Before I forget, here is a photo of the Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Slices.
I had a bunch of work to do today so that kept me busy.
I got my new phone camera tripod today. It is sleeker and has a swan neck for the phone so I can do more videos.
Until tomorrow...
I was one ingredient short for all my recipes in the Chocolate Chapter so I decided to make dark chocolate orange slices. They are peeled oranges broken into the sections. Each slice is dipped in melted dark chocolate. Once the slices are put in the fridge they harden and they make a healthy and sweet snack.
I made my first social media video. It took a bit of time but I think it turned out okay in the end. Only my hands were in the video. I didn't want my face in it. Next time I need to clear the space a bit more. All sorts of things were in the video in the background. Not bad things but messy things.
It was just a day of doing what I wanted to do. I was supposed to attend a baking zoom but it was postponed.
Until tomorrow...
I am excited! I have food again. It wasn't much but I didn't have many staples like milk or mayo. I had two deliveries from two different stores.
I had a bunch of work today and then a two-hour zoom with a bunch of entrepreneurs to discuss home businesses. It was interesting and informative.
I called Orencia today about the one injectable that was left in my fridge when the power went out. When the power went out and had been out for a length of time, I put my Orencia in a styrofoam container with ice packs. I wanted to keep it at the correct temperature. It was in the middle of the night and I didn't want to open the fridge all the way. I grabbed the full box of Orencia but I forgot that I had one injectable in another box. I left it in the fridge and when the power came back on it went from about 50-60 degrees back to cool. I didn't take it out when it was warm and use it because it was too soon to inject it. Turns out that letting it get cool again ruined it. But the other problem was that it would have gotten ruined if I left it out of the fridge until I could take it. Being out of the fridge for over 24 hours would have ruined it anyway. So either way the shot was ruined. Luckily it was only one shot.
Until tomorrow...
What a day!!! I had a phone meeting with my nutritionist at 9 am. He is so inspirational and keeps me on target which is no easy task during Covid and the lockdown.
Then I had some work to do. I was going to cook something but I kept getting work emails and calls so I never got going. I also forgot to take something out of the freezer last night so I was already behind. Instead I posted Banana Brownies that I made a week or so ago. I made the brownies and then put them in the freezer to use for another day. They came out great.
Then I talked to my rep for an hour because I can't afford to get my full subscription so she gave me a break on a partial subscription. We have been "friends" for years.
I got a one-mile walk in with Lucky. I needed it after sitting on my butt all day.
Then I met with my social media guy for an hour to discuss next steps. Then an hour phone call with my client. Then I finally ate dinner and the day was done. Phew!
Until tomorrow...
I spent my morning working on a logo for my social media. I am super proud of my logo. This is the second logo I have designed and they aren't super crazy but they do the job and I am happy with them both. This new logo is not anything I ever thought I would ever like since I don't really like the color green hardly at all but it looks really good the way it is.
Lucky and I went for a walk. I met my goal of 42.8 miles today. That is the second pit stop of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Lucky was quite ill last night and we were up most of the night. She seems fine today. Poor baby. She had an upset tummy. She just wanted her mommy to make it better.
I called my RA doctor and made an appointment for later this week.
Until tomorrow...
I went on a long walk today with Lucky. What really happened was that we started out on what has become our regular path but there were more people out walking and doing things than we expected so I had to make a detour. That detour made me miss the turn we usually take. Then I saw a road that we never walked up before and I thought that road would take us to where we were supposed to be. It turns out we were on the road we were supposed to be. I just didn't recognize the houses. So we walked up the little dead-end street and there were these cute stairs. Who can resist some cute stairs? We walked up the stairs and continued on that street. Then I realized what street I was on and we walked way out of our way. Once we got to the top of the hill we wound our way down and found another staircase and got the place we were originally looking for. Then we got home. It was a total of 4,000 steps. It was a good workout.
I saw a post on instagram of a person who has spent months "walking the Amazon". They didn't walk the Amazon obviously but walked the same number of miles. She also asked for donations to help save the forests. She is walking almost 4,000 miles.
I have been thinking of setting a goal for walking. Not the Amazon. More like the Pacific Crest Trail. I have always wanted to hike it but we all know that is not going to happen. What would happen if I hurt myself? How would I keep my medicine cold? What types of infections would I get? What would I eat? There are so many questions. I think I could "hike" the PCT in my home town and bring up pictures to look at. Maybe read the book or watch the movie Wild again. Motivate me to finish the hike. I would not have to lose a boot or tape one on my foot. It is only 2,650 miles. I did the math on a walking calculator (did you know they have those?) If I walk very slow (2 mph) and I did the length I did today it would take 1,931 days. But I can walk faster especially if I don't have Lucky with me and if I stay away from the horribly steep hill I walked today. If I walk 4 mph and walk 4,000 a day it would take me 1,276 days. I think the point is that as time goes on, you build up speed and endurance. Before Covid I was walking 6,000 miles per day easy. I have a smart watch and it would tell me when I hit my mark of 6,000 miles per day. I need to think more about this but I may try it. Good exercise and gets the blood flowing. I was doing so good during most of Covid. I stopped around the vaccines between my flare and the way I felt with the vaccines. I need to get back to walking or riding the bike.
Today I did not cook exactly. I watched the water kefir I made last night grow. I will show it tomorrow. I posted this picture from something I made last week.
Basically I took these items out of the fridge and tried to make something out of them for lunch. I ended up sauting the spinach and peeled zucchini (from the Zoodles) in vegan butter. Once they were softened, I added the red thing which was leftover marinara sauce from my Italian Menu with the zoodles. That gave the spinach and zucchini some flavor. When it was done cooking I put the coconut bacon on top. I didn't use the ginger sauce. I love taking leftover ingredients and making something with it.
Until tomorrow...
I spent an hour today putting the outside furniture out in the backyard. About a week and a half ago I cleaned up the weeds and such on the slate in the backyard so today I could put the furniture outside. I wanted to do it today because it is raining out right now. I thought I would use Mother Nature to help clean the furniture off. I am getting ready to possibly have distance, masked visits with friends in the backyard now that the weather is getting nicer and I am vaccinated. All friends must be vaccinated and masked too.
I finally watched the entire movie Thunder Force. I tried to watch it last weekend when I had gotten the vaccine. I would watch 5 minutes and fall asleep and wake up at the end. Then rewind and watch 10 minutes and fall asleep again and wake up at the end again. I also did this with The Croods II. I watched that yesterday. Thunder Force was cute. So was The Croods II.
I made Overnight Oats last night. Basically you put the rolled oats and the almond milk in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning the oats are soft. Then I added cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, hemp seeds, apples and banana. It was delicious and very filling.
Then I made another dish from my class. I want to be a few dishes ahead of my social media posts so if I need a day off this week, I can use one of those pictures. You know, have one or two photos in my pocket! I'll show you in a few days.
Until tomorrow...
This was a busy day. I woke up early and went to the dentist to get my crown put in. While I was there I had a full set of x-rays completed. I only bring this up because a few times this past year I had terrible pain in a tooth. Pre-pandemic the dentist checked it out and there was no cavity. Mid-pandemic when my crown fell out, she checked it again and no cavity. I am a horrible tooth grinder and clencher. I always have been even when I was a little girl. The reason I am telling you this long story is that today when the x-rays came back, there was ligament irritation of great proportions in that tooth. It turns out that I have been grinding so hard I am irritating that tooth so much that I am causing ligament damage. This is not good. The tooth already has a crown. I am not sure what the next step will be. Meanwhile she adjusted my mouth guard and we will see if it happens again.
I came home and cooked. I made Savory Pancakes. It is nothing like regular pancakes. Regular pancakes is mostly flour/pancake mix. Savory pancakes is mostly silken tofu. Silken tofu has the same consistency as a poached egg. The tofu is mixed with different things that make it yellow and "eggish" tasting. Once mixed spoonfuls are put in a frying pan like pancakes.
They tasted very good and I ate five of them in one sitting.
I now have 2,500 followers.
Until tomorrow...
Happy Earth Day! I was not a very good environmentalist today. I blow dried my hair for the first time in 20 years. I had an interview today and I wanted to look put together.
It’s also National Jellybean Day! I love jellybeans but they are not vegan so I was excited to find that Jelly Belly made Jelly Belly Gummies. They taste just like jelly belly jellybeans but they are in gummie form.
I had a gig interview today. My first since July or August. It has been a slow six months for work.
Until tomorrow...
This was a weird 4/20. Normally all anyone talks about on 4/20 is that it is the annual 420 day - the holiday celebrating marijuana. It is a big deal here in The West. Or it has been. Now that marijuana is legal it has become commercialized. I am not even sure there was a celebration this year because of Covid. But it usually is a big deal in the news. Not this year.
This year was all about Derek Chauvin. It was such a nail biter hearing the verdict which is strange because it was so clear he was guilty. But after other verdicts that should have been guilty, nothing is as clear cut as it should be. He was found guilty and I cried. Then I whooped. Then my dog growled at me because I woke her up and scared her.
Today I didn't feel up to cooking yet. I still feel tired and have brain fog. Instead I posted an older photo of a dish I made back in November.
Until tomorrow...
I was so happy to get my groceries. As usual it was an adventure. I have to call them because once again I got regular ice cream. I know I said I wasn't going to buy ice cream anymore but I get my Covid vaccine on Saturday and I wanted to get a special treat to celebrate. I wanted the new Ben & Jerry's flavor. I ordered two pints. I even wrote in the notes that if they don't have that flavor to give me another VEGAN flavor. It didn't work. They gave me the regular ice cream flavor. Oh, well, the store will reimburse my money and my neighbor will be SO happy to get a free pint of ice cream. Last time I gave her one, she ate the whole pint for dinner!
I rushed to get my cooking done before my social media meeting. I made a Nacho Dip. I never really go the queso and nacho dip faze. I have been lactose intolerant since I was a kid so I stayed away from cheese dips but this "cheese" dip is vegan and delicious. I ended up eating half this bowl with crackers. It is gooey just like what I have seen queso.
I had my social media meeting and I learned a bunch. I learned how to do a poll on Instagram. I put my linktree link on my Instagram profile. Now I can get folks on Instagram to go to my website and blog. This is really exciting. I also worked on my logo.
Tomorrow is a big cooking day.
Until tomorrow...
It was such a nice day today that I decided to go outside and put out the furniture. I wanted to sit out in the sun. But I didn't want to put out the furniture until the slate is weeded. So I got down and weeded the slate. It wasn't hard because the weeds came up easily. It is just hard for me. My back is killing me about 15 minutes in. My hands are killing me and I have to keep switching hands when they cramp up. I think I was out there for 30-40 minutes and I got the 30' x 15' area done. I figure if I do a section a weekend I will have the ground of my backyard done just in time to start over! LOL. When I finished I took a long Epsom salt bath.
I worked on my social media for a bit of time.
Lucky is so looking forward to going to the park tomorrow. She has been going a bit stir crazy this past week being at home. She is going to go bananas when she sees her dog walker. I look forward to a few hours without her. She is a bit needy.
Until tomorrow...
I started "The Perfect Brunch" chapter today. I made a Basil Cashew Dip. It is a tasty dip that goes will with veggies and chips/pretzels. It is made out of cashews, basil, nutritional yeast and some spices. It tastes a little cheesy and basily.
Until tomorrow...
I did it! I finally finished the Korean Chapter of the cooking course. I am about a week behind schedule since I took a week off from cooking when I had a reaction from my Covid vaccine.
Today I made Kimchi. It was a whole afternoon activity. First I had to put the cabbage in a bowl and put salt on it and let it sit for 2 hours.
Then I made the brine and put it on the cabbage.
Then I sanitized the jars and let them dry. Then I put the kimchi in the jars.
In a few days it will be ready to try. I have the two jars for my friend and dog walker and a little jar for me to try.
Then I took the Korean Chapter test and I got a 100%. I am a Korean Vegan Master!
I did some work on my social media stuff and did some work-work.
Lucky is waiting patiently for her dog walker to come back from vacation.
Now that I am feeling back to normal, I am back to cooking. I made Fried Water Chestnuts. It was supposed to be Fried Lotus Root but I can't seem to find lotus root during a Covid lock down. I used the next best thing: water chestnuts. They made an interesting snack.
I just hit 1,700 follower on social media.
This was basically all I did today except entertain Lucky since it is her second day with no dog walker. He is on vacation this week and she is not taking it well.
Until tomorrow...
I am feeling somewhat better. My shoulder and back feel all better. My neck is still a bit stiff. My chest is still hurting but not as much. It hurts to breathe hard, laugh, cough, sneeze and yawn. I am coughing a lot but it will go away soon.
Today was the assessment for solar power. He was supposed to come between 10-12. So of course he showed up at 11:40. The assessment took over one hour. I had another meeting at 1pm. So my calm day turned into meeting after meeting. The assessment went well and I should have the results in a few days.
Then I met with my social media guy. That was a successful meeting that I ate my microwaved lunch during. Then I had a doctor's appointment with my cardiologist. She just wanted to check in. Nothing worth noting.
It was about 80 degrees F today. It is really early to be this hot. It is 9pm and I have windows open.
Until tomorrow...
It happened! I have a vaccination date. I thought it would never happen. Today after spending 30 minutes looking for a date, I called my doctor because I read on a facebook help group that people were being asked for a doctor's letter for the tier for Individual at higher risk. I read that I didn't have to bring any proof and that I just had to say I was in the tier but then I read that people were getting doctor letters. I contacted my doctor's office to get a letter and his office called me and said it is illegal to ask any medical information and that I can certify myself at the vaccination site. If they do ask, it is a HIPAA violation and I should call the state and complain.
The doctor's office also explained that in one week another tier was going to open up and I should hurry up and get my vaccine while there are fewer people waiting for vaccines. She told me one place she knew had appointments open and explained how to get an appointment. I did what she said and sure enough it worked. I got an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. It is not a drive through but I need to get a shot before next Thursday when thousands and thousands more people will be looking to get appointments. I have a second appointment three weeks later.
Today was another crazy day. On Monday my week was pretty empty. Then I don't know what happened. Today there was a discussion on email about solar panels with my brothers. I met with a client. I attended a webinar. I contacted my dentist because I may have injured a filling. It hasn't fallen out but it bothered me last night and I tasted metal. It feels better today but I probably ground it all night and I was afraid to put my night guard on. I have an appointment on Wednesday to get it checked just in case. Meanwhile I am not chewing on that side.
Then I made dinner. I made Korean Mungbean Cream Pasta. It is my first time making Cashew Nut Milk and Mungbeans. The pasta is tasty with mushrooms, mungbeans and the cashew nut milk. I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again.
That was about my day.
Until tomorrow...
This is probably the busiest day I have had in months. First I had deliveries. Then I had to figure out my fruits and veggies that I was going to order for my bi-monthly delivery. I ordered my food and then took a quick shower. Then I began the nut milk production.
First I made the cashew milk which consists of taking the cashews that I soaked overnight and putting them in the blender with some water. I got about 2 cups of cashew milk.
I took the nut/oat milk and used it to make Yam Soup. I chopped up part of a yam and blended it up and added some of the nut/oat milk. Then I heated it up. It is really good and creamy.
Then I had a meeting with my social media guy. Then straight into a video conference to see/hear my friend speak on a panel. Then I could clean up my mess, workout and make some dinner and watched a video school on whales for a few minutes. Whew! What a day!
Until tomorrow...
This was a crazy day. I literally had zero on my calendar. I thought I would get so much done today. Nope!
First thing I get a notification from my credit screening company (I have it because my info was in an employee's briefcase and the briefcase was stolen a number of years ago) that someone was trying to get my credit report. I tried to log in and my account was locked. Ugh. I had to call and talk to a person. That now added on 30 minutes of him figuring out why my account was locked (from the credit report request) and then I had to get a new login. Once that was cleared up, my dog walker showed up with 30 rolls of toilet paper. Thirty rolls! I haven't seen thirty rolls of toilet paper all at one time for one year. I feel that is a sign that things are getting better.
Fed Ex finally came and picked up the 25 lb of dog food. I thought it was never going to leave my porch. Then they dropped off my new box of dog food. Yay!
I made Black Bean Salad - Kongjaban. It is black beans cooked with walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, and a sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil, agave and some other stuff. The black bean mixture is mixed in with salad greens. I can't believe it is so good. I have some leftover for tomorrow.
I am soaking nuts for two reasons today. I am soaking cashews to make cashew milk and soaking nuts and oats for Yam Soup. Next I am fermenting some things.
Until tomorrow...
The food I made today was good but spicy. I ate a helping but it took me awhile. It was Tteokbokki pasta. This is a Korean dish that is usually made with rice cakes but can be made with other things. We made it with penne pasta and tofu. The sauce had gochujang (Korean pepper paste) sauce and soy sauce. It was supposed to also have Korean pepper powder but it was already spicy enough for me. I portioned it out and gave some to my friend S and the rest goes to my dog walker for his dinner tomorrow.
Until tomorrow...
