Author Archives: Alexa

Hiking, Lil’ Bub & Beer

August 31, 2015

I was told that there is now a Lil’ Bub app available for the iPhone…so guess what I have now!?

A few weeks ago my friends Keith and Jenine along with Ian and I went on a little day trip. I’ve recently gotten a new phone with a much better camera and couldn’t wait to start taking some photos to share on the blog.

We started our trip by going to one of my new favorite breakfast spots called Meemom’s in Wall, NJ. I had originally stumbled upon the restaurant on instagram only to soon find out it’s only about a 15 minute drive from Keith and Jenine’s house. They are well known for their copious french toast options, but they have a very diverse menu and even offer options on the healthier side. I’ve been there a second time now since we went this weekend, and I can definitely say that I’ll be going back again, but maybe to try some of their other delicious dishes. They do offer a few vegan options (you could grab the Grandma’s Oatmeal, Fruitini, and Fresh Fruit Salsa from the snack cabinet part of the menu. You could also get a side of spuds, toast, or fresh fruit. Salads would include Mom’s Salad, Portobello, and Bleu-Berry sans cheese.), non of which are french toast options but I saw plenty of vegetarian friendly meals on the menu.

This was Ian’s breakfast for the morning. I actually have no recollection as to what he got, but dang did it look beautiful.

This “Churro” french toast was divine and is definitely my favorite item that I’ve tried so far.

*Disclaimer: I’ve actually been back since we’ve gone, I just had to bring my sister to this place and I had the “Campfire” french toast. It’s S’mores flavored. I loved it.

After Meemom’s we drove towards our first destination. The original plan for the day had been to visit a bunch of trails spread throughout northern New Jersey and hike to see the waterfalls on each of them. We started with Tillman Ravine which is a part of Stokes State Forest. I had visited Stokes when I was in the 6th grade, it was traditionally a trip that the 6th graders took every year, but I haven’t been back since. The weather was hot, but not too humid, so as far as I was concerned it was perfect hiking weather. Being underneath the shade of the trees and near the flowing water made everything a bit cooler and comfortable.

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Later on we got a bit off course after we noticed we were a bit short on time to get to the next waterfall and trail. We were passing through a small town and Jenine happened to notice it was Millbrook Village, which she’d mentioned she has always wanted to visit. Millbrook is a historic, small town that had been abandoned in the 50’s. There was supposed to be something built in it’s place, but that never went through and now a little bit of history is left behind so people can visit and appreciate if they’re in the area. It’s always interesting to see what things used to look like and imagine the people living there.

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My favorite part of visiting old abandoned places or historical buildings is all of the tools that have been recovered. Especially when they are set up like the tools in one of their barns on the property.

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We stopped at a vintage-type “drive-in” diner called The Chatterbox for lunch. I wanted to take pictures because it was really cute and retro inside, and reminded me of something that Amanda and Katie would be all about, but It was just such a big space and the idea of a bunch of people staring at me with my iPhone taking pictures was the last thing I wanted when I was hungry. Chatterbox was apparently featured on the Food Network for one of their staple sandwiches (definitely not vegan or vegetarian friendly), but I opted for their veggie burger instead. It was pretty good, but the milkshake that Keith and I split was definitely what made the meal.

Once lunch was finished we stopped at Angry Erik’s Brewing in Lafayette Township. The brewery has only been around for about a year and it resides in a small building off a main drag in town. For being smaller and newer, I enjoyed every single one of the beers we tried.

The atmosphere inside was relaxed and very welcoming. We have been to a few breweries now as a group, and I know Jen and her husband have been to a few as well, and sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming just to get through the brewery tour (which is mandatory in New Jersey) depending on the size of the company. I would actually hope that Angry Erik’s gets to have a bigger space because that’ll mean they’re doing really well, but I would happily make a journey out that way to have more beer from them. I highly recommend it!

Posted by Alexa in Beer, Tour NJ, Traveling Tags: abandoned town, Angry Erik's Brewing, beer, breakfast, ghost town, ghosttown, hiking, Lafayette Township, Lil Bub, Meemon's, Millbrook Village, Stokes, Stokes State Forest, Tillman Ravine, Tour New Jersey, Tour NJ, Wall, Wall NJ

My Favorite Vegans & Vegetarians

July 21, 2015

Once I became a “Flexetarian” (flexible vegetarian: I am working more and more each day to be a full veggie-saurus, but sometimes eating meat -with exceptions- is hard for me to avoid at the moment) I started to take note of the people I follow in media who are vegan and vegetarian. The more I thought about it the more I felt as though they needed a shout-out and appreciation post, because these people are not only health, animal, and Earth conscious, but they are also just plain awesome. This will be an ongoing project, I think, seeing as I find more cool people who love the planet and it’s inhabitants every day.

Tyrannosaurus Lexxx on Youtube

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I stumbled across Lex’s page a few months back after seeing a video from Laci Green that was about internet equality and making the internet a safe place for women. The main reason her page had popped out at me was mainly because I had created a character with the same name during college (she was a super-villain version of me that wore a silly dinosaur suit and had a fat Komodo Dragon as her companion…really old and badly drawn evidence here), Obviously I had to investigate! It turns out that Lex is a super awesome Vegan-British woman who also happens to be very funny and smart. I hadn’t actually found out about her veganism until I was searching through more of her older videos. All I had known was that she was a big proponent of Lush which specializes in cruelty free and natural based cosmetics and bath products. Along with her main channel (listed above) which is updated weekly with varying types of videos she also hosts a channel called “Girly as Hell“. It hasn’t been updated in about a year, but it still has a great amount of informative videos about veganism and cruelty free beauty products, as well as fashion and ‘haul’ videos.

Daniel Bryan

While Daniel Bryan is not currently a vegan, he still tries to maintain a mostly vegan diet while being on the road for WWE. He has certainly mentioned his love for vegan food in a (somewhat) recent interview, but he’s been unable to continue his veganism because of a negative reaction to soy. Many “on the go” vegan products have a soy base, and while traveling at all hours of the night/day (and feeding themselves enough calories for an athletic body) it isn’t easy to keep to a strict diet like that. I also want to mention that he and his lovely wife Brie Bella are, as the call themselves, “locavores.” Being on the road as much as they are, they always make sure to post which local farm-to-table restaurant or coffee shop they visit. It’s adorable and I’m sure it helps out the businesses in some way as well! They also have a grey water system built into their backyard in Phoenix, Arizona. These two are probably some of the most earth conscious wrestlers I’ve ever heard of and I appreciate the fact that they don’t hide it to try and keep some sort of weird “street cred” in the wrestling world. It also helps to add to Bryan’s TV persona from time to time if the story calls for it.

Beside the fact that Daniel Bryan is a super chill guy, he’s also a fantastic athlete in the squared circle. He had two amazing matches during Wrestlemania 30 which led to him becoming the World Heavy Weight Champion (until complications intervened) and is currently the Intercontinental Champion. I could go on and on, and I wanted to post some of his best matches below but WWE keeps a pretty tight lock on their best material. I’ll just post my new favorite photo of Ian and I below!!

Mr. Ian and I got to meet Daniel Bryan last month and I gave him a little drawing and a note telling him how much I appreciate him as an athlete. It was very brief, but it made my day (week, month, year). He’s also Ian’s favorite wrestler so it was nice to be able to go with him.

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Posted by Alexa in The Girls Tags: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Diet, Favorites, health, Mamrie Hart, Tyrannosaurus Lexxx, UFC, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarian athletes, Wrestling, WWE, youtube

Fashionable Mermaids

May 6, 2015

Shirt: Old Navy | Skirt: Hot Topic | Tights: Hot Topic | Necklace: Target | Shoes: Modcloth

I’ve realized that I haven’t posted in quite a bit, but I had also completely forgotten about the cute outfits that Jen had been and angel to capture for me! So the good news is…here’s an outfit post!

The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney films. I just love the character designs, music, and animation. I would also argue that Prince Eric is one of, if not the best, Disney Prince. When Hot Topic began releasing all of their adorable Disney themed items (ranging from a clothing line to Disney inspired jewelry) I got pretty excited. It unfortunately falls under the unfortunate circumstance of having a 50% chance of being really cute or really tacky, but for the most part I think they’ve done a pretty decent job.

I had purchased the skirt on my own after pining for it for weeks. I love skater skirts because they can be paired with pretty much anything and are a simple and easy choice. The only thing I would tweak is that these ones in particular seem to run a bit small and quite short. The shortness doesn’t bother me all that much because I’m short myself…but I definitely can’t wear this to work if we’re expecting to get shipments in. This one was a size medium, but I almost feel as though I should have gotten it in a large because it’s still a smidge tight – not so tight that it’s unflattering, but I immediately want to change after I’ve eaten anything and that’s no fun!

The rest of my outfit came to me as gifts in one way or another (for the most part). The tights were given to me by my friend Bridget for Christmas and I was SO excited to pair these two pieces together. I don’t care if it’s cheesy, look at how cute they are! I love the trend of “silhouette” tights that is going on right now because there is just so much you can do with them.

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I really liked the idea of putting my hair back in a bow like Ariel has it in most of the film, and I was lucky enough to have a cute little bow that matched my shoes! I got these for Christmas as well, but I do know that they’re from modcloth. I love the deep red color of them and they keep my feet nice and warm. I also love the fact that they have a bit of heel to them, but not too much, so I can even wear them to work.

I even put cute little bows on my ears too! I got the mint bow earrings from modcloth quite some time ago and I find that they go with almost everything I own…I wear a lot of mint. I acquired the necklace from Target around Christmas time when I had been shopping for family and it caught my eye. I’m not usually into the big jeweled “statement” necklaces but after watching a ton of Grace Helbig videos over the winter I finally started to understand them. In a way it reminded me of her and I just adored the color palette and design. I would even go as far to say that this outfit (the upper half anyway) is just me trying to channel Miss Helbig, so thanks for the inspiration gurl.

Posted by Alexa in Clothing, Clothing Review, Reviews Tags: Disney, fashion, fashion post, Grace Helbig, Hot Topic, mermaids, modcloth, Old Navy, target, The Little Mermaid

Hello, Again.

April 29, 2015

Photos taken by Jen – around mid January.

I wanted to start this post off by addressing my absence from the blog for the past few months, not as an excuse but more as an explanation (this post had originally been started after the holiday season, and it has been a bit of a toughie to get out of my system). I have been diagnosed with Lymes Disease. I had been having a very hard time focusing on a lot of things, if not everything in general. It’s been difficult for me to keep in touch with friends and family and keep my head on straight. After many a long winded discussion with my mother about all of the things that had been upsetting me (lack of focus, forgetfulness that would seem comical to others, constant head aches/aches in my body, extreme lethargy and depression being the main symptoms) she decided to take me to get tested. She had just recently been diagnosed herself for similar reasons so it made sense for me to get checked out*. I was almost more frightened that I might not have Lymes, and if I didn’t that would have just meant that there was something else that was wrong with me. I felt broken and useless.

Once the official diagnoses came in for me it was almost a wave of relief. I had been suffering for months, if not years, with so many problems that I thought were just part of what made me me. It was and still is extraordinarily frustrating. My sense of direction was garbage (when you are having trouble figuring out how to get to the mall you’ve been shopping at forever and worked at for nearly two years you know something is off), I had no focus or drive for anything, my body was aching, and I was depressed. It was very trying for me to try and keep a schedule for art or blogging, sometimes even seeing friends. Every time I would think to myself “THIS will SURELY get done today” it almost never did. All I wanted to do was escape my current life and to know what feeling like a real person was like. Even as I continue to write this blog post itself I find that I am having trouble finding the right words to make sure I don’t just sound as if I am complaining – my end goal is to make a comic about it. It’s much easier for me to put my feelings into pictures rather than words most times.

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Posted by Alexa in Clothing, Health, The Girls Tags: coffee, fashion, Lyme Disease, Mental Health, ootd, red bank

A Very Musical 2014

February 6, 2015

Well, now that it is officially February, this seems like as good a time as any to sum up what new and exciting things I took from 2014…right? I listened to so much good music in 2014. Some of the albums I came across I am still playing on repeat for hours. Unfortunately not all of it is from 2014, as I am currently finding out. So I guess this will just be a mixed list of my favorite artists that I’ve discovered in the past year and favorite albums that have come out as well. They aren’t in any particular order and I am sure there are some I’m forgetting as I write this, but I’m sure they’ll pop up at some point throughout the year in another blog post.

Charli XCX

I found Charli XCX through Spotify. I think I had been listening to “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea (which she sings the chorus for) and her profile popped up on the side as recommended. Her album “True Romance” is from 2013 but it was also the only full-length piece that was available at the time. It has some very strong songs on it that have a great sound, particularly “Nuclear Seasons”, “You- Ha Ha Ha” and “Black Roses”. She has since come out with another album which is pretty good (which includes her single “Boom Clap” that was featured in all of the “Fault in Our Stars” movie trailers). I think I like the intense mixture of beats from her first album better but I am still introducing myself to “Sucker”. The video for “Breaking Up” is fantastic, it mixes some retro video styles as well as keeping everything relevant to today’s world. All I know is, I want to be part of Charli’s mean girl gang.

From Indian Lakes

This is almost cheating, since I found out about this band in late December. I have been listening to “Absent Sounds” for weeks without hesitation. My friend Erik introduced this band to our friend group and for lack of a better term, it hit me in the feels. It’s the kind of music that immediately made my body think “Draw. Draw things right now.” which doesn’t happen very often. It’s not a very good description for the sound of the band or even what type of music it is but everyone who I have introduced to them after has kind of said the same thing (minus the drawing part, but that’s what happens to me when something is inspiring). “Absent Sounds” is from 2014 and their previous album “Able Bodies” is from back in 2012. I highly recommend them.

Kimbra

I first heard of Kimbra back in 2011 when Gotye’s “Somebody I Used to Know” hit the radio, and while I liked the song very much all I could think was “Who is that lady that’s singing?”. I had originally thought it to be a very mature sounding Katy Perry which I find hilarious, because as far as I’ve heard Kimbra doesn’t really sound like this in any of her own work. Needless to say she is great. Her first full-length album “Vows” came out in 2011 and was very jazz and R&B influenced and “The Golden Echo” seems to have more of a mix of genres sprinkled throughout it. It’s a really strong and fun album and I thoroughly enjoy it. I feel as though I can get a sense for how much she loves making and playing with music when I listen to it. (Bonus: it’s a very work-friendly album!)

Orange Caramel

Orange Caramel may be one of my favorite KPop groups based on their videos alone. That’s a lie, the songs are great too. I feel as though everything that comes out from them sounds cohesive and fun, they definitely know what their sound is. But really, their music videos are SO GOOD. I had been watching Eat Your Kimchi and Simon brought up a great point – the sets for these videos are not a stereotypical “group dances in big white box” that has been happening in KPop a lot lately, and Orange Caramel is still a group of attractive girls without having to focus so much on the idea of “being sexy”. I could go on on that tangent forever so I’ll end it there. Catallena was the newest single and video release from 2014 and I am pretty sure I have shown it to everyone I know. The costumes are adorable, the setting is fun, and the song is super catchy!

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES may be my favorite ‘new’ band from 2014, and all I have to say is – Thank you Jen!! Jenny told me about how much she was digging this group and that she was going to go see them in Philly. She burned me a copy of the CD (*DISCLAIMER: I now own not one, but TWO physical copies of the full album and stream it on Spotify almost constantly) and Mr. Ian and I couldn’t stop listening to it for almost two weeks straight. We saw they were playing in New York and went on a whim and it was one of the best “random” trips we’ve taken thus far. The performance was great and I’m really happy we got to see them when we did – because now it’s almost impossible to get concert tickets! Their sound is a perfect mix between modern techno sound with an 80’s feel to some of the tracks, and Lauren Mayberry’s voice is heavenly (even when I think about just how high pitched it is. She’s like a bad ass fairy queen). I am so excited to see that the group is currently working on starting their second album now!

The Hunger Games Soundtracks

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I have only recently gotten into this series. I saw the first movie about a year or so after it came out, and the second one I waited to see until it came out on DVD. I discovered that the soundtracks are really well put together with a lot of different and oddly appropriate talent spread throughout them (The Decemberists, Charli XCX, Lorde, CHVRCHES and Santigold to name a few…). I find that most of the music is just good on it’s own while also fitting the tone of the films which can be hard to do sometimes. The lyrics aren’t hitting you over the head with a theme, but if one were to place any of the songs into the movies themselves they wouldn’t seem out of place. I also already appreciate pop/electronic-type songs (which not all of them are) with lyrics that are more chaotic or even tragic. It’s an interesting twist on a normally upbeat genre of music.
*BONUS: While playing the playlist at work I even had a customer mention how she really liked what we were listening to, yay validation!

2NE1

I love 2NE1. They are (my personal) KPop Queens. I had been so excited for their latest album to drop for months since it had been teased – and to my surprise I didn’t like it much on a first listen. I felt as if nothing could really ever top “I Am the Best” from 2012, and I do still think that to a point. This album has much more of a “tropical” or “reggae” feel to it on a bunch of the songs, and while they are really fun it also shows that the group is moving forward and evolving. Once I listened to the album again a few weeks later I appreciated everything on it much more.

NOTE You can check out Jen’s picks for her favorite music from 2014. She also loved 2NE1’s, Kimbra’s, and Orange Caramel’s releases as well.

Wanna listen? Videos are listed below

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Posted by Alexa in Reviews Tags: 2NE1, Charli XCX, CHVRCHES, From Indian Lakes, Kimbra, kpop, Lorde, music, Orange Caramel, Soundtracks, The Hunger Games

Philadelphia Adventures & Pink Hair

November 15, 2014

Dress: Old Navy | Jacket: Francesca’s | Boots: Unknown

It’d been quite some time since I had seen Jenny or been able to venture into Philadelphia, so when I had to get my passport I figured that was the perfect time to meet up! I know what you’re saying … ‘Alexa, you’ve never had your passport until now?’ and the answer is no! I have never travelled outside of the country before and my Step-Father was supposed to have some work offered to him over in Belgium. Sadly, that seems to not be happening as soon as I’d hoped…but at least I have my passport.

The weather was perfect for going into Philly. It was sunny and probably around 70 degrees which isn’t my ideal weather for October, but who am I to say anything?! Jenny and I walked all over the city before and after obtaining my passport and got to eat at Hip City Veg, which is definitely my new favorite food destination! But more on that later…notice anything different?

“Alexa?! When did your hair become candy colored!?” …my parents will wonder (Mommy was okay with it, just shocked. I still haven’t seen Dad or my Step-Mommy yet so we’ll see). My amazing friend Carolyn has done it once again and made my hair super fun. I have wanted pink hair since college but for some reason I never pulled the trigger. I had tried it once before on my own but the pink completely washed out and I had Anna’s hair before it was cool.

Who Wore It Best? More like Who Wore It FIRST?

Now that I know someone who understands hair and it’s alien properties I can go crazy and try new things with a professional opinion and it’s so exciting! Carolyn is seriously amazing and wonderful and I don’t think I can say it enough.

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My accessories from the day were a mish-mosh, as per usual. The two necklaces I was wearing are both from Urban Outfitters (before I completely stopped shopping there for a multitude of reasons), the one pictured is made of pyrite. It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry because it looks like someone dug these stones right out of the earth and wrapped them in a chain, like something someone would find in an adventure-type film or show. There’s just something so natural and beautiful about it (even though I know this was made in a factory…obviously). My bracelets are a mix of Alex and Ani, Pandora, my favorite skull bracelet and my “Blaze” engraved bracelet on my other wrist.

And then Alexa transformed into a magical girl.

The dress is from Old Navy and is probably one of the best items I have ever purchased from there. It’s a bit of a heavier material but because it’s black I can wear it during every season. It fits perfectly and flows nicely, the only problem I have with it is how easily it started to pill once I wore it a few times. The jacket is from Francesca’s, it is a lovely teal color that goes with almost everything I own currently, and I like it because it’s a bit of a heavier material as well which means I can wear it in the fall, spring and summer without another jacket on top. The hood is a super cute touch too. I got my boots for $20 from a store in South Carolina when I was visiting my parents, and I’m not too sure what the brand name is, but they’ve lasted me up until now since last winter, so I’m pretty pleased!

My name is Alexa and I love food.

Hip City Veg was certainly the highlight of the day. Not only were Jenny and I starving by the time we got there, but the food was DELICIOUS. I can honestly tell you that I don’t remember exactly what I ate, I know it was some sort of ~~amazing veggie burger~~ Hip City Ranch Burger, sweet potato fries that Jen and I split, and a refreshing green lemon-aid. I just remember everything being perfect and wishing that my stomach wasn’t full so I could eat more, because I’m classy like that. 10 out of 10, will visit again.

Posted by Alexa in Clothing, Tour Pennsylvania Tags: Alex and Ani, fashion post, Flair, Francesca's, Hip City Veg, hipcityveg, Old Navy, Philadelphia, Vegan Eats, vegetarian

Curried Chickpea Salad

November 13, 2014

Say what you will, but I find that there is almost something artistic about a messy work space in the kitchen.

I have been so bored with food recently…and that’s saying a lot! I have wanted to try out new recipes but my budget has been tight and I have had so much going on that I haven’t had the time to do anything, or at least it’s felt that way. Yesterday I buckled down and decided that no matter what – I was going to make at least ONE new thing to eat! I have gotten my body in the habit of trying to eat (or at least ingest) something green once a day and when I don’t get to do that it makes me grumpy. While there wasn’t too much green in the foods I ate yesterday I at least know that what I made was vegan/vegetarian recipes AND they were on the healthier side!

I found this recipe on Pinterest (originally from The Simple Veganista) and tweaked it a bit. I had been eyeing the recipe for a while and decided that yesterday was finally the day to try it out! I always tend to think of even the simplest recipes as time consuming, mostly because of all the chopping they would involve (I tend to add more vegetables or more of a vegetable even if it isn’t called for), and let me tell you…this is SO SIMPLE. There are only 3 ingredients that need chopping – if that even, and the curry sauce is really easy to make as well.

I am so excited because I have even more for the rest of the week! Can you say LUNCH?

The only ingredients that were listed in Julie’s recipe were chickpeas, carrots, scallions, raisins and cashews. I obviously included the chickpeas and carrots, but replaced the scallions for the sweet onion that I already had in the kitchen and replaced the raisins with dried cranberries (or “craisins” if you will). I am not a huge fan of raisins and knew that these would give the right sweetness that Julie used the raisins for in her recipe. I also stuck with cashews because they are delicious. I also added some chopped up radish for an extra crunch and added flavor. Radishes are vegetables that I love but I never seem to use them in recipes that I end up making at home.

When I threw all of the ingredients for the curry sauce (curry powder, garlic powder, a pinch of salt, lemon juice and hummus) together it all seemed a bit too curry-ish, which I find is hard to accomplish most times. It may have been the hummus I used, I usually like Sabra as my go-to hummus, but this time I had just used the leftover Trader Joe’s (surprise surprise) hummus I had in the refrigerator. The texture was a bit off and it seemed quite salty, so I read Julia’s notes and she mentioned adding maple syrup or any liquid sweetener to take that edge off. After I added a smidge of my Trader Joe’s Maple Agave Syrup is was PERFECT. I put the salad on bread, made it into a sandwich and brought it to work. It’s a wee-bit messy because chickpeas are big and round**, but if that’s the only thing I had to complain about then I would say it all worked out pretty well.

I will definitely be making this dish again and I am so excited to be keeping up with The Simple Veganista! I always love discovering new blogs and it’s equally as lovely to find out that the recipes they post are delicious. I recommend this for easy lunches, and the recipe makes a decent amount so you’ll have it for a few people or a few days!

** QUICK NOTE FROM JEN: I’ve made some chickpea salads in my day. I recommend mashing them quickly before stirring in all the veggies and such. Just get a few crushes to help them stay together in a sandwich.

Posted by Alexa in Food Review Tags: carrots, cashews, chickpea curry salad, chickpeas, craisins, cranberries, curry, pinterest, radish, sweet onion, The Simple Veganista, vegan, vegetarian

Liebster Award: The Alexa Edition

October 20, 2014

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Hello everyone! Co-Blogger and Partner-in-Crime Jenny had nominated me for the Liebster Award and I couldn’t be more excited! Jenny made her Liebster Award post here a little while ago – but for those of you who didn’t get to see it, I will break down the rules nice and simple for ya.

Rules:

List 11 facts about yourself
Answer the 11 questions given to you by whoever nominated you.
Nominate 5-11 bloggers with LESS than 200 followers.
Give 11 new questions to your nominees. Now, I don’t know too many bloggers outside of Jenny – but I do know a few. So hopefully they will be able to answer my questions when I get finished with this.

11 Facts About Meow

1. I am a Cartoonist & Illustrator while also working as a manager at my local Toy Store.

2. I didn’t really like beer until I started dating Mr. Ian, now I like it way more than mixed drinks.

3. My parents are both divorced and re-married, making my family tree somewhat difficult for new friends to understand. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. I have recently had to remove most dairy from my diet, but the one thing I will ALWAYS cave for is ice cream…tummy aches here I come!!

5. I stopped eating any sort of cow-related-meat in 8th grade when I realized that I just love cows way too much.

6. I first thought that I wanted to pursue a career in animation, but saw just how much work was needed to be able to pull it off correctly and knew I wouldn’t have the drive. I respect animators so much! I then thought I wanted to draw for Marvel or DC Comics, in the same style and everything. Once I realized that I simply can’t re-create those looks in my work I also came to find that I wouldn’t like working for either company as much as I thought (still love a bunch of the people who DO work there though!!).

7. I got my cat Miso for my 16th birthday and she has since become my cat-baby. Best birthday gift ever!

8. My favorite mediums to work with (on my artistic projects) are colored pencil to sketch and watercolor or gouache to paint.

9. There are SO many different tattoos that I would like to end up getting in the future, I am just too poor right now. They include outlines of the silhouettes of my 3 house cats on my right arm, Blaze’s halter and lead rope on the opposite arm, a friendship tattoo with Jenny, and a giraffe on my back.

10. Mr. Ian and I have officially been together for 5 years! Go us!

11. My favorite color is red, my favorite color combos are black & white (so classy!) and pastel pink, lavender and mint green (so cute!).

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Posted by Alexa in The Girls Tags: liebster award

Concerts & Cape May

October 15, 2014

capemaybrewing

Labor Day has come and gone, which means that Summer is making a swift exit. With the last “real” summer weekend going by, we all decided to go on a day trip down to Cape May to see the beach and the Brewery.

The night before we left my friends Jon, his brother Matt, Keith, Mr. Ian and I all went down to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park to see The Gay Blades play! I haven’t seen them in quite some time and they really put on a great show. I was first introduced to this band by my boyfriend and long-time-companda Mr. Ian. They are a local rock/alternative group (but on their facebook page they describe themselves as “Genre Trash pop”…I’ll take it) that reside in Brooklyn, NY. Their first two albums are excellent if you’re into that genre of music, and their concerts are like one giant party so I’d also recommend seeing them live if you ever get a chance!

stonepony

Here’s one of their most recent music videos off of their second album.

The next morning Keith, his wife Jenine, Mr. Ian and I got up nice and early to drive down to Cape May. I had been to Cape May a bunch of times when I was younger, my family would go with all the kids and make it into a fun day trip or a nice long weekend. It is a really pretty beach town with a lot to offer, and since it had been a while since any of us had gone it was all very new and fresh. We also decided that it would be a really nice wrap up to summer to hit the beach and be kind-of “shore tourists” for a day. Our first stop was a little restaurant called George’s Place. We stopped there on a whim and came to realize that they had an AMAZING breakfast menu (not too sure if it was very vegan friendly, but I remember it being veggie friendly). Whenever I get the chance to go out to eat for breakfast I always tend to lean toward the sweeter side of the menu — which lead to one of the most delicious waffles I think I have ever had.

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Posted by Alexa in Beer, Tour NJ Tags: beach, Cape May, Cape May Brewery, Cape May Brewing Company, day trip, Hot Dog Tommy's, New Jersey, Tour NJ, vegetarian

Quinoa Cauliflower Plate with Peanut Sriracha Sauce

October 14, 2014

om-nom-4

Hey everyone … I finally MOFO’d!!! (It was definitely in September I SWEAR.)

I won’t lie to you, I have never actually made my own vegan meal before. That’s crazy right?! I have always just thought they would take a lot of time to prepare and I normally don’t have all of the ingredients that are necessary for them. When September rolled around Jenny told me about “Vegan Month of Food” and recommended that I try out a vegan recipe. I was definitely up for the challenge and then I found out that the recipe I made…wasn’t challenging! I was actually really proud of myself by the time it was done, and I like to cook, so I was happy during the entire preparation process.

I stumbled upon this recipe from Vegan Richa via Jen. She’s been following her (beautiful) blog for quite some time and now I am going to make it one of my favorite blogs too!

For some reason I never seem to remember how much I love cauliflower until it happens to be in a dish that I make. I know that it’s really good for you, but I think I always find it to be daunting when I see it in the grocery store and figure I’ll never finish the whole head. After preparing the cauliflower for this recipe I have continued to make it that way up until it was all gone. Hurray! This vegetable is just so versatile that I actually found myself saying “wait…save that because you could use it for this dish instead”.

I also love collard greens, but I find that I have a harder time figuring out how to prepare them as well. I have only ever had them once before this, and it was when my Step-Mother prepared them (oh, they were delicious) for us when my parents were living in South Carolina. I like the bitterness of the leaf as well as feeling like I am eating something good for me. Lettuce can be tricky sometimes! Anyway, this was also very easily prepared – just throw your greens into a pan with a smidge of sesame oil, pinch of garlic salt and a pinch of salt and you just wait until they are a bit wilted. Done! Delicious!

om-nom-1

I’d made quinoa before, and while this was an easy preparation it never occurred to me to add things in while it was cooking. I don’t know why though, I guess it’s only because I never add anything to rice while it’s cooking and I make them the same way? The world may never know.

The only thing that was REALLY intimidating me throughout this experiment was the Peanut sauce. On Richa’s site the recipe originally called for almond butter, which I neglected to purchase. Luckily Richa mentioned that the almond butter could be substituted for with peanut butter! I love peanut butter!

I would definitely make this recipe again. It was a hit with everyone who tried it out and it was extraordinarily easy to make. I also think it has enough flavor but isn’t too intrusive so everyone can give it a taste without fear of disliking it. Thanks Richa! I will certainly be browsing her blog for more delicious recipes sometime soon.

*Note: I actually had extra food after making this meal, which was great! I saved some for Mr. Ian to bring to work for lunch, and the rest I saved for myself for lunch! The only thing I didn’t have leftover after giving Ian his portion was the collared greens, and this recipe is so simple that all I had to do was throw it in the pan with some garlic powder and oil and it was done in just a few minutes. I was so so pleased with the overall outcome of this dish.

Posted by Alexa in Reviews, Vegan Mofo, Vegan Mofo 2014 Tags: cauliflower, collard greens, peanut sriracha sauce, quinoa, sriracha, vegan, Vegan MOFO, vegan mofo 2014, vegan richa, vegetarian

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