Surf Sweets

How do you decide when to blog? Do you do it everyday? When the mood strikes? When you have something to post about? I've been trying to post two or three times a week, but this week I haven't a had a lot to post about, and I also wasn't really in the mood. Then I came home from yoga this morning and went straight to the computer to blog. Well, that's a lie, I fed the kitties first, THEN I went straight to the computer to blog.

Today, I have a little review for you. I was contacted recently by Surf Sweets, asking if I would like to do a review of their products. My response was a resounding yes yes yes!! I try to be healthy, I really do, but in my moments of weakness, I have a huge sweet tooth. And I LOVE candy. Now, I know we have a lot of chocolate lovers out there, and I'm not dissing chocolate, but I love CANDY. Fruity, sugary, jelly, crunchy, candy, in whatever colors of the rainbow I can get. When I was in high school I perpetually had a big bag of candy from the bulk section of the candy store in my backpack. Jelly beans were a favorite, but anything was fair game: lemonheads, raspberries, gummy bears, rock candy, sour patch kids, etc.

You get the point, right? I loved candy. Okay, I still love candy. The news that Skittles are now vegan was a very big deal for me.

So I was super excited to try out Surf Sweets Natural and Organic Candy. They are made with organic fruit juice, have no high fructose corn syrup, 100% RDA Vitamin C, gluten and casein free, non GMO, and made in the USA with natural flavors. Yummy! All that mattered to me was that they were vegan.

Vegan gummies? Sounds too good to be true, and be warned that for some of their products, it is. About half contain gelatin. But all the samples they sent me were animal product free, and I happily munched. And munched. And Munched (yes, I munched with a capital M that last time).

First up was the Sour Berry Bears. All a bright red raspberry color, these were super yummy. They were also in the smallest package, and were gobbled before any photo was taken. They're not super sour, but they have a bit of a twinge to them.

Next up was the Sour Worms. They came in a few flavors, maybe two or three, but they really had a strong flavor. In a good way. Like, the cherry really tasted like cherry not just some obscure "red" flavor.

Last, but most certainly not least, were the Fruity Bears. These were so cute, and kind of reminded me of a mix between gummy bears and fruit snacks.

Because they don't have gelatin in them (this goes for all the snacks), they don't have they chewiness that other gummies have. I don't miss that though, these were tender little bear shaped candies, in citrus and berry flavors that totally pop in your mouth and cover your teeth in sugary goodness.

The verdict? If I haven't made myself clear already, I love these! They're not an everyday thing, or even something I could keep in the house as I would eat them immediately. While they're made with better ingredients than other gummies, the first ingredient is still organic evaporated cane juice...and that is still sugar. I don't think they're trying to fool anyone with that though, these are clearly meant to be a treat. I especially love that you have the option to buy little treat size packages: the small package of Sour Berry Bears is only 80 calories.

If you are getting nostalgic candy cravings, as I did when I got the email from them, I saw these are Whole Foods yesterday, and they actually only had the vegan varieties, which was nice!

Have a good day people! My birthday is coming up, so I'll have some fun stuff to post about soon.

Let's Talk About Lips

Its the perfect time of year for it, this confession I have to make: I love chapstick.

Not lip gloss, not lipstick or stain or anything like that. Just chapstick. Although I suppose that is really the brand name, and what I really mean is that I love lip balm.

There, now that the semantics are all out of the way, my bare naked unbridled confession is out.

I love lip balm.

And I hate Chap Stick.

My true love for lip balm was realized yesterday. While visiting my parents this weekend, I went and visited my favorite natural food store with my mom. As we looked over the lip balms and I chose one to buy, she asked me how I liked the ones she had bought me for Christmas. I like them. Very much. I have been using them every day. Every day. She bought 6. But apparently I needed more.

The lip balm my mom bought me for Christmas is amazing. Called Crazy Rumors, it comes in a huge array of flavors, and it doesn't get soft if I leave it in my pocket (which can happen with some vegan lip balm), which I like to do at work.

She gave me the Fresh Squeezed line, which includes my favorite flavor for almost everything, Lime, as well as Orange Juice and Grapefruit. I also have the Brew flavor pack, with flavors like Spiced Chai, Lemongrass Peppermint, and Orange Burgemot.

All the flavors are amazing. I rotate them every week or so. And they all tout a little affirmation that they are indeed cruelty free and vegan. How could it get better than that?

Well yesterday I was struck by nostalgia. In middle school, I bought an oversized lip balm from Bath and Body Works in a peppermint flavor. I like the tingle of peppermint. I had it for years, and it probably got the ax when I moved to Hawaii after college. So, when I saw this oversized peppermint vegan lip balm, I had to buy it. They had a smaller one, but I wasn't interested in that. I knew I didn't need it, but for the aforementioned reason I had to have it.

Slightly softer than the Crazy Rumors, this Out of Africa lip balm is pure peppermint bliss. When my lips are seriously chapped, I live for that medicinal mint tingle, and this delivers.

This doesn't mean I've thrown my older lip balms aside because of these new amazing finds. I still keep my Giving Earth lip balm in my wallet all the times.

I have this one in grapefruit too, which I've talked about before. Its been a year, but I still can't find a website for them! You can find them at some Borders, and its hit of miss, but if you find them, they're worth it. Definitely the softest of the bunch and not the best to keep in your pocket, they're still super yummy.

Do you have a favorite lip balm? Do you use vegan lip balm, or are you okay with mainstream lip balm?

So I just did a lot of explaining about lip balms I love, but gave no explanation as to why I hate Chap Stick. I mean the brand, of course, and thats because it not vegan. I know there is debate about beeswax being vegan, although I'm not sure why. But even if you're okay with that, it still contains lanolin. I don't buy it and I don't use it. If you do, that's your thing, and thats fine. But there are some really awesome alternatives!

All of these lip balms are shea butter based. They contain a number of other natural oils, from jojoba oil to olive oil to macadamia nut oil. Along with natural extracts, they're pretty good for your lips, and your body.

There is a reason I keep referring to these as flavors and not scents too. I heard on the radio the other day that Dr. Oz estimated most women ingest over 7 lbs of lip balm in their lifetime. Now I'm not a huge Dr. Oz follower, and granted, it is over many years, but if you are going to be eating something, shouldn't it be top notch? I can't say I feel even a little squeamish about eating natural oils. And opposed to petroleum jelly, shea butter is perfectly safe to eat. Come on, treat yourself to the good stuff!

So, what would you rather put on your lips? What is your favorite lip balm flavor? I hope all of you in the north have some nice lip balm to go and enjoy the cold weather with!

*I swear, none of these companies contacted me, paid me, or gave me coupons or samples, I just really love their lip balm!*

McDougall And His Soup

First and foremost, I feel as though I owe the people at McDougall's foods a huge apology. They sent me one of the nicest box of samples I have ever received, and it has taken me until now to review it. Sorry guys. Thing is, I've been busy eating their soup.

It really is the perfect time of year for soup, and frankly, I don't really like making it, so the many boxes that graced my doorstep one November evening were a welcome addition to my kitchen.

This is the good stuff, not only because it comes in pretty boxes instead of cans, but its better for you. To show you why, I conducted a face off between the lentil soup and a can of lentil soup that has been migrating around my pantry for a few months.

The first thing you'd notice is that McDougall's is larger. However, they both contain two "servings" of soup. Check out the nutrition information:

Canned

The canned soup has more calories, more fat, more sodium, more sugar, less fiber, and less protein.

McDougall's

Don't get me wrong, it isn't exactly a low-sodium food, but it definitely has less than its canned counterparts without tasting like water. Oh, did I mention that yet? That it tastes good too?

I set out to tasting it right away, which was made convenient by the pristine white bowl they sent me.

Yes, we eat in front of the TV

I set out to trying the minestrone first, which has always been one of my favorites. I love the veggies along with the beans and the pasta...its just perfect. McDougall's version did not disappoint.

Please try to ignore the embarrassing background of the garbage/recycling

The next day I wanted more soup. With my pretty white bowl all dirty and in the dishwasher, I had to improvise and use one of my own green bowls. This time we went for black bean, with a few cubes of avocado for good measure.

Definitely try avocado in your soup, its a nice addition, especially for black bean. This soup was perfectly hearty and warm...what black bean soup is best known for.

While they didn't send me this, I also took the liberty of trying their instant soups at work one day, and it was another version of their black bean.

The flavor in this, was really good. I couldn't figure out what it was at first, then I remembered that it was black and and lime. Definitely had a lime-y-ness to it. Unfortunately, soup was just not made to be powdered and instant. It was okay, but it just didn't come together completely. Bits were still crunchy, and it there was goopiness at the bottom even though I mixed throughout eating it. Not bad in a pinch, but not a staple either.

By now, we've tried almost all the soups, but of course, I had to leave you with the classic: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup...with McDougall's Chunky Tomato soup, of course.

Just as good as it looks, made with Follow Your Heart Cheddar, dunked in warm chunky tomato soup, this was a perfect meal at the end of a long week.

So if you are in the market for some convenient soups, give McDougall's a try. I know I have seen them popping in at my local Giant and Wegman's, which is nice and the weather is cold!! They're made from a group of people focused on wellness, and as far as healthy packaged soups go, they are pretty tasty too.

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!!

The Veggie Burger - A Survey

I have a confession to make. I love veggie burgers. A box of veggie burgers does not last very long in our freezer. There is a very long list of veggie burgers that I enjoy, but I have a definite favorite. With four patties to a box, these burgers last for no longer than four days in our fridge. To me, they always sound like a great idea for a meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Although honestly, I would rarely last until dinner to have one of these, if they're in the house.

Yes, I eat them for breakfast. Today, I am having one for lunch (yes, its even good after being cooked and sitting in the car for 4 hours.

My most favorite veggie burger ever is:

Amy's TEXAS burger. It is the perfect blend of sweet and savory, made up of all ingredients that I can pronounce, and packs a good punch of protein too (12 g). It is just, delicious.

So with that, I'm wondering...what is your favorite veggie burger? Do you make your own instead? Do you (gasp) not like veggie burgers? Inquiring minds (mine) want to know!!

Have a great day people, I'm off to cook my veggie burger and get to work!

A New (Raw) Day

The first time I ever did a "raw day" I was nervous about exercising.  Worried that I wouldn't be eating enough, not getting enough calories, would be tired, sluggish, etc.  Yesterday, after having some dates, I went out and ran (and walked) a total of 5 miles, and I'm still feeling pretty peachy.  

The menu included a lot of nut and seed soaking, prep time, and a very messy kitchen, but it was well worth it.  

Breakfast was a Vega Smoothie.  The very lovely people at Vega sent me a nice sized bag of Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion last week.  While the hemp in Vega is raw, the other proteins aren't (like the pea protein).  I figured with so much good stuff in it, was still okay with me to start a raw day.  

But, I was skeptical.  Oh SO skeptical.  I have regular Vega and I'm not a fan of it.  I bought it because it has so much great healthy stuff in it, but I just can't have it every day, for various reasons.  I decided I'd make their Blueberry Smoothie suggestion on the back of the package, since I had fresh blueberries from the farmer's market yesterday.  My first impression?  Ew.  The powder is a gross green color...but that's because its filled with greens (spirulina, spinach, broccoli, etc)!  So I sucked it up and made the smoothie.  And...it was really good!!  It was still a gross greenish brown color (hence the lack of picture...you didn't want to see it), but that's just what happens when you add greens to a smoothie.  The Vega Smoothie Infusion is about 120 calories a serving and has 14 grams of protein.  So the verdict is, if you're looking for a very healthy, very easy way to start (or end, or continue) you day, there is no denying that this stuff is really good for you, and pretty tasty to boot!

I can't possibly say enough about how delicious my lunch was, so I will just give you a picture which does not do it justice.  

This is the Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Everyday Raw, with Buckwheat Cheezies (recipe follows).  This was SO good.  What really made it just the best was that it was dehydrated for awhile, so the squash softened a little bit.  Really, this is fantastic, if you have the book, you must try it.  

The Buckwheat Cheezies are based on a recipe that was in Vegetarian Times a few months ago, but I made it raw-ish, so I will share.    

1/2 cup Raw Buckwheat Groats

1/4 cup plus 1-2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (not raw)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves

5-ish Basil Leavs (depends on how much you like basil)

2 tsp salt

1.  Soak buckwheat groats overnight.  Give them some space because they just about double in size.

2.  Dehydrate the groats for about 3 hours at 104 degrees.

3.  Blend together the oil, garlic, salt, and basil until it makes a thick paste.

4.  When the groats are dehydrated, add them to a bowl with the paste and mush everything together until all the groats are more or less coated with something (it may not be even).  

5.  Dehydrate for another 30-60 minutes.

These are so yummy!  I wouldn't eat them by themselves, the raw garlic is fairly strong, but they were absolutely perfect over the baked mac and cheese.  Also, for those of you without a dehydrator, you can do this in a 300 degree oven too, which is what the original recipe calls for.  If you want to roll that way, you don't need to pre-dehydrate them, and you should only keep them in for 30 minutes.  Also, if you're not keeping it raw, you could cook the garlic with the oil.  

Makes 8 2-Tbsp Servings

Nutritional Information:  90.5 Calories;  4.1g Total Fat;  0.6g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  10.7g Carbohydrates;  2.6g Fiber;  4.6g Protein.  And 181% of the RDA for Vitamin B12!

One of the things I was really itching to make with the dehydrator was Ani's Black Sesame Sunflower Bread.  

I had it as a raw sandwich for dinner along with her Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeze, topped with some avocado and tomato, along with some fresh farmer's market green beans.  This Cheeze was okay.  The Black Pepper Cheeze was way better.    

The bread was somewhat of a disaster, although it worked out in the end!  Because my kitchen is still in pieces all over the country, I don't have things like sieves, so it was hard to get all the water out of the teeny flaxseeds and sesame seeds.  I think that made it too watery, and it made a bit of a mess.  Again though, it worked out.  Next time I make it I think I'll take her advice to make a few batches of it.  I calculated the nutritional information for it and was really surprised.  I'm not a big "real" bread person, so I'd choose this any day.  

Makes 9 Slices

Nutrition Information:  167.6 Calories;  13.0g Total Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  9.6g Carbohydrates;  7.0g Fiber;  6.6g Protein

Dessert, of course, was the impetus for having a raw day at all.  I've had my eye on the Key Lime Kream Bars in Ani's Raw Food Desserts since the moment I opened the book.  

I really didn't need a "raw day" as an excuse to make them, since they came together in all of 5 minutes (plus freezing time).  They are yummy!  I made a dessert or two in Ani's first book and I thought that they were incredibly salty, but it seems like she's toned it down for this book, and everything I've tried so far (like the Strawberry Macaroons) has been fantastic! 

I really love having an (almost) entirely raw day.  Because I have far too much time on my hands now, I calculated the nutritional information for everything (email me if you want any of it), and it came to just about 2000 calories (including an orange I had for a snack), which is perfect for me.  What is really more important to me though, is that it all came from good, whole food.  Nothing is better than that, right?  

  

Bring on the WK

As well as taking on a vegan diet, my husband has also decided to start cooking with me.  Its nice to have help...at least, it will be once he figures out where everything is, but I figured for his first meal we'd start with something relatively easy.  Enter the Indian spice packets from a new company, Waverly Kitchens, that I received to test out.  Its kind of a whole system, they do the best describing it themselves (since I confess to having no knowledge of Indian cooking besides knowing I like to eat it):

Our product, WK Pacs, are a combination of a two part spice blend (optimizing the Indian cooking process), simple instructions, a thorough shopping list, and online resource community.  All WK Pacs are 100% vegetarian and we recently launched a vegan product line.

They are even vegan conscious when it comes to their vegetarian line, suggesting tofu as a substitution for the paneer cheese that some of the vegetarian WK Pacs call for.

So, what did we think?  Well, the people from Waverly Kitchens are really nice, and my packet came in the mail very promptly, even though they initially contacted me when I was ridiculously busy and took over 3 weeks to get back to them (terrible!!  I publicly apologize).  

These were the packets were received:  

First, they are pretty!  I love their little tree symbol (in the top right corner).  Second, they are REALLY convenient.  On one side of the packet is the list of all the ingredients you will need for the dish.  On the other side are very easy to follow step-by-step directions.  Inside the packet are the two spice packets.  One on the top, and one on the bottom, you just rip them open, cut open your spices, pour and..that's it!  Our packets made Chola Curry (chickpea curry), Spinach Raita, and Peas and Potato Sabji.  For this meal we only had the Curry and Raita (which isn't pictured).  

The idea is to eat all three packets together, but we just had the chola and raita with brown rice, because I felt like I needed something to balance out the curry.  Not necessarily to back off the heat, the raita is obviously for that, I just needed something besides "spice, spice, spice".  We could have make the potatoes and had the rice but....that's just too much food for me, haha.  That being said, this was a really good meal, and we definitely will be making the Peas and Potato Sabji soon!

So, if you want some help with an authentic Indian dinner, I definitely suggest checking out Waverly Kitchens.  You can sign up for a free trial at their website, but be sure to realize that if you don't cancel, they will keep coming, and you will be charged each month!  I definitely recommend trying out their product!!

Like A Kid Again

Ah, childhood memories...sitting on the beach, sipping milk out of giant coconut with a bendy straw, eating a mango and banana fruit salad with my fingers and

Wait.  Does this sound like your childhood?  

If so, I'm jealous.  But I did acquire a few things recently that brought me back to younger days.  

Yesterday I was lucky enough to receive a package from Matt's Munchies!  They're all natural fruit leathers (dairy free, egg free, nut free, gluten free!), which are pretty much the healthiest versions of fruit roll-ups you can come by.  How can fruit roll-ups not remind you of childhood?!  I think what set them apart in their kinship to fruit roll-ups (compared to other fruit leathers) was that they kind of have to be peeled apart like a fruit roll-up.  What makes these way better than a fruit-roll up is that they're made from either bananas, or mangoes, plus spices.  They come in six varieties:  Mango, Island Mango, Ginger Zest, Banana, Apple Pie, and Choco-Nana (Choco-Nana does have more ingredients, and some evaporated cane juice...but its worth it).  

I don't really know how to express to you that I liked them besides telling you that I got through more than half the package (there was two of each flavor) before I remembered that I really needed to take a picture. Uh...oops.  Here's what is left:

(Honestly, the Island Mango isn't actually left 

anymore either...they make good blog writing snacks)

One of the things I love about these, besides them tasting great, is that I feel like there's a lot in the package.  The Mango and Ginger Spice are about 50 calories per package and the rest are closer to 70 calories...and there is at least 6 pieces in every package.  My favorite is no surprise...Choco-Nana!  

Sometimes "natural" chocolatey stuff disappoints me, but these were such a perfect chocolately treat, that I'll probably be ordering more.  I did prefer all the banana based flavors over the mango (even the Apple Pie is banana based!), but the mango varieties were still awesome.  The Ginger Spice tastes just like a warming ginger candy, and the Tropical Mango has flecks of coconut in it.  

All in all, a big thank you to Matt's Munchies for letting me sample, and reminding me of the goodness that is smushed fruit (while being admittedly better than the childhood fruit roll-up). 

Now, while I didn't get to sip any coconut milk today, I did get a new lip balm.  My next door neighbor used to sell Avon, and one year for Easter, I got this cute coconut lip balm with a bunny on it.  I loved that lip balm.  It reminds of my neighbor, it reminds me of the beach, it reminds of the time in my life (most of high school) when I perpetually smelled like coconut (body lotions, shampoo, you name it).  A few months ago I mentioned a vegan lip balm that I got randomly at a Borders in Honolulu, and how much I loved it.  Well, there was a display at my local Borders today!  Even better, the flavor that popped out at me immediately:  Coconut Milk.  I snatched that sucker up with haste.  

I know I said it in my last post about The Giving Earth lip balm, but this stuff is the best.  It is so smooth and creamy and I just completely adore it.  I don't think I've ever stuck with a lip balm for so long...at least not since my coconut bunny lip balm.  There is a website on the lip balm, but it does not bring you to any sort of product page.  Check it out, its weird.  I also can't find anything about the company online, still.  However, I did notice that some of their flavors were in different, newer packaging, so maybe if I had gotten one of them I would have gotten an updated URL on it.  And maybe that means they're expanding and you should check your Borders for them! 

I'm off to bask in the coconut goodness on my lips and enjoy some Mango Matt's Munchies!  Just like a kid again.

There's A Lot

There's a lot to talk about today.  I'll try to do it mostly through pictures.  

First though, I wasn't around and didn't do anything too special (food-wise) this weekend because I had an interview today and I was freaking out/preparing for it.  It went well, we'll see if they call back next week.  Anyone have any tips on a follow up?  Send a thank you email, a thank you note, etc?  For teaching positions you usually interview, then give a demo lesson, and the lesson is what comes next, if anything comes next.  

Anyway, food last week was good.  Nothing exciting, but I didn't have peanut butter for dinner even one night :)  

Monday I tried some of Yves' Canadian Bacon.  I have an confession....I have always loved Taylor Ham.  Even when I was in college and too lazy to cook much of anything, I would almost always buy it when I did get to the grocery store.  So, I bought this in hopes of igniting some old memories.

Verdict?  Its good!  No, it doesn't taste like Taylor Ham, but it doesn't taste like Canadian Bacon either...it does taste good though.  If you're wondering, its mainly made of wheat gluten....which means the protein is pretty high:  3 slices = 80 calories and 13g protein.  I approve.  Of course, I had to have it with some tofu scramble!  

Wednesday is the night I made dinner, and I decided to finally break out Skinny Bitch in the Kitch.  I've had it for awhile, but the only things I had ever made was the marinated tofu feta (which is awesome, by the way).  I bought some Field Roast Italian Sausages on my way home from work, and we had Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions with Polenta.  This was one of the best recipes I've made from a cookbook in awhile.  The sausage was too spicy for mom, but my brother and I both really liked it. 

 

If you aren't familiar with Field Roast, they primarily make what they call "Grain Meats".  Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has mentioned them on her podcast Vegetarian Food for Thought many times, so I felt comfortable buying them and feeding them to omnivores.  Sausage is just a mess of gross meat by-product anyway, you can barely even tell it isn't meat, except it isn't gross and fatty.  

A few months ago I bought The Yoga Cookbook.  This is a lacto-vegetarian book, although most of it is vegan, and if the recipe does contain dairy, there is usually a vegan substitute suggestion. I bought it kind of on a whim, and it was purely because of one recipe that looked really good.  I don't remember its name, but its essentially sauteed fennel with white beans and curry powder, topped with the sauteed zucchini ribbons with parsley.  

I made it this past weekend, and it was pretty good, although nothing groundbreaking.  My brother and I both had it, and we were both huge fans of the butter beans!  Neither of us had ever had them before, and I was wary of these gigantic beans, but they were so soft and yummy, and my brother says, kind of like potatoes (he loves potatoes).

I have been feeling very very lazy, so I picked up this Spicy Peanut Bake coating by A Taste of Thai this past weekend after yoga.  I planned on using it for tofu.  It did not work.  I'm not sure why.  It kind of melted off.  It still tasted good, and it stuck to the top side, but it wasn't as crispy crunchy as I had hoped.  Baked tofu is good no matter what though, (50 minutes on 400 degrees is perfection) I served it with some roasted asparagus, and some brown rice.

I'm so happy I have some brown rice.  This probably sound gross, but I love having leftover brown rice, because I heat it up and mix it with hummus.  Good?  YES.  Okay, it is a little weird, actually, but I still really like it.  I forced some down before my interview today because I didn't want my belly rumbling.

Wait wait, I'm not done.  Product time.  I have some fun stuff this week.  

First, perfect pasta.  I kid you not, this is a ridiculous product.  Same calories as regular serving of pasta (200 calories), but 23 grams of protein.  23 GRAMS OF PROTEIN?  

It is made from non-GMO soybeans, so its gluten free, and it tastes really good, actually.  It has a bit of a chewy bite to it, and I would recommend a more Asian type noodle dish, rather than an Italian pasta dish, but its really good.  I had a half serving (which is pretty large), with the leftovers of the White beans etc etc.

I also got to try the Chocolate Coconut Raw Organic bar.

If the package looks like its empty...it totally is.  Hi, um, this is awesome.  Actually, it probably ties with the Chocolatey Chip Raw Organic bar, which I've talked about before.  I'd say this one is perfect to have instead of a candy bar really.  I had it at the movies.  I'd mainly consider this a superfluous snack back because the protein in this bar is lower, 230 calories and 5g protein.  It is soo very good though.  

I got some other fun stuff today.  For some reason, even though the interview went well, I was feeling kind of down afterwards.  I think because I have to wait to hear back from them until next week.  That's a long time to wait.  So, I went to Whole Foods.  First off, I'm not a big Whole Foods fan.  I much prefer my less commercial health food stores, mainly because I think they cater much more to vegetarians and vegans.  Whole Foods is just all about happy food.  And they don't want to upset their customers who want their happy food, by providing options that may make them think about their meat.  I just don't really agree with their philosophy.  Granted, I'd rather have people buying organic produce, but this Whole Foods, especially, I believe others are different...they didn't even really have any tofu options at their salad bar (there was one, an ugly tofu "egg" salad).  This is very lame.  I ended up getting some soup, which was good.  

Everything else I ended up getting was kind of...well, not the healthiest.  That was all I wanted.  I *did* talk myself into putting down the vegan donut holes (yes, there was a small section of vegan cookies/donuts/scones, etc), but I don't think I bought anything really good for you.  Okay, so a lot of it was dried fruit, but...you should know me by now, I try to focus more on protein products, sugary fruit doesn't exactly cut it as "healthy food" for me.    

Sweetriot, I don't know if you are familiar with this company, but they rock.  They feature local artists on their packaging, they use recyclable reusable material, and their cacao and cocoa is fair trade from Latin America.  

I bought an unBar (it stands for "unofficial bar of the world, according to their website...weird), but its already been consumed.  It was delicious.  Mine had 70% dark chocolate, with crunchy bits of cacao nibs, and a plump raisin in each bite.  

Really yummy, and only 180 calories for what felt like a pretty big chunk of chocolate.  

I also bought what seems to be their signature product, dark chocolate covered cacao nibs in flavor 65 (meaning 65% dark chocolate, they also have flavor 5o and flavor 70).  These containers are so cool.  The artwork is really awesome, and even if you go crazy, the whole tin is only 140 calories, making each "peace" only 1-2 calories.

  

They're totally yummy.  Perfect when you just need a chocolate fix, not a whole bar.

I also bought some Chili-Lime flavored mango...YUM.  And its raw!  

I don't think there is anything better than dried mango.  It is by far my most favorite dried fruit.  And flavored?  It really just doesn't get better.  

I did get some bulk oat bran, and some pistachios, so that wasn't too bad.  Then I also got some dried cherries because I love them, and I was feeling disappointed.  

Hopefully I have no reason to be disappointed, but I can tell you that if I don't get called back, I'll be opening this bag.  

Ike & Sam's Kickin' Cayenne Kettle Corn.  For some reason, I know some people don't like kettle corn, and if you are one of those people...I think you're crazy.  But then, I (obviously) love sweet things.    

This stuff is totally fantastic.  It is a pretty sweet snack, but its got the perfect spicy kick that lingers on your lips.  

Last, I am so excited about this:  Cinnamon Sugar Soynut Butter.

Whenever I see soynut butter, I'm surprised that it doesn't have more protein.  Well, this was more what I expected:  200 calories and 10g of protein.  Its pretty yummy too.  It doesn't have whatever kind of addictive drug they put in peanut butter.  Plus, its a small jar, so I'll eat it slower (yes, I play mind games with myself).      

So, like I said, I know its a lot, but I don't think any of it was too difficult to digest (haha, food blog pun).  Who knows if I'll have anything else to post this week.  So far the plan is fairly loose, so who knows.  

Have a good one, everybody!  I'll let you know if I get called back or not.