Cheesesteaks, Trader Joe’s, and Brussels Sprouts!

Hi everyone! Last week my sister and I went to Seed & Soil again after I saw online that they had added cheesesteaks to their menu. We each got a cheesesteak and a pineapple lemonade, as well as the mac & cheese bites to share – the cheesesteaks were great and the mac & cheese bites were really fun! 

On Monday, I finally made it to Trader Joe’s, hooray! I stocked up on some of the fun things I’ve seen recommended on other blogs, as well as fall/Halloween goodies. If there’s anything I missed, definitely let me know so I can keep an eye out next time! 

I found these vegan and gluten-free hamburger buns at Giant on Tuesday, so I figured I would give them a try, and they’re so good! I’ve been using the buns for the Morningstar cheezeburgers, which are also delicious! 

Served with homemade pickles, carrots with Daiya ranch (I want to finish up that bottle before opening the Trader Joe’s ranch dip), and Trader Joe’s tater tots with ketchup.

I also tried a new recipe this week – it was my first time making Brussels sprouts, and it was a success overall! For the Brussels sprouts, I used half frozen, half fresh; the thawed frozen ones were small enough, but some of the fresh ones were a bit too big and didn’t cook all the way through. Also, to make things simpler, I combined the tempeh and its marinade with the Brussels sprouts instead of making a separate sauce for the sprouts. It was really tasty, and I’ll definitely make it again! 

Served atop white rice.

The pumpkin Joe-Joe’s were really good; we finished them off at D&D on Wednesday, haha! I also tried the Pumpkin O’s with some unsweetened soy milk and added dried cranberries as well, which was nice… 

And now it’s kitty time! Here are two sketches I did this week… 

Leela keeping me company while I was meditating…

And Daisy, apparently waiting to be served a meal at the table… 

Peace. :)

More Good Food and Kitties!

Hi everyone! For breakfast last Saturday I made myself the pumpkin oatmeal from Food for Dissertating, and it was so good! 

And then for lunch we went to the Great American Pub (Phoenixville), where I got the garden vegetable quesadilla from the vegan section of the menu, and that was delicious as well! 

I found some goodies on sale at Giant this week – I grabbed the Kite Hill strawberry (good) and blueberry (OK) yogurts. My favorite yogurt brand is still So Delicious, but it was fun to try something new! I haven’t gotten to try the Morningstar Farms cheezeburgers yet, but I’m looking forward to it!

And here’s my favorite version of green bean casserole so far (makes four servings), which I made this week: Cook 1 cup rice in 4 cups mushroom soup, stir in 1 cup TVP near the end and remove from heat, letting sit for about 10 min. Then add in 1 cup of a mix of green beans and yellow wax beans (I prepared mine from the garden the day before by cutting them up, boiling them for about 30 min, and then running them under cold water). Top each serving with ¼ cup of crispy onions. 

And now for the kitties! Here’s a sketch I did this week of a sleepy kitty…

I caught Leela sticking her tongue out for a second and managed to get a picture; she says that’s what she thinks of her medicine, hehe! But it does seem to be helping – her mouth still bothers her now and then, but she is eating much better!

And Cringer says, “If I fits, I sits...” 

Peace. :)

Kitties, Good Food, and a Bun!

Hi everyone! Leela had her recheck yesterday; even though she’s been eating well and seems to be experiencing less mouth pain, the vet said the sore spot hasn’t cleared up, so it’s probably a growth of some sort. Since the prednisolone seems to have helped, we’re going to keep her on it; the vet pointed out that this also could help slow the progression of the growth if it’s actually cancer (with where it is in her mouth, surgery to remove it isn’t an option). The vet told us other things to look out for that would indicate the problem is getting worse, but for now, Leela’s still eating and enjoying snugs. Here’s a pic from when she hung out with me last night…

My sister visited on Monday so we went to Sutao Cafe and enjoyed so much good food at the buffet! My two plates, two wonton soups, and some dessert…

I got this cute pic of the little bun…

And made a cauliflower scramble with some modifications to this recipe (I used a full head of cauliflower, substituted baby bok choy for the asparagus, and left out the toasted walnut topping and microgreens) and finally tried Benevolent Bacon, which was just OK…

Here’s Rogue, ready to pounce from under the packing paper…

Peace. :)

Happy October!

Hi everyone! Leela’s been doing well this week – and being super cute like always! It was cool enough last Friday night that she finally hung out on her warm white blanket; she’d avoided it all summer, haha!

On Saturday, I went down to Bridge Street and had to take a picture of this sign outside Reads & Company, complete with a photobomb by Rose of Diving Cat Studio Gallery… 

She was doing a walkabout and decided to stop in at the bookstore, so I went in with her, and picked out a new book! 

Some of my improved green bean casserole; I added penne, nutritional yeast, and some salt… 

Leela being a goof…

A photo of the foundry building… 

Some fun finds that were on sale at Kimberton Whole Foods – I’m really excited to try the Plant Snacks crackers (I’ve heard such good things about them!), the pizza I’ve had before and enjoyed, and the cream cheese I grabbed for Zach…

And they had these Hippeas snack packs for Halloween, so I figured that would be a nice addition to the candy bowls!

On Tuesday, I made the salad with tofu, rice, and spicy peanut sauce from My cat loves Daiya! (minus the cabbage), and it was so good! 

I also got some treats from Vegan Essentials! I’m so excited to try the Vegan Dude chips (I first saw them on Kittens Gone Lentil), and the Primal Strips Thai Peanut jerky is so good but I haven’t seen it at Kimberton for a while so I decided to stock up... 

And finally, a sleepy Leela from last night… 

Peace. :)