Tasty Tidbits

I love fall! The skies are blue, the air is crisp, the leaves are changing. Best time of the year!

We're back into the normal every day life routines. This weekend we hope to do some gardening, bike ride, see some friends, & generally relax. That relaxed feeling goes away so fast when vacation ends!

I was looking through some old photo albums when I was at my parents' house. This pic cracks me up! I can't decide whether I just ate something icky or I was laughing. Dad thought it was great, whichever the case! Oh that haircut & those chubby cheeks...

Have a great (and super relaxing) weekend!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Pineapple Coconut Granola
• Canteloupe smoothies
• Berry & Yogurt Parfaits
• Bulgur with almond milk, apple chunks, & pb
• Baked sweet potatoes with granola, pb, & coconut butter
• Maryea's 2 Ingredient Sweet Potato Cakes - These were a bit soft for my liking, but I wanted to try a new breakfast & the sweet potatoes topped with granola weren't keeping me full for long. I don't like eggs, so I was wary of this recipe, but the sweet potato & spices masked the egg flavor.
• Bananas

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grilled cheese sandwiches (with sprouted flax bread with swiss cheese)
• Crackers with Jessica's Sweet Corn & Roasted Jalapeno Hummus
• Apples & pears

Dinners

Saturday:

• Corn on the cob
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Chili
• Ashley's Beer Bread Cornbread

Monday:

• Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta - This was DELICIOUS! I read about it awhile ago & just kept thinking about it. Now that I've made it, I want to make it again & again. So simple, yet so flavorful!
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Tempeh & Brussels Sprouts Stir-fry
• Bulgur
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Cooking Light's Tomato, Squash, and Red Pepper Gratin - This was good, but for the amount of time it took to chop, saute, etc., I'm not sure I'd make it again. None of the flavors stood out - I'd rather eat them in ways that showcase the various veggies than all mushed together.
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Cooking Light's Poblano Sopes - New recipe that Mom tried - she did a variation on the salad on top, using figs instead of avocado. It was my first time having sopes & they were delicious!
• Corn on the cob
• Green salad

Friday:
Campfire!

• Tofu dogs on whole wheat buns
• Veggie foil packets (eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, & onions)
• S'mores! 

Treats

• Ambitious Kitchen's Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Brownies - I made a batch last month & now they're tempting me from the freezer! :-)
• Angel food cake (W looooooves this. I had one bite & that was enough to remind me that I don't.)
• Tracy's Toasted Coconut Popcorn - Oh.my.goodness.  This is SO good!!!!!
• Banana soft serve
• Black pepper & fig biscotti

Vacation Tidbits: Martha's Vineyard Edition

I'm ready to go on vacation again! It's never too soon...

We had a wonderful vacation last week! The weather was gorgeous & we spent every day outside, which was wonderful.  We biked a total of 164.3 miles in 5 days...the other day we took a few short hikes. It felt so good to be moving & exploring the island.

The skies were gorgeous over the water. It's such different scenery than we have here. I loved seeing all of the boats. We were here 5 years ago for our honeymoon, but this time it was totally different. It was fun to see what had changed & what was the same.

Can't wait to go back again! Thanks Aunt Connie!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Overnight oats with pb
• Cinnamon bun & bear claw from Pie in the Sky Bakery
• Apple fritter & triple berry muffin from The Black Dog Bakery
• Sprouted flax bread with pb & fig jam
• Granola 
• Bananas, peaches, canteloupe, & kiwi

Lunches

• Saturday - Pie in the Sky Bakery: wraps & soup

• Sunday - Lucky Hank's Restaurant & Cafe: Mega salad, omelets, & lobster roll

• Monday - Slice of Life: Portabella sandwich, Veggie Dagwood sandwich, & sweet potato fries
• Tuesday - packed sandwiches
• Wednesday - La Choza Burritos: Burritos & Burrito Salad
• Thursday - packed sandwiches
• Friday - Morning Glory Farm: Roasted Tomato & Brown Rice Soup + Green Salad
• Apples

Dinners

Saturday:
Dinner out at Offshore Ale Co.

• Portobello Pizza  (us)
• Double Garlic Pizza (Mom & Pops)

Sunday:
Dinner at the cabin

• Whole wheat penne with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Monday:

Dinner at the cabin

• Roasted butternut squash risotto
• Green salad

Tuesday:
Dinner at the cabin

• Grilled polenta & eggplant
• Sauteed mushrooms & kale
• Green salad

Wednesday:
Dinner at the cabin

• Whole wheat linguini with fresh pesto
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner out at Cafe Moxie

• Wild Mushroom Risotto (me)
• Pan-Baked Falafel over Mediterranean Salad (W)
• Pan-Seared Sea Scallops (Mom)
• Roasted Stadler Chicken Breast (Dad)

Friday:
Take out from The Scottish Bakehouse

• Spicy Peanut Noodles with Tofu (me)
• Vegetable Stir-fry with Rice & Tofu (W)
• Mushroom Nut Roast with Kale (Mom)
• Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp (Dad)

Treats

• Summer's Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies - I made these to bring with us. They're really good!
• Ice cream cones from Murdick's Fudge
• Chocolate peanut butter cupcake (me), blueberry cheesecake (W), lemon bar (Mom), & pecan bar (Dad) from The Scottish Bakehouse
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookie & Chocolate Chai Tea (me) & Veggie bagel sandwich & coffee (W) at Mocha Mott's

Tasty Tidbits

It's almost complete! We love the new carpet, so much so that I don't want to put things back in the room. We put some pillows on the floor for now & it's been fun to camp out instead of having a couch.

I saw this cool sign at Vegfest last weekend. So true!

It's been a crazy week, so I'm super excited to be heading out on vacation. Yay!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Coconut Almond Granola
• Coconut almond smoothies
• Raisin bran with banana, peaches, & almond milk
• Crumbled Cookin' Canuck's No-bake Zucchini Bread Granola Bites with almond milk
• Coconut milk yogurt
• Bananas, fresh figs, blueberries, peaches, & nectarines

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Baked beans
• Bean & avocado salsa with tortilla chips
• Crackers & carrots with Jessica's Sweet Corn & Roasted Jalapeno Hummus
• Canteloupe, pears, & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:

• Angela's Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai

Sunday:

• Zucchini, tomatilla & rice soup - This was a clean-out-the-fridge soup. It turned out pretty good, considering!
• Green salad

Monday:

• Fondue with friends at The Melting Pot (me)
• Leftover baked beans & a sandwich (W)

Tuesday:

• Hersheypark night - pizza & popcorn & roller coasters!

Wednesday:

• Zucchini & tomatoes with whole wheat rotini
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Tortilla pizzas topped with pesto, onion, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, & provolone cheese
• Green salad

Friday:

• Leftovers

Treats

• Ambitious Kitchen's Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
• Vegan Molasses Cookie from VegFest
• Ice cream

5 Years!

As of today, it's been 5 years since we got married! The time flew by.

We got engaged on Friday the 13th (of July), and then married on Sat., Sept. 13 the following year. That makes this anniversary extra special - it's our anniversary on Friday the 13th!

We have had a lot of adventures in the last 5 years together. I'm so thankful for every second we've had.

And also for those years before we were married, when we were so happy to see each other during college breaks & summers. Look at those cheesy grins. :-D

To my Bup - thanks for always making me smile, for taking care of me, & for all the love you give. Here's to the rest of our lives!

Tasty Tidbits

I probably take a picture of this flower every time we're at the cabin & it's blooming! I just love it.

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with family & friends (who are really like family). The weather was hot & sticky, but we still enjoyed plenty of time outside hiking, playing croquet & bocce, shooting bow & arrow, target shooting, sitting around the campfire, & lounging on the porch. 

In big news...my official certificate arrived! I posted on Facebook at the end of July that my classes for health coaching were over. Now that I have the signed certificate, it's even more official!

We're heading to Bethlehem to go to VegFest this weekend. Yay!!! We went last year & had a blast. I can't wait to see what's new this year.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Tina's Paleo Granola made un-paleo by the addition of rolled oats. For mix-ins, I used flaked coconut (my newest obsession!) & raw sunflower seeds.
• Buckwheat pancakes
• Angela's Fruity Baked Oatmeal with Crunchy Cinnamon Almond Topping
• Crumbled Cookin' Canuck's No-bake Zucchini Bread Granola Bites with almond milk
• Coconut milk yogurt - This stuff is amazing!!!! Soooo much better than dairy yogurt.
• Bananas, fresh figs, blueberries, peaches, & nectarines

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Jessica's Roasted Red Pepper, Quinoa, & White Bean Burgers
• Quesadillas with broccoli, onions, & mushrooms
• Vegetable soup
• Canteloupe, pears, & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:
Dinner at the cabin

• Grilled sweet potato slices
• Corn & black bean salad
• Sauteed green beans & carrots with apples & onions
• Green salad

Sunday:
Dinner at the cabin

• Whole wheat linquini with fresh tomato sauce
• Green salad

Monday:

• Summer squash, zucchini, onion, & mushroom saute
• Baked sweet potato fries

Tuesday:

• Summer squash, broccoli, & onion stir-fry
• Brown rice

Wednesday:

• Grilled tofu dogs on whole wheat buns
• Grilled zucchini
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Angela's Ultimate 4 Layer Vegan Sandwich - This was truly the ultimate! I used Jessica's Sweet Corn & Roasted Jalapeno Hummus (this had quick the hot kick to it!). If I ate from home every day, I'd probably eat this multiple times a week. Carrying the ingredients & assembling at work isn't easy, so I rarely have sandwiches. I considered trying with this one though!
• Sunshine chips

Friday:

• Dinner out with my parents before seeing Noah

Treats

• Dad's b-day cake: Ashley's Gluten Free Upside Down Cake (used pineapple instead of strawberry-rhubarb)
• Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate pb icing - These were leftover & frozen from W's birthday.
• Banana soft serve
• Peach Cobbler - Mom made this & brought it over one night when we were working on the living room. Yum!!

Vegan Cuts Snack Box

My Vegan Cuts Snack Box came last week!

As you may know, I'm an avid supporter of eating whole foods. This means lots of fruit, veggies, whole grains, beans, etc., & not much packaged food. Getting these boxes from Vegan Cuts brings in an influx of packaged foods...so why do I still get them?

Well, I love getting mail, for one. :-)  But also, many of these samples are from up-and-coming vegan companies. It's exciting try their products & then support them if we enjoy the food. The majority of what we receive in the box is made with a concious decision on the company's part to use the best ingredients they can, & they are usually keeping our health in mind.

So while they are still not nearly as healthy as a big fresh green salad, they are healthy choices that could be replacements for foods that many Americans consume on a daily basis.

I really appreciate that there are companies out there that are focused on our health & the environment. If we could replace the packaged foods that are being eaten with ones like these, it would be a huge step in the right direction.

One great example of this is Angie's Boom Chicka Pop. It's a brand that's full of fun - if you can read the small print along the center of the back of the bag, it says, "All any girl every wanted in a life is graceful acceptance of her 6th grade haircut." Hah! The popcorn has 3 ingredients (popcorn, sunflower oil, & sea salt) & is non-gmo, vegan, & gluten free. Plus, it tastes great! No greasy fingers & the perfect salty taste. We usually pop our own corn, but if I was looking for a bagged variety, I'd get this!

We had Emmy's Lemon Ginger Macaroons for a light dessert one evening. They're organic, raw, vegan, & gluten free. The lemon & ginger weren't overpowering at all & it was a light treat, perfect for satisfying our sweet teeth. They have a variety of other flavors, so if you're a macaroon lover, check out their variety pack!

For a snack one afternoon, I tried the Cocoa Crunch Square Bar. I'm often not a fan of snack bars, because they are either full of sugar, high calorie for a small amount, or have bizarre ingredients. These, however, are organic and all of the ingredients were recognizable. Plus, it was like eating a chocolate bar! It also kept me full until dinner, which is a big challenge for me. They are a bit pricey, so I probably wouldn't buy these often, but in looking for a snack bar, they're topping my list so far! Three flavors are availble on the Vegan Cuts Shop: Cocoa Crunch, Cocoa Almond, & Cocoa Coconut.

If you're looking for some good snacks, these are fun choices! Or, you could try getting your own box next month here, & have some new, healthier snacks to try!

Disclaimer: These are affiliate links. That means that if you choose to purchase a box or an item from Vegan Cuts, I will make a small amount due to your purchase. All opinions are my own, with no compensation from those companies. Thanks for the support to both Vegan Cuts & me.