Penny-wise Wednesday: Save money by using what's in your kitchen pantry

http://www.flickr.com/photos/playingwithpsp/287787242/

Oh, how many times we go to the grocery store when our kitchen is actually full of enough goodies to make several meals. I know I'm not the only one who ever does this! :)

I get used to eating certain things, or want some ingredients to try something new and opportunities that are there kind of fall by the wayside.

New eyes
Saving money can be as simple as looking at what you have in your kitchen with new eyes. Do something not related to cooking or shopping- then once you are refreshed and have a more open mind- get a pen and paper and go through what you have on hand.

Be creative. Write down what you can make with what you have. Be open to trying new things. Some of the most flavorful dishes are a combination of things you wouldn't expect to find together, so be adventurous! :)


Watch for what is going bad
Just today I washed, cut up, and froze some fresh okra that we had bought from Whole Foods over the weekend. I knew that if I didn't, it would probably have gone bad by the time I got around to using it. Try to preserve your food from going bad as often as you can, and you will have more food to work with! :)

Also, simply storing food in ways that keep them fresh longer will keep your menu ideas broader as well. Chicobags make and sell bags that are reusable and cater to different produce needs. Green bags are an option as well, though I would try to be sure they are bpa free.


When all else fails, make soup
I adore soup. If it's cold outside or hot, it doesn't matter to me. Soup is always good! :) And the nice thing about soup is that you don't have to stick to a strict recipe for it to come out tasty. Use your imagination! Put a bunch of veggies together and make a nice plain veggie soup, or decide on a theme(like Italian, etc) and let the kitchen magic begin!

Do you have any ideas for making the food in your pantry go further? Please share in the comment section below! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Wishlist Wednesday: 3 Unique Tea Canisters

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I love to drink tea and try different flavors. Tea has so many health benefits and is so much tastier than drinking plain water all of the time. I have found some really cool tea canisters that I like for Wishlist Wednesday.

This Japanese Doll Tea Canister is so charming! The description on the website says that there is a hidden bow underneath the lid. This canister is so cute and whimsical, and reminds me of the It's a Small World Ride at Disney World! :)

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This is a polished cherry bark tea canister. It has a fancy oriental look about it. As you can see the grain of the wood reflects the natural knots of the cherry wood. This canister is lined in stainless steel. Cute!

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And this is the unfinished cherry bark tea canister. It has all of the features of the finished one above, but has a more rustic, natural look about it.

For more tea related shopping, visit American Tea Room. 

Until next time.... God bless!

Exciting New Updates! :)

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whalesalad from Flckr

Hi,
I hope all my readers are doing well! I have a few updates to share with you.

First of all, in case you haven't noticed, Yummy Vegetarian Delights in now available by subscription on the Amazon Kindle! It is only .99 a month. The neat thing about reading a blog on your Kindle is that it downloads onto your Kindle completely and updates each time you are connected, so you can read blogs in their entirety, even when you are offline! And you can get a trial subscription to any blog for free! So, if you have a Kindle, try out Yummy Vegetarian Delights on Kindle! :)

Also, I am doing a bit of rearranging to the blog here. I have added Articles on Natural, Non-Toxic Living. 
These articles will take you to Suite101 for the time being. Once my 1 year commitment per article has passed, I will be able to move them here. For the time being, make sure you have YVD bookmarked, or make sure you are subscribed so you can come back here! :)

I have also added a new shopping page which will feature vegetarian, vegan, and natural products. I will be working on that and hopefully get it fully functional very soon!

Also, I have added buttons to the top of each post and page that allow  you to share on various social networks, or to email it to someone. 

I have more plans to make YVD bigger and better, but one thing at a time! :) Thanks for all of your support!


Until next time.... God bless!

Dino Bites- vegan cookies

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I was given the opportunity to try these Dino Bite cookies a little while back. If you are looking for a vegan snack cookie, these may be for you. Though they look like they are geared toward kids with the cute little Dino guy on the box, they can be a snack food for the whole family. There are four flavors to choose from. . One carton costs  @ $25, and contains 6 boxes of cookies. You can buy these in my OpenSky shop, YummyVegShop. Below are the product pictures and purchase links! :)

Vanilla Dino Bites: Buy Now

Cherry and chocolate chip Dino Bites: Buy Now

Banana and chocolate chip Dino Bites: Buy Now

Strawberry and chocolate chip Dino Bites:Buy Now

Until next time.... God bless!

L'Uvalla Hydrating Milk Cleanser

I was sent this face wash to try before adding it to my OpenSky shop. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and let me tell you, it is really nice! It leaves my skin feeling clean and soft. My skin has a a tendency to be oily, but this really balances is out. And it feels so soothing that I really do think it would work to balance any type of skin.

Don't let the name of this product fool you either. Even though milk is in the title, it is a vegan product. The price is $35. However, if you want a really good facial cleanser that will last about a month or two, this would be a good investment.

These are the highlights listed for this product on OpenSky:


-A vegan cleanser that removes dirt, oil, and makeup without stripping vital moisture from dry or mature skin
-Formulated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents like Wild Chamomile, Passionflower, and Lotus Extract
-calms and soothes your skin while providing intense hydration

Want some of your own?  Buy Now

Glass Straws- How Cool is That??

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I am so excited about these glass dharma straws! They are just about the neatest thing I've seen in a while. I like things that are pretty and functional. I had been concerned about possible BPA in plastic straws, but I really didn't see any good alternative until now.

A little about the glass straws:

• They are made in the U.S.A.
• Have a lifetime guarantee
• Are longer than regular straws.
• Come in straight, bent, & decorated
• Come with a cleaning brush that is stainless steel and nylon.
• Are really cool and fun!!

These are available in my OpenSky Shop, or you can click the link next to the products below to purchase them. Here they are!

These are the straight glass straws. This set is $31. Not a lot when you consider you'll never have to buy straws again! :) Buy straight glass straws.

The Beautiful Bends above are available for $32 for the entire set! Buy Beautiful Bends.

The photo above doesn't do these decorative ones justice! We have one that has decorative blue glass that is vibrant and pretty! This set costs $32, and would make a nice Christmas gift. Buy decorative set.

Until next time.... God bless!

Review of CSN Stores- Kitchen Items

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I recently had the opportunity to pick up a few items from http://www.CSNstores.com. 
This store is actually over 200 stores in one convenient online location. They have so many neat kitchen related items (as well as items in different categories).

Well, I got two stainless steel cookie sheets. I had been wanting stainless steel ones for a while now, and here they are! Aren't they nice?

Something else I've wanted for a while.... a pestle and mortar. We plan to use it for cooking, as well as for creating natural dyes. It is marble. Here it is.

CSNstores.com has agreed to host a giveaway here at Yummy Vegetarian Delights in September. Stay tuned for details! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

The Lunch Box Project

I am selling a few items in my OpenSky shop that will benefit the Lunch Box Project. This organization promotes healthy meals at public schools. It shows schools how they can make healthy meals for the same amount of money that they spend on overprocessed, unhealthy foods. For each item that is purchased, $1 will be donated to the Lunch Box Project.

First, we have the Goodon YaBar Sample Pack. The Breakfast Bar is vegan, and the Peanut Butter Honey, and the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate are vegetarian. Use code FREESHIPSAMPLER at checkout to get free shipping on this item!  $10

Next is raw, organic Artisa almond butter. Gotta love almond butter! $20


And last but not least is ultra raw, pesticide free honey at only $12


(Read the health benefits of raw honey.)

Happy Shopping! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Vegan Seed Cheese Recipe and Kitchen Shopping...

This is seed 'cheese' made with sunflower seeds. It is surprisingly good. I made this last week and put it in the freezer. This week I plan to make a vegan lasagna using this and a few other ingredients. I found this concept on http://veganepicurean.blogspot.com/. You can use any kind of seed you like in place of sunflower seeds. For this recipe you will need:

• 1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds (soaked)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• @ 1/4 cup water <~ add slowly, use more or less as needed.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

I also want to talk to you all about about a store my mom and daughter told me about last week: CSNStores.com. They have everything you could imagine for your home and kitchen, from stainless steel kitchen items (which I plan to try soon!) to beautiful dining tables (<~ wish I could try soon! :). I will be reviewing an item soon from there, and they will be sponsoring a giveaway for Yummy Vegetarian Delights in late September. Stay tuned for that! Neat site- check them out. :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Yummy Vegetarian Delight's new OpenSky Shop, YummVegShop!

I am happy to announce that Yummy Vegetarian Delight's has opened its new OpenSky shop, Yummy Veg Shop! OpenSky is an online store that brings sellers and blog owners together with products of interest to blog readers.

Basically this is how it works... I see or try a product, and if I really like it and think my readers will too, then I blog about it and include a link to buy the item. So far I have recommended Piggy Paint nail polish and remover, which is a non toxic safe alternative to regular nail polish and remover. It is targeted to children and tweens. We have bought my daughter lots, and I use it too! So, it's for you too Moms! ;)

Piggy Paint- Clouds of Candy Giftpack $27 


I am expecting several items this week to try, and I will let you know about them and give you and opportunity to buy them soon. I am going to be featuring mainly vegan, kitchen, and green items.

So, all of this explains the small shopping cart link in the top right hand corner of the site! :)

Until next time.... God bless!

Review of Trader Joe's

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I am happy to announce that I finally began shopping at Trader Joe's! I went for the first time a few weeks ago. It came to our area within the last year and I just hadn't been. Now that I have been I plan to go every two weeks and stock up on my favorite products and try some new ones.

We went in the evening on a Saturday, and was it packed! Here is a pretty picture I took of Trader Joe's after I was done shopping:

The cashier told me that it is really crowded on the weekends as this is the only Trader Joes in the area.

There are a few things I really like about this store. For one thing, there are so many healthy options! Things are marked vegan, vegetarian, gluton free, easy meal, etc. so you don't have to go reading through the labels. Of course I look at all the ingredients anyway, as I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup, msg, and a lot of excess sugar. Another cool thing about Trader Joes is that the prices are really good. You can find things you can't find at your normal stores, and the prices are lower on some of the products. Also, they are always cooking up free samples to give away. Yummy! And, if you are a coffee drinker (and even if you aren't lol) don't forget to try the coffee samples. They are delicious.

All in all, I say if you live near one, go. Here is my purchase from my first visit:

Everything I have tried from this store I have really liked. Watch for individual product reviews coming soon!

God bless!

Read more about me here.

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