October Vegan Food Swap

This month I was sent goodies from Maggie in Newfoundland. I didn't realize Maggie was in Newfoundland though until I received my parcel and it was all packed snugly in pages from The Telegram (local paper). It was nice to see since I remember it from growing up there and gave me that "awww I miss home" kinda feeling. Maggie sent me her recipe for Pumpkin Spice Granola and I immediately made it just because it sounded so good. My mom is seriously in love with this stuff, she won't stop talking about it and how amazing it is. I think she is hinting she wants me to make more...what do you think?

Maggie also sent me:

- Patak's Garlic Paddadums: I have seen these at the grocery store and have never bought them because I will admit I had no clue what they were. I am glad she sent them! Next time I cook up something with Indian flavours these will be getting used.

- a bag of Cinnamon Crunch Somersaults: I have never tried these either and they are so good! The bag is gone now since we all loved them. I left them on the kitchen table and every night after supper we would all have a few and they quickly disappeared.

- a few Tazo Refresh tea bags: I am a non-caffeinated person, crazy I know but that stuff makes me jittery in the worst way. I really appreciated the herbal tea as I am turning into a tea person lately. It made a great after dinner tea with the mint.

- a pack of Panda All-Natural Soft Licorice: Lucky me since I love black licorice. I know it's one of those love it or hate it things but I love it! I really enjoyed this little treat too!

- a bag of Rhythm Superfoods Kool Ranch Kale Chips: I love me some kale chips and these are no exception. I have tried some of the flavours from Rhythm Superfoods before but Kool Ranch was a new one. Very tasty!

Thank you so much Maggie! I really loved it all and my mom says thank you for sending the granola recipe! I love it too so thank you from me too!

As always, if you would like to join in, check out http://meshell.ca/blog/veganfoodswap/ for details and sign up sheet.

September Vegan Food Swap

This one is just under the wire before Vegan MoFo starts up tomorrow. I have been cooking away in order to get ahead but have nothing written at all. Yikes!

This month I was sent a parcel from Kim from Canadian Vegan Girl. She was super thorough in sending goodies that were allergen free which I really appreciate.

Kim included a package of Rice Stick Noodles which will definitely come in handy soon for my Mofo theme. A package of Moong Dal which I had never tried before and may take a little getting used to. A bag of Brown Rice Thins Sea Salt flavoured which were crispy and my mom took quite a shine to. A small bag of Hemp Hearts which I love but I will admit am too cheap to buy myself a lot of the time. And a bag of White and Wild Rice that I look forward to trying. When I was little I was a little scared of wild rice but I think I've matured enough to try it out again. There was also a Mango Coconut bar thing...the brand is escaping me right now unfortunately...that we ate up before the picture was taken. Mac and I give it four thumbs up!

Thanks again to Kim for sending us a lovely parcel. If you would like to join in next month head over to Me'Shell in the City and fill out the form.

August Vegan Food Swap and A Winner!

Sorry it has taken so long to reveal the winner from last month's giveaway for a copy of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! It has been a hectic few days around my house with my mom returning from vacation and getting some much needed bulk cooking out of the way. The freezer is refilled with pierogi for another few meals and we have a bunch of peach jam and butter now too. Next I am planning on making some pickled turnips and something with scapes since I picked up a bag at the Brewer Park Farmer's Market last weekend.

For the draw, I took all the names and put them in one of Mac's many hats (everyone has a hat bucket, right?) and asked him to pick a winner. He picked...Sandra of Vegan Mother Hubbard! All her sandwich work last month has paid off in the form of a free copy of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! thanks to the generous publishers of the book at Fair Winds Press! Thank you to all of you that entered, I hope I have inspired you to add this amazing book to your wish list and pick up a copy soon! It really is a must have!

On to my Vegan Food Swap parcel which came a little late this month but it was totally worth the wait! Thank you to Chris at And Mommy Makes Three for the amazing parcel! Mac was literally doing a happy dance when I opened it up and found a bag of Dandies. These are a favourite around here but they are not to be found in Ottawa so we have to mail order them if we get a hankering. Chris also sent along the cutest note I've received! It was a foam hand print covered in animal stickers that I'm guessing her little ones had a hand in and I love it!

 

Here's a photo of it all tucked in the box it came in. Chris also sent along a bag of Macro Kelp. I will admit I am afraid of it. I'm not very experienced when it comes to sea vegetables. I will have to look online to find out what I am supposed to do with it. Also there was a package of Indian Curry Veggie Ground which I am excited to try. I love Indian spices and flavours and I think this will make a great, quick supper some night soon! And last she included a Vega Sport Protein Bar. Thanks again to Chris! If you would like to join in next month, check out http://meshell.ca/blog/veganfoodswap/ and sign up soon!

July Vegan Food Swap

It's that time again to show you the yummy treats I received from this month's Vegan Food Swap! This month I was matched up with Megan who blogs from The Gluten Free Vegan and I was sending goodies to Becks who blogs from Crunchy Can Feel Good who isn't vegan but is open to trying which I think is awesome!

Megan sent me a package of Black Bean Soup Mix which can be made as a soup or a dip. I'm thinking dip since it's bejesusing hot here but you never know. She also sent a package of adorable cupcake liners with a recipe included for Pina Colada cupcakes (gluten free of course). There was also a package of Saskatoon Berry flavoured green tea which seems appropriate since she lives in Saskatoon! And my very favourite part of the parcel was the home made Lime-Infused Sea Salt in an adorable little jar! I love home made stuff and when I opened it up, the smell of fresh limes came right through. She suggested rimming a glass for a margarita and I think that will happen as soon as I figure out how to make a virgin one since I'm not a drinker any more. Maybe limeade will work and then I can make some black bean dip and sit out on my deck for a little fiesta! Thank you again to Megan for the amazing Vegan Swap parcel! 

Again, if you would like to participate in next month's swap, visit Me'Shell's blog and sign up now! It's a lot of fun and you don't have to have a blog or even be vegan to participate, just open to the experience.

June Vegan Food Swap Part 2

Next I am going to share all the goodies I received from Kimmi over at KimmiKillZombie! First I have to say, I am in love with her new pink hair. I love bright bold colours in hair but I am much too much of a chicken to actually do it. Maybe some day, never know! Any ways, Kimmi and I were paired with each other so I sent goodies to her and she sent some to me. Here's a look at all the awesome stuff I received!

Here's the whole she-bang as they say...no...no one says that except me, alright!

A bar of Olive and Aloe Kiss My Face Soap that smells soooooo good!

A jar of Red Currant Jam which I can tell you is excellent for breakfast on toast!

Sahale Snacks Soledad Almonds - These are so yummy. They are a little spicy, a little sweet, nutty and addictive!

A couple Yummy Earth lollipops...also claimed in the name of Mac!

A bag of Sun-Rype Fruit Source Mini Bites. We have the fruit leather-y strips all the time around here but we hadn't tried these. They are so tasty and almost gummi candy like which is a super score in my books!

A bag of YogaVive Popped Apple Chips - they are like dried apples but crisper. Mac is a big fan of these!

There was also a couple of Mrs. May's Trio Bars but my picture was really horrible and they may already be gone...just maybe! Kimmi also sent the cutest illustrated note along with my goodies!

Thanks again to Kimmi for all the delicious treats! I definitely enjoyed them all. Again if you are interested in participating next month in the Canadian Edition of the Vegan Food Swap, click here for more information!

June Vegan Food Swap Part 1

It's that time again! Time to brag share with you what I got in my latest Vegan Food Swap parcel! This month, Me'shell sent out a FB message looking for someone to take on a second partner and I quickly accepted since that meant two times the shopping for goodies!! My extra partner was Gabby who blogs from The Veggie Nook. You should go check out her blog too, she has an especially yummy looking tofu scramble recipe up and many more too! Gabby sent me so many yummy treats! The big hit was the bag of gluten free pretzels in my son's opinion. We have these on hand all the time but as soon as he saw the little bag as I was opening up the parcel he grabbed it and ran off!

Here's the photos and play by play of what Gabby sent!

Here's the whole box before I started unpacking it...

A quick picture of the delicious gluten free pretzels before Mac claimed them as his own.

A bag of Cocoa Kissed Savi Seeds...there not nuts but they do taste like them! Delicious treat and a great source of Omega 3.

A bag of Chocolate Coconut Almonds from Q's Nuts that I am still saving for a rainy day chocolate craving!

A package of Eco Chefs Red Lentil Fusilli

A juice box of Vita Coco Coconut water which I had never tried before. I ended up making it into a Pink Lemonade Coconut Water Frosty on one of the days last week that hit 42C with the humidex. We were in need of some hydration for sure!

And a selection of Gabby's favourite teas, a Cherry Lara Bar (one of my very favourites), a small package of chia seeds and a few packets of stevia. Gabby is doing a sugar free challenge on her blog right now so I can see why she would send me some Stevia! 

Thanks again to Gabby for the wonderful parcel of goodies!! And to Me'Shell for hosting our Vegan Food Swap as well. If you live in Canada and would like to participate next month, check out Me'Shell's blog for all the details and sign up sheet. It is a lot of fun! Stay tuned for another post soon about my other partner from this months' swap!

My First Vegan Food Swap

I was so overjoyed when I saw on my Twitter feed that MeShell was hosting a Canadian Vegan Food Swap! I had read about other people's experiences on blogs and thought it was a great idea and always wanted to take part. I mean who doesn't like getting cool, new vegan products in the mail!? I know I do! Better than bills and junk mail that's for sure!

I quickly signed up and eagerly awaited my match. I'm telling you that was a long seven days for me. I was lying awake at night thinking of ideas of what I would get for the person I was paired with and thinking of every possibility that could possible be coming my way in terms of lifestyle or allergies. I had mapped out in my head things I would want to send them and quickly realized the hardest part would be picking just a few things and staying within the budget. Not to be stereotypical but my husband is happy there was a limit. I tend to get carried away let's say. I have to say I enjoyed the shopping as much (maybe more than) the receiving which is totally me. I always love shopping for holidays and birthdays anticipating how much someone will love something. I tend to get so excited about it that I don't want to wait til the actual day.

I received my email containing all of my match's info and quickly sent her an email to find out her likes and dislikes. Sarina has just set up a blog about gardening and vegan eats recently but has already been busy filling it up with pictures and recipes! She let me know she was allergic to alcohol and enjoyed raw foods and I was off! Right away I knew one thing I had to get, alcohol free vanilla extract! I have had it before and knew that Sarina would appreciate it since almost all vanilla contains alcohol. I know what's it's like to be limited by allergies and how great it feels to find a new product that brings something back into your life that you miss because of them. Anyone reading this that avoids alcohol I bought Frontier Co-Op Brand which you can get in Ottawa at Rainbow Foods or online. I then decided to send her a bottle of Coconut Vinegar which I had recently discovered at my local health store and fell in love with its mild flavour and is coincidentally raw. Also packed in was a box of sweet rice flour, a package of Speculoos biscuits (a favourite in our house) and some Spicy Nacho Popcorn Topper (which was a test recipe for Vegan Food Gifts by Joni Marie Newman). I was so happy and relieved when I heard from Sarina that she had received her parcel in tip top shape and loved what I had included! It really made my day knowing that she did.

Next I got to enjoy the second part of this whole swap experience as I awaited my parcel from Katie over at Not Your Parents' Granola (you really need to check out Katie's blog, especially her post about Butterfinger Cake). I was so excited to see what Katie would find since we live in the same city but I knew she would know all kinds of new local products from around Ottawa! When I received my parcel, I quickly grabbed my camera and set to open it up. I uncovered a real treasure trove of goodies and a lovely handwritten note from Katie! I took out each item and savoured each one as I did! Haha! Katie generously sent me:

- a most delicious jar of Michaelsdolce Strawberry and Balsamic Jam made here in Ottawa using local strawberries (I'm serious, it's the most vibrant, flavourful jam I've ever had)

- two (never before tasted or seen) Ginger Snap Lara Bars (she told me they were brought from the US by a friend since we don't have this flavour here)

- a package of Koko's Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Bark made here in Ottawa as well (super scrumptious dark chocolate with tart cranberries is definitely a winner in my books, throwing in pecans just made it even tastier)

-  a jar of Ontario made Apple Butter from Hall's Apple Market with a tip on how to make apple butter muffins!

- a package of Quin'Bites (also from Ontario) that are totally addictive and remind me of sesame snaps that are Vegan and Soy Free!

and as if that wasn't already too much...

- two packages of Buddy Fruits Pure Fruit Bites for my son! He totally loved them and scarfed down most of a package this morning (I'm ashamed to admit) but was nice enough to share a few tastes with me and my husband.

I have to thank Katie again for such an amazing parcel of goodies! It's amazing what I have never had in our own city! Thank you too to MeShell for hosting this whole swap project. I am already looking forward to next month! It's such a wonderful experience to get to know other bloggers all over Canada and tasting new vegan treats while we're at it! If you would like to participate in June, just fill in the form on MeShell's blog. You will be glad you did!