My Semi-Vegetarian Life

So what is Bento?

2011-11-12T17:09:00.004-05:00

Asanoha Bento Box available at bentoandco.com

Ok, so you are wondering what is Bento? Bento is a Japanese boxed lunch and/take out meal box. Traditionally, Bento would be packed with rice, fish or maybe noodles. It can be used as a creative way of making lunch exciting for kids. Bento makers offer various accessories to accompany your Bento Box and assist you with your food art. The boxes come in differet shapes, sizes and styles. One, two or three tiers are available to suit your needs. These boxes can hold fruits, veggies, pin wheels, rice, sandwiches, etc. You can also purchase Bento condiment cups and food divders to assist you with packing lunches. These boxes are good for portion control and using leftovers.

On a side note, when ordering your Bento Box make sure to read the description and check the product specifications. Some Bento Boxes are not microwave and/or dishwasher safe.

Bento is not limited to square and rectangle containers. For soups and pasta check out Bento style bowls at http://en.bentoandco.com/.

Bento & Co.'s prices are reasonable and the boxes are gorgeous! The ship from Japan to all countries.

Get creative with your Bento Box!

Clip Coupons & Save Money

2011-11-10T21:55:00.001-05:00

Who loves saving $$$? I do! Here are some helpful saving tips:

Check out your local Sunday paper for savings.

Walgreens and CVS provide helpful hints in their circulars as to matching their store sales with Sunday coupons. I often get deals on dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent and paper towels by pairing coupons with in-store sales. Walgreens also has an in-store coupon booklet that is filled with savings, so the next time you are in the store keep an eye out for it.

Publix offers printable store coupons at http://www.publix.com/. The Publix website even breaks down their B1G1 savings and has a convenient shopping list feature as well. They also accept competitor coupons such as Target and Walmart.

Walmart and Target offer online coupons. CheckTarget's end caps for clearance deals.

Iphone and Droid users can download apps from Saving Star, Valpak, Coupons.com, etc.

Another helpful tip is purchasing a coupon organizer to make your coupon sorting easier. You can find these organizers on Etsy.com. Check out glowgirl16's awesome assortment of organizers here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/glowgirl16

Take time to search for savings and match coupons with in-store deals. Plan meals around what coupons are available. In the end, you may be surprised at how much you save. An "extreme couponer" I am not, but a little effort to find the best deals will go a long way.

Sites I visit to get the latest deals:

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/

http://offbeatmama.com/2010/10/extreme-couponing

http://www.coupons.com/

http://printablecouponsanddeals.com/

Where can I find a good veggie burger?

2011-11-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

Where do I have to go to get a good homemade veggie burger? Burgerking offers the Veggie Whopper which features a Morningstar Farms veggie patty. Johnny Rockets uses a Boca patty for their veggie burger and adds caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, pickels and mustard to spruce it up. But, I do not want a Boca or Morningstar Farms veggie burger. I want a "homemade" veggie burger experience!

A good place to get a homemade veggie burger is California Burgers and Shakes. http://www.californiaburgersandshakes.com/menu.html

Another place to grab an excellent homemade veggie burger is J. Alexanders. I enjoy the texture and flavor of their veggie burger. An added bonus is that it does not fall apart as some veggie burgers do. http://www.jalexanders.com/index.php

What is your favorite spot to grab a great tasting veggie burger?

Not in the mood for another boring lunch? Try Amy's frozen meals.

2011-11-07T21:25:00.002-05:00

Do you find yourself searching the frozen food section for tasty vegetarian and/or vegan lunches? Well look no more because Amy's Kitchen offers a variety of vegetarian products including lunches, pizzas, breakfast burritos, soups, etc. My absolute favorite Amy's product is the Country Cheddar Bowl, but the enchilada dinner is close second. The Country Cheddar Bowl is pasta with cheese sauce, potatoes, tofu, broccoli and red peppers. It is a bowl full of cheesy, yummy goodness! Without Amy's frozen vegetarian options lunch would be pretty boring.

Amy's offers some gluten free options such as Garden Vegetable Lasagna, Rice Mac & Cheese and Rice Crust Pizzas.

Visit http://www.amys.com/ for recipes, coupons and to learn more about the history of Amy's Kitchen or check them out at http://www.facebook.com/AmysGoOrganic

Using Meatless Crumbles - Get Creative!

2011-11-06T19:12:00.003-05:00

It is the time of the year for a nice big pot of vegetarian chili. Meatless crumbles or TVP (textured vegetable protein) look and taste like ground beef. There are a few vegetarian crumble options at your local grocey store, but I prefer MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles. I find that the Boca brand of cumbles seem to cook away too much. I use two packages of Morning Star crumbles for the chili. You will find a vegetarian chili recipe using crubles here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/detail.aspx

Other uses for vegetarian crumbles:
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Tacos
Spaghetti
Sloppy Joes
Lasagna

Share your meatless crumble recipe ideas below!

Coco Craziness

2011-11-04T23:40:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed the coconut water craze? Recently, SOBE has followed the trend with their Lifewater Coconut Water beverage. I purchased the Pacific Coconut flavor with only 80 calories. When I returned, home upon further inspection, I found that the coconut water contained 110mg of sodium and 160mg of potassium. Companies are pushing coconut water as a sports drink alternative. Consumerlab.com conducted a coconut water review of three competitors. Check out the report here: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/coconut-water-one-vita-coco-zico-review/coconut-water/

If you want to real deal coconut water stop by and see Wilson at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Swap Shop. He is serving up cold, young, green coconuts daily!

Vegetarian House

2011-11-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

I lived in Portland, Oregon for a short time, but there is a place that I will always remember. The Vegetarian House is located in Portland's China Town area. The entire menu is vegetarian and/or vegan. If I could order the veggie orange chicken, have it packed and shipped to me I would! Other tasty dishes are the veggie chicken with broccoli, veggie lemon chicken and the veggie shrimp. They offer a "family style" option as well. The service is great, prices are reasonable, the decor a little dated, but I felt it had personality.

So, if you find yourself hungry and in Portland's China Town stop by the Vegetarian House and enjoy.
http://www.vegetarianhouse.com/index.html

Let's talk Tofurky

2011-11-03T22:26:00.001-04:00

With the holidays approaching I wanted to express my love of Tofurky. I have spent many anxiety filled holidays at the dinner table. My mind would race as I wondered what I would be able to eat. My boyfriend's family member would ask the dreaded question "is that all you are going to eat?" Needless to say I do not like turkey. That means no turkey sandwiches for me, or so I thought.

I admit I was hesitant to try Tofurky Deli Slices. The not-so-natural looking dark brown color was not appealing to me. I took the Tofurky leap and I am glad I did. Tofurky really does taste like...turkey. Now I can enjoy Tofurky sandwiches at lunch time. I often get the million dollar question at my work of "what kind of meat is that?"

The makers of Tofurky offer different holiday options for a vegetarian holiday meal. Check them out here:

http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/holiday_products.html