Ravenous!

Oh man, guys, it feels like spring and I’ve been eating like a maniac the past couple of days!

But first, you remember how i mentioned Rogue Republic doing a giveaway? well it ends tomorrow!

The special is as follows:

Active NOW through 9AM EST tomorrow:
25% off EVERYTHING in our store, including sample packs and the Valentine’s Day special. NO CODE needed; discount taken automatically at checkout.

EVERY order of any amount will also receive a free 3-pack of samples chosen at random (but we will be sure not to repeat pigments in your order).

We thank you.

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25% off AND a free sample pack! I mean c’mon! Live a little!

Alright, now on to some product review:

Tanka Bars:

Rating: 2/10

This is perhaps one of the worst things I’ve put in my mouth in months. I hate to be mean about it but OMG WTF.

It’s all natural and supposed to be free of all chemicals and whatnot but it tastes about as real as a Slim Jim…a sweet Slim Jim.

I bought it because I was intrigued by the combination of buffalo and cranberry. I thought, surely if someone thought that was a tasty enough combo to make  a series of bars with then it has to be good!

WRONG.

Want to experience it without the $3 price tag? Get a slim jim and some craisins.

Sorry guys. I didn’t finish it, I actually spit it out.

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Now for happier fare!

Spinach mushroom enchilada casserole. Unf! I know this box doesn’t look absolutely fabulous but it is. Kale and beet salad (i’m working so hard to like kale), steamed veggies and spinach and mushroom enchiladas. There wasn’t much sauce involved here, it was more like corn tortillas, mushrooms, spinach and cheese. I will be replicating this for sure!

I’ve been really into cheese lately. It’s been my only dairy and actually until tonight it’s been my only animal product aside from two instances of sashimi this year. I’ve been really conscious about my animal product intake since going raw. I’m a little  surprised to say that I’ve become a vegan sympathizer.

I generally don’t like vegans and vegan philosophy for a couple of reasons:

1) I believe you can be an ethical omnivore. It takes work but it’s possible. Eggs and milk and fiber especially. Eggs might be the easiest as it’s very easy to even get a hen for yourself and she’ll lay any and everywhere. She’s a pet, a companion, and she produces breakfast while being adorable. Same with wool or milk, etc.

2) Too many people equate vegan diets (not the philosophy) with being uber healthy. Sad to say, this isn’t necessarily true. It is certainly VERY possible to be vegan and amazingly healthy, but inherently there are issues when going vegan and supplements are often required. B-12, for instance. But more to the point here’s a list of foods that are vegan and way unhealthy:

Tofu dogs. They’re maybe not just as bad as your Oscar Meyer frank but they’re close!

Potato chips!

Oreos!

Crisco

Most commercial premade icings/frostings including the majority of the icing used in grocery stores. The ‘butter cream’ is actually “Better cream” and it’s a liquid that is made from veg oil (crisco) and is whipped until spreadable. I know because I used to have to make HUGE batches of the stuff.

Actually a lot of junk food is vegan because veg oil is cheaper than animal product oil.

Want a good list of aptly named Accidentally Vegan products? ask PETA!

See, you can be vegan and not be plant based. You can be a normal American and suffer from all the American health problems even if you switch that steak with seitan.

But still, I’ve become more sympathetic and have made the choice to be plant based, to have only the occasional ethically sourced animal product.

Greenling and Whole Foods provide that. Funny, I sent out several emails to restaurants I frequent about their animal sourcing. No one has gotten back to me…yet.

SPEAKING of Greenling.com

I got my boxes! Boxes? YES! They had to use two lol and they were filled with wonder and happiness

As you can see, my meal packs were bundled and portioned already and I started off by making the breakfast casserole I ordered.

Southwestern Polenta Casserole

 

 

 

 

 

The whole pan is about 1000 calories! That’s it! and that’s a 9×9 cake pan!

Its a very nice flavor, hearty but not heavy and it tastes southwestern without being spicy. Now I love spicy so I added in a little red pepper after but really, all together a very nice flavor! Can’t wait to eat more of it in the morning!

Ravenous as I’ve been, I’ve been sticking to things I’ve previously enjoyed lately. Thunderbird, kombucha, mean green and citrus sunrise juices, etc, so I’m really glad I’ll now get to try some recipes I’d otherwise have never gotten around to. Excited!

But I haven’t just been eating! It’s been very warm here this week so I got the bug to do some planting. Fresh herbs are now in pots and will hopefully flourish as much as my catnip and mint has. I’ve had to transplant my mint four times now because it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. I’ve decided on a variety of herbs this year since last year I had difficulty with veg and fruits, but I’ve still got a couple for funsies.

So far I’ve got:

-Chives

-Purple basil

-lavendar

-thyme

-parsely

-strawberries

-a beet. just one. lol

-ginger

-violets

-aloe

-mint

-catnip

I’ll be adding more soon, I just have to find starts for some things since I’m rubbish with starting from seed. BUT i’ve plopped down a few chickpeas ;p we’ll see

I love growing things. There’s something peaceful about it, and something so nice about walking outside and smelling all the herbs and growing things. Sigh. I need a garden!