What I've Been Up To (In Pictures)

Well, first of all Happy Holidays to everyone. I hope whatever December holiday you celebrate treated you well, and that you had a great New Year's celebration! Ivan would personally like to wish you a belated Merry Christmas though.

I know I haven't been around much. Frankly, I don't have much time for cooking, let alone blogging, and I've been debating whether or not to even keep doing it. In fact, I told Nick yesterday that I was going to stop....but I don't think I can. Just expect me to be posting less frequently (although, I'm sure most of you have figured that one out by now). Anyway, this is just some pictures of what I've been up to.

Pignoli Almond Cookies from 'Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar'. Also my first experience with almond paste!

Isa shared the recipe for these!

This Purely Chocolate drink from Bolthouse Farms is really good. I reviewed the Vanilla Chai almost a year ago, but this might be even better: super creamy, fruit sweetened, high in protein.

Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches from Vegan Yum Yum. These took a good long time to make, since it was my first homemade biscuit experience, but they were really good. Definitely one of Nick's favorites.

Spelt Biscuits

'Egg'

Maple Tofu

After a long day out Christmas shopping, we didn't want to spend a lot of money on eating out, or spend a lot of time making dinner, but I really wanted some 'Italian food'. I've been wanting to try these for awhile, and at the time, it hit the spot.

Perhaps not authentic Italian, but I had the lasagna, and it was pretty yummy, made with a soy ricotta filling.

My pride and joy of the holidays was definitely the Peppermint Patties I had intentions of making for many friends and family. However, after a day FULL of candy making (there were chocolate caramels too), I really didn't want to see chocolate again for awhile. So, this tin went to my best friend, and once I got over my chocolate overload, my husband and I finished the rest because they were incredibly delicious. They are NOT healthy, but really awesome, and you can find the recipe here. I used brown rice syrup and doubled the mint extract.

Not pictured, I also made some peanut brittle and pecan clusters for my grandparents. I was in Christmas overload at that point, and forgot to snap a quick picture before they were gifted.

I end with the candy for a very specific reason. One of the reasons I was considering quitting the blogging was because since I started, I have gained a significant amount of weight. I don't look incredibly different, but despite working out consistently, my clothes don't fit. I feel like I have to focus more on my health than on trying to make 'blog-worthy' food. So, in the New Year, expect things to be a little healthier.

Also, expect things to be spiralized.

One of the gifts I was lucky to get this year was a spiralizer. Ivan likes the box, and I'm already loving the thing.

So, that is where I have been, and I hope to not completely drop off the radar for so long anytime soon. Enjoy the new year, eat some black eyed peas!!

Raw Banana Bread Cookies

Something about that Love Force raw bar had me in a raw mood. Usually when I "do raw" its all-out for a day, and after that, I'm over it until the next time I decide for a full-on raw day.

This time, something clicked that I didn't have to eat super high raw for the day in order to incorporate some raw food in my day.

I soaked some almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds, and then set to finding recipes for them. Believe it or not, these started out as...falafel. Don't let that sway you, I abandoned that recipe after grinding up the almonds and decided to go my own way.

Banana Bread Cookies were born. And they were yummy. If you are in the mood for something raw, this is a pretty good treat made with things you may very well have sitting in your pantry, begging to be made into raw cookies!

1 cup Raw Almonds, soaked

1/2 Banana

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

2 Tbsp Water

1 Tbsp Sunflower Oil*

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 cup Raisins

I processed my almonds when they were still wet, just out of their soak, so they grinded together in the food processor together to make a wet meal. If you are using dry almonds, you may need to add a little more water. After grinding the almonds, add all but the raisins, and process until you have a smooth, sticky batter. Add the raisins and pulse a few times, until combined.

*You can use another oil, like melted coconut oil instead of sunflower.

Use a Tbsp measure to portion out each cookies, and flatten so that it looks like a cookie. The batter will be sticky, you may need to wash your hands a few times.

While these are quick and easy to make, they do take a bit of time to dehydrate. If its nice out (it finally is here), stick them outside for a few hours (we have no outside space). I dehydrated them at 115 degrees for 6 hours, and they are still slightly soft in the middle (in a good way). They were still good at 4 hours though, so anywhere from 4-8 hours would be tops. I always like to flip stuff like this halfway through, so..I did.

This makes about a baker's dozen.

Serves 13

Nutrition Information: 89.2 Calories; 6.6g Total Fat; 0.5g Saturated Fat; 0.0mg Cholesterol; 6.5g Carbohydrates; 1.6g Fiber; 2.5g Protein

If you don't have a dehydrator and live in a small apartment with no lanai like us, you can use an oven. Just keep it on the lowest setting, cracked, and check from time to time. Your oven will be warmer, so it probably won't take quite as long.

Don't feel like making your own raw treats? Be sure to enter the giveaway for some Love Force bars!! Five more days to enter!

With that, I am going to go enjoy some raw cookies at the beach. Peace :)

Perfect Cookie

I take my cookies pretty seriously. While it is hard to have a bad one, some are definitely better than others.

Well, I couldn’t sleep the other night, and without even looking for it, I stumbled upon the simplest vegan cookie recipe I have ever seen. No vegan substitutes, just regular ingredients, that somehow make my perfect cookie.

Now, I know that people have differing opinions on cookies. However, I like mine crunchy. If I wanted something cakey, I would eat cake. I like them light, airy, and crunchy on the outside, with just enough chewiness too. A tall order. To have such perfection come from such a stupidly simple recipe was amazing.

To give credit where credit is due, I didn’t come up with this recipe. You

can find the original here. I’ve read a lot of reviews on it though. Other people have said that theirs didn’t spread at all. Mine definitely did. I suspect because I didn't use raw sugar? I'm not quite s But I like a cookie that spreads. I had been trying to make a cookie spread like this all last weekend.

I only changed the recipe slightly, and made two different cookies.

First, I made some Snicker Doodles

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light oil (I used sunflower)

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp sugar

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the oil, vanilla, and sugar. Combine wet and dry.

For Snicker Doodles, I took a Tbsp of dough, rolled one side in a mix of 2 Tbsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp sugar, then flattened them to about 1/4 inch and slapped them on a baking mat. These have plenty of oil in them, so I don’t think you need a baking mat, or even a greased cookie sheet, but my regular baking sheet was in the freezer, and the thing I was using had holes in it...not ideal for cookies.

Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. It should make about 2 dozen cookies.

Cookie perfection, I’m telling you. Give them a minute to cool before taking them off and just be happy. If you’re as happy as me, maybe you’ll make some more.

I made some more. Second came Tropical Orange cookies. This time I used only spelt flour, used orange extract instead of vanilla, and rolled them in unsweetened coconut prior to flattening.

That’s really all I can say about these. Awesome. Perfect. Go eat some now. That’s all I’ve got. Enjoy.

Ragin' Vegans

No, we're not angry, and we're not mean.  In fact...we're not really "raging" at all.  But we did spend the weekend in the land of the Ragin' Cajuns, which is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's mascot (it took us awhile to figure it out).  Long story short, we had a wedding reception to go to for one of Nick's military friends.  

It can always be difficult to be a vegan "on the road" (even though we flew, you know what I mean), and I was worried that my husband's first vegan-away-from-home experience was going to be terrible.  We had no refrigerator, we had no microwave, and...we were in Louisiana.  The land of crawfish and gumbo.  Very un-vegan.  

Surprisingly, that was not the case.  First off, the Philadelphia airport made me extremely happy.  This little CIBO stand (concourse E, if you're looking for it) that was right behind our gate had the obligatory Clif and Lara bars, that would have definitely worked.  But upon delving deeper, they also had a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables, Sabra hummus and pretzel chips, and vegan cookies!  Dairy, egg, and nut free cookies!  So cute, called Divvies because they are meant to share, and share we did.  We had the chocolate chip, and they were perfectly soft, exactly what I was hoping for, but not expecting.  Looking at their website once we got to a computer, the whole company is awesome!  They don't just make cookies, but caramel corn, jelly beans, cupcakes, etc!  These are all things that I love (yes, I have a little bit of a sweet tooth).   

We were hungry when we got to Louisiana.  We were also worried and ill prepared (we didn't really pack anything but some trail mix, and we hadn't researched but one place...it was all we could find).  GPS to the rescue.  I always search International Cuisine first.  We found a really nice and really yummy Greek place called Zeus (they had bellydancers and everything).  

We had stuffed grape leaves for the first time!  I had falafel for dinner (pictured), and Nick had a vegetarian plate which included moussaka, lentils, hummus, etc.

We got breakfast from Wal-Mart.  My go-to cereal is Special K protein plus.  I really like having a little extra protein in the morning and this is lower in calories (meaning you can eat enough of it so that you actually feel full), and has a nice cinnamony taste.  We got some individual sized Silk (I don't usually drink sweetened soymilk but...it was vacation!), fruit, and we were more than good to go.  Well, after that plus the coffee we were good to go. 

The bottom with the orange top is liquid stevia.  A must, for me to drink coffee.

Lunch was at the one veg place I had found before we left.  It was a little place called The Whole Wheatery.  I had a hummus and tabbouli stuffed pita (we ate a lot of hummus on this trip).  

Dinner...well that was the night of the wedding, we mainly just had fruit and raw veggies.  But we did fill up on some snacks beforehand, which we got from the Fresh Market.  It was cool, they had about 72 big bulk bins (kind of set up like barrels, not your typical bulk bin), with everything from trail mixes to raw nuts and dried fruit to fresh coffee beans.

The next day was kind of a bust.  We had the same breakfast, we had a salad and french fries for lunch at a very local place, and the selection at the airport was miniscule.  We did, however, get some Alternative Baking Company cookies at our layover in Memphis.  Some vegan, gluten free goodness amongst the rib buffets!  I've been wanting to try these for ages, but I could never convince myself to waste the calories (about 240 calories for half a giant cookie).  I figured, since I had barely eaten anything, it'd be okay.  I went for Snickerdoodle.  Nick got both a Double Chocolate Decadence and a Colossal Chocolate Chip.  Don't get me wrong, the chocolately ones were both good (I stole a bite of each), but the Snickerdoodle was amazing!  It was soft all the way through to the middle, but still just a little firm on the outside.  Cookie awesomeness.  It actually kept me pretty full too.  Nick though, after two of them, was still feeling a little sugar-rushed by the time we got home.  

I guess the moral of the story here is...you can be vegan almost anywhere, and don't judge a place before you get there...or at least Google-Earth it.  Some places will be harder than others, naturally, but its all about knowing where to look.  After being vegan for awhile, you know the types of establishments that will most likely have *something* you can eat, or you can easily ask for something veganized.  We ended up eating a lot of Greek food, but there were also Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Mexican places in the area, all of which could have easily worked.  

I leave with some pictures from our trip to the Tabasco factory (which I always thought was just a name for hot sauce, not a name brand).  

Nick at the entrance

A fishy being teased by a "Tabasco pepper"

A Louisiana Bayou!

If you're going to be doing some lengthy flying, check out my Vegan in the Air post from when I went to Hawaii!  

Nick has a review for you tomorrow, so make sure to come back and give him some love!  

Just Because Its Vegan..

I have a confession to make.  Since becoming vegan, I have put on a little bit of weight.  I think.  Maybe.  Honestly, I don't really know how much I weighed when I started, but I don't feel awesome right now.  

Luckily, I guess, I am completely aware of why this has happened.  Prior to becoming vegan, the last thing I would have spent my free time doing was baking.  Cooking, yes, baking, no.  

I have been forced to face the fact that, just because its vegan, doesn't mean it is good for you.  I think I just get all excited to find some new vegan thing, or try some vegan cookie recipe to see how it compares, and feel like its "good" just because it is animal-free.  Vegan doesn't have to equal healthy.  I know how to eat better than I am, and I should be.  So, I am saying farewell to baking for awhile.  This also involves not eating sugar after 8 because I have a hard time falling asleep when I do. 

Pretend the following pictures are a video montage set to "Bye Bye Love" (Simon & Garfunkel):   

 

Well, if you know the song, that may be a little overly dramatic, but you get the point.    

I have to add one other thing to this cutback.  Peanut butter.  I think I just ate half a jar.  I don't care if its good fat...too much of a good thing does exist.  

Just to be clear, I'm not giving up any and all sugar, just going on a baking hiatus, and not eating sugar after 8.  I'm not even giving up baked goods made elsewhere, I am taking a break from making a batch of cookies, and then eating them all because they're there.  This has actually been going on for a week or so, and its going pretty well.  

Does everyone have a three day weekend?  Most of the schools around me have a winter break, but we don't.  I'm actually pretty happy about it, because it means I get to spend more time at this school.  I went to my first student teaching seminar today, and after listening to some other people talk, I think that I got really lucky, and I'm not looking forward to leaving.  

I hope to get some kind of cooking done on my day off...at the very least, I need to actually buy some food.  My refrigerator is eerily empty...I think I can hear an echo in there!  

A Story of Amalgamation

There once was a girl named Gina.  One day, her life got a little busy.  Then it got busier.  Then, when things started to calm down, her internet went out.  With blogging never far from her mind, what was Gina to do with so many pictures and intended posts backed up in her mind?  

She makes one big wrap up post for the week, obviously.  And this is it.  

For your convenience, I have provided you with a table of contents.  Feel free to go make fun of me behind my back.  

Part 1 -  Buffalo Popcorn

Part 2 -  Stuff I Bought

Part 3 -  Chili Bites

Part 4 -  Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Part 5 -  Sweet and Spicy Scramble

Part 6 -  Working out and Yoga

Part 7 -  Student Teaching Update

Part 8 -  Leftovers

Part 1 -  Buffalo Popcorn

I mentioned that while I was in Hawaii last weekend, my husband and I visited Borders a few times.  We both had gift certificates, and I walked away with a book called Popcorn.  If you are thinking “a whole book on popcorn??”...well that is what my mom thought too.  But it is very cool.  On Tuesday I made the Spicy Buffalo Popcorn recipe (using Earth Balance instead of butter).  

It was very cool, but I think I need some higher quality popcorn, because a lot of mine just melted away.  There was a whole into about popcorn, its history and the different kinds, and I think mine is just cheap.  No matter though, it was still really really yummy.  Some of the other recipes are Matcha Green Tea Popcorn, Chai Spiced Popcorn, Tequila Lime Popcorn, Candy Cane Popcorn, and a whole lot more.  There are also popcorn bars, and popcorn balls, and some very not-vegan entree recipes.  But all in all, it is such a cool little book.  

Part 2 -  Stuff I Bought

I have been making a weekly trip to Nature’s Pantry (my own personal heaven), because it is pretty close to where I am teaching.  I’ve also been having a Live Pumpkin GoRaw bar every day, and that is the only place I know that sells them.  Anyway, I made a really quick trip this week, but I came away with

Okara Burgers

You can make them in a toaster!!  I don’t know if I am behind the times and this is a common thing, but I don’t usually see that.  Each patty, made by SoyBoy (which are individually wrapped) has 130 calories and 13g of protein.  I have been eating lunch on my way home from school, so I made one of these (in the toaster) before I left in the morning and topped it with this awesome hummus I also bought at Nature’s Pantry this week.  

Moshe’s Original Hummus

I have to say that this is some of the best hummus I have ever had.  I’m also glad that I got the original instead of the flavored, because you can really taste all the different components, especially the lemon and garlic.  So delicious!  It has a little more calories than other hummus that I have bought, but it is so worth it.  It also has more protein.  I serving (2 Tbsp) is 100 calories and 5g protein.

Part 3 -  Chili Bites

Okay, I debated posting this at all, but I decided that my ultimate conclusion was worth mentioning.  

A few weeks ago I had a coupon for any LightLife product.  Actually, two coupons.  I used the first to buy Smart Bacon, which I really liked.  I also bought their Gimmie Lean "Beef" product and was waiting for a good opportunity to use it.  Well, I’m all about making my food portable lately, so I figured little “meat”loaf muffins would work well.  Even better...chili “meat”loaf muffins.

Everything *worked*.  I just couldn’t get over the taste of the Gimmie Lean.  I thought it was icky.  And I added A LOT of spices in there, as well as corn and whole wheat saltine crumbs.  They’re edible.  I’ll probably have a few more, but I doubt I’ll be able to eat the whole batch.  I still like the idea though, and I have some thoughts on how to change it rolling around in my head, so we’ll see what happens.  

Part 4 -  Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

If you are skimming or scrolling down to the section you want to read, I hope that this is one of them.  I have been having some kind of variation of my Breakfast Cookie for breakfast every day that I go to work.  I have a few fun ideas for variations, and this one worked out so very well. 

Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup vanilla protein powder

1 banana

6 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp water

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp coconut oil, liquified

 In a large bowl combine the oats, flax meal, chopped walnuts, salt, and protein powder

 In a blender, combine the banana, agave nectar, water, and coconut oil, blending until combined, but not completely smooth...I like being able to taste small chunks of banana.

 Pour the wet into the dry and mix until well combined.

 Form into 8 cookies, and let chill overnight.

Someone asked me last time if you could use something besides coconut oil.  I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why not.  I would suggest another quality oil, like walnut, or apricot, but canola or vegetable would be fine too.  Hopefully it goes without saying, but just in case, don’t use olive oil.

Serves 4

Nutrition Information:  471.0 Calories;  23.5g Total Fat;  7.3g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  46.5g Carbohydrates;  8.7g Fiber;  25.9g Protein.

These are stickier than the last Breakfast Cookies I posted about, so you really can’t eat them immediately, they need the chilling time to set up.  They are also considerably softer, but are still hard enough to stick in your pocket because you are carrying too much stuff as you walk out to your car in the morning.  Also, same as the last ones, they aren’t going to crumble all over you while you are driving.  But, they are definitely very filling.  I thought the last two batches were filling, but either I wasn’t very hungry yesterday morning, or these were even MORE filling.  I seriously get excited for breakfast every morning, even though it is these same darn cookies.  They’re awesome.

Part 5 -  Sweet and Spicy Scramble

As much as I love my Breakfast Cookies, I was excited to be able to sit down to a warm breakfast this morning.  I had plenty of time before yoga at 10, since I am so used to getting up early, I was up at 6:30.  I really like it too, gives me plenty of stuff to do the stuff I fall behind on during the week...like laundry.  

Anyway, I had this Sweet and Spicy Tofu Scramble this morning.  I still wanted a big breakfast since I needed it to last through yoga, and this definitely fit the bill.

  

7oz extra-firm tofu

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced, diced, however you want it

1/2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce, or Bragg’s)

1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used more, just being safe)

1 Tbsp vegan cream cheese

1/2 Tbsp agave nectar

salt & pepper to taste (optional, I didn’t use any)

Know how to make tofu scramble already?  Then just do your thing, saving the toffuti for after you add the spices, and then drizzle with the agave nectar.  

If you want some more specific directions:

 Heat a pan over medium heat, add the vegetables, the tamari, and 2 Tbps of water.  Cook until softened.

 Squeeze the tofu to get some of the water out (you don’t have to go crazy, you don’t need to press it, but you don’t want it dripping either), and crumble it into the pan.  

 Quickly add the spices, and mix until the tofu is consistently a bright yellow.

 Add the vegan cream cheese to the scramble, and combine until melted.  It should look creamy and yummy at this point.  

 Remove from the heat, and drizzle with the agave nectar, and mix to combine.  

 Check for spices and seasoning.  

Serves 1

Nutrition Information:  353.9 Calories;  13.4g Total Fat;  2.4g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  32.7g Carbohydrates;  8.9g Fiber;  25.9g Protein.

This was totally what I needed this morning.  I added some Ezekiel bread with the last of my pear butter, and a big cup of Lipton Pyramid Tea that I got a sample of in the mail.  It was really good.  I’m not as big a fan of white tea, because I don’t think it tastes like much, but this was pretty good. 

Part 6 -  Working Out and Yoga

So, remember the workout that I said I hated?  Guess what?  I hated it.  Well, not that I hated it, but it wasn’t motivating for me.  So on the fly yesterday, I completely changed it and went back to a version of a 5x5.  Instead of posting it all at once, I am going to post it progressively.  

5x5 Day 1

Squats 5 sets or 5 reps (~80lbs)

Bench Press (barbell) 5 sets of 5 reps (~60lbs)

Rows (dumbbell) 5 sets of 5 reps (~35lbs)

--

Pullups (assisted pullup machine) 3 sets of 10 reps (~55lbs)

Hyperextensions 3 sets of 10 reps (~25lbs)

--

Bicep Curls 3 sets of 10 reps (~15lbs)

Rear Delt Lat Raise 3 sets of 10 reps (~10lbs)

The first group, the 5 sets of 5, are done individually, while the second two groups and supersets.  The weights are just a general idea of where I started...which doesn’t really give a great representation of where I am right now, because I have used a lot more recently, but its always less when I first start a program.  I’ll try to remember to let you guys know how it is at the end.  If I am feeling good on this one, I might stick with it for 8 weeks this time.  

Yoga has been going really well.  On Thursday, our instructor spent a good half hour (of a 90 minute class) working on partner yoga.  I was his guinea pig, which was fun, because I got to do everything, instead of having a partner who was scared of some stuff (which happened a few weeks ago).  Don’t get me wrong, I like teaching and helping people, but I don’t go to this class to help other people, I go so that the teachers can help ME...if that makes sense.  He is planning on doing a partner class one week, which would be fun...if I can get my friend to go...she knows who she is, haha.  She came with me this morning, but we don’t do a lot of partner stuff on the weekends because the class is so much larger.  Thursday there were seven people.  Today there were about twenty.  

In other news, I mentioned in my last program that I was going to start running more.  This became difficult when my knee started to hurt.  Which can only mean one thing...time for a new pair of running shoes.  

I ended up with a new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 5, and I am very excited to start running in them.  It is supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow, so maybe I’ll get to try them outside!  

Part 7 - Student Teaching Update

When I first started student teaching, Heather kept commenting that she couldn’t wait to hear stories.  And I kept thinking “Oh no, what if I don’t have any stories?”

So, Heather, this story is for you.

We have been doing acids and bases, and one of the teachers who shares our room has been doing the same unit (hers is a higher level class though).  Well, in our lab yesterday, we were using sodium hydroxide pellets (NaOH).  Mini Chem lesson time:  NaOH is a base.  A strong base.  Bases react with water, so if you get a strong base (or acid for that matter) on your hand, it will react with your sweat, and the water in your hand, and burn you.  Well, in order to impress the importance of lab safety, I told them what happened when the other teacher’s class used sodium hydroxide the day before.  

One of the students ended up in the emergency room later that day, with second degrees burns....down her pants.  It is most important to mention at this point that this particular student...was wearing leggings.  Leggings.  How does one get pellets of base down one’s skin tight pants?

You can’t make this stuff up, I swear.  

Really though, working at this school has been fantastic so far.  For the most part, kids and kids, and they will come and go, but the people that work there, are so great.  Not to mention the fact that my mentor teacher is awesome.  I have taken over all of his classes now, and he’s been nice enough to just leave the room and let me do my thing.  I can tell you right now that I will cry when I leave this place.  I’m already sad thinking that it is almost half over.    

Part 8 - The Leftovers

We have three leftovers today.  

1.  This was the dinner I had from Down to Earth, on the place, on my way home.  

I know it is from awhile ago, but it was really good and I wanted to share.  Try to picture it with cucumbers and green peppers...if you remember, I made sure to eat them before I got on the plane.  

2.  These are the sweet & sara marshmallows that are made in NY, but I finally found in HI.  I already talked about them, and I think they’re okay.  

I guess they call them marshmallow meltaways for a reason.  In a weird way, it is a more accurate description of what they are.  They’re okay, but not something I’m going crazy over.  

3.  I saved the best for last.  During one of our many trips to Borders while I was in Hawaii, I found this shea butter based chap stick.  It is totally and completely so awesome.  

If you aren’t aware, most chap sticks are made with beeswax and therefore aren’t vegan.  I got the grapefruit flavor and it smells so good.  If you ever find this stuff, whether you are vegan or not, I highly suggest it, it is so good.  Smooth, easy to apply, smells great, a little shiny, etc.  Okay, so the shiny part may be offputting if you are a guy, but my brother used it today and didn’t complain.  I would LOVE to link to them for you, but I can't find anything about them.  If you are looking for a good vegan lip balm, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has a recommendation (that she made on her last podcast) and a coupon code if you visit her website.    

Part 9 - ...Just Kidding

So, I will try my best to not go this long again...the Geek Squad is coming on Tuesday, so hopefully posting will be smoother after that.  Oh, and if you are wondering how I am posting now, it is because we can plug in directly, but it is in the basement and I rarely go down there.  I made a special trip for you guys!  

I will be catching up on blogs as much as possible, but please excuse my being horribly behind.  Please? 

I hope everyone had a fabulous week, has a fabulous (and if you are in the northeast, warm!) weekend, and has a fabulous upcoming week!