That Was Vegan?

I’m SO excited about this giveaway because I’ve really enjoyed this book- The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty:125 Recipes for Vegan, Gluten-free, Cruelty-Free Makeup, Skin & Hair Products by Sunny Subramanian has really gotten me into DIY beauty stuff! If you’re into makeup and fashion and vegan reviews you’ve probably heard of Sunny from VeganBeautyReview.com where she blogs. She’s also quite prolific on ‘gram, which is where I first discovered her. 

Obviously all the recipes in here are vegan, but they’re also full of easy-to-find ingredients, which is important. Many come from your local grocery, and the others can be found at health stores or online. Here’s a glamour shot of me in the Green Clay Detox Facial Mask (pg 106) and the Cedarwood Essential Oil Hair-Growth Treatment (pg 188):

And you know what’s even MORE exciting than a Saturday night spent with a clay mask on your face? Sharing a recipe AND a copy of the book with you guys! You can scroll down to grab the recipe for the Black Forest Chocolate Cake Mask and then enter to win your own copy of the book!

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a copy of The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty! To enter, leave a comment below telling us about the craziest beauty treatment you’ve ever tried! Contest ends November 20th at midnight (mountain time). One winner will be chosen at random and announced the following day. Be sure and log your comment into the Rafflecopter to make it count! Open to residents of US and Canada only, good luck!
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This isn’t a political blog and I’m not going to get political. I will say though that I’m in a bit of shock still and don’t really feel like blogging or pretending to be my usually cheery self… but I promised you this recipe and also #25 of my 40 Before 40 list is to rededicate myself to the blog, so here I am. Dedicated, but still SMH. 

OK! I mentioned this bread in my recent review of Nocciolata hazelnut and cocoa spread, and it really is divine. A delicious way to make your kitchen smell amazing and your tummy happy. Especially with a chocolate spread on it. 

Put this on your menu and bake some up this weekend. You wont regret it, and if you’re feeling like I am, maybe it’ll cheer you up a little bit too.

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I’ll be back on Thursday with that Zucchini bread recipe I promised, but for now… More of the everyday stuff I like to put in my face!

This lasagna was made with tofurky Italian sausage, peppers and onions, and Trader Joe’s vegan mozzarella shreds. Have you tried them? Look how well they melt! 

A delicious falafel pita wrap from Melita’s, which is just a few blocks from my office. It’s one of my favorites and while they don’t have a ton of vegan options, they have enough to keep me coming back!

A dinner I made at my mom’s house- mac n’ cheese with beefy crumbles, salad and garlic bread with a ton of earth balance on it. Yum. 

My mom came and met me for lunch the other day, and we walked to Mad Greens. This was the Da Vinci, my favorite salad on their menu!

Lunch at my desk was an easy, delicious mix of millet, tofu, beans, canned tomatoes, and all the veggies I had in my freezer 🙂

Had to include the chilled glass of wine I enjoyed at my hair stylists!

Last but definitely not least… Tuno Salad mixed with a bit of pasta and served over lettuce and chopped tomatoes!

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I’ve never been obsessed with my age, other than the obvious milestones of turning 16 and being able to drive, or turning 21 and having my first legal drink. Turning 30 didn’t make me feel old or make me question my life choices, and neither will (I hope) turning 40.

But first comes turning 39. This actually happened on Sunday, and while I feel exactly the same as I did the day before, the approaching milestone birthday has made me think about my goals, hopes and even some concerns that I’m growing complacent in my life.

I know life can change in the briefest of moments and I never want to take anything for granted. I want to continue to learn and grow and take on exciting new challenges, and that’s why I’ve come up with a list I’m calling 40 Before 40!

40 things I want to do, learn, try or accomplish before my next birthday. As you’ll see (if you make it through the list) some are BIG and some border on mundane. Call it my “bucket/personal growth/wish/to-do list“. The only thing they all have in common is my dedication to crossing them off before I turn the big 4-0.

And what happens if there’s something I don’t finish before my next birthday? Why, I’ll just keep going easy on myself of course!

#WarningLongPost

1. Take an international trip alone. It can be anywhere, as long as it requires my passport! I’ve traveled quite a bit internationally, but always with someone else. And I’ve traveled alone domestically, mostly for work. Taking a trip abroad alone sounds exciting and a bit scary, and a challenge I’m ready for!
2. Take Spanish lessons. The benefits of speaking a least a little Spanish are obvious, especially since I’d like to start traveling in South and Central America more in the coming years.  Done!
3. Learn a new sport. Will it be scuba? Will it be pickleball? Stay tuned to find out (even I don’t know yet!)
4. Get in shape! This one is a little personal, and I’m not going to share the specifics of how many inches or lbs I’d like to lose. Instead let’s just say I want to be in the best shape of my life!
5. Organize all 7 closets at home. An exciting goal, right? Well for me it is. I’m happier when I’m well organized, but since moving most of my closets have remained in a state of nightmarish messiness, and it ends now! (Or, within the next 12 months, haha)
6. Run a race. Something I’ve never done, but I’ve always thought would be fun! I’m thinking a 10k maybe?
7. Foster at least 10 animals. Although I’ve fostered dozens and dozens of dogs in my adult life, I’ve “only” fostered 6 since I moved and began volunteering with Dumb Friends League. My goal for the next year is a 66% increase!
8. Learn to install my own lighting fixtures. My ex-husband and I remodeled two homes together, but honestly he did most of the labor (I was more into the design aspect). Since buying my townhouse I’ve had to take on a lot more of the projects myself, like swapping out outlets and such.The next logical step is replacing the 4 ceiling lights that are totally dated and have to go.
9. Climb two more 14ers (doubling my current count!). This one is pretty self-explanatory. Climbing 14ers is hard and amazing and I want to climb more!
10. Take a really long hike alone. Probably not a 14er (have you ever seen a 14er trail with no one else on it??), but a long challenging hike alone sounds like the perfect opportunity for introspection.
11. Volunteer with humans. No clue what organization I’ll volunteer with, but I’m thinking something along the lines of teaching basic computer skills to folks trying to get back into or jumpstart their careers… homeless or elderly? This one will take some research.
12. Create a log of all the books I’ve read (as an adult). Oh boy, this one is going to be a challenge, but it’s something I’d love to have. Sounds like a great winter project right?
13. Read at least 4 books per month. I’m a pretty voracious reader, so this shouldn’t be hard.
14. Read every book by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters (that I haven’t already). I’m an 18th Century British Fiction nerd and I don’t care who knows it! Charlotte Bronte wrote my all time favorite novel (Jane Eyre), but Jane Austen is also a favorite. I’ve read most of their major works, but there are still a few gaps I can fill in.
15. Learn to crochet. I already know how to knit, but I’d really like to learn to crochet as well. This has actually been on my list for a while.
16. Finish downstairs remodel completely. I busted my @ss with painting before I left for Iceland, but when I got back… I got complacent. Time to finish!
17. Make 5 new friends. As we get older it’s so easy to settle in with the friends we already have, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. I have more (and better) girlfriends now than I’ve ever had in my life and I love that, but my guy friends are awesome too. I want to continue to build on that momentum and add more, interesting, friends!
18. Go river rafting in Colorado. Each spring when the Colorado rivers start to rage, I say I’m going to do it… so I guess this is The Year. I’ve been on the Snake River in Wyoming, and the Green River in Utah, but neither were exactly “rapids”, and that’s what I want to try.
19. Do something that scares me. I don’t know what yet, so this one will stay open.
20. Paint all my pets. I already painted Cooper, so now it’s Sally and Teddy’s turn- along with as many past furry family members as I can get done. I’m envisioning all the canvases organized on the staircase wall at home, so I see them multiple times a day.
21. Hang art in my house. Call it adulting if you will, but I’ve lived here almost 2 years, and it’s time to decorate – and not just with my pet portraits either.
22. Take my yoga practice to the next level. Every time I read a post by Angie on her yoga practice I’m reminded of how important it used to be to me. There were a few things that took me away from it- a repeatedly broken foot, perceiving myself as being “too busy”, etc- but I’d like to at least make an effort to explore yoga again.
23. Create a more aggressive financial independence plan. I’m fortunate enough to be one of those nerds who started contributing to her 401(k) in her early 20’s, and am well on the way to early “retirement” (which, if you’re a PF blog/podcast nerd like I am, you know actually just means financial independence), but I’d like to pin down a more aggressive plan that will give me that independence sooner. This is important to me because it would allow me the freedom to choose a job I love, without worrying about the salary. Done!
24. Transform my bedroom into comforting oasis. When I bought my townhouse I purposely took the smaller bedroom as the master because it has an exposed brick wall, and I loved that. I had an image in my mind of cozy afternoons spent napping, or evenings reading with candles burning, all while surrounded by tranquil beauty. Time to make that happen!
25. Rededicate myself to TWV? This blog is incredibly important to me, but I’ll be the first to admit I’ve let it slide. I want to get back to posting meaningful content on a regular basis, and taking on more exciting projects!
26. Visit at least 2 more museums. Denver has tons of great museums, and I’ve been to exactly 2 of them. I’m going to at least double that number.  Done!
27. Write my will. My mom actually mentioned this while we were having lunch the other day, and it feels important. Mostly because I need to make sure that if something were to happen, the dogs are taken care of, but also because this is a good opportunity to think about which charities I want to include.
28. Visit my family in Atlanta. I have all this wonderful family on my dad’s side, who I reconnected with at his funeral. Many of them live in /around Atlanta and I have a standing invite to visit, so it’s time to take them up on that.
29. Take a road trip. Where, when and with whom are all TBD, but I love road trips and I haven’t taken on in years. My most epic to-date was when I was 21, and my step-brother and his at-the-time gf and I drove from NH to San Diego after I finished undergrad. Luckily that was before cell phones had cameras in them 😉
30. Try to have a more positive outlook on Sundays and Mondays. I don’t walk around complaining about it, but I definitely find myself with a case of “The Smondays” most weeks. It’s silly and it’s a waste of time and of my life and I want to be more positive!
31. Visit a farm animal sanctuary. I’ve visited wild animal and big cat sanctuaries (The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO being my hands-down fave!), but never one for farm animals. As a vegan, this is something that I need to rectify ASAP.
32. Enjoy my yard and fire pit on a regular basis. I spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time and money making my little yard cute and comfortable (outdoor couches, a fire pit, landscaping) but I often forget to take the time to enjoy it.
33. Meet my neighbors. I know one of my neighbors. And only because SHE made the effort to introduce herself.
34. Get over my “fear” of baking. I say that I can’t bake, but this isn’t actually true. There are cake recipes on this blog! Still, I feel that I’m not very good at it, and I’d like to get past that perception.
35. Keep monthly mileage on my car below 500 (6k annual). My car only has ~40k miles on it which is pretty good, considering it’s a 2012. And since I plan to keep it forever (or as long as possible), putting fewer miles on it just seems smart. A big part of this will be motivating myself to take the bus back and forth to work every day.
36. Ride my bike more. I want to ride it more for fun (both on my local paved trails and in the mountains), but also as a way to support #36. I think it would be fun to ride my bike for more errands, or back and forth to my mom’s house, rather than driving all the time. Plus, it gives me more exercise!
37. Practice eating only when I’m actually hungry. Yes, I realize this is a first world problem, but it’s still important to me. I’m one of those people who eats my feelings, who eats mindlessly, and who will eat something just because it’s there. It’s not healthy, and I think it lowers my overall enjoyment of food, so I’m going to work on only eating when I’m hungry.
38. Hike Devil’s Causeway (and live to tell about it!) “At 11,800 feet and just four feet wide in places – with sheer drops of several hundred feet on either side…” this sounds like a frightening yet AWESOME hike! I’ve wanted to do it for years but no one was brave enough to go with me. Maybe one of my new friends will, or maybe it’s the hike I do alone!?
39. Watch more classic films, and become knowledgeable about the genre. I’ve always liked the well known classics that I’ve seen (Casablanca, Mommie Dearest, etc) but as I’ve been listening to this great podcast (You Must Remember This) I’m learning to much more, and being introduced to such a wider variety of classics than I ever realized existed. I think this would be a really cool topic to be knowledgeable about- plus it puts “watching movies” on my list haha
40. TBD. Because who knows what the next 12 months will bring?

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Yes, this is exactly what you think it is- a deliciously decadent hazelnut and cocoa spread that is both organic and vegan, and is all that much better than that other version you’ve heard of. 

Rigoni di Asiago (which may just be my favorite company ever, based solely on this 9.5oz jar of heaven) has created Nocciolata, an organic Hazelnut & Cocoa Spread that is all kinds of wonderful:

• All ingredients farmed with no environmental pollution 
• No palm oil or trans fats
• No artificial aromas or colors
• No artificial flavors
• Vegan certified
• Gluten-free certified
• Dairy free
• GMO-free certified

And they’re going to share a bottle with one of you!

The first thing I did when I received my bottle in the mail was to bake a loaf of zucchini bread (recipe coming soon) and slather it on:

As I’ve said before, I’m not the biggest fan of chocolate, yet I loved this spread! It’s so creamy and mild and not overwhelming at all. I’ve been eating it straight out of the bottle with a spoon, although I limit myself to small tastes, because otherwise I’d have none left. 

I also used it on that ice cream pie a while back… And I’m pretty sure it would be delicious on anything.

So! Go ahead and enter (make sure you get as many entries as possible!) and check back soon for that zucchini bread recipe. And in case you don’t win the giveaway, check out the huge number of grocery stores it’s also available in!

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win one jar of Nocciolata Dairy Free Hazelnut & Cocoa Spread! To enter, leave a comment below sharing how you’d use this delicious spread. On cookies? On ice cream? On your finger? Contest ends October 130th at midnight (mountain time). One winner will be chosen at random and announced the following day. Be sure and log your comment into the Rafflecopter to make it count! Open to residents of US only, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *I was provided free product to review but the opinions are 100% mine!

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Waffles. We all love to eat them, but we don’t always want to make them from scratch. It’s a lot of work for one (usually early) meal! So here’s what I propose: make extra and put them in your fridge and eat them for snacks throughout the week! #SnackWaffles

And what makes Snack Waffles even better? When they taste amazing because they’re full of vanilla protein powder and then are even more perfect for a post workout snack! Sunwarrior sent me a bunch of their protein powder packets to try out. Last time I used them to make a dessert-y smoothie, but this time I craved something more substantial. Something that would require me to chew. 

Sunwarrior was kind enough to send me three flavors: Mocha, Aztec Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean, and since I’m not the biggest chocolate fan, the choice was shockingly simple. The strawberries were also a no-brainer because strawberries and vanilla go together like peanut butter and chocolate, IMO. 

All I did was combine the protein powder with some Papa Tom’s waffle mix, along with Follow Your Heart vegan powdered egg mix, and voila. Snack waffles. 

So here’s the thing- These don’t really have a recipe, more a rule of thumb. Use whatever waffle mix you prefer and follow the package instructions, but for every 8 waffles you’re preparing, you’ll want to sub in 80 grams of the Sunwarrior vanilla bean protein powder. So, for example, if you’re using X number of cups of that waffle mix you just bought that makes 8 waffles, scoop out 80 grams of the mix and replace it with the protein powder. Easy! 

*I was provided free product to review but the opinions are 100% mine! 

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Esters is the perfect neighborhood pub. It’s quiet enough to bring my mom there. It’s chill enough for me to sit at the bar and have lunch and a glass of wine with a book. And it’s fun enough to bring a date! 

They’re really close to my house (they’re in Virginia Village, for you locals), and the atmosphere is just fun and friendly. There are tvs for all your sports-watching needs, and they have an outdoor patio area as well. Combine that with 22 beers on tap, and what more do you need?

Here are a few of my very favorite things to order when I’m there: 

Pizza made with Daiya cheese and all the veggies you could ask for. Their crust is fantastic and they never scrimp on anything!

Their hummus is always fantastic too- topped with olives and chopped veggies, it’s served with a TON of fresh soft pita. So delicious, but make sure you order the hummus without the cheese topping!

They offer a rotating, seasonal selection of salads – this one had kale, avocado and roasted red peppers. Again, you have to request no cheese, but that’s easy. 

Want more Denver-area restaurant reviews? Check out my Mile High Vegan Eats page!

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We all love pasta, but we also know we shouldn’t eat too much of the bleached white stuff… which is where Pasta Lensi comes in! They’ve created single ingredient pasta, using just chickpeas, black beans, or red lentils. That’s all! Just one ingredient! 

They currently offer three varieties, all of which are vegan:

• Chickpea Casarecce made with flour ground from chickpeas and reflects the flavor and sandy color of its single ingredient. It pairs well with fresh, chunky sauces, and provides 22 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 3.5 oz serving. It is also gluten free, vegan, low fat, low in sodium, cholesterol free, and a good source of potassium and iron.
• Black Bean Sedani made with flour ground from black beans and has a dark, rich color. It makes an excellent complement to Latin American flavors, and provides 21 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber per 3.5 oz serving. It is also gluten free, vegan, low fat, low in sodium, cholesterol free, and a good source of potassium and iron per serving.
• Red Lentil Fusilli made from ground red lentils and has a rich red hue that brings brightness to any dish. It catches sauce between its curls and provides 26 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per 3.5 oz serving. It is also gluten free, vegan, low fat, low in sodium, cholesterol free, and a good source of potassium and iron.

I had a jar of vegan green chile that I had been waiting to use, and the chickpea casarecce seemed like the perfect choice. So I cooked the pasta per package instructions and just added in the green chile, and boom- lunch was served!

I’m not strictly gluten free (not even close), but I do buy gf pasta from time to time, and this is one of the best that I’ve tried. It stayed firm, and it had a great texture. I also love that there’s only one ingredient- I don’t need to worry about the crazy chemicals and additives I can’t pronounce!

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win THREE boxes of Pasta Lensi (Chickpea Casarecce, Red Lentil Fusilli, and Black Bean Sedani) plus a $50 gift card to Walmart, so you can buy all the other ingredients for the fabulous meals you’re about to make! To enter, leave a comment below sharing what your go-to pasta comfort dish is. Straight up mac n’ cheese? Lasagna? Contest ends October 16th at midnight (mountain time). One winner will be chosen at random and announced the following day. Be sure and log your comment into the Rafflecopter to make it count! Open to residents of US only, good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was compensated for this review, but the opinions are 100% mine!

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Pizza and dogs. Dogs and pizza. Does it get any better?

These are the four sweet faces that currently greet me every time I walk through the door:

I’m sure you recognize Sally and Teddy, the other two belong to my ex husband, Zuma and Maggie. Maggie was actually a foster of mine back in the spring, when her name was Kay! Zuma had come to visit and they got along so well, he just had to adopt her.

Don’t you just love when things work out perfectly?

In other dog news, it’s been a year since Cooper went to the rainbow bridge. Part of my marking this passage of time was to paint a picture of him.

And here’s the picture it was painted from:

Totally looks like him, right? My friends Denise and Leslie and I took an afternoon class at a local Pinot’s Palette, one of those wine and paint shops, and had a great time. I’m going to go back and paint Sally and Teddy and Betty too, and hang them all along my stairway. It’ll make me so happy each time I look at them!

And now, pizza. When I was little my brother and I spent most weekends at grandma’s house where she spoiled us silly and bought us all the processed, pricey foods our mom didn’t. One of my very favorite things to pick from the grocery store freezer were those Stouffer’s French bread pepperoni pizzas. You know the ones?

I’ve been wanting to veganize them forever, but never got around to it. Until now.

They’re so easy. I used the Yves vegan pepperoni, Daiya mozzarella shreds, and these little dinner rolls sliced in half lengthways. I also added some stewed tomatoes because I already had a can open. They were delicious and really hit the spot!

Mini Vegan French Bread Pizzas

2016-10-01 16:35:27

Just as good as the frozen ones of your youth!

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Ingredients

1. Pre-cooked dinner rolls
2. Your favorite pizza sauce
3. Yummy toppings like tomato bruschetta, veggie pepperoni, bell peppers, etc.
4. Daiya mozzarella shreds
5. Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the rolls in half lengthwise and poke the cut sides with a fork- it helps the sauce get down in there! Top each one with ~2 tablespoons pizza sauce. Add any additional toppings then finish with the cheese. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until everything is warm and the cheese is melty. Give them 15-30 second under the broiler if you want them a little more melted. Sprinkle with just a little salt and pepper.
3. Serve hot!

By Barb@ThatWasVegan?

That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/

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