Ah, the thrift store gods are smiling down on me!

One of my favorite things about my local co-op is the bulk foods section which I have recently started taking advantage of. I find buying certain things in bulk  (beans, lentils, rice, flour, nutritional yeast, pasta... geez, what else) saves a ton when you are on a budget like I am. If you have the discipline to do things like soak the beans over night, etc. I highly recommend joining in the bulk party. You don't know what you're missing!

So as I'm frolicking through this new land of bulk, I'm realizing, okay wow.. I need stuff to store everything in. I'm not the type of person that can have things stored in plastic bags and there not be a mess, explosion, whatever. I'm just kind of a disaster sometimes.

I had a couple empty jars that I got all cleaned off and have been using them for my nutritional yeast, and some mint & lemon thyme from my garden that I had dried. I was going to need something a bit bigger for my beans, lentils, and rice...

That ment that it was adventure day, and I was just going to have to ravage my local thrift store for some wicked sweet deals.

Here's what I scored:

-6 storage jars (99 cents each!!)
-two big enormo jars, one for my brown rice elbow pasta and one for my WWh flour
-some book about veggie gardening
-a Braggs apple cider vinegar book (rad)

AND!

-a friggin juicer

I got everything home and cleaned. People.. I'm loving my storage jars. I'm going to take some pics tonight of my treasures and post them Monday.

Okay, did I mention I found a juicer??!! As much as it pains me that more people don't realize how awesome juicers are, rarely use them, then give them away, I have to say that I wasn't that upset when I found it in front of me for $15. It's a Juiceman Jr. and it's in fab condition. My daughter and I tested it out that night, and I approve. It's been my goal to increase the amount of raw foods I eat/drink daily. Juicing fruits and veggies is a great way to do it!

So after my total score at the thrift store, I really wanted to get some books on juicing. I picked up 3, which I will have to post later (I'm at Border's right now) when I put up pics of my finds.

I also managed to pick up another vegan source book called, well The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak. I have a copy of Becoming Vegan but it's on it's way back to my school's library. I found this book for $8 used... EIGHT. DOLLARS. I'm a lover of information. Anything, give it to me. So when I finally made the commitment to veganism... a month and a half ago? I wanted to understand everything about it. Books like Becoming Vegan and The Vegan Sourcebook, are wonderful to have when you are wanting to know more about the nutrition, ethics, and lifestyle of veganism. You can buy all the cookbooks you want, but until you take the time to learn about why people all over the world practice veganism, you just won't get it. Sorry. It's so much more than knowing how to cook without animal products.

If you are vegetarian, or curious about veganism, then I highly suggest Vegan Freak: Being Vegan In A Non-Vegan World. Just go out and get it. NOW!

Okay, okay.. I'll leave you with that! More soon!

Heeellllooooo! New books for mama!

Oh wow. I have to apologize for my absence! I've just finished my last quarter of community college this week, and the past month has been just hellish. BUT I'M DONE! DONE DONE DONE DONE!!!

My only sanity has been a couple new vegan books that I've been feeling fortunate to have bought. The first I have to praise and worship, and worship some more:

This is the revised second edition. I'm about half way through it, but after reading the first couple pages I was hooked. There's one way to reel me in: Facts & Humor. This has both, so here I am! After reading Becoming Vegan (which the authors of Vegan Freak recommend for all your dietary questions and intake info) I wanted another book that got to the heart of veganism. It's not just about cupcakes, people (okay, I bought a cupcake book too.. But we'll get to that!!), for those of you that are new to veganism, or are curious as to what it's all about, this book is a great way to learn about the cause. Did I mention they authors have a sense of humor?? All I'm saying, I get to the part about celebrities & veganism and I almost pissed myself.

Both authors have their Ph. D. and cite resources... THANK YOU. Citing resources makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, for real. Apparently some people didn't like this about their first edition.. wtf, yo? WHY?? They are basically tell you that they haven't pulled this information out of thin air, and also that they are professional enough to give credit where credit it due. I don't know, maybe I've been writing too many research papers this year, but nothing makes me feel like I'm eating mystery meat more than information that isn't cited.

Okay, remember when I made that snarky cupcake remark?

BAM!!! Yeah, that's right. I know everyone knows about this book, brought to us by the fab authors of Vegan With A Vengeance. So as I mentioned I'm graduating from community college this week, and am planning a party later in the month to celebrate. Don't ask me why, but I knew I wanted cupcakes instead of a cake.

My daughter saw this book so we pulled it from the shelf and flipped through it briefly before deciding that it would do that job! This book is radical. I've never really been to keen on what flour is best for what, or if shortening is better than margarine, but this book outlines it all. It's a wee book, but really, once you get some basic recipes down, you will feel comfortable jazzing up your own!

That's all for now! I'm ready to relax for a bit before my graduation ceremony on Friday!