And then it happened...
We're just a few days away from Thanksgiving, and I've learned new depths of gratitude over the past few months. There aren't words adequate to capture what I mean, but I'll try to get close.
Photo by |
Photo by |
Photo by |
We're just a few days away from Thanksgiving, and I've learned new depths of gratitude over the past few months. There aren't words adequate to capture what I mean, but I'll try to get close.
Photo by |
Photo by |
Photo by |
Shortly after I got pregnant, I learned that most pregnant women experience a certain degree of, erm, digestive discomfort while they grow their little bundles. Probiotic supplements are usually recommended to pregnant ladies, but I've never really been good about taking them. So, I've tried to incorporate more fermented foods and sources of "good" bacteria into my diet.
Then, as if by magic, the kind folks at GoodBelly reached out and offered to let me try their 12 Day Challenge. After learning that their entire line of products is vegan, I jumped at the chance!
GoodBelly makes probiotic drinks that come in a quart-sized carton or in two different sizes of individual "shots." Because I like to keep packaging to a minimum, I went with three different flavors of the quart-sized drinks: blueberry acai, pomegranate blackberry, and coconut water.
Hi lovelies! I'm back after a little (ahem, long) hiatus with some news:
Let me start with a confession. I don't really know what to call this dish. Because it's all vegetable, some might be inclined to call it a salad. However, it starts in a skillet. Does that make it a stir fry? Can a dish be both a salad and a stir fry at the same time? What is our obsession with categorizing dishes, anyway?
Typically, Vegan Food Swap reveals are posted on the last day of the month in which the swap occurred. I broke my own rule for this, the final swap of 2012, by slacking off and waiting to post the reveal two weeks late. Why? No special reason. Just life. We've all been there, right?
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the Vegan Food Swap in 2012. It was an amazing project, which I began in April, and I had no idea how popular it would become. I'm grateful to everyone who jumped in enthusiastically and stuck with the swap month after month. As the swap participants know, I've decided not to organize a swap for November and December because people will be pretty busy with end of year holidays and, frankly, organizing the swap is a lot of work and I could use a break as well. We'll start back up again in January, so feel free to register now.
My swap partner for October was Alan of The Classy Scavenger. I was excited to be paired with a member of the male minority of the Vegan Food Swap, but also because I already knew of Alan. I started following him on Instagram a while back because he's buds with Sam of The Nail That Sticks Up, who I met at Vida Vegan Con in 2011. It's a small world thing. (Also, they're also both total vegan eye candy... Did I say that out loud?)
So, I knew that Alan gets a portion of his "groceries" from places like dumpsters and salvage grocery stores. I realize that some people might think it's "gross" but I think it's true that one man's trash is another's treasure and, honestly, few things upset me more than wasted food. And many people don't realize how much food is thrown away in this country, especially by grocery stores, that is still perfectly good. This happens with produce just as much as with packaged food. Sometimes, a store just has too much stock. Other times, they dump product because it's been discontinued and the distributor isn't willing to pay to take it back. Obviously, some produce is thrown out because it's started to turn or rot, but I was amazed when I first learned that the rotten stuff makes for a pretty small percentage of the food "garbage" in the US.
I know you're all wondering, now, about what Alan sent to me in the Vegan Food Swap box! I did let him know at the beginning that I had no problem with dumpstered or salvaged foods, and gave him free license to send me whatever he wanted. Ultimately, Alan settled on a fantastic combination of packaged items from the salvage grocery, local vegan wings, and some scones that he made from dumpstered ingredients. Because Alan shopped thriftily for my package, he was able to include a LOT of different products without blowing the $20 spending limit. It's awesome to see how far a vegan dollar can stretch, if you know where to shop.
Here's the proof:
This doesn't even show everything. The vegan wings are still in the freezer! (Yes, those are vegan cupcakes in the background, waiting to be frosted.) |
A selection of snacky items, including two kinds of kale chips and my favorite teriyaki sprouted sunflower seeds! |
Yes, this bag is empty. I may have ripped it open as soon as I saw it. |
Some Asian sweets. I can't wait to try these! |
Rice stick snacks. |
A selection of Hail Merry goodies... the lemon thyme pecans are my favorite! (Yes, the almonds were consumed first.) |
From savory on to sweet... Some chocolatey goodies and some carob nut butter cups. |
Fine ground black salt for vegan omelets! |
Go Raw is one of my other favorite brands. |
Alan sent several homemade scones (and posted the method here). |
Vegan wings made locally in Indiana. These were frozen, so Alan carefully packaged them with a cold pack! I wouldn't normally suggest sending frozen goods, but since we are only 1 state away and he used USPS Priority Mail, we decided it might work. Luckily, the weather was pretty chilly also, so they arrived still frozen! |
Thanks to everyone else who continues to make the Vegan Food Swap a big success! September was our SIXTH month and I can't believe how excited everyone is to participate month after month. Each month, our group steadily grows in numbers, and I have received a lot of feedback from participants who love trying new products that challenge them creatively in the kitchen.
My package for this month came from Heather at . Aside from having one of the longest blog names I've ever encountered, Heather also takes beautiful photos of her culinary creations. I've been reading her blog for some time, so I was thrilled to be randomly matched up with her this month!
Heather sent me a combination of sweet and savory treats.
Is it really the end of August already? Wow!
I didn't even manage to post any new recipes in August, which makes me feel like the lamest food blogger on the planet. But don't worry, dear readers, because you didn't actually miss anything exciting. I lived August without a working stove, so I really just ate a lot of salads and almond butter sandwiches, for the most part. It was good food, but not very exciting.
The good news is that I'm cooking again, and I'll have some new stuff up for you soon. In the meanwhile, it's Vegan Food Swap time again! I've been hosting the US Vegan Food Swap for 5 months now and it's been a blast. Membership has been growing a little each month, and a lot of folks seem to be having a great time with it, so I'm thrilled to make it all happen.
This month, my box of goodies came from Kim S. in Charlotte, NC, who doesn't currently have a blog. Maybe if she decides to keep swapping, she'll start one. (Let the peer pressure begin!)
Kim went with a "Southern Foods" theme for this box and sent me a unique collection of "accidentally vegan" items that represent Southern food culture.
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