Bowls, Beers, & Chocolate

Here's another random meal round-up! This past Tuesday, the Crosstown Memphis CDC (a board on which I sit as the secretary) held a Crosstown National Night Out at Crosstown Brewing Co., our neighborhood brewery. If you're not familiar, National Night Out events are held all over the country so neighbors can meet one another and the police who serve their area.

The cops always joke that it's unfair that we hold our event at a brewery (they're usually held at homes) since they're on the clock and obviously cannot drink. That didn't stop any of our neighbors though! I enjoyed a Crosstoberfest seasonal.

The event was potluck, and the CDC provided BBQ. Some of the guys on our board are on a BBQ team, so they provided pulled pork, and I brought vegan BBQ jackfruit. Everyone was so excited to try jackfruit! I used this recipe from Minimalist Baker. Here's my potluck plate — BBQ jackfruit sandwich, salad, fruit, pickled okra and olives, chips, and pretzels. Someone brought kale chips as well, but I ate those later.

I've been having lots of bean and rice bowls for work lunches. Here's a Southwest Black Bean Bowl with sauteed bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, brown rice, and avocado.

Here's a recent snack plate with homemade hummus, cashew cheese, whole wheat crackers, and carrots. I love my whole foods snacks!

And finally, here's a yummy dessert I picked up at Sprouts this Monday night. It's a Living Raw Powermint Patty.

I have this self-care tarot deck from Goddess Provisions, and I pull a card each morning. Then I have to do whatever the card says that day. On Monday, it was Sweet Treat! I love an excuse to eat dessert, but I was craving something on the healthier side. When I went grocery shopping that night, I looked for a raw food dessert and found this raw peppermint patty made with cacao, coconut butter, and peppermint essential oil. Very good and totally whole food, plant-based!