Tag Archives: recipes

Mini Food Fest

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aka all the photos I haven’t been including in my P:FB posts.

Parmesan Celery Salad

Zucchini Tagliatelle with grape tomatoes and vegan parm <–totally a lunchbox photo

Corn soup* with broiled tofu

Chili*

Raw Zucchini Pasta and Almond Pesto <–I used vegan parm for this and it was way too salty as a result.  It also wouldn’t thin out probably because of whatever binders are in the fake cheese.  I reused this though…be on the lookout for it.  :)   Oh and it goes without saying but be careful with the raw garlic!

Polenta Pizza with salad <–I skipped the cheese completely in this and it came out amazing.  Seriously, try this asap.

A closer look at a very clean-out-the-fridge salad with arugula and leftover spaghettie squash, white beans, and chickpeas.  I topped it all with Mama Pea’s magical dressing.  :)

Mexican Salad (inspired by Chelsea).  I added raw garlic, cayenne, a splash of EVOO, and liquid smoke plus a little extra water to the sauce to thin it out.  And obviously used black beans and nooch instead of veggies.  I also ate this for dinner two nights in a row because it was so damn good.

Pumpkin Oats…oh yes, it has happened.  I opened my first can of pumpkin.  *dances*

Yoga/beauty/yum,

Kait xo

Project: Food Budget, the real Week 50

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Ok this week its week 50. Sorry about that. ;)

Weekly Menu

*Recipes from the upcoming 4th Happy Herbivore cookbook are denoted with a *.

Raw Zucchini Almond Pesto

Soup*

Sweet Potato, Red Pepper, and Coconut Milk soup

Quinoa, Pumpkin Seed, and Tahini Salad

Spending Savings

Co-op: $20.16
Farm Stand: $8.00
Wegmans: $23.02
Whole Foods: $12.00
Ecomom.com: $20.95

Total: $84.13

Another high week but I had an awesome Passion Party Saturday night so I let this slide. Plus I picked up a lot of necessities and got a ton of great deals that will last me a while. *woot*

Total Savings: $33.62 (40%)

what what!

Steals & Deals

Ecomom

I hate weeks where I need to buy face products. I use expensive products and they last a while but when I do need to buy them its always a bit painful. Luckily, I checked my coupon sites before heading out today and got 2 for 1 moisturizer. Let me explain.

Plum District (PD) currently has a voucher for $15 for $30 of products at Ecomom.com. PD is like Groupon for mom but they tend to have vouchers for websites that have mom-and-kid-stuff plus everyone-else-stuff. Websites like Ecomom where my moisturizer is the same price as at Target ($14.99) but where I don’t have to pay tax and where I can pay for one (by purchasing the voucher) but order two. #win

Baltimore Food Co-Op

Organic Zucchini: $1.00 each
Cucumbers: $0.50 ea
Nutritional Yeast: $7.69 for 8 oz <;–vitacost has been out :(

Wegmans

Organic Carrots, 2lb bag: $1.69
Hydroponic Basil: $2.99 ea <;–here's to round 2 growing my own basil!
Organic Lite Coconut Milk: $1.99

Paper Towel 12 pack : $12.99
-$4.00 Wegmans cpn from random mailer
=$8.99 = $0.45 ea <;–12 big rolls = 20 regular ones

And my favorite deal:

20120913-110245.jpg

Whole Foods

Arrowhead Mills Cereal: 2/$7 (sale price)
-$1.00 Whole Foods cpn
-$1.00 Arrowhead Mills cpn
= $1.50

Jason Shampoo: $7.99
-$3.00 Whole Foods cpn
-$4.00 Jason cpn <;–from toothpaste box
=$0.99

Cliff Kit Bars: $1.49 ea
-B1G1 Free cpn
=$1.49/2 = $0.75 ea

Earthbound Farms Romaine Hearts: $2.79
-$0.75 EB Farms cpn
=$2.04

Earthbound Farms Bagged Salads: $1.99
-$0.75 EB Farms cpn
=$1.24

That it folks!

Until next time…

Yoga/beauty/life,

Kait xo

Project: Food Budget, Week 43

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Happy Thursday!  I was done shopping bright and early on Sunday so you guys are in for a treat…a FULL post! Yay.  :)

Tip of the Week

At the end of last week I found myself out of flax and cereal <–it was tragic, running out of nutritional yeast, and in need of mascara that didn’t get gross ten minutes after applying it.  I thought about it and decided I was going to make the VitaCost plunge.  If you’ve never shopped here its like a natural food lover’s dream come true.  A lot of bloggers prefer iHerb but I spent a lot of time researching and time and again, Vita was cheaper.  They also give you free shipping on all orders $49+ so I recruited a friend.  I view shopping online the same way I view shopping at club stores: its a bit scary to put out quite a bit of money but you know that its an investment that will last you a while.  For example, I have almost 2 lbs each of nutritional yeast, flax, and cereal coming.

Don’t disregard online natural food stores for products that you use often.  But also don’t assume they have the lowest price.  Chia, for example, is actually still cheaper at Wegmans so you can guess where I’ll be getting it.

Meal Plan

I fell in love with a new food blog this week: Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!).  You’ll see that reflected below…and on Pinterest.

Tomato and Basil Soba Noodles  <–I used basil only and subbed different Asian noodles.

http://yogabeautylife.wordpress.com/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=2038&tab=gallery#Avocado Soup <–I had one lone avo that needed to be used.  This was outstanding and super filling.

Green Goddess Nachos – Happy Herbivore’s Queso Cheese Sauce over steamed kale, sauteed onions + zucchini, and blue corn tortilla chips

A ridiculous amount of Indian food including veggie samosoas and pakora, garlic naan and some other bread.

So this cookie truck is right outside the metro stop every Monday.  I usually resist.  This week, I have a sinus infection.  Therefore cookies = medicine.

Hummus on Tomatoes  <–the zucchini I got were rather large so I made a double batch of this hummus and used my extra squash to make muffins. YUM.

Crispy Edamame  <–I subbed nooch for the cheese.  These are so so delicious!

Healthy Cookie Dough Dip <–It didn’t last long enough for photos.

Spending Savings

From L-R, starting in back: Frank’s Hot Sauce, Romaine Hearts, Late July chips, Kale, (7) Blue Diamond milk, (5) Goya beans, (6) cucumbers (they’re hidden)), Cunchmaster Crackers, (3 lb) almonds, Alter Eco chocolate bar, yellow tomatoes (3lb) bananas, GIANT basil, (4) zucchini, (4) peppers, (3) tomatoes, (6) peaches & nectarines. Not shown: Neturogena spot creme, mascara, Ecover spot remover, 26 oz each Mesa Sunrise cereal, nutritional yeast, and flaxseed

Wegmans: $18.24
BJs: $13.81
Whole Foods: $9.97
Farmer’s Markets: $19.00
VitaCost: $19.23

Total: $80.25 :D

Before you think I went crazy putting that smiley there, let me explain.  This week is half July, half August.  I had $35 left for July and $40 for the first week in August plus $5 left on my WF giftcard.  Which means I went exactly $0.25 over.  Not too shabby, if I say so myself.

Eligible Spending (excludes Farmers’ Market: $42.02
Savings: $15.79 (36%)

I did well this week in that I only bought packaged items that I had a coupon for.  The fresh produce was almost all purchased at farmers’ markets which means I got more bang for my buck as well.   Gotta love farm-fresh veggies.  :)

Steals & Deals

Wegmans

Goya Beans, $0.79-0.99
-$1.00/5 Goya cpn
=$0.59-$0.79/can

Late July Tortilla Chips, 2/$5.00
-$1.00 Late July cpn
=$1.50

Crunchmaster Crackers,2/$5.00 (reg $2.99 ea)
-$1.00 Crunchmaster cpn
=$1.50

Blue Diamond Coconut/Almond Milk (32 oz), $1.99
-$0.50 Blue Diamond cpn
-$0.50 (Wegmans doubles coupons)
=$0.99 ea or $3.96/gal

Alter Eco Chocolate Bar, $3.49
-$1.00 Alter Eco cpn <–I had one that was expiring
=$2.49

Neutrogena Spot Cream, $5.99
-$1.50 Neturogena cpn <–no longer available
=$4.49

BJ’s

Almonds, 3lb bag: $10.97
Bananas, 3lb: $1.49

Nature’s Greens (16 oz), $1.99
-$0.55 Nature’s Greens cpn
=$1.44

Whole Foods

Blue Diamond Milk (32 oz), $1.99
-$1.00/2 Whole Foods cpn <–no longer available
-$1.00/2 Blue Diamond cpn
=$0.99 ea or $3.96/gal

Earthbound Farms Romaine Hearts, $2.79
-$0.75 Earthbound Farms cpn
=$2.05

A Food Discovery: Coconut Banana Oat Bran

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Ok so I realize the title of the post is unnervingly vague.  I hope it did its job and drew you in!  ;)

A while back I stocked up on some free oats.  And I mean a lot of free oats.  I’m sad to report that five months later I’m finally coming to the end of my stash.  That being said, I had a container of oat bran staring me in the fact that I had gotten on a whim because hey…it was free.  Now I’ve tried Mama Pea’s oat bran recipe and didn’t love it but for some reason that darn container was calling my name last night.  So I listened.

And I’m so happy I did.  The result was this bowl of deliciousness (seriously can anyone make oat bran look amazing?).  Yes the inclusion of pb & j ab & j may seem odd but I figured coconut tastes good with just about everything so what the heck.

Also, in case you were wondering…Thursday is oatmeal-for-dinner night.  I go to a late yoga class and usually don’t eat until around 10 pm so I want something comforting and, well, not veggie-filled.  Its my version of thirsty Thursday but, IMO, way better.  <–yes I realize that made no sense.  Just roll with it folks.  ;)

Banana Coconut Oat Bran

1/3 c oat bran
1/2 c milk of choice
1/2 c water
1 small banana (or 1/2 a large one)
1-2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp+ ground ginger
1 tsp+ vanilla
1 Tbsp nut butter (optional)
1 Tbsp jelly/jam/preserves (optional)

  1. I prepare all my oats using Kath’s life-changing method.  It involves the 1:1 ratio of milk:water and cooking the banana in.  Follow her all the way up until she does the add ins.
  2. Once you remove your oats from heat add in coconut, ginger, and vanilla and mix it in, tasting to see if you want more.
  3. Top with nut butter and jam if you desire.

I wouldn’t suggest trying this with regular oats.  I’ve found the addition of shredded coconut gives them a really weird taste and so I’ve stayed away from that combo since once bad day.. ;)   With the oat bran though, the coconut blends in seamlessly, leaving you with nothing but pure deliciousness and the perfect texture.

As a random aside, some alternative dieticians believe that banana and coconut are great ways to help tighten the lower esophageal sphincter aka the muscle at the base of your esophagus that sometimes allows bile to come up and cause heartburn.  I try to stock up on these two items.  Placebo effect or not, I’m happy to oblige. 

Have wonderful weekends everyone!  Mine involves a garden party, grocery shopping + cooking, and lots of studying for my next midterm.

Yoga/beauty/mmmmm,

Kait xo

 

Project: Food Budget, Week 42 + An Announcement

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Welcome to another edition of what I ate, what I spent, and what I saved.  This week marked the beginning of mid-terms (!) and as I write this I’ve spent the past many hours relaxing with cooking round two and watching episode after episode of Brothers & Sisters in a post-exam celebration.  I’m enjoying every second while I can since I have another exam next week so its back to the books tomorrow.

In the meantime, I must say that I’m proud that I’ve been able to stay so on track with my eating given the change in schedule.  I am still stress eating in a way I wish I weren’t and though my choices are different (some would say healthier), the underlying problem is still there: I get to the end of the batch of (insert food here) and realize then that I’ve fallen into an old pattern.  It may have been grapes and whole grain bread this week but it is the behavior itself that is the problem.  One of my reasons for wanting to overcome this habit is so that I don’t want to pass it on to my future children.  Yes I think this way – blame it on the psychology background or anything else.

Anyway, enough about my emotional eating habits…let’s talk food!

Weekly Menu

*I am happy to announce that I’m recipe testing for Happy Herbivore’s fourth cookbook!  I am super excited that the HH team asked me back as a tester and I cannot wait to see what Lindsay creates this time around.  For those just joining, I was a tester for HH’s soon-to-be-released third book.  Each week testers are required to choose three recipes and provide feedback about each.  I cannot disclose recipe names or details to anyone but I can tease you with photos…on weeks I take photos that is.  ;)   Test recipes are denoted with a star*.

Over the Rainbow Cabbage Salad

Shaved Kale and Avocado Salad (Crazy Sexy Diet)

Harvest Soup (Crazy Sexy Diet)

Curried Sweet Potato Soup (Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

Pesto*

Spending Savings

Farmers’ Market: $19.00
Trader Joe’s: $10.90
Wegmans: $14.54

Total: $44.44 (saved: $6.00)

I’m slowly but surely bringing that total down.  And I’m still well within my July budget. :) Last week I literally ran out of food so this week I had made my mind up that I wouldn’t make the same mistake.  I also wanted to purchase some convenience foods (Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers, Alexia fries, microwave brown rice)for those nights when I just want to toaster-oven and go!

I actually purchased most of the convenience foods at Whole Foods.  My wonderful momma sent me a gift card and I wanted to get the most food for my buck so I ended up doing some massive couponing and had my best haul in a while.  In fact, I only purchased convenience foods if I had a coupon.  I don’t mind paying full price for produce, but if its in a box then I refuse!

Whole Foods: $19.29
Saved: $28.00 (145%) <–that’s what I’m talking about!!! 

Steals & Deals

Wow…its been forever since I’ve done this section.  I stumbled upon some awesome savings at Whole Foods that I wanted to share with you.  If you haven’t checked out my Guide to WF Couponing yet, now would be a good time. 

Seeds of Change Rice: $2.99 (sale price)
-$1.00 May/June Whole Deal cpn
-$1.00 Seeds of Change cpn
=$0.99 each

Pacific 7 Grain Non-Dairy Milk (32 oz): $3.19
-$0.75 July/August Whole Deal cpn
-$1.50 Pacific Foods cpn
=$0.94 each or $3.76/gal

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Milk (32 oz): $1.99
-$1.00/2 May/June Whole Deal cpn
-$1.00/2 Blue Diamond cpn
or- 2 $0.50 Blue Diamond cpns
=$0.99 each or $3.96/gal

Saffron Road Frozen Meals: $3.99 (sale price)
-$1.00 July/August Whole Deal cpn
-$1.00 Saffron Road cpn
=$1.99 each  <–I had free product coupons but this is still a great deal, especially since they do have vegan options.

Alexia Fries: $3.49 (sale price)
-$1.00 Alexia cpn
=$2.49 each

I just realized its also been a while since I’ve shared the P:FB love!  Don’t forget to check out the other amazing bloggers who are a part of this movement.  Each of us has a different budget, number of mouths to feed, location, and belief about what food we should be eating.  :)

Yoga/beauty/savings,

Kait xo

Project: Food Budget, Week 36

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Tip of the Week

Over the weekend the beau and I went grocery shopping together.  Now he and I grew up in very different financial environments.  Mine lead to couponing; his led to a typical guy nonchalant attitude towards spending a little extra on food.  Now we all know that I am all for buying quality products from outstanding companies.  But I’m also all for saving a buck when I can. The difference between he and I, however, and I suspect this is the same difference between couponers and those who don’t use them, is that I value the savings.  A lot.

Now don’t get me wrong: the beau loves using coupons when they are available.  He just doesn’t see the big deal in only saving a buck here and fifty cents there.  Whereas I figure, if I want to buy x anyway, I might as well take the free money I’m given.  Because after all, coupons are just that: free money.  Even if you don’t do match-ups and just use your coupons to buy what you’d already be buying, you are still saving money!  So use your coupons ladies and gentleman.  Take some time to go through your paper or check out some online resources.  They are there: free money just for the taking.  Put it to work for you.

Oh and don’t forget to tell me how good it feels when you have your first (big or not-so-big) haul.  ;)

Weekly Menu

Its the weak of peas and salad…more specifically, Mama Pea’s recipes and trying to keep up with Ang’s Salad Challenge.  I have had a mini stock of tempeh that I had gotten super cheap at the end of May ($0.99 each!) and wanted to use before the move to Baltimore (so as to not have to take one more thing with us!). Now I don’t love tempeh but I do love the things Mama Pea does with it.

Tempeh Spaghetti

Pasta Primavera – the beau threw this together with kale, summer squash, red pepper, and a tempeh/shallot/tomato mix that just worked beautifully with the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice sauce

Curried Sweet Tater Tot Casserole

The best “I drank too much wine and ate too much casserole last night” breakfast ever.

Magic Kale Salad with Roasted Beets and Almonds(?)  <–I’m seriously obsessed with this dressing + lacinto kale.

Spending Savings

Whole Foods: $38.46 :D

Savings: $8.25

Alright.

I bought almost all produce this week so the sales have changed already.  I will point you to a couple of my fave coupons though:

Don’t forget to check out the other Project:Food Budget bloggers!  We’ve all got different size families, budgets, and food values.

Yoga/beauty/savings,

Kait xo

One Week : Newport, RI

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Entrance gate to the Breakers Mansion.

Newport, RI is known for many things.  Its famous mansions dazzle, the Cliffwalk leaves you breathless (so I’ve been told), and the International Tennis Hall of Fame ensures plenty of preppy eye candy for all genders and sexual orientations.  Its ritzy, its preppy, its glamorous…and home to one of my besties.

It also is where I lived for most of last week while I played house wife, slept in, drank too much, chatted late into the night, and read enough smut to make up for my lack of smutty reading till this point.  Toss in a hefty dose of yes, this is real life work (read: grad school loan stuff + client cataloging) and I’d say last week was 100% successful!  :)

Last Monday night I drove up to the beau, spending the night at his apt en route to the Woo en route to Newport.  <–because clearly just going to Newport would have been too easy  I had a perfect Tuesday that started with yoga at my now “old” studio and concluded with my arrival in Newport.  In between I did both a Wegmans (*swoons*) and a Whole Foods run, picked up the clothes I had left at the tailor back in April (whoops!), ate Chipotle (*mouthgasm*), and visited my favorite bird (aka picked up the random stuff I left in my apt…like my razor…and my Christmas tree).

How can you not love that face?

I arrived “in time” for Glee…and by that I mean the bestie and I spent our first hour together catching up and then I missed the first half of the show because I was cooking up some deliciousness. Unless otherwise noted, the following photos are all courtesy of Trina.

Sweet & Sour Tempeh with Steamed Broccolini
(Everyday Happy Herbivore)

For all the tempeh-haters out there (I definitely fall in this category): this is the recipe for you!  Something about the homemade sweet & sour sauce just complements the tempeh so perfectly and cuts its characteristically “nutty” taste.  No overpowering tempeh flavor in this recipe!  Oh, and if you’re wondering why broccolini?  Well WF had it on sale.  Couponing is all about the flexibility people!

Most days I slept until around 10 11 then spent the day catching up on TV, cooking food, reading smut, and doing some work.  Wednesday, however, was a day of discovery.  First up, a killer perfect class at Newport Power Yoga.

Source

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Project: Food Budget, Week 32 + Past Weeks’ Eats

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Welcome back to another exciting week of saving money with y/b/l.

Tip of the Week

Splurge when you can!  Maybe you are living back at home and mom is picking up some of your groceries and you are drawing all grains and beans from your stockpile.  Or maybe you just don’t need that much this week.  Either way, you have a bit of room in your budget to buy some new-to-you items that normally wouldn’t be in-budget.  Go ahead…be rebellious!  And enjoy every second of it.  :)

Weekly Menu

What happens when you move and then proceed to travel immediately?  Meal planning goes out the window.  The downside: this can lead to overspending.  The upside: I’ve been forced to get a creative and good great things have resulted.  The only items I brought into mom’s kitchen are my box (yes box) of spices, my cutting board, my knife, and my blender.  I do occasionally grab beans, oil, or grains from the storage room basement but all-in-all, I’ve been creating yummy dishes with very little.

Now by creating I mean going back to my college years of depending on the stir-fry.  I could sing the praises of stir fries for hours but I’ll get straight to the point: they are the most versatile, fantastic, go-to meal on the planet.  Grains + veggies + protein + seasonings and you’re good to go.  Veggies on their way out?  No problem…just toss ‘em in and go!  Don’t love that grain you bought in bulk?  Mix it in.  You get the picture.  ;)

First there was the Road Trip Fill-Her-Up which consisted of Alter Eco red quinoa, vidalia onions, spinach, chickpeas, garlic, chili powder, liquid smoke, and s&p.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the liquid smoke!  It added a depth of flavor to this dish that makes it totally unpredictable but incredibly delicious.  A bottle doesn’t cost that much and will last you forever since you only need a couple drops (max) to get the desired effect.

Next up, the Unique Use-’Em-Up:

Isn’t mom’s deck table pertiful?

This guy had brown rice, the rest of my dying bag of baby bell peppers, black beans, and ginger/rosemary/s&p as well as a unique new-to-me oil that I splurged on at…of all places…Marshalls!

Why yes that is rosemary, ginger, sweet orange-infused olive oil!

Oh my word this was to-die-for.  I not only sauteed the veggies with the oil + spices but also mixed them into the rice.  You couldn’t really taste the orange on the veggies but it was definitely there on the rice.  Which I proceeded to nibble on repeatedly.  Is this oil absolutely necessary?  No.  Did it take lunch from good to outstanding?  Yes!  Will I be experimenting with more infused oils?  Yes again.

Then of course were my sweet potatoes, which I sung the praise of in yesterday’s post.  <–see savory recipe there

Cheezy Sweet Potatoes

And another new-to-me product that provides great snacking, with or without milk.  ;)

I’ve also been eating out a ton between my trip to Bmore and just catching up with people.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of meals not pictured because either a) the photos didn’t come out at all or b) I was too hungry to remember to snap one.  Putting that sad fact aside, I am happy to report that Bmore is a very veg-friendly city.  Or maybe its just my recent shift in perspective, who knows.  Either way, I’ve been consistently looking for and finding a plethora of veg options at dedicated and mainstream restaurants alike.

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Project: Food Budget, Week 29 + a Giveaway!

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Tip of the Week

A little PSA today.  Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed some things getting a little *ahem* tight.  And not in the “Hello Sexy” way!  There are numerous factors which played a role in this situation, couponing included.  So today’s tip is a bit of a lesson and a bit of a cautionary tale.

Repeat after me: just because you can buy something and have a coupon for it doesn’t mean you should buy it.  That Dagoba chocolate bar..those packets of Justin’s…all that Nature’s Path <–too many links to share you get the picture.  But wait, you say, you only use healthy coupons!  Yea…I know.  Nutbutter is healthy…in small amount.  So is cereal…when I’m not eating it by the (several) box-fuls.  Again, I’m not blaming couponing entirely, but it certainly played a role.  Here’s the thing, it is way easier to snack when you know you’ve got a stockpile of your drug of choice or coupons for to get it for cheap or free.  Want to know how I know?  My last bag of Udi’s is still sitting in my pantry.  That definitely did not happen with bags 1 or 2 (I had three free product coupons)!

I’m not being too hard on myself (most days…) because I know right now things in my life are absolutely crazy.  In fact, a part of me is happy that this occurred because now that I’m aware of this “trigger” so-to-speak, I can take the steps to change it and not accidentally fall into this pattern again. Use coupons to fuel a healthier lifestyle, not the opposite!

Weekly Menu

Asparagus Caesar Salad

Bday oats and mango + coconut

The Morning After

I also made…

  • Dijon Rice with Broccoli (EHH I added Tofurkey beer brats…delish!)
  • Crazy Good Hummus (P&TY)
  • Lots of green smoothies and arugula salad

This week and last week I’m eating out a ton between bday and farewell dinners + luncheons.  Its awesome and sad all at once…

Spending Savings

Wegmans: $28.13
Trader’s: $12.08
Total: $40.21 <– w00t!  :)

Eligible Spending: $28.13
Savings: $11.97 (43%)

*whew* and I’m back.  I’m also happy to report that my entire cart was fresh foods…except for the Tofurkey Beer Brats I got for $0.99.  Here’s to recommitting to my healthy lifestyle.  Also, since I didn’t have to buy as much as usual (see above note re: eating out), I was able to splurge on some things I wouldn’t normally get.  You’ll have to check my next Adventurous April post for that!

Company of the Week

Source

Man-oh-man am I excited to share this company with you.  I discovered their products on accident and have become obsessed.  I honestly love everything about this company, especially their Mission Statement:

We are a team of fair trade visionaries and food-loving explorers on a mission to connect you to our farmers and their honest foods. When you taste the sweet justice of our mission you will understand our persistence, and our invitation to join us in finding your Alter Eco.

Seriously, that makes me want to get up and dance.  Or run off into battle.  Same difference, right?  I love me a company that is 100% committed to animal, human, and environmental rights and activism.  Now onto the food!  Their 16 gourmet products come from small farmers all over the world and include things like sugar, rice, quinoa, and chocolate.  YUM. I’ve only had the quinoa but it is by far the best I’ve ever tried.  With some coupons I found on Common Kindness, I’ve been getting it for the same price as the Trader Joe’s version.  For all the reasons I mentioned, Alter Eco won.

Anyway, last week Chelsey reviewed some awesome products that Alter Eco sent her.  Now I’m not quite on the up-and-up as these longer-established folks so I hadn’t been contacted.  No biggie…I did what any good food blogger in desire of products does: e-mail the company and ask.  What a response I got…

Now this is their picture…my box is waiting in CT at Mom’s house for when I move home for the month.  You can bet a full review will take place once I get there.  For now though, I’ll have to be content drooling with my imagination.

Not you though.  No no, I wouldn’t tease like that.  <–at least not with food!  Tehe ;)   I know you’re salivating on your side of the screen.  Seriously, don’t try and deny it.  Wouldn’t you just love a gift basket like the one above?  Yea I thought so.  That’s why I e-mailed Alter Eco to see if they would sponsor a giveaway.  The box of goodies they sent me was just the icing on the cake.

If you’d like to win your own basket of Alter Eco heaven goodies, leave a comment below:

1. Which Alter Eco product would you like to try the most?

2. For extra entries do any of the following (you must leave a separate comment for each):

Contest ends Wednesday, April 26, 2012 and winner will be chosen randomly. Open to continental U.S. residents only.

That’s it for this week folks!  Don’t forget to check out my fellow P:FB bloggers!

Yoga/beauty/savings,

Kait xo

Disclaimer: AlterEco provided product for giveaway.  I am not affiliated with Alter Eco and all opinions expressed are my own.

The Best Sauce Ever.

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Look at me, blogging on a Monday!  Tehe Actually I wrote this last Thursday, the night this most amazingly delicious, want to eat it by the spoonful sauce came into existence.

Clearly there is a pattern with my recipe creations: salad dressings, sauces, creamed dishes, and salads.  Aka nothing that a) can’t be saved fairly easily or b) requires a ton of ingredients.  Simplicity is one of my highest values, but this, my friends, come from a place of fear and lack surrounding food and the thought of throwing it out.

Yes, I admit, I’m still a work in progress.  And greatly admire all food bloggers.

So anyway, as I mentioned last week, I’m getting ready to move for about 1 month before making a bigger move in June.  So I’m trying to use up food I have a lot of.  Like pasta.  And pasta sauce.  And frozen veggiess.  Hence last Thursday’s combination.  I’m definitely being forced to become more creative with my food choices but I view this as a good thing.  Especially when I get delicious results!

Be forewarned, all  measurements are approximate because,  in true traditional Italian cooking style, I didn’t measure a darn thing. I’m anal about following a recipe but when creating, its anything goes!

Smoky Tomato Cream Sauce (gf, vegan, goitrogen-free)

Inspired by Happy Herbivore’s Sun Dried Tomato Basil Cream Sauce.  Serves 1.

1/4 c tomato sauce
<1/4 c nondairy milk + more to thin out as necessary
2.5 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp each garlic and onion powders
1 tsp Cajun spice seasoning
1-2 drops liquid smoke
dash chipotle powder

Whisk together all ingredients together, adjusting spices accordingly.  Heat on stovetop or microwave.  Or keep reading and do what I did (hint: it involves one pot and one pot only).

My roomie is always making this pasta dish with pasta, peas, and a sauce that’s half alfredo, half tomato.  HH’s recipe is pretty close but I didn’t feel like blending anything.  The liquid smoke and chipotle powder seem like odd choices but they added this smoky (duh) warmth and depth of flavor.  And remember with both of those…a little goes a LONG way! Seriously, do not skip the chipotle.  It makes all the difference.

I cooked up some corn pasta, tossed in frozen peas with 30 seconds to go, and drained everything.  Then I tossed the pasta + peas back into the warm pot, put it on low heat, and mixed in the sauce and some leftover baked tofu, stirring constantly until everything was heated through.  And  of course, no pasta dish is complete without some freshly ground black pepper on top.

nom nom nom

Do you ever combine spices from different cuisines?  What are your “rules” when doing so?

I think lots of people do…this is what “fusion” cuisine is based on, right?  I oftentimes stick to “traditional” flavor profiles.  But when I throw something together and it just seems to be missing something…I let inspiration and smell take over.  Usually I grab whatever I’m first drawn to on my spice rack and then sniff the item I’m trying to jazz up plus the spice.  Believe me, you’ll know whether it goes together or not.  My past roomie/physics tutor/friend extraordinaire taught me this trick and it has been oh-so-useful.

I’m going to go thank her for that now!

Yoga/beauty/life,

Kait xo