This necklace is five strands which is a lot but I still think it's really neat.

Marc made a dreamcatcher! Luckily that string wasn't authentic because it's originally made out of animal intestines! EEK! The bad dreams get caught in the web and the good dreams go through the hole and down the string/feathers to the sleeper. You want your hole big enough for the good dreams to get through but not too big or some of the bad dreams will make their way through as well! I'm not sure where you get sticks that are this bendable but these were! You just wrap the ends of the stick with the string, called "sinew," go about two inches out, make a wrap, and keep going!

Let me know if you try out any of these crafts, I'd love to see!

P.S. Afterwards, we went to see this:

I truly am a closet X-Men fan. I used to read the comics when I was in elementary school, believe it or not. I didn't keep reading them afterwards so I can't detail the story lines of all of the characters (except maybe my childhood favorite Jubilee) but I do enjoy the films!

Kristi(E)

PESTO!!

I made pesto linguini with diced tomatoes and chopped up gardein chicken tenders.

OMIGOSH DELICIOUS!

Meal Ideas?

I have been working since my last post *phew but I now have the next three days off so am trying to come up with a simple meal plan during the week that I can stick to yet still mix up so I'm not eating the same thing everyday. In addition to this I've been writing down all the 8 million things I want to do, etc. that always cloud up my brain-which is always running in a million directions. It really stresses me out and makes me unmotivated to start because I feel like there's just too much to do! Enough of that. I need to simplify my goals and set realistic steps towards making them.

So here's what I'll be eating!

My plan is to do fruit or smoothies (both fruit and veg for breakfasts). My goal is $20 on smoothie supplies a week. I'm gonna try to throw in either protein powder, flax seeds, etc. depending on what other foods I am eating that day. I'll also do some veggies mixed in with the fruit for fiber and other good nutrients. I've heard both celery and spinach are good for smoothies ("the green smoothie" I always hear about).

For lunches I want to keep it light. I was thinking sandwiches, soups, and salads. Again, I'll have $20 to go towards these foods.

Dinners will be more involved and vary throughout the week. Have you ever had gardein mock meats? They are absolutely delicious!

On hectic Mondays I plan to do my mock meat indulgence with either pasta or rice and sauce/dressing depending on the meal I put together.

Tuesday will also be something simple like tacos with tons of veggies.

Wednesdays and Saturdays will be tofu days because I am learning new ways to cook it and I actually really love tofu!! I plan this to be tofu-veg-grain and it should be a really nutritious, well-rounded meal.

Thursdays will be the day that I really mix things up....maybe falafels or something else I've never really made on my own before.

Friday night is pizza!! Whether we get Amy's or make it ourselves, pizza is my absolute favorite and there are so many different ways to make it. I could probably eat pizza every single day of my life.

Since I already hit Saturday (tofu), Sunday I plan to do raw dinners! I have this amazing raw cookbook and I absolutely adore raw foods. I would love to incorporate some awesome raw meals more and more but I am going to focus on Sunday. I ALWAYS open at work on Sundays (I do the ad sets for the new week) so it's something I know I will have the time to actually stick to. If there is one thing on the menu I really want to accomplish it's this.

So there's my goal. My current part-time work budget leaves $35 for dinners. The two tofu/veg/grain nights will really help with the budget and then of course Marc will pitch in his shares for dinners as well.

I'm also going to TRY to bike to work at least once a week, on a day that I open. I think that if I start doing this, I will be able to do it more so in the Fall when the weather isn't over 90 degrees and it's not raining every day. haha! Silly Florida summer weather.

Do you ever make menus? I feel great when I stick to them but I rarely do. I'm gonna focus on doing main grocery shopping once a week and keeping the fridge more organized.

Next on my list: Exercise routine!! Morning workout plus outdoor activities with Marc (bike rides, tennis, maybe even basketball!)

Kristi(E)

Grass Root

If you are EVER in the Tampa/Ybor, FL area, you MUST make a very short trip over to Grass Root (raw vegan restaurant!)

We went there last week because I was just CRAVING IT! We live an hour away so don't get to go there all the time but when we do it's always an amazing experience. Really. Ridiculously good.

Hibiscus tea--I had never had it before but it was absolutely delicious! It was like a fruity tea with a hint of cinnamon. MmmMmmMmm and Marc got a peanutbutter smoothie with hemp milk, irish moss, banana, ground peanut, flax seed, and plantago fiber. I don't actually know what plantago fiber is..let's see..it is a cleansing herb.

Marc got this sandwich:

Onion bread, hummus, avacado, sprouts, romaine & sheeze

I got a raw pizza!!!!!!!

Raw three sheeze pizza (vegan cheese), massaged kale, sundried tomato, avacado, fresh tomato, atop a raw crust

And for dessert....

Mint Brownie Pie and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake!

(which tasted absolutely delicious together)

Have you ever been to a raw restaurant?

It's always an incredible experience. :D

Kristi(E)

The Apothecarium on Etsy!

I just purchased the two cutest patches!! (imo) from The Apothecarium on Etsy.

&

So cute! I can't wait to sew them on the elbows of my jacket :D....even though it's summer right now!

Kristi(E)

PITA POCKETS!!!

I haven't had a pita pocket in so long! We biked to the grocery store last night after it stopped pouring (I swear there was a hurricane I didn't know about or something) and I was wondering around trying to decide what to eat. All I knew is I wanted an avocado. How much are avocados where you live? I need to shop around...they are $2 each at the grocery store by my house...that just seems expensive although they are amazing!!c

Anyways, I decided we could make some kinda wrap. When searching for wraps we found PITA POCKETS!!!! The night was complete.

Alfalfa sprouts, avocado, tomato, lettuce, grilled tofu, rice & beans all in a pita pocket :)

>

Tada!! I absolutely love wraps/pockets/sandwiches because you can really just throw in whatever you have and it's usually pretty awesome!

Gotta run off to work (at least I get out an hour early today :D)

Kristi(E)

ABCDEFGHIJKristie

Hi! One of my favorite blogs by Elycia filled out this 'about me' ABC's so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

A. Age: 22

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Dishes. I'd resort to using nothing but paper plates if it wasn't such a waste (I live in an apartment without a dishwasher D:)

D. Dogs: I have two rats named Steve and Murphy...I had a maltese when I was younger, though.

E. Essential start to your day: Usually checking my favorite blogs and/or tumblr...I wish I could say walks and fruit breakfasts but I'm usually running off to work or college...need to get better about this

okok, I didn't post this cause of the stfu thing, I think that's stupid but did ANYONE ELSE get Less Than Jake's "How's my driving?" in their head when they saw this??

F. Favourite color: orange

G. Gold or Silver: silver

H. Height: I think I'm 5'6", haha

I. Instruments you play: Guitar and Kazoo (that counts. There are bands with kazoo players)

J. Job title: Customer Service...excuse me while I vomit :/...at least that's my paid job.

K. Kids: see "D"

L. Live: the sunshine state!

M. Mother's name: michelle

N. Nicknames: n/a

O. Overnight hospital stays: n/a

P. Pet peeve: improper grammar!!!!! other random knowledge-based fallacies.

Q. Quote from a movie: "There was no poison on the rag and there was no intent to kill and any intent to prove otherwise is futile 'cause it just ain't true." Ok so this isn't my favorite quote or anything but it's always what comes to mind because I was obsessed with this movie in middle school and used the line for an in-class mock trial.

R. Right or left handed: right but i've always dreamed of being ambidextrous

S. Siblings: older brother!

T. Time you wake up: varies depending on my schedule...I usually get out of bed around 7/8?

U. Underwear: i own it.

V. Vegetable you hate: BLACK OLIVES (and green olives) followed by MUSHROOMS!! and Marc loves them both which makes pizza ordering a nightmare (seeing that he hates my absolute favorite--peppers! green peppers, banana peppers, anything peppers)

ewewewewew, I think they taste like beer and I haaaaaaate beer!

W. What makes you run late: other people.

X. X-Rays you've had: teeth and my chest when i was younger and had some kinda bad cold/infection..don't really remember

Y. Yummy food that you make: tacos and cupcakes

Z. Zoo animal: my favorite non-zoo'ed animal is a bat!