Goddess Provisions

The founders of Vegan Cuts have a new subscription box company, and it's right up my alley. It's called Goddess Provisions, and each month, subscribers get a box filled with 4 to 6 full-sized items to help us "connect with our divine feminine and grow our spiritual practice." Stuff like crystals, oils, teas, candles, and chocolate.

I've been a Vegan Cuts Beauty Box subscriber for over a year, and I love getting the mix of full-sized and sample-sized makeup, skincare products, and other beauty treats in the mail every month. But when I learned about Goddess Provisions, I knew it was an even better fit for me. I immediately signed up for the first box, which I received yesterday! Sadly, I had to cancel my Beauty Box since I can't afford both. Goddess Provisions is $33 a month, while the Beauty Box is only $20. But you get more full-sized items in the Goddess box.

Goddess Provisions is gonna be awesome. I'm so glad I signed up! Check out what was in my first box. The theme for the introductory box is the Third Eye Chakra, our center of intuition.

There's Third Eye Chakra Tea by Buddha Teas, a Pura Botanica soy candle in Oh-So-Citrus, Balanced Guru Intuition energy mist, skin repair balm by Meow Meow Tweet, raw white chocolate with blueberry lotus essential oil by Chocolita, and an amethyst point mined from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Amethyst is great for meditating with when you're working with your third eye chakra.

The tea is an herbal blend of eyebright, jasmine, spearmint, star anise, and passion flower, and while I'm not the biggest fan of anise, I actually liked this tea once brewed. It has a strong licorice smell, which turned me off at first. But that smell dissipates after it's brewed, and then the anise just adds a natural sweetness. I'm really getting into teas lately (after years of trying to love tea!), so I was excited to have this new herbal blend.

I had some of the tea this morning while I did a moving meditation online yoga class. And before the class began, I sprayed on some of the Intuition energy mist, a blend of palmarosa, rosemary, lavender, lemon, roman chamomile, and pine designed to boost intuition, insight, and imagination.

And I burned my candle during yoga. It has a nice energizing citrus scent, great for morning yoga!

At the end of my practice, while in savasana, I placed the amethyst over my third eye and just repeated a little mantra —"My mind is clear and agile, I am open to the wisdom within me." 

As for the repair balm, I'm using that every night on my dry feet, hands, and face (yes, my face gets as dry as a desert in the winter). I love that the Goddess Provisions box still includes a little skincare.

And today, I had half of the Chocolita Blueberry Lotus chocolate. OMG!

This looks the color of regular chocolate, but it's actually raw white chocolate. It just has a brown-ish color, probably because it's all natural. But the taste is out of this world. I haven't really had good white chocolate since going vegan. I've had a few brands of white chocolate chips, but they're more sugar than anything. But this was mostly cacao butter, and every bite just melted in my mouth. It's infused with blueberry lotus essential oil, which is a meditation aid. 

Love, love, love my Goddess Provisions box! By the way, I didn't receive this box to review. I paid for it, and I'm happy to be a subscriber. I've signed up to be an ambassador for Goddess Provisions, but the process isn't complete yet. I am an ambassador for Vegan Cuts though, meaning I make a few cents when someone buys a Vegan Cuts product after clicking on an ad from my blog. I can't wait until November for my next box. I'll probably dedicate a post to the Goddess box each month, just for fun!

Festival of Souls

Every year in mid-October, usually on my birthday weekend, I attend at least one day of the four-day Festival of Souls — a Samhain festival for earthy types from all over the Mid-South. It's held at Meeman Shelby Forrest Park, a state park on the outskirts of Memphis. And even though it's right outside the city, it's a beautiful escape to nature.

And this time of year, it's the perfect place to observe the leaves changing from green to red and gold. The park is situated on the Chickasaw Bluffs, some of the only hilly land in the otherwise very flat Mid-South. The festival features workshops, and I usually attend a few. But I always make a mid-day escape into the woods to hike the nature trails on my own. This time, I found these awesome stairs!

And this fallen tree ...

But back at the camp, there was plenty of vegan food! Cynthia, the head "kitchen witch," prepares meat dishes, vegan dishes, and gluten-free dishes so she can accommodate as many diets as possible. It's a big change from when I first started going to the festival 13 years ago. Back then, I was lucky to get a veggie side put back before the meat and butter went in! But now, the vegan options abound, and they're delicious. 

I missed breakfast since I arrived around noon. But I was just in time for lunch. We had the most amazing Pumpkin Gnocchi with Kale. This was definitely my favorite meal of the day. Super garlicky puffy little pumpkin pillows!

And there was Vegetable Soup with finely minced carrots and greens.

Most people also had dairy grilled cheeses, but Cynthia always makes me specially ordered Vegan Grilled Cheeses! And I always get two because two sandwiches are better than one. I love that they're served on white bread that's loaded with vegan margarine. It reminds me of the super buttery grilled cheeses I ate as a kid. These days, I typically only buy sprouted grain bread at home, and my homemade grilled cheeses are just way too healthy.

After lunch, I did some shopping at the vendor booths. Got some goddess-shaped soaps and some of Champagne's homemade Hawthorne Apple Lemon Nutmeg jelly. And then our friends Trevor and Buck got married out in the field. It was a short but sweet ceremony. Love wins!

The vegan option at the dinner feast was loaded with veggies! Here's my plate — portabella mushroom steak, dinner roll, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, sauteed garlic kale, and stir-fried broccoli & cauliflower.

The meat-eaters got pot roast, so the mushroom was a great stand-in for that. And the kitchen staff even prepared some of the roasted veggies without the pot roast, so I got a bowl of Balsamic Mushrooms, Turnips, & Carrots.

I heard there was dessert later in the night, and there was probably a vegan option. But I'd been there all day, and by 10 p.m., I was ready to get home to my warm bed. But it was a lovely Saturday in the park, and now, I'm prepared to deal with autumn. It takes me a few weeks to get adjusted to fall, and I protest and whine a lot about summer ending. But eventually, usually after Festival of Souls, I accept that autumn is here to stay for awhile, and I might as well get used to it.

My 35th Birthday!

I turned 35 on Friday! I guess that makes me a real adult, since I now have to check off a new age bracket on surveys and stuff. And I'm legally able to run for president if want. But I don't feel old. I have very few responsibilities aside from work (which, after 13 years in the newspaper business, still feels more like fun than work) and a few bills. Oh, and I have, like, nine fur kids to take care of, but that's fun too.

Speaking of fur kids, check out this awesome tee that my friend Greg gave me for my birthday! It says CATARCHY!!!

I took a vacation day from work on my birthday because I don't believe in working on birthdays. So I slept in a bit, and then I went for a run in Overton Park on the Old Forest trails. After my run, I drove over to I Love Juice Bar for an Energizer essential oil shot (wild orange, peppermint, & coconut water) and a Berry Good Smoothie (blueberries, banana, cashews, lemon, and coconut milk).

A few hours later, I met my friend Monica at Imagine Vegan Cafe for a birthday lunch. I went with the Philly Cheezesteak and French Fries (with ranch for dippin').

I had to run a few errands, and then I headed home to binge-watch Lost until dinner time. At 7 p.m., Paul and I met up with my friends at Crazy Noodle for a birthday dinner!

I ordered my favorite menu item — Mandu Ramen. It's ramen with vegetable dumplings. So good!

Stephanie made my birthday cupcakes! They're Irish Cream Cupcakes — chocolate stout cake topped with whiskey buttercream, ganache, and caramel drizzle. So good! I had almost a dozen leftover (she made 24!), so I'm eating one in my PJs while I type this post.

After dinner, most of us went to the Rec Room, an arcade bar, for a couple hours. My friends are just the best! And they know how much I love presents (hey, no shame ... I'll admit it). So I got all this cool stuff — Catarchy shirt, sparkly miniskirt, kitty mug, cat lady car stickers, a unicorn in lederhosen Christmas ornament, wine, a sparkly skull wine stopper, some raw tomato chips, a dog bracelet, green earrings, an Amazon gift card, and a 5-pack of sticky rollers (that was from Stephanie, who knew how much a crazy cat lady like me needs those things!). Not pictured are my Pink Diva gift cards from Cassi and the Etsy gift card from Paul.

That was my actual birthday, but I got to celebrate again on Sunday with my parents. I drove to Jonesboro to have dinner with my parents and my grandmas. My mama made burgers, and I had this Black Bean Burger with Daiya Cheddar, French Fries, and Pasta Salad.

Instead of making cake (cause lord knows I have plenty of leftover cake), mama made this Apple Crumble Pizza, which I had with some So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk ice cream. So light and delicious.

My parents got me a new MacBook Pro a few months ago as an early birthday gift since my old one was starting to crap out. And they gave me a deep freezer a few weeks ago, too. But today, I got a few smaller gifts from them — workout clothes, a cute gray sweater, and a Starbucks gift card. Plus, an "All Guests Must Be Approved By the Dog" doormat from my me-maw and money from granny.

Yay!! Such a fun (and delicious) birthday! Now I've got some Etsy and Amazon shopping to do!

New So Delicious Berry Ice Creams!

So Delicious has two new flavors of coconut milk ice cream! They're both berry flavors, and even as the leaves began to change and the air becomes crisp, these immediately take me back to summer — my favorite season. Why does it have to end????

But anyway, So Delicious sent me their new Oregon Mixed Berry and their Simply Strawberry coconut milk ice creams.

And just for fun, so I could make ice cream sundaes, they also included their regular and light CocoWhip. I've reviewed this stuff before, but it's basically the best thing ever. Vegan Cool Whip, folks. This is the stuff you eat with a spoon in front of your computer while binging on Netflix. No shame. I can't tell a difference in taste or texture between the light and the regular, but the light does have slightly lower calories and fat. But honestly, both are pretty low-cal with only 25 to 30 calories for two tablespoons.

I tried the Oregon Mixed Berry coconut milk ice cream first with a dollop of CocoWhip and an all-natural, non-GMO Cherry Man maraschino cherry.

So Delicious is an Oregon-based company, so they're using berries from their home state. The ice cream contains a little blueberry and raspberry, but the real star of this dessert is the marionberry, a special breed of blackberry that grows in Oregon. (Funny side note: When I read or say "marionberry," I can't help but think of the former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Berry). The marionberry is so tart and tangy and sweet, lending this ice cream a very berry flavor. I love everything about this ice cream. The coconut milk doesn't overpower the berries, and it makes for a very creamy base.

Next up, I tried the Simply Strawberry, also topped with CocoWhip.

My ice cream plating could use some work, but I assure you it tasted delicious even if this photo isn't picture-perfect. The berry flavor is much more subtle in the strawberry ice cream. But there are little flecks of real strawberry, and when you get one, that flavor suddenly pops. This stuff is night and day from the artificially flavored strawberry ice cream I grew up eating. This is the real deal, and it tastes like sophisticated, grown-up ice cream. 

Out of the two, the Oregon Mixed Berry was definitely my fave because I love strong flavors. Paul preferred the Simply Strawberry (and he's been sneaking bites from my pint, that jerk!). But they're both delicious, the perfect antidote to the coming fall. Summer FOREVER!

Better Essentials

This isn't a food-related post. But every once in awhile, I like to share health and wellness stuff. And I LOVE essential oils. I use them for everything — sleep, headaches, energy, relaxation. I make my own home cleaners using essential oils, and I even do oil shots and lemon oil water daily. I prefer to go the natural route for health and wellness, and essential oils work.

I was contacted a couple months ago by a company called Better Essentials. They sell single oils and blends that are comparable to oils from the large companies — doTERRA and Young Living — but they're much more affordable. I actually just went to a friend's doTERRA oils class, and I was a little surprised by how expensive those oil blends are! But the Better Essentials oils are more my speed, money-wise.

They shipped me four oils, but one — lavender — broke in shipping. When I opened the package, the other bottles were covered in lavender oil, and that caused the pretty labels to fall off. So for this post, I've screen-shotted pictures of their oils from their website. I'll be reviewing the three that survived here. The lavender smelled great! But I didn't really get a chance to work with it, so I don't feel qualified to review it.

Let's start with the Fresh Air — a blend of Lavender oil, Rosemary oil, Fir oil, Naiouli oil, Eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree oil, and Peppermint oil that is designed to help assist with respiratory function. It's also said to have a calming effect. This compares to doTERRA Breathe or Young Living Raven.

I have horrible sinuses, probably because we share a house with nine animals! And they're the worst when I wake up in the morning. Since I hop out of bed and head outside for my run, my nose starts running about mid-way through. So I wear one of these handy snot rags around my wrist.

This morning, I placed a drop of Fresh Air on my rag, and every time I blew my nose, I could smell the eucalyptus-heavy scent. And it really helped me breathe!

I also used a little Fresh Air in my homemade all-purpose cleaner this week, so when I spray it around the house, it helps open my sinuses. And it relaxes me. I make a new batch weekly with 2 Tbsp. Dr. Bronner's, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tsp. Borax, 1/4 tsp. essential oil, and 4 cups hot water.

Next up is the Peppermint Oil. 

Peppermint is so versatile, and it's good for a LOT of things — nausea, fatigue, back pain, muscle pain, headaches. I use it most often for headaches though. Whenever I have a headache, instead of taking pills, I rub a little peppermint oil on my temples. I tried that with this oil one Saturday morning, and it worked.

Finally, here's the Lemongrass Oil.

Lemongrass has a lot of uses too — insect repellant, fatigue, sore joints, anxiety. Since I'm into oil shots lately, I decided to shoot some lemongrass oil one morning when I was feeling pretty sleepy. I brewed some herbal tea (with herbs also meant to help with fatigue) and allowed it to cool. And then I added one drop of lemongrass oil. Down the hatch. Not only did I feel more awake, I had super fresh lemongrass breath for a couple hours! Lemongrass is very strong!

I would totally buy these oils! The prices — which range from about $10 to $30 — are more reasonable than some of the other companies. And according to their website, they have a commitment to quality. Good stuff!

Totchos!!!! And Cute Animals!!!!

Warning: This post contains delicious vegan junk food and fuzzy animals.

First with the junk food. I had Totchos for dinner. Tater Tot Nachos, folks. Why have toppings on chips when you can have toppings on tater tots? I think this one is a no-brainer.

Whole Foods brand Tater Puffs topped with Teese Nacho cheese sauce, black beans, raw corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, romaine, pickled jalapenos, peach salsa, and Tofutti sour cream. Sadly, Teese has discontinued for individual sale, but they're still selling to food service operations, and I get mine at Imagine Vegan Cafe. 

Now, for the animals! This morning Datsun did a little detox yoga with me. Okay, actually he just immediately went into savasana. Lazy dog. What really happened — laid out my mat, went to bathroom, came back and found Datsun had taken over.

And then Mabel discovered earrings. 

She tried to put them over her head, like a headband ...

But that didn't work, so she just chewed on them instead.

For those who don't know, we rescued another baby squirrel this summer. Her name is Mabel. She's about nine weeks old, and she lives in the bathroom now. At 12 weeks, she'll be ready to be released into the big world outside (a.k.a. my backyard). Herman, our baby from last summer, finally stopped coming by to visit a couple months ago. And we miss him very much. But Mabel has been keeping us busy. She's a handful.

Nut & Seed Hummus Toast For Breakfast!

I'm a big believer in breakfast. Most important meal of the day. I go to sleep at night thinking about how excited I am to wake up and eat breakfast. I prefer savory things over sweet things most of the time — tofu scrambles, PB & Marmite toast, noochy oats, Indian pudla, cheezy grits. Except for smoothies. I have sweet fruity protein smoothies three days a week.

But I do tend to fall into breakfast ruts, eating the same things over and over. Well, I recently found a new recipe for the breakfast rotation. I had some leftover hummus and some sprouted grain bread, and I knew I wanted to combine those for a quick breakfast. But I didn't want just hummus and toast. I needed something else.

So I did what anyone would do. I googled "hummus toast for breakfast." And I stumbled onto this simple recipe from The Minimalist Baker for Seedy Hummus Toast. I didn't have enough sunflower seeds to make a full serving, so I subbed out walnuts, and a new favorite breakfast was born — Nut & Seed Hummus Toast.

It's so simple you don't even need a recipe, but here ya go. It's my adaptation of the Minimalist Baker recipe.

Nut & Seed Hummus Toast

2 slices sprouted grain bread
1 Tbsp. walnut pieces
1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. hummus (any flavor)
1 Tbsp. raw hemp seed

Toast the bread in a toaster or in the oven.

In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts and sunflower seeds over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning. They're done with they start to smell fragrant.

Spread the hummus over both slices of toast. Top with hemp seeds and toasted sunflower seeds and walnuts.