Thursday, November 25, 2010

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

quick post.
im super tired.
and thankful.

sooooooo, right now
[like right this second] at my etsy shop, i have 40%+ off of EVERYTHING in my shop.
no need to shop at big box stores.
support local & handmade artists.
sale ends at the end of saturday.

stock up.
tell your friends.

dianapantz.etsy.com

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

lunch of champions

or people in a really big hurry..

(today has been hard)
(ya know those days where you just need a million hugs and even chocolate doesn't help?!?)
(totally today)

today I worked.
for a long time.
with a really unhappy baby.

this was my lunch.
I had two minutes and everybody and Santa was at cub today.



honestly, the mint chocolate larabar was not good. totally bummed.
it tasted like the smell of vicks vapor rub when I was a tot.
and the coconut naked juice was a bit too tropical for me, but I love that they use coconut water now!

and because I can; here's my fave pick of the day



and another:



- you should follow my blog. cuz I am pretty neat.

Monday, November 22, 2010

: wait, so you cant eat turkey for thanksgiving? :

so, let me tell you my challenge : : :

i come from a strong, german, meat-eating, hunting, milk drinking family.
all of 'em.
my whole life.

its never bothered me.
i loved milk as a kid. and as an adult.
my dad has been a butcher since he was a teenager.
hes an incredible hunter.
and has always been my favorite fishing buddy.


when i was a kid, my dad use to take me to the meat market and i would watch him butcher.
i really did think it was the coolest thing ever.
and, during deer season, he would turn our garage into a  holding pen for all the deer carcasses.
annnnd, my first job was at the meat market he worked at.
i loved it.
loved the smell of the smokehouse. 
loved it.

i didnt make the connection between animal and meat until this past summer.
like, realllly made the connection.
and i guess that was the end of it.
i just knew that i was done eating animal products.
it wasnt my job.

im not a huge animal lover.
but i do believe in compassion. and respect.
also, my body cant handle dairy, and i just dont think its my job to eat something that was alive.

im not one of those extreme maniacs thats going to say bad things about your mom if you eat meat.
its not my job to judge other humans, but its also not my job to eat someone elses mother.

so, this thanksgiving, blake and i are going to my parents house and then to my dads house.
both places will be full of milky mashed potatoes, turkey, and cream coming out of the ears.

we are going to be bringing a few dishes, but for the most part, in the next few days, dead birds and dairy will be everywhere.
and ill just deal with it.
im not going to preach or say that my way is better.
i am going to eat my cous cous and craisin salad and eat my vegan cookies and just be there.
with family.
and be thankful.
[cuz really, thats why we are all together]

and if my dad wants to show me the deer he shot last weekend, i will look.
[but dear deer, i really am sorry that you lost your life]
[and dear dad, i think you are a good human and i know you are hunting and gathering, the way you believe humans should]

Saturday, November 20, 2010

: what do I do with _______?!?

buckwheat flour.
what do you do with it?!

you make amazing waffles.
duh.



breakfast for supper.
my fave.

we use bobs red mill (love you, bob!) buckwheat pancake and waffle mix.
the batter calls for water and eggs, but we don't really love the rules.
so, we used a banana in place of the eggs and almond milk instead of h2o.
the almond milk made the waffles waaaay creamier.
annnnd, we added chocolate chips and blueberries, too.

so good.
blake put homemade jelly on his for a topping, but I just ate mine the way they were.
peanut butter is always a rad topper, too.

and for tea-ssert :
(hahaha, do you get it??!)



thanks for reading.
hit the follow button and tell your friends.
tons of stuff will be added over thanksgiving break!


- you should follow my blog. cuz I am pretty neat.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

: what in the world to do i do with __________?!?!

what in the world so I do with turnips?!?!

so, like I said (yesterday), we are members of rock spring farms csa. right now we are doing a fall veggie share, and in a month we will be doing a winter fruit and veggie share.

one of the reasons I wanted to sign up for a csa is that I don't eat a huge variety of vegetables. I knew that spending a lot of money on unfamiliar foods would make me find creative ways of eating them.

so tonight for supper, Blake made a really amazing squash and polenta dish. he made it up, but maybe he can make up the recipe... we have three turnips to use, so tonight I cut one up. I peeled it. and cut it into fry-like strips. put them on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of oil and put them in the oven for 30 min. ours turned out kinda limp-y, but they were good.. I'd recommend some garlic salt or cumin for a little more flavor.



all peeled and ready to chop.


chop. chop. chop.


salt. salt. seasoned.


done. eat it. or feed it to your friends.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

things we are drinking. right now.

so, I'm not a drinker.
never have been.
when I was little I drank milk. in high school, I lived off of mountain dew. (sick).
but as an adult. I don't drink. not alcohol. not coffee. not tea. not pop.
I do love water. and dark chocolate muscle milk.
ohhhh.

but lately, I've been liking things..
big deal!



we got this recipe from whole foods (do you know they give away free recipes?!). can you read the ingredients?! you need almond milk, spinach and berries. 1 1/2 cups of each. mix it. drink it. I used strawberries and mango. not bad. good for your bod (lots o' fiber).

we are members of a csa (I'm loving it and will write a whole post dedicated to our farm/er soon) and we have a TON of spinach right now..


I am not an easy sleeper. haven't been for a few years. this tea is on sale at linden hills coop right now (we belong, and they are a great coop ; post coming on them soon!) and it's sooo good. not super strong or overly vanilla-y. I am a fan.


we had a coupon for silk soy milk. now, when I first developed my dairy allergy, I drank silk, and didn't love it. enter : the coupon.
we bought the pumpkin spice. soooo good. pretty sure we had it all gone in a day and a half.
it's pretty expensive to drink too often, but I'm loving it (on sale!)


I have a ton of ideas for this blog. tons of posts. some about places in minneapolis. a lot just about things around your kitchen that can be made into a great vegan meal.

keep checking back. follow the blog. tell your friends.

- you should follow my blog. cuz I am pretty neat.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

: things i like to buy and make at home : rising moon organics :

ohhh, yum.
we belong to the co-op up the street, and we love deals.
[lindenhills.coop]
basically, one of my favorite things to do is to head to the co-op and just walk around with a pocket full of coupons and calculate how much i can save.
love.it.

and while we eat super clean and pretty healthy, i do like a good deal. sweet savings. getting my monies worth.

we really like rising moon organics. they have great vegetarian pizza and amazing vegan ravioli. they have tons of choices. and if you are watching for sales, you can buy a pack of ravioli for a couple of bucks. not bad for a meal for two people.
[http://risingmoon.com]
our fave is the butternut squash ravioli. so good.
the other night for supper, we had the ravioli, mixed with couscous and tons of mixed veggies [peas, carrots, beans], with a bunch of soy sauce tossed in for flavor. paired with a cut up apple, picked by our own hands at a local orchard.

supper was good.
try rising moon.
check them out.
send them an email.
tell them you agree with their mission.


have a good weekend.
im in small-town iowa for the weekend.
a land of beef and dairy.
wish me luck.

also, if you are in nw iowa this weekend, head to hartley, iowa on saturday for a huge craft show.
come say hello.

Monday, November 1, 2010

: places to check out : galactic pizza :

ok.
so i have to..

i love galactic pizza.
[www.galacticpizza.com]
2917 south lyndale avenue
minneapolis, minnesota 55408
(612) 824-9100

i do.
i love their choices.
[for vegans and meat-eaters, alike]
i love the electric cars and the cute little superhero butts.
their mission.
the 3-d glasses you get to read the menu.

and i looooove the paul bunyon vegan pizza.
its beautiful.

the best vegan mozz i have ever had.
morel mushrooms.
mn wild rice.
vegan bison sausage.
love it.
[also available with real meat and real cheese, but oh man, try the veg]



humans :
have you been there?
whats your fave?

: and this is the beginning :

hey everybody.
thanks for reading.

i am really hoping to get this blog moving and shaking in the next month or so.

since moving back to the cities [10/1/10], i found it kinda tricky to find vegan places.
we all know the big ones; pizza luce, galactic pizza, whole foods, ect.
but i want to find the small ones. the bakeries. the tea shoppes. and everything in between.

what i want, is a place where people can come & look and see all the different choices in the twin cities.
i will find them. eat there. take a few pictures. and talk with owners and managers about sponsoring, deals and how to get more people educated on the animal-free movement.

if you have any great places that you want me to check out/write about, put them in the comments.
also, in the near future, i will be posting my favorite recipes and also having a whole page full of great places that are good to vegans, here in minneapolis.

check back often.
ive got a lot on my plate [ohh, is that a pun?!], but i am working hard on this.