I'm sick. Here's a post. Bleck.

  

So, Chris and I have some evil head & chest cold. :-/ I'm sorry but you're all getting a short little post. I've got LOTS of great stuff to write up ASAP! 

*Update! 8/31! Turns out I have WALKING PNEUMONIA! Insert "Walking Dead" jokes here. :-/ If you're not familiar with walking pneumonia, here's a link.

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/walking-pneumonia

First, most important part of this weekend, AUBURN BEAT ARKANSAS!!! War Eagle!!!

Hunter :) aka "Ninja Kitty" ;p

Today - Satuday- has been soup day. :) Warm drinks and soups are so helpful with my sore throat and chest congestion. 

Sorry Warhol, I'll pass on the soup cans

First, my sweet husband made me some tomato soup- the good ol' Campbell's Soup kind. :) Nothing fancy, but not junk food either!

Chris made me "Copycat Campbell's Tomato Soup", hummus on celery, and pita crackers. Here's the recipe- it makes darn near five cups of soup, has less 'stuff' then the condensed soup, and is JUST as easy to make! No joke!

http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-campbells-tomato-soup-471735

*you can control your sodium a bit by using no salt added tomato products

I scarfed this beautiful meal -served to me IN BED on a tray :) - and followed it up with a four hour nap. Lol. 

*Right now I am eating another cup nuked in the microwave. I heat it for one minute in a big mug, stir in a spoonful of sour cream, and nuke another minute. Now it's Tomato Bisque! Lol :)

If Chris turned his nose up because soup was from a can, I'd smack 'em.

Miso Soup for the Soul

Around supper I still wanted soup. SOUP!!! I don't know how my mind gets me into such things, but I ended up making some Asian Cold Remedy Soup. :p Soooo good! Sorry, no recipe for this one! Just hydrate your noodles, make your miso, and add whatever you want!

Miso broth, cellophane noodles, and asian seasoned sautéed chik'n cubes. Yum-o. Even Chris said so!

Seasoned Chick'n with oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and fish sauce. 

14 grams of protein each!

 It all started with two sore throats. :( Most of last week Chris & I were feeling pretty run down. We assumed it was classes & work and MAYBE a touch of flu shot side effects. I came down with a sore throat Thurs night/Fri and Chris called me from work on a Friday to compare notes. :-/ 

Well, three days later we both have what I guess are well formed respiratory infections. Here is our "life support". Don't worry, we're responsible. :p

 

22 Natural Throat Remedies- and cheap!

With my throat I've had about a hundred warm drinks. I found this awesome site! Check them out & bookmark it for the onslaught of the plauge season. I think my favorite is hot water (like for making tea), 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Sounds wacky, but it's like an apple cider but a bit tarter- kind of like lemon in hot tea. 

http://everydayroots.com/sore-throat-remedies

Maybe we should just try this stuff... ;p

I'm guessing/hoping it's aspirin based??

Here's my day- eating soup (with tangerines :p) and watching cartoons... :)  PBS's "Arthur" on Hulu Plus via Apple TV. :) We cut our Cable today! :D

See ya!

"Daddy's sleepy... or broken." ~ Lana :p

Do you REALLY want that perfect cat eye liner?

Pain Free Shopping for Cruelty Free Products! :)

I MUST kiss that nose!!!

Today I had an adventure using the Cruelty Cutter app at Walgreens. I was on the market for a few new bath products and have no heart to buy products that are not required -in any way- to be tested on animals. 

The Cruelty Cutter app is a simple and amazing tool to make cruelty free shopping AND advocation seamless. The  iStore app is $2.99, but that goes to The Beagle Freedom Product. Using your phone's scanner you can learn the cruelty status of that pretty cat eye liner- IS it really cat eye?

The app has SO many more awesome features. 1st, Doggy Dollars. 2nd, "shout outs". 3rd, alternate suggestions. 4th, "Please check?".  And finally the LIST! These all play together, but let me say in addition to scan searching items, the app has a HUGE list of products. You can sort and search by cruelty free or not, alphabetical, or by catagories.

Now- Doggy Dollars and "Shout Outs" (my term :p). What's better than raise awareness virtually effortlessly on your Facebook, Twitter, or even just texting WHILE earning REAL money for Ransoming lab animals!

 In the app, whenever you view a product - good or bad- you can earn Doggy Dollars by posting the status of that product. For a cruelty product you can tell your friends AND "bite back" by simply sending a form email by CC via your email address letting them know why you did not buy THAT product that day. Immediate feedback! 

This is a screen shot for a product I "bit back" while shopping. And I LOVE Hello Kitty. :( If you notice the Twitter hashtags one will tack itself on Dial's account! Bam! This is the standard text, but you can add or subtract any part of it. 

I like that if a product comes up with an "undetermined" status, you can also send an email to CC research department requesting an investigation. That's power!!! I earned about $8 Doggy Dollars today! :) 

*Ok, ok. NOT in the spirit of activism, but I do sometimes text myself or Chris when I am on a hunting binge. I don't often, but I don't want to loose the Doggy Dollar!

Today's Purchases:

Soap! Dr Bronner's to be specific. :) This stuff is amazing! It's called "all-one" because it's pretty much the only cleaner you -and your home! and pets!- could need. Super easy on the skin due to it's hemp Castile make up. Give Dr Bronner's Soap a google. See the little bunny? Not a guarantee to cruelty free, but a good start!

Wet 'n Wild Nail Polish! $0.99 sale! War Eagle! Guess whose getting an Auburn pedi?!

Wet 'n Wild waterproof mascara, also on sale! :D My old tube was COMPLETELY empty...

Ladies, who didn't pretty much live in the Wet 'n Wild cosmetic section? Little did we know, we WnW is one if the best pharmacy store cosmetic cruelty free choice. To the best of my knowledge, all of their range is! :) 

EOS lip balm for comparison. All EOS products are CF too!

Ology Milk & Honey Body Lotion

-no harmful chemicals

-24 hr moisturizer

I slapped some on before Chris & I left for dinner. OMG! Love! First, it smells like my beloved Hawaain Tropic sunscreen (don't ask, lol). It's so rich and creamy! Immediately soothed my itchy dry skin. It was just oily enough, if that makes sense. I don't like lotions that are almost all water. My skin needs as much bang as it can get! 

When I got home I noticed that Ology is a line produced by Walgreens. Now I am torn. :-/ Walgreens products -things THEY have made for them vs buy to sell in their stores- are animal tested. Cvs's aren't. We're thinking about swapping. However, do I buy Ology stuff to show Walgreens what people want or is it robbing Peter to pay Paul?? I'll think that over while I enjoy this tube. :)

 

The whole "Yes to ____ (insert veggie line)" is CF. :D They have a TON of stuff! These are sensitive facial wipes. Again, my face is so dry! I am prone to occasional acne, but I find tea tree oil is THE best blemish treatment. 

Good ol' Burt's Bees! This is a "creme" aka pretty thick cream. It smells wooonderful! I might see how almond milk creme tastes. ;) Weelll, maybe it's best to stick to the almond milk in the 'fridge. ;p

My hands, elbows, and feet always need extra love. :) Also, my dulcimer playing leads to blisters. Cremes are great to keep them soft- then you get the benefit of "tough skin" without rough or cracking skin.

While I did worry what the impression I was making scanning so many items - mostly in case they thought I was shoplifting!- it was a great feeling to come home with fun AND cruelty free loot!

Note- Carmex is CF! My allergy induced dry nose and chapped lips rejoice!

Nite nite!

"Daddy sleepin'" -Lana

Meal Round-up!

I apoloze this post will be a bit a abreviated. :) Tuesday night was to be blog night, but it ended up being migraine night inside.  :-/ But! Here is a run down of the last week's foods! :) I'll get back ASAP to post recipes and links. If you simply cannot wait, give 'em a Google. ;p

It was the second week of classes at University so it's the second week of our post class Waffle House trip. Whaaa?? Right? Now if I was vegan or a "hardcore" veggie, maybe I'd have problems there. But, I get fried eggs & hashbrowns and maybe a waffle. It's more about being with my Honey. :) We even made a trip back to our favorite Chinese buffet. We used to go nearly every week! I hit the salad bar, stir fried veggies, egg rolls, and LOTS (lol) of sushi! *Remember, I'm ok with fish- ie pescaterian. :) 

Parmesan Pesto Ravioli 

Frozen cheese ravioli topped with pesto and Parmesan. All from ALDI & made a great quick meal! I boiled the pasta and gently nuked the pesto. Tossed the two and topped with the cheese. Yum! 

Chili-Bean & Cheese Casserole

Me, shoulder heating pad, & one excellent tortilla chip! Terrible pic I know, but it's so funny. lol! Supper was "Chili-Beans & Cheese" and it was great! It was pretty much a simple casserole of red beans, green chilies, and cheese sauce casserole. We ate is over tortilla chips and the two of us gobbled it all up in one meal! Double batch next time!

Morning Star Nuggets

Simple lunch: Morning Star Chick'n nuggets (12 mg protein/4 pcs), honey mustard, raw celery & carrots, hummus. Baked the nuggets - SOOO great!!!- in the toaster, cut up the veggies and dipped out the hummus while they cooked. All of it took about 15 mins. I swear if you served these nuggets to an unsuspecting victim, they'd have NO idea! Chris had a bite and was going for more after!

Khao Phat 

Thai Fried Rice, or Khao Phat. Like Pad Thai, but over steamed rice. And topped with a soft-cooked egg! :) Sweet, spicy, creamy, rich, and Yum! I had a great time cooking this because Chris pitched in to help with the prep. :)

All mixed up! Seasoned up with soy sauce and Thai fish sauce. And tissues- major allergies!! The spicy peanut sauce really helps open your sinuses. :) 

Lana helped prepped a carrot... kind of... ;)

Morning Star Breakfast Maple "Sausage" with canned pears, glass of milk, multi-vitamins, and a BIG side of homework!

 

Like the nuggets, these got heated in the toaster oven. They have that nice meaty, crunch often missed from the veggie breakfast and a little splash of real maple syrup- Mmm! The homework? Eh. :(

Homemade Teriyaki Glazed, pan sautéed compressed firm tofu

So good I forgot to take a picture before! 

Preeety. :)

Protein Smoothies

Lately I have not had any appetite from breakfast. I partially attribute that to a more consistently nutrient rich diet getting me through the night. However, I know I have to get something into my system to start the engine! I just sip on it throughout the morning. :)

I don't have a real "formula", but generally I go with Greek yogurt, silken tofu, either flax seeds, nut butter, or an egg, frozen fruits and/or berries, sometimes some honey, and a pinch of xantam gum. I often have frozen berry, banana, & fresh spinach or peanut butter banana & honey. Yum. :) 

Backyard Harvest :) Tomato Overload!

 

Picked all these from our garden on Tuesday. Crazy huh? I guess thats ~3 pints of cherry tomatoes! 

Quinoa & White Bean Salad with Tomato-Caper Salad

*Sorry, not the best photo. Here are some close-ups though. 

Chilled salad of quinoa, white beans, green beans, bell pepper, red onion, fresh parsley, and lemon zest & juice tossed with red wine vinegar & olive oil. I'm sure you know quinoa AND beans are both excellent complete protein sources. 

This is an awesome little salad recipe I got from my long-time friend Dixie. It makes use of cherry or grape tomatoes which are generally tasty all year- and not so costly!

It holds up in the 'fridge for a long while too. Great when you have a whole BUCKET of cherry tomatoes!! The recipe has halved tomatoes, capers, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt & cracked pepper. :)

Crock-Pot Red Bean Chili & Cornbread

Isn't this an adorable photo? It's not mine of course...

Please steer clear of the "Everything Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook"! I have made about four things from it and only ONE (Raisin bread French toast) was good! The rest I salvaged by a major overhaul since I couldn't waste that much food! 

This chili was the same. :-/ The beans were tough and it was SUPER spicy! Ask Chris! But, by adding more diced tomatoes, a bit of brown sugar, increasing the cooking time, and served it over cornbread with sour cream & cheese. Wow! Excellent! 

Next Week?

The goal of next week is to try super cheap eats! Pinterest don't fail me now!

Here is our meal menu:

-Cheese & Bean Quesadillas

-Grilled Pimento Sandwiches (aka sammys in our home :p) & potato chips (splurge!)

-Salmon Patties, we have the salmon "in stock"

-Red Bean Nachoes, for the hubbs!

-Asian Salmon Slaw, love asian slaw!

-Cheese Ravioli w. pesto or Alfredo sauce

Ok, have a great week! Try a new food this week! Even something you think you won't like!!

She loved it. :p A lot!