Blogger Meetup, Nut Butters and Chocolates, Workout Playlists

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How’s your Hump Day been going, Bloggie Friends?  I’m getting ready to go teach a hot power yoga class, and I’ve had a fun day because Skylar and I had a coffee date blogger meetup witMadeline.

Skylar is such a good food blogger’s daughter, knowing just when to say Cheeze! for the camera and then switching adult’s she poses with!
Young girl next standing next to woman smiling

Woman and young girl smiling on outside patio
We met at our usual hangout and the weather was perfect.  Blue skies and the sun was shining, but it wasn’t hot!  Yet.
Street view from coffee shopOutdoor seating at coffee shop

And I chugged drank two iced coffees!  Hey, they had tons of ice in them and not enough coffee…haha!  I love ice coffees and these were my first official ice coffees of the season, and sitting outside drinking them just what I needed.  And I loved every second of it.

Empty container of iced coffee

Skylar was such a good blogger meetup sidekick, entertaining my friends with her puppet shows and Barbie fashion shows.  As she has been known to do on Previous Meetups Like This One

Young girl with woman smiling together in booth

Or This Meetup

Young girl and woman sitting together on oversized chair


It was great seeing Madeline again and I can’t wait til our next coffee & chit-chat sesh.

Lady in blue dress and young girl smiling outside at coffee shop

But we needed to part company so Madeline could go run around to 5 grocery stores and re-load her stash, and I needed to feed Skylar some lunch.  

Close up of young girls face while smiling

We came home and I fixed her a raw vegan lunch, aside from a few pieces of leftover Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu.

Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu with various fruits and vegetables

And then I dug into the mail…


But First…
Just to recap the Past Couple Posts because they were both big and chock full,  but then again, brevity is not my strong suit…haha!

There was a New Recipe I came up with for Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu 

Stacked Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu on foil lined pan
Three pieces of Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu on pan
 
Tofu Diced & Mixed With Green Food
Diced tofu mixed in salad

Although I don’t see soy being a regular part of my diet, once a month, a few bites of tofu is fun and I don’t think I will suffer too many allergenic consequences, but will be mindful of any random symptoms that present, of course.

Stacked Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu in container

And Thanks for all your great comments, tips, and suggestions for how you make your tofu.  I liked reading those suggestions & comments

And it was fun to hear who has Easter Memories, or Passover Memories, and what they were As I mentioned in the post, Easter was not about religion for me as a kid, it was about The Bunny and the Chocolate Eggs! 

Thanks so much you guys, too, for the congratulations and well-wishes you extended me for getting another one of my Recipes Published!

It was my No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars That’s On The Tropical Traditions Site
No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars recipe photo
One day, I would love to have a cook book published, but writing a book is huge time and energy commitment and right now, I prefer to focus my energy on being a mother, wife, yoga teacher, and keeping up with all my bloggie friends and your blogs!  So one day, yes.  But til then, thanks for the kind words you had about My Recipe Being Published!   

Yesterday’s Post on Dairy FAQ’s was Massive!  
I covered everything from Dairy Allergy/Intolerance to Calcium Info to Myths to Tons Of Dairy-Free Recipes (all my recipes are vegan so they are inherently dairy-free)

Recipes Such As 
Raw Vegan Cheesecake

Raw Vegan Cheesecake in container


One Pot Gluten Free Vegan Mac-N-Cheese

One Pot Gluten Free Vegan Mac-N-Cheese

 Raw Cheddar Dipping Sauce for Veggies or as a Salad Dressing

Raw Cheddar Dipping Sauce
Raw Vegan Caramels

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies on tray

 

Close up of Raw Vegan Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Or  Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse


The Dairy FAQ Post Was Chock Full of Info and pretty labor intensive for me, so I hope you all check it out if you haven’t already!  I appreciate everyone who chimed in letting me know it was helpful and that you learned a few things like Dairy is like Morphine, it really is addictive and you need to break the cycle, but once you do, you’re home free!  

Thank you to everyone who wrote me telling me that you really enjoyed the post, and many of you who wrote said that you were once hopelessly addicted to cheese or yogurt, but that you’ve either cut back, eliminated it all together, or are trying to reduce your dairy intake some.  I think that’s great, but if for whatever reason you’re not able to give up dairy, hey, that’s your path and I am not one to judge, or frankly care what anyone else ingests!  I’ve got plenty to worry about for myself and my own family!  It’s all about finding your path, no dogma, no rules, no judgment.  Do what works for you!

Moving on to Today…
In the mail today, there was some Naturally Nutty waiting for me that Katie from Naturally Nutty Sent me!

I know my Nut Butter lovers like Evan, Ashlei, Katie, Jenny all rave about these and I can’t wait to dig into my stash!

Three Jars of Nut Butters
Pepita Sun Butter JarSide of Pepita Butter jar
Vanilla Peanut ButterSide of Vanilla Peanut Butter Jar
Vanilla Almond Butter

Along with the Pepita Sun Butter and the Vanilla Peanut Butter, the Almond Butter is Gluten-Free & Vegan

Label of Vanilla Almond Butter Jar

And one I cannot wait to try: Butter Toffee Peanut Butter
The Naturally Nutty Gods were smiling down on me, because I won this jar in Emily the Hungry Loft’s Giveaway, and it also arrived today!

Butter Toffee Peanut Butter Jar
Side of Butter Toffee Peanut Butter
Thanks, Emily for hosting a great give away!

And a Big Thanks to Katie at Naturally Nutty and thanks to her for Hooking Up Three Winners in My Give Away for Naturally Nutty that I had on my site a couple weeks ago.

Naturally Nutty Website on jar
And rumor has it I may be having a repeat performance on the Naturally Nutty Contest action again soon!  So Stay Tuned….

I also was lucky enough to receive a major stash of Vegan Goodies & Chocolates from Chocolate Inspirations!!!

Box of Vegan Goodies & Chocolates from Chocolate Inspirations
 
 
Vegan Goodies & Chocolates laid out on countertop

Including…
Vegan English Toffee

Vegan English Toffee
Vegan/Dairy Free Confections

Vegan Fudge

Vegan Fudge

I wonder how this Vegan Fudge will compare to My Vegan Fudge?
My Vegan Fudge-10 Minute No-Bake Recipe, Gluten/Soy/Tree-Nut Free Recipe Here

Homemade Vegan Fudge with sprinkles
Close up of Homemade Vegan Fudge


My  Vegan Fudge with Chocolate Sprinkles

Vegan Fudge in dish cut and topped with sprinkles
Ahhh, good stuff!
Close up of cut Vegan Fudge

And There Was a Chocolate Inspirations Vegan Carmel

Vegan Caramel

And I am excited to see how their caramel compares to My Raw Vegan Caramels!


And Their New Gourmet Vegan Pretzel Bites 

The Ones I reached for first were the White Wine and Red Wine Flavors 
Gourmet Vegan Pretzel Bites in white wine and red wine flavorsPaper of flavors of Gourmet Vegan Pretzel Bites

Thank You, Chocolate Inspirations for you generosity and I am so impressed with the diverse vegan selection of chocolates and treats you have!  I love that you have so many amazing vegan products and you have online ordering and you’re making vegan confections available to everyone! 

Chocolate Inspirations business card

And See What I Ate for Dessert at the bottom of this post for my 1st review of the Chocolate Stash….

Almost Raw Green Food for Dinner included Mixed Greens, Asparagus, Sugar Snap Peas, Cukes, Tomatoes….

Mixed Greens with vegetables drizzled with mustardClose up of Mustard drizzled salad

Dressed With Copious Amounts of Yellow Mustard and my Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing

Lidded Jar of Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing
Close up of Brussel sprout with mustard
….And this is the Last Brussels’s Sprout that My Grocery Store had!  The.Last.One. Major sigh.

I have been to two grocery stores in the past week and they are both out of Brussels’s Sprouts.  How is this possible?  I am going through serious cruciferous withdrawals and brock and cauli are not cutting the mustard.  Sorry, can’t help myself with the mustard joke!

Dessert was A Chocolate Inspirations Vegan Caramel Cup

Vegan Caramel Cup in packageVegan Caramel Cup out of package

The inside of the Vegan Caramel Cup

Inside the Vegan Caramel CupVegan Caramel Cup sliced open and stacked on itself

It reminds me of cross between my high Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cup sliced in half and stacked
Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups sliced showing center
….Because their caramel cup is coated in chocolate.



….And also a cross between My Raw Vegan Caramels
Because of the chewy texture. 

Overhead of Raw Vegan Caramels
Close up of Raw Vegan Caramels

The Chocolate Inspirations Caramel Cup was coated in chocolate, and it’s a very dark chocolate.  Definitely not too sweet and for all the dark chocolate lovers, you’d really enjoy this caramelThe inside was dense and chewy and again, not overly sweet.  

 Chocolate Inspirations Caramel Cup
It was a lovely treat to sink my teeth into and I will be working my way through the rest of my stash, of course!  Thanks again, Chocolate Inspirations!

Yoga today is Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Angle Stretch)
This is a very active pose.  As you are folded over your straight, strong front leg, make sure to keep your quads engaged, and your back leg strong and engaged, too.  Chin to shin.  Drop your neck.  No tension in the head, neck, and shoulders.  Looks like you’re just flopped over, but there’s alot more going on.  Enjoy the deep hamstring stretch!

Woman doing Parsvottanasana yoga pose
** LAST CALL, The Give Away ENDS TOMORROW!**

 Tip of the Day: My Lunchbox & Cooler Set Give Away!

 

Black Cooler BagsRed Cooler BagsGreen Cooler BagsPurple Cooler BagsLight Blue cooler bags

EasyLunchbox food containers 
This set is a great way to Tote Your Snacks, Lunches, and Food!  This is a really Practical Give Away for all you brown-baggers, students, soccer moms, pretty much everyone!

 
I hope You’re Entered

 

Cooler bags with plastic totesClose up of plastic totes
 Click Here to Enter!!!!!!!!

Questions
1.Do You Like Kitchen Appliances and Gadgets?  Do you you have a favorite Knife? If so, What’s the brand, and where did you get it?  It seems that many cooks use their grandma’s knife or knives that were passed down which just proves that quality lasts!

  Hand holding new Ceramic Knife

Other interesting gadgets I have seen lately is a Tofu Press like Anna has that I want, La I got the French Press Covered now, but I am always on the hunt for new and I Can’t Live Without It Finds!  
What gadgets or kitchen appliances do you love!  Sometimes it’s the cheapie things, too, that become the most invaluable!  I have this ome spatula that never fails to get the last little dibble of something out of the bottom of a jar and it’s my go-to, cheap but practical!

2. Do You Liked Ice Coffees or Ice Teas?  Are you a fast drinker?
I love ice coffees, they just hit the spot for me, and I am such a power drinker and can seriously guzzle liquid.  Over the years, Scott never ceases to be amazed at how rapidly I can drink water, coffee, iced coffee, or back in the day vodka, champagne, or wine. I know it’s classier to sip rather than guzzle, but I am a fast drinker, what can I say. 
How about you, fast or slow drinker?   Fast or slow eater?  I also eat fairly rapidly but make a concerted effort to slow down, chew my food, enjoy it, savor it, and my digestion thanks me later, too!

3. Fave Songs that Get You Going or in the Mood For a Great Workout?
In my yoga classes, I play a mix of everything from traditional yoga music like Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Krishna Das, and then some mellow older school tracks like Enigma, Sting, Depeche Mode to current faster upbeat tracks Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas. 
I need to burn some new playlists and would love to hear what songs do you like to workout to?  If you do yoga, is there anything you’d love to hear in a class?  Or what songs if you take group fitness classes do you get excited about? 

Stay Tuned For The Give Away Winner Announcement…

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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