Unpacking the October 2016 Goddess Provisions Box!

It's the one-year anniversary for Goddess Provisions! I signed up for this monthly subscription box of crystals, soaps, chocolates, candles, oils, and more last year before the first box went out. So I've never missed a box. I've even ordered a couple of special edition boxes — a crystal box and a Mercury retrograde box — from them over the past year. I'm such a fan, and I eagerly look forward to every box. My Goddess Provisions box is one of the highlights of my month!

Goddess Provisions started as a little side company of the folks who run Vegan Cuts, and it's still run by Jill and John. But it's not so little anymore! They've gotten all kinds of press and a huge social media following. So to celebrate their growth in a year's time, they made this month's box theme "Call in Abundance."

There's a Money and Abundance Oil by Behatilife, and it smells magnificent! It's a mix of bergamot (my fave), basil, and thyme that's been infused with reiki energy and quartz crystal. 

I'm so in love with the Evolution Salt Tealight Candle Holder. It's like a salt lamp but for a small candle! It's supposed to clear away negative energy and electronic smog. Also, it's just fun to lick because it's just a hunk of pink salt! Is that weird? I can't stop licking it. No telling where it's been.

There's a Crystal Bar Soap with exfoliating poppy seeds and a moss agate stone inside! Moss agate is a stone of abundance, so it's perfect for this box. The soap smells like green apple! It's probably the only bar of soap that I can't wait to use up because there's a treat inside.

I've been carrying the Moondani Natural Breath Mist in my purse. It's an herbal blend of cardamom, ginger, and fennel oils, and it seriously works when you have nasty onion breath after lunch. Unlike some breath sprays, this one actually lingers and works for a long time. I'd buy this again and again.

The Florapothecarie Chocolate Mud Mask smells AMAZING! I used this mask on Saturday night, and it seriously just wanted to eat my face. You mix the clay with water and spread it onto your face. It takes about 10 minutes to dry, and during that time, your face is all smelling like some delicious chocolate cake. Best thing ever.

Sadly, you probably shouldn't eat the mud mask. But the box did come with a food treat. This Nativas Naturals Superfood Bar in Cacao Cranberry! I had this before my 5-mile run this morning. Wholesome, hearty perfection.

Buy y'all know the real highlight for me is always the crystals! There's a crystal in every box, and this month, that was a Break-at-Home Geode! Here's a before picture.

And here's what it looked like inside after I smashed it with a hammer! 

Loved this box!! As always, here's the link to subscribe if you're interested. I'm a Goddess Provisions Ambassador, and I make a couple bucks if anyone subscribes using my link. Just so ya know, that doesn't mean my boxes are free. I pay the $33 a month just like everyone else, but I help them promote the boxes just because I think they're awesome.

Superfood Soups

It's soup season! As I've mentioned many times before, it's hard for me to get excited about fall, mostly because I'm not a cold weather person. But there is at least one good thing about cooler temps — SOUP! Truthfully, I eat soup year-round, but it does seem far more comforting when it's cold outside.

Julie Morris has come out with a new soup cookbook just in time for fall! It's called Superfood Soups, and it's filled with recipes containing health-promoting foods, like goji berries, hemp seeds, dulse flakes, and watercress. The hardcover book features beautiful, full-color pictures for most of the recipes.

There's a helpful intro on the basics of creating a superfood soup with lists of bases (like grains and legumes), liquids (like stocks, nut milks, or even wine), and add-ins (think leafy greens, nuts, vinegars, etc.). And Julie lists the Superfood Seven: medicinal mushrooms, sea veggies, green veggies, super berries, super roots, super seeds, and super grains. She goes into detail about the health benefits of all the superfoods she uses in the book.

There's a chapter on rejuvenating broths, chilled soups (probably better for summer), smooth and creamy soups, brothy and noodle soups, chowders and porridges, stews and chilis, and soup accoutrements. After much deliberation, I finally settled on this Sweet Potato & Maca Soup with Green Harissa from the chapter on creamy soups.

The superfoods in each recipe are clearly marked, and this one contained maca, chia seeds, and cilantro. It's topped with a green harissa made with fresh jalapenos, parsley, cilantro, lime, and olive oil. The harissa also contained optional wheatgrass powder, but I didn't have that on-hand and didn't want to shell out the cash to buy any.

I always have maca around though! I'm a huge maca fan, and I often add it to chocolate-y or nutty protein smoothies. It gives me a boost of energy, and it adds a deep, earthy flavor. That earthiness in this soup complemented the sweet potato and spices (cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, and coriander). The green harissa on top was loaded with fresh garlic, so it really boosted the soup's flavor and gave it some added heat.

I already had most of the ingredients to make this soup on hand, so there was no expensive purchasing of hard-to-find, exotic superfoods. In fact, most (not all) of the recipes in this book are made with superfoods that you'd find at any grocery store. However, there are some recipes that call for strange things that may be harder to find, like cordyceps powder or dried yacon.

Other recipes that I'd like to try this fall: Tomato-Goji Soup with Fresh Basil, Green Juice Soup with Cucumbers and Rice, Caraway Cabbage Soup with Freekah Balls, and most importantly, the Superfood Ramen Bowl! The ramen bowl is loaded with goodness, like goji berries, yacon, and black soybeans, and it's topped with kale chips!! I'd have made it for this review if I only knew where to score some yacon slices. Oh well! Maybe I can order some?

I have a feeling Superfood Soups will help get me through these dark, cold months ahead!

Announcements! Biscuits!

Just a quick post tonight because I'm late getting to bed! But I can't wait to sleep, because when I wake up, I get to eat this.

Those are the Fluffy Pumpkin Biscuits from House Vegan's Fall Fomo No Mo e-book. I made a batch and froze them to thaw out for weekly breakfasts of biscuits, vegan eggs, and steamed kale. The "eggs" are made from Follow Your Heart VeganEgg, and they're fluffy too. But man, those biscuits! So light, so fluffy, so fall, so perfect.

If you don't have Fall Fomo No yet, what are you waiting for? This e-book is only $5.99 on Amazon! And it's filled with tips for getting the most out of fall. Plus, there are lots of seasonal recipes, like these biscuits, a peanut butter hot chocolate mix, a quinoa-sausage tofu scramble, pumpkin almond milk, seitan chili, and more.

And now a quick message for my local Memphis readers! Literacy Mid-South is hosting a screening of Eating You Alive, a documentary on the health benefits of a plant-based diet, on Monday, October 10th at 7 p.m. at Studio on the Square. October is Health Literacy Month, and it's pretty amazing that they've opted to show a documentary promoting veganism. I watched the trailer, and it features all the vegan superstars — Neal Bernard, T. Colin Campbell, even Samuel L. Jackson!

VegNews did a story about Eating You Alive this week. Here's an excerpt: "Produced by global entertainment company Garden Fresh Media, the film explores the dietary causes behind illnesses such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, uncovers how the animal agriculture industry has promoted disease-causing foods, and offers a solution with a whole foods, vegan diet."

Tickets are $10, and they're available on this website. 

Treeline Treenut Cheese

Isn't it crazy how far vegan cheese has come? I remember just a decade or so ago, in the dark days of veganism, when our cheese only came in three flavors — cheddar and mozzarella blocks and American slices. The cheese was rubbery and tasted weird. I learned to like it back then because it was all we had. But it wasn't good.

Today, vegan cheese is available in just about any form that dairy cheese is, including in fancy, aged, artisanal varieties made from raw cashews. I love a good aged nut cheese for crackers or as a sandwich spread, and while I can always make my own, it's much more convenient to purchase vegan cheeses. Aging nut cheeses takes patience and time, something I don't have much of these days.

Treeline Treenut Cheese has long been one of my faves, but until a couple weeks ago, it wasn't available in Memphis. I had to stock up in Little Rock or Jonesboro (my hometown) and transport it back to Memphis. But Treeline sent me some samples about a month ago, and not more than two weeks after my shipment arrived, my neighborhood Kroger started carrying three flavors of Treeline! Here are my review goodies.

They sent me three flavors of their Creamy Soft French-Style Treenut Cheese — Chipotle Serrano Pepper, Herb-Garlic, and Scallion. Treeline also makes harder-style cheeses, and those are great too.

I first tried the Chipotle Serrano because that was the one flavor I've never had. It's made with cashews, water, lemon, smoked serrano pepper powder, and chipotle flakes, so it's got a smokiness and a little touch of heat. 

The cheese is soft and spreadable, and it has a slight tang, just as any good aged cheese should. I enjoyed most of this tub spread onto these awesome seeded everything-style crackers. 

Next up, I tried the Herb-Garlic because I'm a garlic fiend. I put so much raw garlic and garlic powder in my food that I'm surprised anyone wants to be near me ever. And this garlicky cashew cheese didn't disappoint. The flavor was very prominent, making this easily my fave of the bunch. 

It was great as a sandwich spread paired with Field Roast Wild Mushroom slices, sea salt and cracked pepper Sabra Spreads (the new hummus condiment), tomato, and lettuce.

I had the Scallion schmeared all over gluten-free bagels for breakfast several days last week. Nothing pairs better with a bagel that oniony cream cheese, and this cheese has just the right consistency. It's not a cream cheese per se, but it's just as spreadable as one and with way more complex flavor.

The Scallion spread also made a wonderful quesadilla binder! On National Taco Day (Tuesday), I was all out of corn tortillas, but I had some larger burrito-size tortillas. Now, I know a quesadilla is not a taco. But I figured one fold made it close. This was stuffed with Scallion Treeline cheese, BBQ Soy Curls, and sauteed mushrooms.

As you can see, Treeline soft cheese is extremely versatile. It can be paired with almost any type of cuisine, and it's spreadable! I'm so glad I can buy it locally now.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Waffles!

My favorite podcast — Rise & Resist — is doing an October photo challenge on Instagram. Each day, there's a theme, and you post a photo that corresponds with that theme. Today was Seasonal Loves, so of course, I went with pumpkin. Because pumpkin is the ONE THING that makes fall bearable. Okay, also my birthday and Halloween and Thanksgiving and my veganaversary, too.

I wasn't planning to eat pumpkin today, but I needed a fresh picture for that post. So while I was on my run, I dreamed up an easy recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Waffles with Cinnamon Apples using FitQuick Java Chip waffle mix. I quickly threw the recipe together as soon as I got home from my run.

If you're not familiar with FitQuick, it's a prepared, gluten-free, vegan waffle mix with 22 grams of plant-based protein. The company is run by Holly Noll, one of the co-hosts of the Rise & Resist podcast. Shortly after I started listening, I ordered some FitQuick, and I pretty much became obsessed! I keep several flavors in my pantry at all times now.

This recipe would work well with the vanilla FitQuick flavor as well. But using the Java Chip takes it from pumpkin spice waffles to PSL waffles. You cannot go wrong with the PSL.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Waffles

Yields one serving

For the waffle:

2 scoops Java Chip FitQuick waffle mix

1/3 cup plant milk (I used cashew)

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For the apples: 

1 apple, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vegan margerine (I used Earth Balance cinnamon culinary spread)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

For serving: 

Additional maple syrup

Vegan whipped topping (I used So Delicious CocoWhip Light)

Preheat a waffle iron, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the FitQuick mix with the plant milk, pumpkin puree, and spices. Set aside for two minutes.

For the apples, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat if maple syrup starts to burn and caramelize.

While the apples are cooking, spread the FitQuick batter into the waffle iron. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve topped with cinnamon apples, extra maple syrup, and whipped topping.

More Stuff I Ate

I shared a bunch of random meal pics yesterday. But I have more!!

As always, I've been eating at Imagine Vegan Cafe often. I'm so predictable! But at least I rarely order the same thing. It's been ages since I've had the Vegan Chicken Wrap, so I ordered that last Sunday at brunch. Vegan chicken, black beans, spinach, roasted red peppers, and garlic sauce in a wrap.

One of the few meals there I do order over and over is the Vegan Philly Cheesesteak. I love this sandwich so much! Sauteed vegan deli slices with housemade cheese sauce and grilled peppers and onions. Garlic kale on the side for good measure.

I've been eating lots of plant meat lately. All the protein!! My dad picked me up a Field Roast Celebration Roast a few months back, and I hoarded it in my deep freezer waiting for the right time to break it out. Last week, I was craving a good home-cooked "meat and two"-style meal, so I baked the Field Roast and served it with some Earth Balance White Cheddar Mac & Peas and Roasted Purple Potatoes. I added lots of ketchup to this plate after photographing.

I started my job as communications coordinator for Crosstown Arts last week! On the last Wednesday of each month (which was last Wednesday), they have a catered staff meeting. Almost all of it was vegan!! They had Bianca Banh Mi Sliders (vegan tofu banh mis), Greek Hummus Pizza, and Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette from Midtown Crossing Grill. And yes, those banh mis are named after me! Midtown Crossing is a neighborhood pizza joint just a block from my house and my new office, and when the owner Octavia added more vegan options, she named the sandwich after me.

On Saturday morning, I was feeling like I might be coming down with something, so I skipped my 16-mile long training run in favor of rest and Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup. Plus lots of echinacea tea, Airborne tabs (the zesty orange flavor is vegan), raw garlic, and raw apple cider vinegar shots. I woke up Sunday feeling fine, so I think I fought off whatever was trying to start. Long runs can actually weaken the immune system, so it's best to rest (or run shorter) when you're not feeling 100%. Also, I believe Bragg's apple cider vinegar works miracles.

On Sunday, I went to Jonesboro to visit my parents. My mom and I stopped by the Truck Patch, their health food store, to stock up on groceries I can't buy in Memphis. While we were there, we hit up the salad bar for dinner. The Truck Patch has an amazing salad bar with the best seasoned tofu! Salads are $7.99 a pound though, so it's easy to spend too much. My salad was $11! Oops. It was delicious though. Enjoyed every bite.

Stuff I Ate

It's time for another random meal round-up! Here are a few things that have been on my plate lately.

I was inspired by Susan's blog, Kittens Gone Lentil, to make Vegan Fairy Bread! I'd never heard of this Australian treat until I read about it on her blog a few months ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since. The fact that "fairy" is in the name probably has a lot to do with my obsession over making this because how cute is that? It's white bread with butter and sprinkles. That's it! I used organic white bread from Whole Foods and topped it with Miyoko's Cultured VeganButter and Let's Do Organic vegan sprinkles. In Australia, "sprinkles" are called "hundreds and thousands"! I seriously cannot get over all the cute food names from Australia.

Friday night was my friend Pam's birthday, so we had dinner at Mosa Asian Bistro. I went with the Rainbow Panang Curry with Tofu because I had serious food envy when I saw someone order it on my last visit. I'm glad I went with that this time! Crispy fried tofu coated in coconut curry with lemongrass and lime leaf. Yes please.

A couple Friday nights ago, my mom and I had dinner at Papito's — a Mexican joint in my hometown. I got the Veggie Burrito (minus the cheese sauce). It was actually probably the healthiest meal I've ever had at a Mexican place. Just seasoned, steamed veggies in a burrito. I topped it with guacamole after taking this pic.

The burrito was massive! So I took half home. The next day, I reheated it and served it topped with crumbled Treeline chipotle cashew cheese and Yellowbird serrano sauce. On the side was salsa and some homemade refried beans that I had in my freezer.

Y'all are probably tired of seeing ramen bowls in these Stuff I Ate posts, but I seriously eat a ton of ramen. Ramen is life. This bowl has rice noodles, peas, carrots, and tofu. And lots of black pepper.

Gay pride was last Saturday in Memphis! Most cities do their pride events in June, which is national pride month. But in Memphis, we do ours in the fall because it's so hot in June. Used to be in October (around National Coming Out Day), but for some reason, it's in late September now. It was still very hot out, so I got a Watermelon Lemongrass Popsicle from the MemPops food truck. I'm addicted to their homemade, all-natural popsicles. 

My friend Misti had a birthday last weekend, but she couldn't get a sitter for her kids. So we threw her a surprise party at Chuck E. Cheese! It was a good place for the kids to play and us to drink beers. Vegan options are slim there, but I found enough stuff on the salad bar to make a decent meal.

I'll be back with more random food pics tomorrow!