Wow, April is nearly over and I’m okay with that. I’m kind of ready for summer weather with longer days and more outdoor fun. But I’m already worried that the summer heat will be brutal on Leela, she seems to over heat faster in her old age. Sweet hubby upgraded the pet beds with these FurHaven Cooling Gel beds that she’s still adjusting to figuring out how to climb into them.
I have no clue how much they help, but the surface does not seem to get warm after she’s been laying on it for while. Last year I used to put chilled gel packs under her blanket when she needed to cool down after going outside which she loved. And she seems to love stretching out in these.
I love that they fit much better in front of the fireplace and don’t seem to shift. We had bed chaos there before no matter how many times we adjusted the beds back to order.
Friday night we headed to Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine for dinner and it was packed, all the tables we taken with lots of large groups which is awesome! And so is the crunchy vegan “shrimp” the for the occasional junkie fried seafood fix.
And I’m still really into the Kung Pao Tofu with spicy peanuts and veggies.
One of the fun finds at our new local Sprouts Farmer’s Market is Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne (also available on Amazon!) which are high protein, gluten free, vegan-friendly, no boil lasagna noodles! Hubby got creative with ours making a gorgeous vegan lasagna layered with homemade tofu spinach “ricotta”, eggplant, mushrooms, and more veggies. It was almost too pretty to eat.
Almost, I was so impressed with the effort and presentation, such a pleasant surprise after a busy work day. And we both really liked the texture and flavor on the noodles, they were thick, hearty, and did not have an off or earthy flavor. The texture was maybe a little more meaty that traditional pasta, but that worked well in lasagna I thought.
There have been a lot of salads this too as we shift into warmer weather, some with hummus dressing and simple canned beans added to make it a meal salad.
Of course simple tofu stir fries too. One tamari oil free stir fry with large carrot chunks for a hearty, but not too calorie dense dinner.
And another with chopped potatoes seasoned with light marinara pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, and nutritional yeast.
I have a growing collection of vegan gym tank tops I wear to the gym, most of them positive and cute. This week not one, but two different gym members engaged me asking about the vegan lifestyle, where I get protein, etc. I chatted with one girl for over 20 minutes on the treadmills, she was very excited about my benefits from giving up dairy and amazed that I’ve been vegan for over 8 years now. The conversations we pleasant and it’s a positive sign to me that more are interested in the lifestyle. Okay, to the list and it’s a long one this week! So much vegan/plant based news and I love it!
- Running makes people happier.
- New vegan running documentary coming!
- Vegan Pro Body Builder discusses his lifestyle.
- Vegan trainers share how they fuel workouts.
- A global plant-based future.
- Vegan sneakers made from mushrooms.
- Many great cauliflower recipes here!
- 8 positive reminders of why we’re vegan.
- Kevin Smith is now a vegan after his massive health scare.
- There’s a new vegan cooking show.
- More vegan meats are coming to meet demand.
- This couple went from failing health to being healthy and active.
- A vegan diet helped this man lose 150 lbs.
- New vegan proteins to try.
- Vegans influencing a green movement in China.
Really intrigued by the oil free stir fry. I know lots of people think oil is just fine…but I’m not so sure. And yes, ready for April to be done. Too rainy, too cold here.
Yes, agreed on oil and it’s tough to keep completely out of diet with eating out, but I try to avoid it at home and balance it out.
Lentil lasagna noodles sound great! I do like the brand but haven’t seen this variety. I’d love to play around with them too.
They are, really impressed with the texture and looking forward to trying more alternative pasta.