Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Hauls and What I Ate on the 4th of July

Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July! I hope that you are all enjoying the day and have had a great weekend. Mine has been busier than I expected and as always I haven't really had the time I need to take care of myself and things that I need to take care of but I guess that will all come soon. I still have intentions of taking some time for myself this weekend as long as the weather holds up and I'm really looking forward to it. I was able to accomplish a little bit of my cleaning and I did relax a little bit but otherwise it was a pretty busy weekend.

I managed to stop at what seemed like a million stores to pick up a few odds and ends so I can make some fun meals this week. I figured I'd share the hauls with you. There is also a non-food haul and my yummy 4th of July dinner!


Two thirds of this picture I found because of Vegan Peace! I saw the Mocha Nut Latte and the Onion Salt on her Instagram feed and knew I had to add them to my list! I'm so excited to try the Onion Salt! I already know the first way I'm going to use it and I'm so excited. I am also really looking forward to trying out the Mocha Nut Latte. I'll let you know what I think! I also grabbed some turmeric because.... you know, health.


For some produce I grabbed some basil, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, fresh garlic, one lonely tomato, an avocado and some frozen corn.


I grabbed some Ezekiel English muffins from Fairway and some really yummy air packed sun dried tomatoes from H-Mart (I could only find oil packed at Trader Joe's).


I grabbed some Tofutti sour cream for my quesadillas (oh yeah, I grabbed some more un-pictured tortillas and fat free refried beans) and some Tofutti cream cheese. These came from Stop & Shop.


So I decided that the 4th of July was a good enough excuse to get some vegan ice cream. While I was in Stop & Shop I checked out the vegan ice cream section and saw my absolute favorite kind on sale ($3.29!!!) and figured it was a sign, ha! Of course I picked it up. If you haven't tried the Chocolate Cookies 'N' Cream Cashew Milk Ice Cream grab it if you can! It's so good.


Here is my non-food haul! I decided to head over to the mall (and those of you that have been here a while know that I struggle with the mall) and pick up a few things from Lush. I picked up my tried and true Fresh Farmacy facial cleanser. I really love this cleanser. It's really gentle and soothing on my sensitive skin and even helped tame an allergic reaction that I had to a makeup wipe once. Yes, it is expensive but it lasts a really long time and it's worth it to me to spend a little more on a quality product that I know will be ok on my sensitive skin. I also wanted to try some of their toothpaste options. I like the charcoal toothpaste I have but to be honest it's still a bit of a mindf**k to brush your teeth with black toothpaste and sometimes I wish my teeth felt a bit cleaner after. I've heard some good reviews about the Ultrablast Tooth Powder and wanted to try it before it gets discontinued (which is happening soon I think). In anticipation of it getting discontinued I also asked to sample the Sparkle Toothy Tabs which are solid toothpaste tabs! I think this is such a unique idea and perfect for travel. They were incredibly generous with their samples and gave me enough for a full two weeks of brushing twice a day so I could make sure I really liked it. I tried the Ultrablast tooth powder first and have used it twice so far and I really like it. My teeth feel clean and it's really refreshing. If you read the packaging close enough you'll notice that wasabi is an ingredient in the tooth powder. This was a concern for me because truthfully I hate wasabi. You don't really taste it at all though and I am really glad I tried this. I may have to pick up some more before it is discontinued!

Side Note: After grabbing the link to the Sparkle Toothy Tabs I noticed that those are a Last Chance Item too. I also noticed in some reviews that they have an overwhelming black pepper flavor which seems a little weird to me. I'm kind of nervous about trying them.


This is a random picture of my iced coffee at work on Saturday. I used my new favorite Silk Soy Creamer and it was delicious.


I've been wanting to make the Hummus for Bagels from Veganomicon for a while now (it's one of my favorite hummus recipes and it's been a while) so I made some this morning. I think this is the best batch so far! I added a little extra lemon and it's so delicious.


Naturally I had to have some for my brunch meal today and I decided to make my favorite sandwich with it. I toasted up a bialy and had it with hummus, sun dried tomato and basil. It was so good you guys and super filling. I was good until dinner after this.


For dinner I attempted to be somewhat festive for the 4th of July. I had a delicious "Cheeseburger" using a vegan Boca Burger and some Chao Cheese and topped it with ketchup, pickles, lettuce and tomato. I assure you that when I eat boca burgers they never look like this but I guess this is my attempt at making the most appealing looking burger I could :) I had it with a side of corn and it was delicious. 

There will be some of that ice cream in my future for sure!

That's all I have for you today! I really hope that you enjoyed your holiday weekend! I'll be back this weekend hopefully with some interesting meals to show you!



16 comments:

Hillary said...

I can't wait to hear what you think of the onion salt and the mocha nut latte!! I haven't seen the chocolate cookies and cream anywhere, and I need it in my life!! For years I've wondered why they don't make cookies and cream with a chocolate base!
For all the times I've checked Veganomicon out from the library, I've never made the hummus for bagels, I see I need to fix that. I love a lot of lemon in my hummus too! Your bagel sandwich looks so amazing, and don't even get me started on the drooling over the boca burger!!
I'm interested in the tooth tabs. Pepper does seem like a weird flavor in toothpaste. And I am so with you on the charcoal toothpaste.

Jennifer said...

I got the Mocha Nut Latte as well because of Vegan Peace's post. I wasn't a huge fan. I think it was too gritty which is a bummer since I love pre-made coffee drinks. Plus it was pretty pricey- $4.50-ish where I was. I think I'd stick to Califia's coffee drinks.

I like the toothy tabs for when I have meh breath but don't need to really brush my teeth. Like in the middle of the day. I have the Breath of God, which I am not sure if it is still around.

Vegan In The VI said...

That Mocha Nut Latte looks so good, I am glad Jennifer wasnt a fan, since I can never try it. Cant imagina how great the Cashew Milk Cookies & Cream must be. Still have never made my own Hummus, bet fresh is the best. I wonder how come you are okay with supermarkets but not malls? A mall seems safer to me somehow. Excellent meal for the 4th!

Trixie said...

Are you on Instagram?

Sarah said...

I can't wait to try the onion salt! Sadly I have to agree with Jennifer, the Mocha Nut Latte was disappointing. The texture was really gritty and it didn't taste great, especially not for the price. The ice cream is so good!

Definitely make it, it's delicious! I squeeze in an extra half a lemon from what the recipe calls for and it's delicious!

I still haven't been brave enough to try the tabs but the powder works well!

Sarah said...

I agree with your review of the Mocha Nut Latte 100%. Way too gritty and it didn't taste great. And it was expensive for Trader Joe's

That's a really smart way to use the toothy tabs! The person that helped me gave me the heads up that they are going to be coming out with mouthwash tabs! They are like bath bombs for your mouth, you put the tablet on your tongue, take in a little water and the tab will dissolve and you swish away. I can't wait to try them!

Sarah said...

Honestly, I wasn't a fan either for the same reasons. The Chocolate Cookies n Cream is seriously amazing. Fresh hummus is definitely the best, if you can make it I'd definitely recommend it!

I guess in my messed up head I think that a rampage would be more likely to happen at a mall. I think the more crowded the place the scarier it is to me. I get uncomfortable if I'm in one spot for too long in general though.

Sarah said...

I am! @sarah.shmuel

Are you?

Bianca said...

That onion salt is on my list too! I'm going to be in Nashville where the TJ's is in a couple weeks, and I will get some! That bagel sandwich looks amazing!!!

J said...

I need to try making hummus again; it's been a while since I've made my own. Your bagel sandwich looks so good with the sun dried tomatoes!

Sarah said...

Oooh yay!! I'm sure you have quite a list going! The sandwich was so delicious!

Sarah said...

I really recommend this recipe. I love that it is thicker. It is perfect for sandwiches! I don't know why I decided to try it with sun dried tomato and basil the first time I did but I've loved it ever since! Definitely give it a try!

Trixie said...

Yes! Sweetonnh

Ingrid said...

I'll have to look for the Mocha Nut Latte! My last perusal didn't include any chickenless products in the freezer section. Sigh.

Delicious 4th of July meals! Yum!

Vegan In The VI said...

You gotta keep moving like a shark😀

Sarah said...

To be honest the Mocha Nut Latte wasn't great. I wouldn't spend the money on it again. I know, so sad about the chickenless products! I want them back!

Thanks!