Fun Friday: Exploring the Welwyn Preserve

I've mentioned that one of my favorite things about living on Long Island is having access to a bunch of amazing Gold Coast Estates that are still around from the 20's/Great Gastby Era. It's so cool to be able to take a short drive and end up in a location that brings you back to another time. I've shared my trip to the Sands Point Preserve in the past and another location on my list of places to go was the Welwyn Preserve. The Estate was turned into a Holocaust Museum and guests are free to explore the land to discover some pretty awesome abandoned structures and to check out the beautiful waterfront area. I decided to head over there last Sunday with the goal of finding the abandoned Greenhouse.

Truth be told, I got really creeped out when I was there. I was alone and it was 8:00 in the morning and I was heading into the woods by myself. My intrusive thoughts got the best of me and I did not find the greenhouse or the other buildings I wanted to see. I did see a few structures plus I saw the beautiful courtyard of the estate and I did head down to the waterfront. My therapist told me I should go back and find the greenhouse and finish what I started so I'll get there at some point. I just got really creeped out.

I took a few pictures and did want to share them with you. Check them out!

The courtyard was so pretty! Such a contrast to the side of the Estate that I had previously explored.

I am a sucker for lens flare.

This is the road heading down to the waterfront.

As you can see it was a beautiful, clear morning. A little cold but nothing I couldn't handle. I met a few new puppy friends which is always a fun thing. I have been assigned the task of heading back and finding the greenhouse. I figured I'd share some pics of what I was looking for as well so you can get an idea.

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So there you have it. I don't know when I'll get back but I will. I hope you liked seeing some of what I found in the areas I was brave enough to explore. Do you like these kinds of posts. I think it's pretty fun to check out these Estates and I enjoy sharing them with you! I have a list of other places I'd like to visit.

I hope you all have a great weekend <3

Fun Friday: New Vegan Makeup

Hey everyone! I hope that you are well and had a great week. I'm still on the struggle bus a little bit. I've been having a hard time with my depression lately so if I haven't been commenting as much I apologize. I try to keep up as best as I can but sometimes I just need to be offline.

I haven't been really eating a whole lot lately so I doubt a Sunday post will happen. I will try to photograph some meals for you for Tuesday though.

I do have something to share with you today for Fun Friday. I am not sponsored by this company in any way, I'm pretty sure they have no idea that I exist. I just wanted to share because there was some interest in previous vegan makeup posts and these palettes are pretty awesome.

I can't remember if I saw Karity on Facebook on Instagram but it was one of those two platforms. I decided to peruse the site and was pleasantly surprised to know that all of their makeup is cruelty free and that their vegan makeup is clearly marked. I really love when companies do that because it takes the guesswork out of it and to be honest, it probably results in more sales. I will be much more likely to buy something when I'm positive that it is vegan.

I decided to pick up two of their 21 pan palettes: The Frost palette and the Nudes & Rudes palette.

On the left you have the Nudes & Rudes palette and on the right you have the Frost palette.

Here is a closer look at the STUNNING Frost palette. I am so excited to get into this and start playing. All of the shadows in this palette are shimmery and some straight up glittery. I am a sucker for all things shimmer so I am really excited to have such a wide variety of shimmer shadows. I'm especially excited to play with the shade "Crystal" which is that gorgeous blue in the middle row third in from the right. The pinks are pretty stunning as well.

If you have been looking for a suitable dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palettes I think this would work well for you. I don't know if the colors are the same, I doubt they are, but the nude shades are perfect for creating natural looks (and bold looks as well). There is mix of matte and shimmer shades in this palette and it would be a perfect palette to bring with you if you are traveling.

So I'll get into some of the logistics for you. Each of these 21 pan palettes is $29. You get free shipping over $35 and you can get a coupon code for $10 off your first purchase. I paid $52 for 42 shadows and to be honest, I'm not mad at it. I know it seems like a lot but it's a really great price to pay for two palettes. You do compromise on packaging quality but that doesn't bother me. The palettes are sturdy cardboard with a good magnet that allows it to stay close (they won't pop open). The shadows are very pigmented. I haven't had a chance to play with them yet so I don't know how they perform or how well they blend but I'll make sure to update you on that. They also have smaller versions of these palettes (I believe 15 and 9 pan palettes) so you don't have to get all 21 shades if you don't need them. 

As I mentioned before, I am not affiliated with this brand at all. I just like sharing new vegan beauty finds with you. If you are interested in hearing more about these palettes after I try them please let me know! I can do a follow up post with a review of the performance of the shadows and show you some looks if I can get some pictures that aren't gross, haha.

I hope that you all had a great week and that you enjoy your weekend! I'll be back probably on Tuesday, hopefully with some food to share with you. <3

Grocery Haul

Hey everyone! Sorry for my lack of posts lately. It's just been one of those weeks. It was a bit rough but I'm working on pulling myself out of it. I haven't been eating much either so I just haven't had much to share. I did manage to take a few picks of hauls so I am here to share those with you today.

I've heard these cornbread crisps are delicious so I had to give them a try. I also saw that their cauliflower pizza crush is vegan and was really excited to pick it up. I have never made a truly successful cauliflower crust so I'm looking forward to trying this. I also got these little pre-portioned bags of raw almonds to snack on.

In this picture we have some scallions, zucchini noodles (lazy), medjool dates, romaine, cabbage, tomatoes, diced onions (lazy), frozen blueberries and honeycrisp apples.

This is a mini Amazon haul. I wanted to get some vegan probiotics and I decided to try the Soom Chocolate Tahini Spread that I first saw in a post by Bianca to make the shipping worth it. I'm probably going to be trying it on toast with banana tomorrow. I think it'll be amazing in oatmeal as well!

Of course I had to have my Bubble Tea this weekend. I went for the medium because it is really filling but it was delicious as always.

Sorry so short and not really exciting. Hopefully things will improve throughout the week and I'll have some more fun posts for you later this week. 

Hope you are all doing well <3

Grocery Haul

Hey everyone! I hope you are all well! I know I'm a day late but yesterday was crazy so here we are. Today's post will be short and sweet but I did want to show you my Whole Foods haul from Monday. I rarely go to Whole Foods so I made sure to photograph the haul. I also have a few meals to show you.

Dolmas, carrots, broccoli, 2 Kite Hill Greek Yogurts, sesame tofu, blackberries, avocado and Follow Your Heart Slices (I've heard they are great!).

My favorite gluten free pasta, buckwheat ramen, miso paste, low sodium tamari, primal strips and Alter Eco Dark Quinoa Chocolate.

For breakfast yesterday I tried the Kite Hill Greek Yogurt and a green apple. The yogurt was definitely better than the other version because it wasn't as sweet but it definitely had a strange taste to it that I couldn't quite place. Still waiting for my probiotic pills to get here.

I made a bento box for lunch. This one had sesame tofu, carrots, broccoli and a sliced farmers market pickle. Super delicious.

That's all I have for today. I'll hopefully be back Friday for a Fun Friday Post. I hope that you are all having a great week! <3

Stuff I Ate and Drank

Hey everyone! I hope that you are all doing well. It's a pretty gray and gloomy day here so I'm just lounging around inside. I'm pretty tired, I haven't been sleeping well the past few days so I'm going to hopefully just relax for the day. I managed to take a few pics of meals and drinks from the week since there were a lot of repeats but I thought it would be fun to share what I have.

This was the result of my meal prep from Monday. I had this meal several times and it was delicious each time. The potatoes got a little extra crispy this time but I like crispy taters.

This was the Potato Leek soup from the Israeli Market with a granny smith apple. The soup was so good you guys. I'm going to have the lentil soup for dinner tonight. 

I was just feeling it again this week. Two meals for like $5-6. Seriously you can beat it.

Friday night I decided to give myself a two hour break from the "noise" of my world (social media, messages, etc.) and just enjoy some "quiet" time to myself. This included a trip to get some bubble tea (this one was free thanks to my rewards card!) and a ride to one of my favorite spots on earth with the best view ever. It was a great two hours and I'm glad that I did it.

After writing about the Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks in my Fun Friday post, I decided to go for an iced one the following day. It's so good you guys.

I recently decided that I need to introduce probiotics into my life on a regular basis so I ordered a bottle from Amazon. I figured while I was waiting I would enjoy some of my favorite kombucha to get it all going. I drink a half a bottle at a time and hopefully I'll get my capsules soon. I'll show you which ones I get when they show up.

I also grabbed the new flavor of vegan macarons (which I requested, yay) from Macaron 5 Chic at the farmers market yesterday. These are lemon and they are delicious. I got three so I still have 2 left. She started a new thing too where if you save your packaging and re-use it next time you'll save a dollar off your purchase. I really love this so I'm excited to save my containers!

That's all I have for you today. I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend! I'll see you next week with who knows what :)

Fun Friday: Hello, Fall!

Hey everyone! Look, a Fun Friday post! I've had a major mental block up lately and I've just been completely unable to think of ideas for anything but thankfully Ingrid suggested doing a Fall post and I loved the idea! As you know, fall is my absolute favorite time of the year when I actually try to get out of my house and do things and experience the season. I figured I'd share some of my favorite things about fall that I'm looking forward to most!

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Pumpkin Spice (AKA Basic Bitch - the common nickname I hear often and find hilarious) season is upon us. Truthfully, I'm kind of over the whole thing but I think it's funny that they have pumpkin spice EVERYTHING now. I don't miss the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (I remember it being so cloyingly sweet) because I've found something better anyway. Although with that said, my friend gifted me with Pumpkin Spice coffee grounds and I'm super excited to try that!

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If you are at Starbucks and looking for a delicious vegan treat drink, go for the Salted Caramel Mocha. It's been my favorite for a few years and easy to veganize. Just go for soy or coconut milk, no whipped cream and no caramel drizzle. Honestly, it's so much better than the Pumpkin Spice latte ever was. I haven't had one yet this season but I need to get on it soon!

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The one Basic Bitch item that I am going to make a point to make is some Pumpkin Bread. I'm actually hoping to make some on Monday when I have time but we'll see if I get sidetracked as I tend to. Anyway I'm planning on using the recipe that goes along with the gorgeous photo about (linked just below the photo) by Vegan Richa. My favorite add ins are walnuts and chocolate chips. What are yours?

I wasn't able to find the source link for this (it went to Pinterest where I searched and couldn't find it) but if I find it I'll add it in. Anyway, this simple graphic highlights the most wonderful parts of the fall perfectly. The crisp air and sweater weather, heading outside and enjoying the perfect weather and beautiful scenery and fun activities. I've made it a goal to actually go out and have fun this fall and do some fun fall activities with friends and families and by myself if I have to.

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One activity I'm hoping to get to is the Haunted House set up at the Sands Point Preserve (the Gold Coast Mansion I wrote about a year or two ago). I am usually too afraid to deal with haunted houses but this one is set up at one of my favorite locations on earth and it is a Dante's Inferno theme so I feel like I need to at least try to get through it. Supposedly it's very scary so hopefully I can get through it. It is only open for a few days at the end of the month so hopefully I won't chicken out by then, ha!

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You know I love my bucket lists and this one is pretty awesome and a good comprehensive fall bucket list. I am not interested in everything on the list but I would totally do most of these things. I'm going to hold onto it and see how much of it I can get through. Maybe as I check items off the list I can make future Fun Friday posts out of it :)

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Of course the best part of fall is the amazing foliage and scenery. I will never get tired of seeing the leaves change and all of the color. It is amazing. This picture is from West Virginia I think but living in New York almost my entire life I've been treated to some of the most spectacular scenery you can imagine. Maybe I'll try and get some pretty landscape shots to share with you. I have the perfect place in mind ;)

So that's what I have for you today! What are you looking forward to this fall? Have you done anything fun yet or started indulging in delicious fall themed foods and drinks? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Friday and I hope you all enjoy your weekend! I'll be back on Sunday to share some food with you. 

<3

Grocery Hauls and Meal Prep!

Hey everyone! I hope that you are well and that the rest of your weekend was amazing. I had a nice weekend and was able to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather we have been treated to the last few days. On Sunday I went to Trader Joe's and my mom and I decided to take the trip to the Israeli market and we got some pretty amazing stuff there. I'm excited to share it with you! Yesterday I did some meal prep for the week and I'm looking forward to eating the delicious meals that I have planned. I'm also excited to share them with you later in the week!

I'm so sorry for the terrible picture but here is my Trader Joe's haul! In the back is some new potato snack that they released, sparkling pink lemonade, pumpkin spice (aka basic bitch) almond milk, refried beans, pumpkin puree (basic bitch, hahahaha), vanilla soy ice cream, asparagus, spinach, chocolate chips and granny smith apples.

That afternoon we went the Israeli Market and it's great. The owners are so sweet and attentive and everything looks delicious. They let me know that the soups were vegan and were proud to use all fresh ingredients with no preservatives, thickeners or stabilizers. I really love how much pride they take in their products and I can't wait to go back and try more of their amazing products!

This is my haul from the Israeli market! Yay! Starting at the top left there is some lentil soup (they let us sample it and it's seriously amazing), some potato leek soup, homemade pita chips, some Bissli snacks, these giant ass roasted cashews, and some vegan spinach borekas!!!

This is the close-up of the borekas. These are frozen and clearly labeled vegan. The prepared ones are not vegan because of an egg wash but I love that they have these as an option. I can't wait to try them with some soup! They are a bit pricey but there are a lot in the package and it will last a while.

I also did some meal prep yesterday to get some stuff ready for the rest of the week. I basically made the components of my Sunday dinner during my trip to Orlando to supplement the yumminess from the market.

The yummiest roasted potatoes ever!

Asparagus is quickly rising to the top of my favorite veggies list.

It's a weird color but so delicious. My tofu got a little mangled from being handled and flipped so much but tastes delicious anyway :)

So that's what I've been up to these past few days! What yummy things have you been eating. I'm enjoying the transition into fall weather. As we all know, it is my favorite time of the year. 

I don't want to skip Fun Friday again but I'm kind of coming up empty on ideas. If you have anything in particular you'd like to see please let me know!

Hope your week goes smoothly and I'll see you hopefully Friday (if not then Sunday!)!

Stuff I Ate

Hey everyone! I hope that you are all doing well. I know I missed Fun Friday but I have had kind of a bad week emotionally and I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. I did manage to take a few pictures of food I've eaten this week to share with you! I'm also excited because I've actually taken the time to meal plan for next week so I have some delicious meals coming up as well.

I made the same tofu scramble that I made in Orlando to have throughout the week and it is so good you guys. I really like the spinach and tomato combo and I add a lot of garlic to it also and it's delicious. I had it with some toast with Earth Balance.

I was really craving pizza so I decided to make a flatbread pizza using Trader Joe's Lavash and it was really yummy. Next time I'll add some spinach and broccoli since those are my favorite pizza toppings.

Speaking of broccoli! This was a work lunch I had and I was not feeling super hungry so I just had some rice and broccoli and it was perfect.

I had a bit of a chocolate craving and decided to have a treat yo self moment so I went to Sweet To Lick to see what they had. The didn't have much left but they did have one more of these amazing looking Rocky Road bars so I made sure to grab it! 

Here it is in the box. It is good you guys. And huge. So luckily I have some left over for another dessert... probably tonight :)

Of course I had to have my Sunday bubble tea!! The same as always - Peach Tea with Boba and 50% sweetness.

I mentioned in my Orlando post that I bought myself a little birthday gift from the Farmers Market in Orlando. Here it is. I am in love with it. You know I love my mermaids and kind of wish I could be one so I saw this one with the magical glitter and decided that she needed to come home with me. They actually have an Etsy shop called Clockwork Alley (I'm not affiliated with them at all, I just LOVE their stuff) and they make amazing Steampunk inspired jewelry. 

So that's what I have for you today! I'm excited for Tuesday's post where I'll be back with some hauls and some meal prep I am going to be working on tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you on Tuesday <3