Amy's Mac 'N Cheese

Finally got my hands on a box of non-dairy Amy's Mac 'N Cheese and wow! It cost me $4 but it's definitely worth it every now and then as a treat. It uses Daiya cheese so it's super gooey and cheesey. I wanted to offer my husband some to see if it tasted like the real thing, but honestly it was so good I did not want to share! If you're vegan make sure you get the right kind. Amy's makes several versions of Mac 'N Cheese. One is dairy free but still contains a milk protein (it says so on the front of the box.) I found the vegan one at Earth Fare. It also happens to be gluten free as well. It would be something nice to keep in the freezer as emergency comfort food because it certainly is just that. I'm craving green beans and toast now because that's what my mom always used to serve us with mac 'n cheese. Weird but good.

Another food to be on the lookout for is the Sunshine Burger Organic Falafel Pattie. They are on clearance right now at my Harris Teeter so I stocked up. I had one of those the other night with some sliced cucumber and a dip made of veganaise and lemon juice and it turned out to be a really delicious but also super healthy meal.

Mike and I had a date night last weekend courtesy of MyCokeRewards. I turned in some of my points for a Blockbuster movie night (two DVD rentals, one popcorn tub, and two 20 oz drinks). We haven't quite dipped our toes in the whole Netflix thing yet so this was our first movie in a while. We saw two good movies (not great, but they entertained well): Iron Man 2 and Pirate Radio. Before the movies we stopped at McAlister's for dinner. I got the baked potato with veggie chili (minus the cheese). It was very good but too much food for one sitting. They throw two potatoes together so it looks like one giant potato. That's a lot of food! They also have really big drinks. Fortunately that was easy to take with us when we left.

Hope everyone has a cozy Christmas this weekend and a little snow!

Next Two "Best Of"

Best Frozen Meal...
goes to...
Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake
This frozen meal is incredible! I buy it every time it is on sale. Now I may be a little partial because I was involved in the survey to name it, but truly this is one of the best frozen entrees I've ever had. It elevated my opinion of Kashi beyond "good". Read the ingredients. A: it's all natural, no chemical crap; B: it's good stuff you haven't tried before! I'd never had a plantain in my life. What was I missing! It's one of those meals you eat and feel good about afterward. A little spicy, a little sweet, and a little savory. Just the right balance of flavor. Highly recommended.

Best Veggie Burger...
goes to...
Amy's All American Veggie Burger
I first had this burger off the grill at an outdoor picnic at my aunt's house. Both my sister and I were blown away by the flavor. It's hard to describe. It's not meat-like really. There's lots of veggies and grains in there. But a really good mix of savory flavor. My husband (a meat-eater) is a huge fan of this burger as well so it's not just for us vegs. It's a bigger patty so just one will fill you up. It's good prepared in the microwave but I prefer heating them on the stove top. Grilling is good too if you have one. Just like Kashi these are on the pricey side so I wait until they are on sale to buy. They are well worth the price.

"Community" in Stop-Motion Animation!

Thanks to One2One Network I was able to preview the holiday episode of "Community" tonight. I'm a huge Joel McHale fan but due to the timing of the show haven't been able to see many episodes. That's why I totally jumped to see this episode which is not only a Christmas episode but in stop-motion animation!

The animation was really great. The caricatures of the characters were done well and some of the inanimate objects looked pretty cool too (check out the cars while Abed is jumping around.) The story was heart warming with plenty of sarcasm and humor thrown in by the cast. They also threw in a reference to one of my favorite shows which was well appreciated! I won't give it away so you'll have to watch. A lot of the humor is dry but there were definitely a handful of laugh out loud moments.

The premise is that Abed sees the world as stop-motion animation but no one else does. Everyone thinks he's crazy and they try a group intervention when Abed decides his mission is to find the meaning of Christmas. During a little 'Christmasnosis' the group goes on a journey that is part Polar Express and part Willy Wonka. On the way Abed's search for meaning is nearly derailed by the school therapist who is determined to create a scientific paper out of it. Find out what the meaning of Christmas is by tuning in tomorrow night (Dec. 9th) at 8 on NBC.

Best Vegan Bagel

As promised I'm going to share my top picks in various categories for vegan products. I'd like to give top bagel honors to Bruegger's Rosemary Olive Oil bagel. It is absolutely amazing hot out of the oven. If you like Rosemary and Olive Oil and bread you will love this bagel. I really wish a Bruegger's would open in our area. We have to drive a good half hour to get to one. If you're lucky enough to have one in your area you might want to sign up for their email list. I keep getting offers to members who have purchased a mug. It seems they offer a free bagel for these members every month. Pretty sweet deal if you drink coffee.

As honorable mention I'd like to recommend Alvarado St Bakery's Sprouted Wheat Onion Poppyseed bagel. You can get them at most organic/vegan stores. Definitely pricey, but worth it every once in a while. The bagels are pretty crumbly but are very nice toasted. They are a healthy treat to indulge in.

The Kind Diet and other kind products

Yea! I'm currently cooking my first "Kind Diet" meal in the new house. Over the last year I've taken a liking to Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet". I don't follow the diet religiously but it's great to know I have the knowledge to make a healthy, calming meal. She also has a website www.thekindlife.com. Lots of cool posts about vegan restaurants and products available, plus a forum to discuss any level of vegetarianism.

Speaking of kind products, I recently got to try a sample of Tom's of Maine's new Wicked! Fresh toothpaste through Bzzagent. Tom's of Maine does not test on animals (although I believe it's parent company still does, FYI). They also use natural ingredients that are a fresh change from the chemicals in normal toothpaste. The flavor they sent me is peppermint which I've always found to be a bit strong, but it doesn't taste nasty. The toothpaste is supposed to keep your breath fresh all day. Don't know if it lasts longer than other toothpaste, but certainly as long. I have a few extra samples left if you'd like to try it. Just shoot me an email and I'll send it to you!

Mike always has his top 100 lists for media at the end of the year so this year I'm going to have a "top" list too. Mostly vegan products I've tried and been impressed with. Keep an eye out for that toward the end of the year.

I'm back!

Hello! After a chaotic year I am back and starting to get settled in to our new home. I look forward to bringing you exciting new deals and information as we move in to the New Year. For now I'd like to recommend a few services/products that caught my eye over the last year.

If you are looking for a new home (or to sell your current home) and you live in the Triad area, you should strongly consider Gloria Adams at Allen Tate. We had a great experience working with her and she is especially helpful if you are a first time home buyer.

Here's a tip for moving that I learned this go round: get boxes at your local ABC store. Apparently this a well known tip but I was unaware of it before now. The boxes are easy to get to and have less risk of cockroaches. They also tend to be smaller so you are not weighing down your boxes too much. A smaller dense box is much better than a large medium weight box.

Bed Bath and Beyond - check them out if you're in the process of furnishing your house. We found curtain rods and blinds on two separate trips that were reduced nearly 75%. We saved an additional amount by using the coupons they mail out every week or so. The Greensboro store lets you stack the coupons in one order (usually one coupon per item). We saved a lot of money on some nice home decor this way.

Feliway Plug-ins - if you have cats and they are about to be in a stressful situation (moving, new cat, etc), this is the product you need. Truthfully I can't speak as to how much was the plug-in and how much was time, but the cats went from a panicked state to a purring, tail up, affectionate state in less than a day after using this product. I can't say what will happen when it runs out, but for now everything is well and that means so much more to me than the price we paid for the product. By the way if you're looking into buying, check out Amazon.com. It was a good bit cheaper there than in stores.