Posted by alisa on February 21, 2010 | 13 Comments
As my husband and I were checking out in the Whole Foods line-up, I spotted them, miniature dark chocolates from Lake Champlain. I inquired on the price and the checker responded, “59 cents … they are really good.” My husband piped up with a stern “You don’t need that right now.” Don’t worry ladies, it wasn’t a weight implication, he just knows how we both seem to be at constant battle with our sugar cravings. I backed off, knowing he was right.
But time passed, as we stood and waited … the checker made a major error when scanning in some items, and we ended up being “those people” who hold up the line … when it is really busy, of course. And isn’t it ironic that when the lines are piling up, the manager is nowhere to be found to override a simple charge? Regardless, the checker was very apologetic, and she must have seen me ogling those chocolates the whole time, because just as we were leaving, she handed two of them to my husband and said, “Here you go. These are for your patience.” My husband thanked her and said that his wife would be very grateful. He knows me all too well.
I know, just a 59 cent item, but it did mean the world to me … both the excellent customer service (thank you Whole Foods, we shall return) and getting to discover these marvelous chocolates. I had never sampled Lake Champlain before, and though I tend to like dark chocolate that is 60 to 70%, this 80% chocolate was heavenly. It was smooth, deep, rich, and had just the right amount of sweetness. Some really dark chocolates are too chalky and bitter for my tastes, but these were seriously soothing. Yes, my husband graciously gave both of those chocolates to me, and I confess that I didn’t hesitate to take them!
This is not frugal chocolate mind you; it is a splurge. But, when you are watching your pennies, those $.59 minis are extremely satisfying! Just wanted to share, as I assume a few (okay quite a few) of you are dark chocolate fans like me. So what is your favorite brand / type of chocolate? Do tell! I think we would all love to know.
Sorry FTC, this review is on Whole Foods, and I will be buying these chocolates with my hard earned cash (for a special treat of course) in the future.
Time for dessert …
Posted by alisa on October 7, 2009 | 17 Comments
Wow, it was a very special birthday indeed. Okay, I know some of you are waiting for the giveaway winners, so we will start off with that. Our old and new home is …
The picture in the giveaway is from the top of Diamond Peak ski resort, overlooking the lake on the North Shore. I really expected more people to guess Lake Tahoe, but only four of you did! Though, the other guesses have helped me add a ton of “to visit” places to my list. So, the winners of the Sweet Vegan E-Cookbook Collection are:
Jen Fernandez – The first person to guess correctly!
Jenna – Comment #84 (selected by Random.org)
Nora – Comment #24 (selected by Random.org)
Congratulations ladies! For everyone else, you can pick up any of Hannah’s E-Cookbooks for just $5 a piece via her popular website, Bittersweet. Trust me, you will want the delicious crustless vegan pie recipes from Mission: Impossible Pies for the upcoming holiday season.
I typically stick to food alone on this blog, but thought it would be fun to share a few blips from my birthday and our first few days back in Lake Tahoe. It just so happened that Squaw Valley threw an Oktoberfest celebration in honor of my birthday (just humor me, okay?) …
But what made the event even more special was that one of my good friends announced that she was engaged. That photo I showed you, from the top of Diamond Peak ski resort, was where her boyfriend (now fiance) proposed to her that very morning on a hike. Lets just say I have never seen anyone so excited about an engagement, ever (anyone who happened to be at the event at Squaw surely heard her yells of excitement at some point during the day!). She is an amazing person, and he is a chef (could she have chosen anymore wisely?), so needless to say I am beyond happy for her …
After the wonderful day of celebrations, I arrived home to find some sweet gifts. Chocolate Emporium sent me some of their truffles and Halloween chocolates to review for Go Dairy Free, but they surprised me with a special chocolate bar right on top of the package (how did they know?) …
And speaking of the sweetest vegan, Hannah sent me a huge batch of her wonderfully rich and decadent homemade (dairy-free) fudge (recipe in My Sweet Vegan I believe), and she spiked it with big chunks of crystalized ginger, since she knows what a big ginger fan I am …
Oh, and did I mention it snowed? Yes, it seems the past three years have been rather warm in North Lake Tahoe, but we show up in the beginning of October, and it snows … go figure …
If you are all about the food, stick around, I have hoards of recipes that just need to be typed up for viewing, cooking, and eating pleasure … more tomorrow!
Posted by alisa on September 2, 2009 | 8 Comments
We interrupt this regularly broadcast blog to announce …
I am going to be on Martha Stewart Living Radio tomorrow!
It is there “Everyday Food” radio show with host Betsy Karetnick. The time slot is scheduled for 12:15pm EST (lunchtime!) on Thursday, September 3, 2009 (tomorrow!), and will broadcast on Martha Stewart Living, Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Sirius channel 112 and XM channel 157.
I will be talking all things dairy-free, my book and beyond, so tune in if you can and please, wish me luck!
Posted by alisa on June 11, 2009 | No Comments
Angela over at Oh She Glows is hosting Shop 4 A Cause, an online auction to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. There are books, food items, purses, and more up for auction from 8am EST until 10:30pm EST on Thursday June 11th. So hop on over to Oh She Glows and support the efforts of a fellow blogger while fulfilling your shopping cravings!
Posted by alisa on May 31, 2009 | 4 Comments
The moment of truth is here. Who will receive this yummy gift of dairy-free, vegan candy bars …
Sarah (comment #202) – That tweet paid off!
Mariposa (comment #22) – “Mama’s” got some candy coming her way!
Jenny (comment #258) – No Pay Day yet, but maybe a Jokerz will do!
Kevin King (comment #108) – Coconut sans hydrogenate oils, just as you requested!
Heather (comment #151) – Another tweet win … ye shall be rewarded for making that extra effort!
Have no fear if you don’t see your name. Go Max Go is working hard to distribute these yumilicious treats. See their Where to Buy page for a retailer in your area or that can ship some candy bars directly to you!
Also, I have a couple of quick announcements today to support some of my favorite healthy bloggers:
- Meghan at Making Love in the Kitchen is hosting her second Green Smoothie Cleanse. It is a 3-day cleanse that will begin Sunday, June 7th. Meghan offers useful tools and information online, and you can live anywhere in the world and join in. Plus, she is giving aways some goodies for extra motivation!
- Angela at Oh She Glows is hosting Shop 4 a Cause to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. You can support her event by donating an item for auction and/or bidding on items that catch your fancy on June 11th. I have contributed new copies of Go Dairy Free and My Sweet Vegan as prizes, but you can bet I will be on the bidding end too!
I have a backlog of recipes waiting to be posted up, in addition to some awesome grocery deals you won’t want to miss. Check back tomorrow as I do plan to keep on blogging …
Want to keep up with my recipes, posts, and giveaways? …
By TwitterIcon.com
Posted by alisa on April 27, 2009 | 15 Comments
I think we all lose our mojo at certain times in our life, whether it be our inspiration, energy, creativity, or motivation. And let’s face it, getting it back is no walk in the park. But like Austin Powers (my idol of course) , I have vowed to get it back at any cost.
My mojo started to slip away about a year ago. I played soccer for 25 years of my life, at least 2 days a week, if not more. Sure, there were injuries, vacations, etc., that sidelined me for a period of time, but I always knew I would be back. Mind you, I am not a competitive person at all, but soccer was my fun, my fitness, and my social network all rolled up into one easy to schedule event. But, last year, about this time, a permanent injury on the field ensured that I would not be returning to soccer or any other contact sports. Doctor’s orders. Darn that doctor.
So, I made feable attempts to continue exercising and immersed myself in finally writing my book. I was in the kitchen constantly, testing and creating recipes. It was fun, but then, my book was done. As a reward for completing it, and to relax, I gave myself a break from the kitchen. Big mistake. So we began to eat out more, and I started exercising less, and I ate more quick sugars, and I started exercising less … do you see a negative pattern forming here?
Needless to say, my energy, inspiration, creativity, and motivation (aka mojo) have all but left me. But I will be darned if I don’t go chasing after it! Luckily, I have a partner in pursuit of their stolen mojo too, my husband.
While lying in a hotel room, watching an infomercial on TV, after consuming a giant dinner out (um, I did say our mojo was gone didn’t I?), Mini-Me ran in and started jumping up and down on our stomachs. Okay, not literally, but it felt like it. Actually, for the first time in my life, one of those irritating infomercials was useful!
We both started talking after it and just one week later, here we are, embarking on a well-planned diet and fitness routine. It is a strict one, making it very difficult for us to stray. And the eating portion is really just preparing all natural food from scratch, no skimping or starving at all (more food in fact!), my kind of dealio. It is more about exercising and eating the foods you need to support that lifestyle as you get fit and for the long run.
Though my husband does need to lose a few pounds (or more) around his middle (I love you dear!), our main goal isn’t weight loss, it is to recapture our energy. We want to get back into hiking, swimming, and all of the things that we now just feel too lazy to do.
I am not yet going to mention the food and fitness plan we are trialing, as I don’t want to promote something until I know it is effective. However, I will be posting up more recipes and foodie ideas. Don’t think for a minute that this means less posts, au contraire baby! (sorry, channeling my inner Austin again)
For anyone still with me, thanks for reading and wish us luck!
Posted by alisa on April 17, 2009 | 7 Comments
I was honored with a wonderful blog “Friends Award” to pass on and share, and I also have some other giveaways to mention …
Mariposa at What Do I Eat Now? is by far my most energetic bloggy friend, and she has bestowed this awesome Friends award upon me, which I am now honored to pass on. The rules seem loose, but I want to award six bloggy friends who I think of as “my possy.” These ladies not only run awesome blogs, but they have also contributed tons of wonderful recipes and reviews to Go Dairy Free (my alter ego) … I don’t know what I would do with out them (don’t forget to pass it on!) …
- Hannah at Bittersweet is certainly my longest running blogger friend, and honestly, she has been my biggest inspiration. For over a year we literally emailed daily; and if you haven’t seen her awesome blog then I just have to know, where have you been?
- Sarah at No Whey Mama has to be one of the most awesome moms, and I more than enjoy having her as a fellow dairy-free blogger.
- Sarena at The Non-Dairy Queen and I have far too much in common. If only she didn’t live on the other side of the country!
- Veggiegirl probably has a bazillion of these awards stacking up in her inbox, but I appreciate her too much not to throw one more her way.
- Karen at Avoiding Milk Protein is a machine when it comes to discovering all things related to milk allergies. I am always amazed at what she finds.
- And of course, right back at Mariposa. Seriously, her positive energy is infectious!
For some awesome recipes and posts, check out all of these ladies’ blogs. Now, for the giveaways! As you probably know, today is the last day to enter the Navan Foods Giveaway on this blog, so enter now if you haven’t already, but there are a couple more I would like to mention:
I can vouch that both products are awesome, so don’t miss out!
Back tomorrow with two winners and more recipes coming your way soon!
Posted by alisa on March 28, 2009 | 21 Comments
After scheduling several posts up, my husband and I secretly slipped away for a two week vacation in Panama. Yep, I have been gone this whole time, but didn’t want to leave the blog nor my website hanging. The trip was wonderful, but I think we both need a vacation from our vacation! Planes, buses, taxis, trekking, serious concentration to speak and understand Spanish … whew, I am exhausted … and not surprisingly, I came down with a bad cold at the end of our trip. I am still battling with it, but didn’t want to wait any longer before going through our pictures.
While not foodie related (the food was good though!) … I am posting up a few pictures of our favorite things in Panama, just to tempt your curiosity:
Coffee Farms – We went hiking on the private jungle/forest of one coffee farm, and took a coffee tour of another. Since I am not a coffee drinker, I had no idea that Panama was known for producing some of the best coffee in the world.
Gorgeous flowers on our hike (gorgeous flowers were everywhere in Panama, they were like weeds!)
The view of the coffee farm as we emerged from the hiking trails.
Very cool handmade birdhouse was a wonderful added touch, and almost necessary in this bird-rich country.
A coffee plant up close. Did you know that coffee beans are actually the seeds of this berry. We each tasted a berry and it was surprisingly sweet.
The production of coffee beans was far less automated than I thought it would be. These are beans (many with the berry still on) drying in the sun on a large cement slab. After drying, they are moved through a series of simple machines for cleaning, sorting, etc, but they also go through three series of hand selection where people literally pick them off on conveyor belts one by one.
My husband enjoying a fresh mug of coffee the next morning on the balcony (yes, he finally got a haircut today!)
Paradise Gardens – This small wildlife refuge was started by a retired British couple in a town called Boquete. They came to Panama for the birds, but fell into animal rescue. The grounds are beautiful and it is a wonderful way to see and learn about the many types of animals native to Panama (they really aren’t easy to just spot in the wild), without fearing for their welfare or feeling sad that some are in cages (all of which were extremely clean and spacious). Once healthy and ready, they reintroduce most of the animals back into the wild, though a few are too domesticated when they arrive at their refuge. We saw several types of monkeys, wild cats, tons of different birds, and a baby anteater (they stick their tongue out when they yawn, so cute!). I couldn’t get a picture of Indie, the Jaguarundi (a member of the puma family) my husband (he is a cat-aholic) had fun playing with because he just wouldn’t sit still even for a second. We loved this place so much, we went back a second time while in Boquete. If we had stayed longer we would have loved to have volunteered. You can read more on the Paradise Gardens website.
A couple of Toucans wandered the greenhouse gardens and loved to attack shoelaces.
I was disappointed when my first picture of this beautiful parrot came out a bit blury …
… so I snapped a second shot, but it seems my subject became a bit camera shy …
Tamarin Monkeys are quite common in Panama. Unfortunately, people tend to capture them for pets, leading to sickness and abuse of these little guys. Luckily, quite a few have been turned into Paradise Gardens where they nurse them back to health and re-release them when possible. They are funny monkeys because they have claws rather than fingers and they love to race up on you. Cute little gremlin faces too … but they do bite.
I forget what type of monkeys these guys are, but they were very intelligent and fun to watch and interact with. Here is one giving some love to the camera …
And of course, there were the Japanese-style gardens, beautiful …
The Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks) – The Canal is set up for tourists to come and view with a big observation building, museum, etc., at one of the Locks. It was definitely fun to visit and learn about.
I loved this picture because the train looks like a little toy. These trains actually pull the ships (we are talking massive freighters, cruise ships, etc.) through the Canal locks. The ships are not allowed to use their own power while going through these channels (which take them up above sea level to transit the channel, and back down to sea level when the reach the opposite ocean), but four of these trains guide the ships by attached cables (two in the front, two in the back) …
Casco Viejo – I cannot tell a lie, we were both disappointed in Panama City. It had a lot of potential, but it was one of the dirtiest and most rundown major cities we have visited. Granted, it was our first visit to Central America, but we have been to a few major cities in South America. However, the Old Town section of Panama City was full of color and beauty. It was awesome for a daytime stroll …
I hate having my picture taken, but thought I needed at least one “I really did go to Panama I swear” shot …
While I don’t have any pictures of the local Panamanians, I do have a snapshot of their artwork. After an exhausting day touristing about, we returned to our hotel room to discover a wonderful sampling of the staff’s talents. Behold, the sleeping towel cow …
On that note, I am off to catch some zzz’s and sleep off the rest of this cold bug!
Posted by alisa on January 15, 2009 | 15 Comments
“You would be the OLDEST patient I have ever done this surgery on.” Let me tell you, I felt pretty silly when I heard these words just yesterday (and why did he have to put such emphasis on the word oldest?). I digress from food today for a quick little story that perhaps a few of you will find as amusing as I did (but, a cheap snack recipe is on the horizon for tomorrow!).
About a year ago, I went to a standard doctor appointment that started out like this:
Doctor: “Stick out your tongue.”
Doctor: “No, I said stick out your tongue.”
Me: (with depresser stick on my tongue) “I amb.”
Doctor: “What? Wait a minute, lift up your tongue.”
Me: (struggling to lift up tongue)
Doctor: “My goodness, you’re tongue-tied. Why didn’t they fix that when you were an infant?”
Me: “You mean it can be fixed?” (yeah, I sounded that dumb)
Fast forward a year, after another doctor noticed my tongue-tied status, and gave me a referral to an ear, nose and throat doctor to get it “fixed.”
ENT Doctor: “Why are you here again?”
Me: “I was told that I am tongue-tied and that it can be fixed.”
ENT Doctor: (laughs – always a confidence booster) “Well, let’s take a look, but if it were really severe, you would have a speech impediment, which you certainly don’t have. (snickers again with disbelief) You would be the OLDEST patient I have ever done this surgery on.”
ENT Doctor: (looks in my mouth) “I’m impressed. Why don’t you have a speech impediment?”
Me: “I had one when I was a kid…”
ENT Doctor: “… but you learned to compensate.”
Me: “Yeah, I guess so” (not mentioning the part about Cindy Brady as my mentor)
Long story, medium-lengthed, nestled at the bottom of my mouth, sits my tongue, with irritation spots all around the perimeter (that don’t feel good btw and always irritate when I eat citrus) from where it rubs against my teeth. Apparently, since my tongue is also full developed, that little attachment has grown quite thick, and it is a bit more of a “procedure” (vs the quick snip on infants and toddlers), but the doctor has assured me (to his own surprise) that this is definitely worth doing.
So all of you moms out there, do a little spot check for me; make sure your little one can roll their r’s before they too get a B- in Spanish class simply for their poor pronunciation.
In the mean time, I am helping this local ear, nose and throat doc go down in the record books for performing that minor tongue-tied procedure on a totally embarrassed, thirty-something patient!
Posted by alisa on December 17, 2008 | 8 Comments
This is not a test, nor is it a joke …
It is still snowing like mad, but it is getting quite dark out … I am hoping for some very cool pictures in the morning!
Older Entries
