Vitality Bowls - Pleasanton, CA

After climbing into coffin liners and walking up and down hills and gravel cemetery paths I needed to refuel! Vitality Bowls in Stoneridge Shopping Center (Pleasanton, CA) has the perfect post cardio snacks to power you up!

I go for the Nutty Dessert Bowl with mini dark chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas and coconut shavings on top of an açaí base. It wins me over every time. So cooling, refreshing and filling that I did not even munch on the vegan macaroon I also bought. From the menu there looks to be a few vegan options, you can also custom blend stuff. If you dine in your order comes out in a metal bowl with a long spoon. I find a size small perfect to split for a pick me up. They also have a few vegan snack options that are prepackaged to go with your bowls or are perfect to tuck away for later.

You Must Show ID To Read This - Beer Reviews

For the longest time I did not like beer. I equated all beer to be that of my teen years and cheap 40 oz. You know - not good stuff. Then on a whim I found some interesting sips and put down my margarita glass to try a few out. Here is what I like right now! 

Lagunitas Brown Sugga is a nice beer - not as sweet as I like them but it has a nice flavor and is smooth.
Stockyard Oatmeal Stout - I love this stuff. I like a lot of stouts though - they remind me of baked goods! This has a nice taste, sweet, mild and malty and well rounded. This is from Trader Joe's and a six pack runs you about $6 - wich is decent. Also Trader Joe's sells beer by the bottle/can randomly. Prices range from 50 cents to a $1 - it good for trying things out.

 

My fave beer that I have been back to more than once is the Blue Ridge Coffee Stout by Coronado Brewing Co. It has a nice complex flavor and there is a distinct coffee taste that hits you after you take a sip. Usually when beer or wine say they taste like something I never taste it and end up wondering if my taste buds are broken after to many years of hot sauce eating!

And there is always Tecate - cheap and easy to find it goes well on Friday nacho night!

If you have any favorite vegan beers please let me know! I am always searching for something new to try. Remember to drink responsibly - please do not drink and drive!

All beer was checked via Barnvivore for vegan status!

Cemeteries & Vegan Pizza

Last weekend we headed out to the Pleasenton - San Ramon area to search cemeteries, eat vegan deep dish pizza and just get away for a few hours. We spent time in both the Memorial Gardens Cemetery and CFCS St. Michael Cemetery  which are right next to each other. 

The weather has been nice and I have been digging up history (ha ha) on cemeteries in the area and playing cemetery explorer. Partly because I love cemeteries and also I am working on a zine that has been decades in the making. I am also curating and updating the lists of cemeteries via Wiki in my area.

I am always on the hunt for interesting stones. Matt also has a good eye and spotted the above stone. What stood out is the pot leaf! We have never seen anything like that. Also note the sports teams, Matt found it funny that opposing sports teams seemed to balance each other out being placed next to each other.

As the sun set I had to have Matt get a quick pick of me in. I climbed up and got dirty but that is part of being a cemetery explorer!

After a quick trip to Whole Foods and coffee-fuel we headed over to Zachary's for deep dish vegan pizza! There are two places that offer vegan deep dish in the area and I like Zachary's better. At Zachary's there is not a super long wait, the atmosphere is fun and I like the taste better. We got our vegan deep dish with jalapenos (of course) and drinks on the side (I got a bottle of Angry Orchard Apple Cider - super good!).

Cemeteries and pizza - what a perfect day time date-getaway! As always thank you Matt for taking me and sharing these adventures with me. Also if you are curious about my upcoming zine project please keep an eye out. Check out my Instagram account in the links to the side for more cemetery photos and of course photos of random stuff I post.

Miyoko's Creamery Aged English Smoked Farmhouse Review

I got to finally try this much talked about product. I usually feel pretty bad when I drop $10 on a luxury product but had a gift card for Whole Foods and treated myself!

I crumbled half the wedge, almond milk and some pepper for a pasta sauce and mixed in some conchelie pasta. It was tasty and rich. I paired it with balsamic tofu and oven white beans, broccoli and baby zucchini in a olive oil, lemon, nooch and pepper marinade. This might be as fancy as I get guys!

I like the cheeze on it's own, nibbling on it delicately. It is also really good on whole grain crackers. I shared some with my neighbor who was impressed as well. I will have to try more flavors. I should note I never had fancy cheese growing up, I cannot compare it to non-dairy cheese of the past. I know tthough I just really like it! So far it has been in every Northern CA Whole Foods we have been too. Some locations have more flavors than others.