Happy Holidays

Mar-y Catmas everyone! I hope your holidays include lots of love and purrs!

Vegan Hawaiian Lunch Plate Special

I was watching Food Network yesterday and Guy F. was visiting Hawaii and talking about the plate lunches that are popular there. I was curios because it is white rice, macaroni salad and a protein. It seemed odd, comforting and carby. A winner!

We have white rice (in this case organic basmati), a basic macaroni salad that has red bell peppers and for our protein portion we have pan grilled BBQ tofu slabs! It was really good and perfect for a rainy, cold, PMSy night in! That was Matt's plate - he approved! I tried keeping the macaroni salad on the plain side because adding onions (I did add onion flakes though) would not make him happy!

Cross Stitch Fun

I made this for a holiday swap last week. It was fun and fast project. The image is before I ioroned it out!

The pattern is here if you want to make it yourself!

Sacremento, Sizzling Tofu And More

We went to Sacramento on Saturday. We had not been up there for awhile and wanted to do some shopping and eating. We had lunch at Pita Kitchen which is always tasty. The headed over to the mall and did shopping. My score of the day is this Juicy Couture ring:

I have been wanting this cuff  in black but it was leather and I have not found an alternative. I figure the ring captured the style and it was on sale!

We stopped into a new fave store in the K Street  mall called Good Stock. I found some fun jewelry and Matt found a hat. We then made our way to Lush were I spent way to much. I am in love with Let The Good Times Roll, it smells like candy!After that we went to Whole Foods and were disappointed in the selection of to go stuff, no vegan pastries and hot case items...boo! Oakland Whole Foods really worked it's magic on us.

Dinner was Loving Hut in Elk Grove. I ordered a stand by noodle bowl and it arrived with faux shrimp, I had to pick those out, the make me squeamish. Matt tried a new special, a sizzling tofu plate, pictured above. I sampled it and it is really good!

Fun day and it made me want to go back to Sacramento again soon to the stores we missed out on.

Skeleton Christmas Ornaments

I bought some cute skeleton fabric recently and made Christmas ornaments with it! If you buy fabric with a print with large images you can easily turn the individual parts into ornaments. I just cut out a piece with a coordinating piece of eco-felt, blanket stitch them up with a ribbon looped at the top, stuff and finish sewing them up. Easy and not traditional at all!

The Stay At Home Girlfriend 3

A new issue of The Stay At home Girlfriend is out now. This is a holiday themed issue, vegan cold weather comfort food, holiday stress busters, fave holiday movies and more. 20 pages and a random green or red cover! Get your copy now!

NewTree Belgian Biscuit

I was craving chocolate or something different after a spicy Thai meal on Saturday night. I went into the store looking for something divine in the candy section. I discovered NewTree chocolates. I was curios and a bit hesitant to drop five dollars on one chocolate bar but I really wanted to try something that would make my mouth happy.

 I picked out the Belgian Biscuit flavor. It was unique but I figure it was a safe bet. The chocolate is good, not to sweet but not bitter. The finely ground cookie bits add a nice crunchy twist to the mix. The chocolate does not rely on a bunch of sugar to make it good yet it comes of sweet and the texture is good. The chocolate is fair trade and has fiber to boot! Perfect for a PMS snack attack!

Vegan Boots To Keep You Warm

These are my new Guess Youski Booties. I received them last week and have been wearing them since! They are comfy, warm and of course vegan! They retail for $89 but I waited till I had a coupon and a deal and got them for $37! Score! I am in a boot mood this fall that will go into the winter!

Finding vegan boots for my size 11 foot has been pretty easy. However I have pretty small calves so finding boots that do not make my legs look like sticks is a different story. I am exploring the legwarmer look to go with boots as an option - plus they ad a layer of warmth! Finding vegan safe boots for guys have been rather tough. Matt wants boots too!

Are you rocking any new boots? How are you keeping warm this winter fashion wise?

Vega & Oskri Bars

Yesterday must have been bar day...Not go out and drink at a bar day but a food bar day! I tried 2 new to me bars on a whim yesterday and liked both!

Sunday after the gym we usually go to the store and I grab a bar to snack on. I saw Vega bars on the bottom shelf and hesitated a bit. First off they are $2+ each, pricy considering my go to Luna is usually on sale for $1 each. Also I am not a fan of Vega protein shakes, to be fair I am not a fan of any protein or drink powders on the market.
I did put it in my cart, paid for it and ate it. I liked it! It contained savi seeds which gave it a crunch and it tasted sweet but not artificial. The cocoa flavor was nice - not bitter like some of the healthier bar options. Sometimes I find the chocolate flavors in bars tastes off - almost metallic...not these.

After dinner last night I had a bar for dessert. This time a Oskri bar! I saw the bar in the candy section at the store and was intrigued. I like coconut but since Matt is not a fan of it in desserts I rarely get anything with it. The ingredients are simple: coconut and rice syrup. The bar was really good, not dry like some coconut bars and it was sweet but not sticky-icky sweet. I like the simple ingredients and the rich coconut taste!

Do you have a fae bar? I am always looking out for yummy bars to try!

Mountain Bound - Vegan Food & Film Fest

Matt's movie ('fake' trailer') made it into ITSA Film Festival and since it was local we got to go see his movie up on the big screen again. Last year was our first year to ITSA and mountain driving and can I just say that we are city folk...Car sickness happens to both of us and it is not fun! 

Before the horror film block started Matt took me to dinner and a brief walk around Murphey's. I was hoping to see more Dia De Los Muertos action going on but since we got up there at 6 maybe it died down. Most shops had decorations. We checked out the bookstore who had an altar to the writers who passed this year. No pictures - sorry! I wish we got to see more...Next year!

Our main reason to go to Murphey's was Mineral Restaurant. I have talked about Mineral before - it is worth the car sickness to go eat here! The food is divine!

Pillow-y focaccia with herb olive oil. These little slices of bread are so light and airy. The just float in your mouth. The sea salt sprinkle on top brings a balance and a tang to the bread that is really nice.

I had a ginger drink that was refreshing and crisp. 

Matt had an organic beer!

We went to Mineral for one thing and one thing only - the burger! Well, the burger now comes in a slider form - so you can share. Ya - right like that is going to happen! Toasted house made vegan challah bun, beet burger patty, vegan mayo, caramelized onions and a side of house made chips. These are art for your mouth. The flavors range from sweet to smoky and they come together to form a masterpiece. The bread is sweet but not sickly, like a French toast but not so sweet...The burger has a earth smoky flavor that is very savory and comforting. Matt as you know by now hates onions and did not even notice the onions on the burger...Everyone had sliders on their table - no joke! If you want to experience fine dining vegan style go to Mineral - now! You will not be sorry!

If you have not seen Matt's 'fake' trailer yet please go watch it! All blood is vegan!

[Vegan MOFO Day 22] Bye Bye MOFO & Looking Ahead

Today is the last day of MOFO - oh no! What did we do before MOFO? Oh ya zines - for me. I can get back to working on a new issue and working on some new jewelry, one item I have been planning on for like six months!

Since it is the last day of MOFO and it landed on a 'try something new day" I want to talk about holiday plans. I just got the Vegan Food Gifts book via the box with a smile on it last week. This has inspired me to create some gifts in jars for people on my list.

The book is really cute! The ingredients are easy to find for the most part and each page has a nice layout and gift ideas on how to give items. I think the gifts would work for vegan and omnivores a like. A lot of ideas are great to do in batches if you work in a office setting you could make each person a yummy jar! I am thinking some of these things for neighbors would be a hit!

I also have not picked up my knitting needles in forever. The big local craft show I have done for like the last  5 years was a no-go this year. I usually start knitting fingerless gloves for shops and shows. They seem to be a big hit and are much requested. I need to go yarn shopping, I want to knit up 2 fast scarves for a homeless couple we know...Also buy their furry companions some fleece blankets as it gets cold...

 

Speaking of holidays - it is Halloween! I did not find much in the way of cute-spook this year! It is OK, I am really trying to not add more clutter! I hope your Halloween is fun - even if you are staying in like us! We have mini bags of Oreos, Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids to give out! Also once Matt gets home from work we give each other little Halloween gifts! Maybe tonight we will watch something spooky!

[Vegan Mofo Day 22] Tea Time: Starbucks

I have been ordering tea at Starbucks lately because my decaf usually ends up being caffeinated...I can handle the caffeine in tea more so than coffee. If it is cold I get a chai tea bag (not a chai latte - the mix contains honey) with steamed soy milk and either a pump of caramel syrup or vanilla syrup. The soy milk tastes so much better steamed - do not miss this step!  I also really dig on the vanilla rooibos tea. If it is hot outside a black tea with lemonade hits the spot! Another warm weather fave is a passion tea apple juice with a pump of classic and pump of raspberry! Matt likes the passion tea lemonade sweetened!

I go to a coffee place and order tea - so what!?!

[Vegan MOFO Day 21]Weekend Round Up: Memories & More Veganized Fast Food

Matt was shooting again this weekend so I stayed home and finally addressed my Halloween cards! I picked them up Friday night from the printers. I am way behind this year!

Saturday was the 9th anniversary of my sister's death. Matt overheard a coworker talking about glow sticks in balloons for a party and I thought that sounded cool so I wanted to bring a few to my sister and some lil things I picked up for her. My mom always is decorating the cemetery with dollar store finds.Some people may find this morbid or weird but I feel it is a way to remember and celebrate someone you are missing. My mom pulled up as we got there and I shared some of my candy loot that Amber sent me!

Dinner was at Thai House, our fave place to eat in Modesto (not that we eat out a lot around here). They really know how to hook a vegan up! The fresh spring rolls with sweet and sour (and for me salty) sauce is a must have! If you are ever in Modesto - go here to eat!
The other place in town we grab food from - Greens Market had vegan doughnuts and brownies so I picked a few up and we had them after buying Halloween candy at Target (again very last minute) for Halloween! It is nice having vegan stuff in town!

Our Sunday dinner plans were flipped. Last minute decision was to create a Carl's JR guacamole burger! This was just a last minute deal with loads of guacamole, organic tomatoes, FYH jack-cheeze on a seeded wheat bun! After looking at the Carl's Junior menu I noticed a 'veg' option that is a bun, guacamole, veggies and cheese...I am not sure how popular that is. Their other option is a turkey-guac burger. I bet the vegan Quorn patty would be a good bet for a fill in. However I have not found them anywhere! So the Gardein fresh patty was what I used! With a side of fries dinner was good!

[Vegan MOFO Day 20] Fast Food Friday: Carl's Jr Memphis BBQ Burger

When describing the Memphis BBQ Burger to Matt: pulled pork, crispy onion strings, cheese and a patty, he asked "is that real?". Yes it is real and it looks as if you can get a double patty version if you are inclined! The single patty version clocks in at 1030 calories, 55 grams of fat, 135 mg of cholesterol - kinda scary right?

So for my last Fast Food Friday for MOFO I had to veganize it! I started off with a seeded whole wheat bun, patty of choice: Gardein fresh burger, cheeze, Just Pure Foods crispy onion rings crushed up, pulled jackfruit tossed in a spicy BBQ sauce and more BBQ sauce added!

Verdict: winner! Seriously good, messy and with a side of fries it was a fast food fake-out to the max! Sorry for the less than stellar close up, we wanted to dig in and I wanted to eat and watch American Horror Story! Just a few notes: I used Follow Your Heart's Monterey Jack instead of cheddar due to it being on hand. I also used way less onion strips because Matt hates onion - however these crunchy gems were a hit, they were spicy and added a kick!

Once out of MOFO-mode I plan on trying more fast-food fake-outs! It has been fun, things that look/sound gross are actually winners!

[Vegan MOFO Day 19] Good Enough To Eat: Fresh Perfumes

I like perfume...I like it to be clean and personal. When I say personal I mean I want to smell the scent on myself and if someone hugs me to smell it. I do not want to walk in a room and leave a trail of scent behind. I really hate when someone wears so much perfume it smells up the whole room and makes you feel ill. Also why do people feel the need to wear perfume to the gym?!?

I have tried a few of Fresh's fragrances, which are all vegan. I am currently wearing Cannabis Santal - which states it is a male fragrance but I find it unisex. I usually like fruity/foody scents but this is warm and sweet. It has notes of plum, chocolate and a woody note to it...Perfect for fall!

Fresh has scents ranging from fruity to musky...Sephora carries the line and you can spend the day just smelling all the scents! What fragrance are you wearing right now?

[Vegan MOFO Day 18] Trying Out Soups & Stews

 

This week the temperature dropped and there was rain. I have already pulled out extra blankets and turned on the heater because I am so cold! It is perfect soup weather - unless your boyfriend hates soup and Matt hates soup. Well, hate is a strong word, he only likes soup if he is sick and he is very picky about soup...Of course no onion chunks and no big chunks of veggies especially carrots! What is a cold girl to do? Make a soup-stew!

This is a version of the soup I made for my interview for Veganville's blog. I swapped out seitan for soy curls and the can of black beans for a can of lentil and barley soup mix. It was way good, very warming and Matt liked it.

I am now searching out more Matt friendly soups and stews to try! This winter soup will keep us warm!

[Vegan MOFO Day 17] Tea Time: Pumpkin Spice Rooibos

Another pumpkin pick this week. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Rooibos was bought last week and I have been trying it out. First off it comes in a pretty tin - I will use it to hold spices or something later on. The taste is really mild, in fact once I put coconut creamer in the tea, the flavor was lost. I have been drinking it strait up in the morning to warm me up. I think it would be OK with some flavored syrup if you like your tea sweet. I am not one for sweet tea unless it is more of a tea latte or something.

The tea is worth trying, it is inexpensive and again comes in a nice tin. It is also a higher quality tea, so it is not powder bits in a paper tea bag. You actually get little tea pouches which is nice.

[Vegan MOFO Day 16] Weekend Roundup: Naps & Stuff

This weekend Matt was shooting a music video and I just sat around after my plans got cancelled and watched South Park on Netflix...I did do some shopping and we went out to dinner but other than that it was not a eventful weekend! I even took a nap - I am not a weekend napper!

My friend sent me the Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook and I read it and got some ideas. It is a vegetarian cook book with a lot of vegan recipes. Also the vegetarian recipes can be made vegan for the most part. 

I did try Kaia Foods chips in Chili Lime. I saw they are from Oakland and Sprouts had them on sale. I did not like them. I tried getting Matt to eat them, he did not like them. Same goes for my parents! The texture was not to bad - more like a cracker but they had a super odd aftertaste, like rancid spice. Maybe our taste buds are off. Has anyone else tried them and liked them? I do not like posting negative reviews but I am curious to see if anyone likes them...


Today the weather is rainy and cold. I just want to curl up in bed with a book and nap!!! Tonight I am making a big pot of spicy soup and trying to stay warm! 

[Vegan MOFO Day 15] Fast Food Friday: Subway Buffalo Chicken Sub

I used to eat at Subway many years ago...however spending $5 on a sandwich with wilted GMO veggies and nothing more did not sit well with me.

Don't mind the crumbs guys - it was put together rather fast! I made this sandwich last night. It is a buffalo soy curl sandwich on a roll. I experimented with hot sauce, while I usually go for Frank's I tried Wizard's mixed with Tabasco. I saw someone using a sweeter hot sauce on a cooking show and was intrigued. It was good, a sweet mild heat was great with crusty bread! I should have put ranch on the thing but my mind was all over the place, I blame caffeine and hunger! I served it with original PopChips - I love those things!

[Vegan MOFO Day 14] Good Enough To Eat - Body Butter + Contest CLOSED

By now you all know I love baked goods/food scented products for my body. When I was informed that Trader Joe's had a coconut body butter that was vegan I ran out and bought one. The smell reminds me of vanilla frosting mixed with birthday candles - I know odd right? It is not an overwhelming scent but light and sweet. What makes this body butter amazing is that it absorbs right away and instead of a greasy oily residue your skin is velvety soft! I have been using this on my sensitive hands before bed and it is really nice!

I bought another tub of the body butter to give to one lucky winner. All you need to do is tell me when it comes to body products do you have a favorite scent and if so what is it? It also helps if you have a way for me to contact you if you are the winner. The contest is open to everyone and I will pick a winner Sunday October 28th in the afternoon! Good luck!

[Vegan MOFO Day 13] Trying Out New Products

When we went to Whole Foods last Saturday we got to sample some yummy vegan products! I was happy because when I go to Costco I rarely get to sample anything!  Actually everytime we have been to the Oakland Whole Foods in the day time they have vegan demos! Yes!!! 

 

I saw Genuto in VegNews magazine and when the demo was setting up I got really excited. We tried the Double Espresso flavor and the Simply Pistachio flavor. We both think the Double Espresso won the taste off! It had a nice coffee flavor balanced out with a chocolate richness that was nice and smooth. Both flavors had a nice texture and were really creamy.  I wanted to get back in line to try Chocolate Cardadmom...the line was to long - bummer! Right now you can find Genuto in N.CA stores but I am sure it will be expanding soon!

I am a fan of chocolate energy/snack/meal replacement bars. However, I find some taste chalky or powdery - yuck!  I liked Square Bar after sampling a bite - no chalky taste here. They are gluten free, contain stevia, are a sweet and satisfying chocolate fix without making you feel all groggy. I brought home a bar in the Cocoa Crunch flavor and it was a good after gym pick me up!

Yay for sampling some new products and buying some to take home! I wish more stores did vegan demos! There have been times when I bought something that looked good only to hate it! Sampling fixes that and saves money! I know Trader Joe's often demos vegan products - but they often mix vegan products with non vegan products to create the little sample dish - oh no! Little cups of coffee do not count!
The downside of samples are that people are slobs. Walk around a store that gives samples and you will see sampling cups, plates forks just tossed all over the place. Honestly find a trash can - throw it out!

[Vegan MOFO Day 12] Tea Time: Pumpkin Ginger

I bought this tea recently on a trip to Cost Plus. They had a variety of fall teas and I always like The Republic of Teas selection.  I tried this tea a variety of ways, it is very subtle, I pick up hints of flavor, I wanted something a bit bolder but it makes a great fall drink. I brewed up a cup of coffee, let the tea bag infuse for a few minutes and added soy creamer! It was pretty tasty and a perfect fall spice drink! 

[Vegan MOFO Day 11] Weekend Round Up: Busy In 2 Cities

OK, so 2 cities is a lie...it was more like 4 but whatever!

Friday night Matt and I just chilled at home, after shopping for a bit. Matt updated his PS3, I read and we went to bed early...but with our porch light being repaired, a meow-y Mar and the PS3 needing attention my sleep was not all that great.

Saturday we got up early - for a weekend, but decided to be lazy in bed. So our plans kept changing. We decided to go up to Oakland and grab a light lunch-snack since we were having an early dinner.

 

Once in Oakland we headed to Whole Foods, we grabbed vegan taquitos from the hot case and a Blue Print Juice. Normally I would not spend $8 on one bottle of juice but I was curious about all the hype. I picked out the lemon cayenne agave - since I like sweet and hot. It was not really sweet but it had a kick. Would I spend $8 on it again? Most likely not! I will just get some lemonade and add a pinch of cayenne! 

We scored vegan samples of some yummy food demos that day. Some rad products that I will blog about later this week! 

We tried to do some shopping and it did not really work out. So we headed to Berkeley along the ocean route to meet up with GiGi  from Veganville and her husband at Nature's Express for dinner. We were on a tight sceduale because we had to drive back to Emeryville for Matt's film night...

GiGi interviewed me for her blog - she will post it later for MOFO and made us sinfully rich cake in jars - well, that is what I called them! Yummy chocolate parfaits with light airy coconut cream...I was so happy meeting her and her husband! Super nice people who made my night right!

So we love Nature's Express. The food is awesome, the service is fast and I like everything I have tried! 

Stellar burrito - spicy, sweet and comforting!

I ate it with a side of chili.

Matt got busy with a chik-un melt and fries!

We headed back to Emeryville and watched movies, including Matt's...Hung out and then decided to head back over to Whole Foods to get some perishables before going home. We found Beyond Meat in the hot case - in the form of a green chile sauce base, so good, Matt and I wished we got more. We saw a few people go for it while we were packing our box up - it is popular and I hope to see it out on the market full force!

What is rad about WF Oakland is they have vegan pizza by the slice...When you are going close to closing and the slices are getting small - you might get lucky and get a free slice like we did! Score! We had food in the parking lot, went across the street to 7-11 and got coffee to take on the road and headed home.

Fun times! We will be back in the East Bay soon enough! We love it there!!!

[Vegan MOFO Day 10] Fast Food Friday: Locos Tacos

We have all seen the commercial by now for the locos tacos from Taco Bell. It is a Dorito shell with the usual taco stuff inside. It is easy to be grossed out and want one at the same time.

I attempted making my own version seen here on Matt's plate. I served it with a little bowl of refried pinto beans with hot sauce and cheeze like Taco Bells makes. Well, my Dorito spice mix needs to be adjusted the chip - taco combo was there but it needs more kick. The tacos were a bit darker in person - but not as red as the ones on the TB commercial.

Basically I made a seasoning of nutritional yeast, paprika, salt and garlic powder. I tossed the shells in the oven - since they contained coconut oil I waited a few minutes for the oil to release, pulled them out and sprinkled them with seasoning on one side.After putting them in the oven for another few minutes I pulled them out, flipped them and sprinkled more seasoning on the 'naked' side and baked another minute. The shells turned a golden color.
I am sure you can spray cooking spray/oil on the shells, sprinkle/dunk the shells in the spice mix and then bake. However I did not want to get super oily here and tried this method...It worked!
The filling was soy crumbles cooked in a bit of vegetable oil, lettuce, Daiya shreds, hot sauce! Next time I will play around with the seasoning to get a more vibrant color and kickier taste. I assume Doritos get their color from food dye and MSG!

[Vegan MOFO Day 9] Good Enough To Eat: Satrbucks Freebies

Next time you are at Starbucks picking up your coffee with a splash of soy milk - hit up the bar area for free beauty booty.

Sugar in the raw packets: there is enough sugar in one lil packet to get your lips or elbows smooth. Take it home, add a bit of olive oil or coconut oil in a bowl with the sugar and massage onto you lips or a dry spot (avoid your face - the sugar is to course for the face area). Brush off of your lips or wash it off your dry spot. Sugary and soft!

Napkins: Recently I read that the napkins from Starbucks make great face blotters...I have oily skin and a few hours after putting on my makeup and running errands I can be pretty shiny. So I tried using the napkin to remove oil...It worked! It worked just as well as my pricey lil blotting sheets!

Now if only the chain would reverse their new gold card ruling and give us gold card users free soy milk again...

[Vegan Mofo Day 8] Trying Out More Sandwiches

 I guess breaking out of my food patterns has put me into another food pattern: sandwiches. Maybe next "something new Wednesday" I will pass up on sandwiches.

First off a pita pocket sandwich with organic green mix, organic avocados, organic tomatoes, baked savory tofu, hot sauce and hummus dressing. So I have never picked up a bottle of Trader Joe's hummus dressing before - it is good. Actually I think it is the same stuff that comes with the lentil wraps that I get on occasion.

Second sandwich Boca vegan nuggets (those on the side were for Mar to eat and Matt to try!) with organic sprouts and the same ingredients above (minus the tofu)...

I was craving comfort food so I made BBQ pulled 'pork' using jack fruit and mixed it with mac and cheeze. I made Matt a pulled jack fruit sandwich to try out...I just ate mine with vegan-buttered toast! I have been in a toast mood...

[Vegan MOFO Day 7] Tea Time: Orange Red Carrot

I am a fan of Republic of Teas blends and this one stood out when I was at the store. I like orange carrot juice so I thought a tea form of it would be interesting. The rich orange color is nice, the scent is sunny and the taste is very citrus, clean and warming. I drink mine hot without sweetener. The citrus notes add sweetness and a flavor that I believe does not need anything added to it. Even though it is caffeine free it picks you up first thing in the morning!

[Vegan MOFO day 6] Weekend Roundup: I Rather Be In Bed

This weekend was spent doing not much of anything. Maybe the cold weather is getting under my skin or I am just PMS-y.

Friday I went to the DMV since Matt got out early. He had a team building day at work - his work even picked him up a vegan lunch from our fave Thai place down the street! I had to renew my license.It was so crowded and I hate being jammed into a room with a bunch of people. Not the best way to start off the weekend! I needed a new ID though and got to wear my gently used $12 jeggings I bought at Plato's closet - the same pair I was looking at online for $58...Score right?

I started reading Catcher in the Rye - because you know it was banned book week...Matt recommended it to me...I spent Friday night reading while Matt broke in his new Resident Evil game! In between chapters I put up a new zine in my Etsy shop! Ohh and mending a burnt mouth - my plate of nachos tempted me way to much for me to check the temp before I took a bite!

 

How does one fix a burned mouth the next day? An ice cold Slurpee! After Matt and I ran around looking for props for his next project and doing errands we went to 7-11. I was armed with this list hoping to score some vegan snacks. I only found the mint cookies which I shared with Matt that night. They were good - thicker square thin mint type cookies! Oh - if you are wondering, the Slurpree flavor is cherry with a splash of banana at the top!

Grocery shopping was another weekend event - my favorite part was getting a new rewards card with pink doughnuts all over it...Oh and I got a handful of Seventh Generation laundry soap samples at the store...I like free stuff! 

Maybe it is the fall weather but I am craving Speculoos spread on toasted wheat bread. I pulled out a jar this weekend and have been using it on toast...It is about lunch time now, I think I need some toast with Speculoos spread as part of my lunch! Maybe that will perk me up!

A bonus pic of Mar - we spent time playing in the yard this Saturday! I think he kinda has an eggplant shape!