Vegan Sack Lunch

My favorite sack lunch:

1/2 a vegan sandwich: vegenaisse, spicy brown mustard, lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts, pickles, and sliced bell peppers on wheat bread (just check the ingredients for dairy & honey!).

1/2 salad: mixed greens, avocado, tomato, diced bell peppers, green onions, sprouts, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, chopped apple, sunflower nuts, cilantro, and your choice of vegan dressing (see a previous post for an easy, 10minute recipe for the best ranch EVER!), or a simple mixture of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, & a dash of seasoning.

Fruit (today I had strawberries and apple slices)

Mid-afternoon snack: Slice of vegan carrot bread from Whole Foods

Don't forget to drink lotsa water!!!

Great Greek Dining: Petra

First of all, I wanted to apologize for my absence over the last few weeks... I just started school back up after the holidays, and work has been crazy-busy! 

Second, I wanted to announce that I was one of the winners of 3 boxes of Primal Strips vegan jerky from Primal Spirit Foods (http://www.primalspiritfoods.com/) in the contest I mentioned from an earlier post that I entered through the folks at Vegan Backpackers (http://veganbackpacker.com/). I'll post a review after I try 'em out!

Third, I want to mention my new favorite place to snag a delicious pita. Petra in downtown Sacramento is to-die for! Serving the best Greek food that I've ever had, this is a must for both meat eaters, as well as vegetarians and vegans! My favorite is the Vegi Souvlaki Pita with seasoned vegetables (the mushrooms were mouth-watering!) on scrumptious pita bread and filled with tomatoes, parsley, onions, and tzatziki sauce (or, as a friend pointed out, you can turn it vegan by replacing the sauce with hummus). Get this, they also put french fries in the pita! French fries! So good! Petra uses traditional family recipes, so you are getting a great taste of authentic Greek food at a great price.

They also have a tasty selection of appetizers: grilled haloumi, hummus, dips such as Tyrokafteri/Fiery Feta (this spicy feta cheese dip is next on my list to try!), etc.,  burgers (I know a few meat-eaters that would love the Grecian Burger: 1/3lb beef & pork, charbroiled with Kasseri cheese on a bun with tomato, lettuce, & onion), a la carte items such as Vegetable Souvlaki (seasoned fresh veggies skewered on a stick, charbroiled, and served with a pita), Spanakopita (Spinach pie with feta cheese & wrapped in phylo dough), lamb chops for your meat eating friends and family, a long list of plates (vegetarian/vegan options are on the menu as well), soups, salads, and much more! 

After a night out on the town, skip your usual Taco Bell and Jack in the Box! Petra is open until 3:00am Wednesday through Saturday!! Leave the bar a coupla minutes before last call to beat the crowd at Petra, as the line goes out the door! They also serve wine and draft beer :) Check out their website for more info! http://www.petragreek.com/

Petra: 1122 16th St., Sacramento 916.443.1993

To read another review of Petra, as well as a few other midtown vegan locations, check out the latest article in "Sac Midtown" by Danielle Carlson: http://www.sacmidtown.com/2011/01/2014/ 

Beef jerky for vegans

I used to love beef jerky (or any type of jerky, actually). It was a great snack to have on long road trips, plane rides, hiking, etc. Well, I just discovered a vegan alternative in Primal Strips. I haven't tried it yet, but the Vegan Backpackers (mentioned in a previous post), have a free 24 piece variety pack giveaway to three lucky winners in the US. With flavors such as Texas BBQ, Teriyaki, Hot & Spicy (it has shiitake mushrooms! Yum!), and Thai Peanut, you're bound to discover a few that will quickly become a favorite on your next travel excursion! Follow the below link to enter today! And even if you don't win, definitely check out the Vegan Backpackers site, and try Primal Strips! I know I will :)

http://veganbackpacker.com/blog/primal-strips-giveaway/

National Blood Donor Month

Guess what?! It's National Blood Donor Month! Yay! Ok, seriously, I just got nauseated thinking about blood and needles... However! Part of my new years resolution is to do things that I wouldn't normally do. Such as give blood. Sweet jesus, I'm already hyperventilating just thinking about it!  Although 38% of us are eligible to donate blood, only 8% do. As long as you are over the age of 17, weigh at least 110lbs, and are in good health, you are good to go! Don't want to rough it alone? Get friends and co-workers to go with you. In fact, when I mentioned my brave tour of duty to my co-workers, several decided to join me! And we're not stopping there! We are going to challenge other businesses in our community to do the same. A few moments of your time could save a life! For more info visit: http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/01/06/how-to-help-national-blood-donor-month

Obesity

According to the surgeon general, obesity has become an epidemic. This problem is actually costing our health care system an estimated $90 billion a year. Three out of every five Americans are overweight, and one in those five are obese! Wow... How sad. We even had to rename adult-onset diabetes because our countries children are practically running rampant with it (it's now named Type II diabetes, which typically occurs when your body's ability to manage glucose wears down from overuse). So, in other words, your general laziness when it comes to health is killing your children. As Achoo said in Robin Hood: Men in Tights "Look at yourselves! I said take a look around!" Or something to that effect, anyway. 

Because of diabetes, and other health problems that go hand in hand with obesity, today's kids could actually end up with shorter life expectancies than their parents. What?!! Just when we thought our fat asses couldn't get any worse, the United Nations has reported that the billion people suffering from overnutrition now outnumber the 800 million suffering from malnutrition. Did someone say "gluttony"?

Research has proven that people, as well as animals, will eat up to 30% more than they normally would when presented with larger portions (Do you really need to super-size your meal?). Unfortunately, thanks to a little something we call evolution, human appetite is elastic. In other words,  our "hunter-gatherer ancestors" would pig out when the opportunity presented itself, which allowed them to build up reserves of fat against any future famine.  But guess what? With our current fast food nation, as well as our complete and total access to food, we are allowing our bodies to store fat reserves for a famine that will never happen! 

With the new year upon us, it's the perfect opportunity to make a New Year's Resolution to eat less junk, and work out more. Have kids? There are Farmer's Markets everywhere! Take the kids to pick out their own healthy snacks, and rediscover the simple joys of a fresh orange, homemade breads, and support your local farmers by enjoying incredible honey, delicious nuts, etc. While you are already out enjoying the morning with your family (or alone!), take a walk around the neighborhood. You may just discover a new cafe, coffee shop, antique store, etc. along your travels! Make a pledge to eat out less and decrease your junk food, and try new healthier foods and recipes at home more!

Websites to Visit

The Kind Life (http://www.thekindlife.com/). I've loved Alicia Silverstone for years. I must have watched Clueless a zillion times before an ex stole my beloved VHS tape (the bastard!). So, when I heard Silverstone had a book out about her road to becoming vegan, as well as tips and recipes for maintaining a vegan lifestyle, I was stoked! I completely recommend the book (I will be doing a review in the near future). If you want an insight to how informative our gal can be, check out her website. It has recipes, facts, helpful hints, blogs, food reviews, links to online shopping, and much more!

VegNews Magazine (http://vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=1456& catId=7) is one of my new favorites! There are book reviews, articles with interesting info such as baking substitutions, gardening, living eco-friendly, vegan traveling, favorite veggie people, places, trends, products, etc., blogs, videos, online shopping, sanctuary stories, and much more! 

VegWeb.com (http://vegweb.com/) has over 13,000 recipes! You have access to an extensive list of delicious appetizers, great beverage ideas (even cocktails!), scrumptious breads, delectable desserts, crock pot recipes, casseroles, soups for any occasion, and anything else you could ever want or need!

Vegan Backpacker (http://veganbackpacker.com/) is a fun blog written by a vegan couple traveling all over the world. Not only do they give great tips for traveling while sticking to a vegan lifestyle AND a budget, they write about all the delectable foods and beverages they've come across on their adventures. This is a fun site to check out for mouthwatering photos, ideas, inspiration, maps, travel guides, etc.

I find that Take Part (http://www.takepart.com/) is a great site to go to for interesting articles on politics, health, food, schools, green living, lifestyles, etc. For example, they have this fun map where you click on your state, and it tells you what that state is doing best. Fyi, California received a frown face for having bad energy policies, but on the plus side, we have the most UFO sightings every year (6,331). For my Nebraska folks, you're producing the most commercial red meat than any other state! Egad! 

Pyramid Tracker (http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/) is great for those of you wanting to assess your food intake as well as your physical activity. We used this site during my nutrition class.

Week 1 of no grocery shopping...

In an earlier post I mentioned my bad habit of buying groceries when I already have food at home. I also stated that I am going to attempt to eat everything else in my pantry, fridge, & freezer before going shopping again (except for small items that would finish off a meal). Well, I started yesterday. I have this week all planned out! Keep in mind, I spend about $200-$300 a month on groceries. For just me!!! When I was in my 20s, I could live on $50! So, let's see how much I save throughout the month of January! I'm hoping to use the money saved for a mini vacation!

Sunday: I slept in late, so I skipped breakfast & went straight to lunch, which was brown rice & vegan Kung Pow Chicken (it was so good that I had it for dinner too!) 

Monday: I had a packet of oatmeal that I found crammed in the back of the pantry (don't worry, it was still good!). Lunch was a slice of leftover vegan pizza from Sat, & the leftover tidbits from the above mentioned rice & "chicken". For dinner tonight, I'm making spaghetti w/vegan buttered sourdough toast. 

Tuesday: Breakfast will be an apple that I forgot all about, but it happens to still be thriving! & a piece of peanut butter toast. I have salad fixin's for lunch, & leftover spaghetti w/vegan parmesan cheese is on the menu for dinner.

Wednesday: I forgot about a bag of potatoes that I've had sitting around, but luckily they're still in good shape. I also found half an onion, so I'll be making breakfast potatoes. Yum! For lunch, I'll finish off my bag of salad. I've had some vegan burgers & buns in the back of my freezer for about a month now, so I'll stop by the fruit & veggie stand near work for an avocado & a tomato for toppings. Looks like some of those potatoes will be turned into fries!

Thursday: Breakfast will be more breakfast potatoes (hey, I love 'em & there's enough for 2 days!!) Lunch: along w/potatoes, I also have some frozen corn, so I'll be chowing down on a baked potato & corn smothered in vegan butter. Dinner will be leftover burgers & the smackle of sweet potato fries stuffed in the back of my freezer.

Friday: I have some veggie bacon, sausage, & english muffins, & since today is 1 of my vegetarian days (as opposed to vegan Mon-Thu) I'll be enjoying a sausage mcmuffin! I have an eggplant parmesan frozen tv dinner, so that'll be a delicious lunch! I have a corner of a wedge of sun dried tomato & basil brie left from last wknd, so for dinner I'll finish that off w/the rest of my pita chips.

Saturday: Breakfast will be another mcmuffin (really, I love these so much, I'd eat them every day if they were vegan!). Lunch will be a can of french onion soup that's been in my pantry for about 3mo! I think I'll make pesto pasta for dinner... I need to check the exp. date on the jar of pesto!

Sunday: Another mcmuffin (I'm not kidding, I love these!). Lunch will be leftover pasta, & dinner will be mashed potatoes & corn.

As for snacks & dessert, I have lots of trail mix ,as well as vegan ice cream, sorbet, & gelato.

Z Pizza

I don't know about the rest of you, but I spent most of this last wknd recuperating from New Years Eve. I didn't even want to change out of my pj's, let alone cook! So, a friend & I managed to drag ourselves from out of our caves to Z Pizza at 3984 Douglas Blvd in Roseville. Luckily, it's 4min from my house, so I didn't have to drag my ass too far. Founded by Sid Fanarof & originating from Laguna Beach, CA, Z Pizza provides 100% organic wheat flour the staff prepares every day, which is then hand-thrown & fire-baked to crisp perfection. 

I had been looking forward to trying this place out all week, after discovering them online while searching for vegan & vegetarian restaurants, bakeries, etc. in Roseville. Z Pizza boasts salads, pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, rusticas, etc. Offering vegan cheese, this cozy little place has a few great options in the pizza department. Unfortunately, they were out of vegan cheese the night my friend & I stopped in. Which, I'll admit, pissed us off. But, we ordered the Berkeley Vegan pizza (veggie burger crumbles, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, & bell peppers) anyway, sans "cheese". On top of our initial annoyance over no vegan cheese, I also felt the service was severely lacking (but then again, like my friend & I, the staff was probably hung over from the night before). 

Anyways! The pizza turned out great, even w/out the "cheese". We also had to ask for a side of marinara sauce because apparently, when we said no cheese, they assumed we also meant no sauce! However, the crust was delicious. They offer three types: gluten-free, regular, & wheat. And, although I was initially pissy about the service & the lack of vegan cheese, I will definitely go back! The menu is just too mouth-watering to not return for more! I want to try the Penne Pesto, the Yuppie Veggie Sandwich (I'm a sucker for carmelized onions!), veggie calzone, the Pear & Gorgonzola salad, & several of their pizzas substituting for the vegan cheese. To view their menu, click here: http://www.zpizza.com/food/download_menu