WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Hello, bloggies! I'm so sorry I didn't get to announcing the winner of my Endangered Species Chocolate Giveaway. I ended up going to LA this weekend...and San Diego...and Lake Forest...and had the most amazing time. I visited with my sister & her girls (along with our family friend, Melissa) who surprised my cousins out in California. I was able to see our Marine Corps friends that I haven't seen in 2 years and it was the most long overdue visit in the history of visits. I took part in the final PDub. My Marine Corps friend, Missy, who is also Vegan, came up with her beautiful family and we spent the day in the pool then ate at an entirely Vegan restaurant, The Wheel of Life. If you're ever in SoCal, you seriously need to try this place. Here's us with our first taste of Vegan shrimp!



Such an amazing weekend. There was very little sleep but the smiles and laughs were overflowing.

ON TO THE WINNER!

Stephanie @ The Grant's Giveaways is going to be getting a gift basket from Endangered Species. Send me an email with your address, Stephanie! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Vacations and Giveaways!

Hey, everyone! I've really been slacking this month on my blogging, but I promise, it's with good reason! My beautiful mother was here, visiting from New Hampshire. We were just busybusybusy. It was seriously nonstop! We had some amazing adventures and it still makes me sad to think she's already gone. I feel like time goes by faster when you want it to slow down. Here are some pictures from our trip:







We went hiking to hot springs, cheered at an Isotopes game, took the train to Santa Fe, and ate some delicious food along the way. She was here to help me celebrate my birthday and made it one of the most memorable days of my 28 years. I love you mom! <3

Since I've been so busy, I haven't been cooking up new stuff, so I'm going to do a giveaway. Have you tried Endangered Species Chocolate yet? This stuff is sooooo good. They're awesome enough to have sent me some samples and they're going to put together a gift basket for the winner of this giveaway!




Here are the rules!

1. Leave a comment telling me what your all-time favorite kind of chocolate is.
2. Go to the Endangered Species Chocolate webpage and tell me a something you learned!

Extra entries:

3. TWEET ME! Go post a link to this giveaway on Twitter and leave me a comment and link letting me know you did.
4. Link back on Facebook and, you guessed it, leave me a comment letting me know you shamelessly plugged my giveaway.
5. Have a blog? If you link back to this giveaway on your blog, you get FIVE EXTRA CHANCES to win so leave one comment with the link to your blog and 4 extra comments for being so awesome.

I'll announce the giveaway next Friday, June 4th. Which will be an awesome day in its own right. :)

I hope you've all had a wonderful week so far! Any big plans for Memorial Day?

Jerky Winner!

Random.org picked comment #31 this morning....which means that Leslie @ Better Together won some Primal Spirit Jerky!!! Jerky made of soy and mushrooms and seitan. I wonder what her husband will think of this?



I've got a few tasty recipes up my sleeve, lovelies. I just need to find the time! I'm trying to get my house immaculate for my mom. Don't get me wrong; my house is mostly spotless all the time. Alphabetized, color coded, you name it. My mom has just never been to a house that Cody & I lived in together because our only house prior to this was in Japan! Wish me luck on the cleaning!



If only I looked this good while doing said cleaning........wish me luck on that, too?

Primal Spirit Foods Jerky

Happy Hump Day, blogosphere! I hope you're all finding yourself in good spirits and good weather. And Happy Cinco de Mayo! As someone who served and a wife of someone who served, I think it's so great that our country and most of its people are able to enjoy such an eclectic array of holidays. We're pretty lucky!

One of the things I find myself missing most, aside from cheese, is jerky. Cody's aunt makes some preeeeety tasty homemade jerky and she sends it out by the box. From teriyaki to pepper, she makes some great flavors. Unfortunately, the whole thought of actually consuming real, dried, animal flesh makes me a little nauseous. Ugh. Lucky for us, there's Primal Spirit Foods!!! The fabulous people from Primal Spirit sent me a bunch of their jerky: some for me to try and some for me to giveaway!!!!!



Cody & I both took a turn tasting these perfectly packaged treats. Here's what we thought!

Thai Peanut: We were kind of hoping for more heat. When I think Thai, I think spicy. It was super moist, so not quite jerky, but the texture was neat. I did like the peanut taste, but I wouldn't call it "Thai".

Hickory Smoked: GREAT FLAVOR!!! The texture was right on, too. This one is soy, which I think helps the texture and its chewiness. This one rocked!

Teriyaki: This one also rocked the flavor. It kind of fell apart, though. More like fillet mignon than jerky.

Hot & Spicy: This WAS, in fact, hot and spicy. It's also shitake mushroom, so it was good and chewy.

Texas BBQ: This one kinda fell apart on us. I do love a good BBQ, though! Maybe they should make this one a tad bit bigger than the rest since apparently everything is bigger in Texas?

Mesquite Lime: WOW!!! This one got your sucker puckered! It's definitely lime, that's for sure. By far the best texture, too!

Do you want to try these protein-packed snacks? I'm giving away one of each, so if you're intrigued, enter the giveaway! Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment telling me why you want to try Primal Spirit Foods Jerky. (REQUIRED)

EXTRA CHANCES:

2. Leave a separate comment telling me which flavor you want to try!

3. Go to Primal Spirit Foods and leave a separate comment telling me something you learned...or something you already knew.

4. Tweet about it! Leave a link via comment telling me you did so!

5. Got Facebook? MySpace? Leave another comment telling me that you shamelessly plugged me.

6. Got a blog? Link back...and leave THREE comments linking back, including the link!

Get on it, folks! This is some tasty, unique shtuff. Happy Wednesday!

PS: Looking for some fun, safe, playtime stuff for the kiddos? Check out my friend's blog, Reaping What I Sow. She's giving away gluten free clay from AromaPlay. You don't want to miss out on this!!!

Drumroll please......

..........................The winner is, RACHEL over at Reaping What I Sow and Life with the Bugs!!! Rachel is someone I met in boot camp.

We looked a little less like this...



And a little more like this...




Regardless, we became Marines together! She has a beautiful family and has started cutting meat out of their diet. Maybe not the husband's...yet...but I know she'll keep pushing! I've seen it firsthand. Congratulations, my dear! Send me an email with your address and I will get these delicious cookies out to you asap!

Sweet Winner Announced and a Lovely Award!

Random.org must really this girl because she was one of five lucky winners in my last giveaway, too. Before you think I'm being biased, remember, I do use a random generator and if you look at the comments, she left the most. So congratulations, Erin @ Living and Loving in L.A.!!!



Don't fret, my loves...I have another giveaway coming VERY soon. You will love this one, too!

On to the next thing...

My wonderful friend, Rachel, over at Reaping What I Sow, awarded me this sweet little nugget of love.



Rachel and I have known each other for 6 years, although thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, we finally got back in touch after a few years. We did this crazy thing once; we went through Marine Corps boot camp together. Ever heard of 'em?



Anyway, what I'm supposed to do is list 10 honest things about myself. I hope you're prepared. I've lived a crazy life and I'm brutally honest sometimes. :)

1. I was a United States Marine. I stood where very few have and I am forever proud of this accomplishment. It's how I met my wonderful husband, who was also a Marine, and some of the greatest friends I've ever known. It was hard, it was trying, but it was worth (almost) every minute of it.

2. I was kicked out of Canada. Twice. Yes, deported. The first time, I was living and working there just because and apparently word got out and officials came to escort me over the bridge. All my stuff was still there, my best friends, my boyfriend, so I went back. Shame on me for going back, but shame on them for letting me back in! No worries, though. Because of super-secret #1, I'm allowed back in.

3. I love feeding people. That may not sound like a secret, but I really love feeding people. I fed Marines for years. Sometimes 12 at a time. I love making people full and happy. I love when people remember gatherings and the great food they had there. Maybe that's why I also love waitressing. I get to serve good food and get paid for it. It's not my first choice in careers, but it's fun, I'm good at it, and it helps pay for school.

4. I have to count my calories down to the last piece of hard candy. It's kind of an obsession. I work out a lot, and I love food, so I like to see how they balance out. It's great, too, because I can pretty much eat whatever I want, so long as it's in my budget. I don't believe in fad diets or pills; caloric intake is science and it just plain works.

5. Just like above, routine is another obsession. I have a coffee cup for every day of the week, so I get up, greet my Keurig, make my coffee, grab my Mac, and turn on Today. Even on workout days, it's the same. I check my email, my Facebook, my favorite blogs, then Perez Hilton. It very rarely changes.

6. I'm a Christian. Sometimes I get slack from people I surround myself with, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a relationship with God and I wouldn't have it any other way. My dear friend just gave me a study Bible and I couldn't be more excited about it. I don't push my beliefs on people, but I am more than willing to share my experience and my love for Jesus if anyone cares to ask.

7. I've been vegan for just over a year. I was a vegetarian for a while...more specific, I was a pescetarian, meaning I still ate fish. It wasn't until we moved home from Japan that I decided to give veganism a try. Needless to say, I fell in love with all it had to offer and I haven't even dreamed of looking back.

8. I reallyreallyreallyreally want to end up back in New Hampshire. I'm not sure it's going to happen, but that's where I truly feel at home. Not just because my family is there, but because all of my memories are there. I know New Hampshire and I love it. I know Cody would, too, if he just gave it a chance. :)

9. As I get older (when did 28 happen???), I understand that dealing with drama isn't necessary. There is an out, and it's just ignoring it. I used to think I needed to be friends with everyone, but it just isn't the case. Especially people who don't bring any positivity into my life. Sometimes it stinks because I would like to think I can be friends with everyone, but recently Cody and I both have cut some people out of our lives and we're just better off for it.

10. People give me crap because Cody looks young, and he's 3 1/2 years younger than me. Here's the deal. I always dated older men. Seriously. And it obviously never worked out. Then I met Cody and within months, I knew he was the one. He's responsible, so smart it makes my head spin, talented like there's no tomorrow, and LOVING. Not a day goes by where he doesn't do something that shows me how much he loves me. And not a day goes by where I don't love him even more. So do 3 1/2 years matter to me? Absolutely not. Aside from me being ready to have babies and him not-so-much, I hardly even notice.

That's it! Now I get to name 10 people! :)

1. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
2. Tasha @ The Voracious Vegan
3. Leslie @ Better Together
4. Erin @ Living and Loving in L.A.
5. Sarah @ Skinny Runner
6. Jaclyn @ Vegan Yumminess
7. Dawn @ Out of Africa
8. My favorite beer geek @ Albuquerque Beer Scene
9. Lindsey @ Happy Herbivore
10. Mandee @ Cupcake Kitteh

That's it! Enjoy, folks! And congratulations to you, my dear Erin. xo

Candied Sweet Potatoes...and a Sweet Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a fabulous Monday. I'm still waiting for my first cup of coffee to kick in so I can go running. I had a 5-day weekend so obviously I'm tired. Not that I did much. :) Thursday was Every Time I Die with my favorite drummer. Friday, Cody, Dei, and I went to Stone Face Tavern for dinner & beer. Saturday was mostly preparing for Sunday's meal. Cody was in the back gardening nearly all day while I was cookin'. Sunday morning was one of the most beautiful Easter services I've ever been to at Desert Springs Church with an even more beautiful couple. Afterwards, Dei came over for dinner (Chuck is off saving the world!) and we relaxed and ate way too much.



Dinner consisted of Honey Glazed Tempeh, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls(or Butter Horns, as Cody likes to call them). The tempeh came out just ok; the flavor was there, but something wasn't quite right. I think for a real ham-like experience, I'll use seitan next time. The mashed potatoes and carrots were awesome, but I really want to share the sweet potatoes with you.



I'm a huge fan of sweet potatoes. They're a fast snack in the microwave, a great side dish for dinner, and so high in potassium. I've been craving them a lot, so I've been eating them a lot. Here's my recipe for a traditional holiday sweet potato dish:

Candied Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

2-3 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup unsweetened, full-fat soy milk
2 tbsp soy margarine (I use Earth Balance!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup Suzanne's Specialties Ricemellow Creme

1. Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Don't stab yourself. Cook them in the microwave on your BAKED POTATO setting, or for about 9 minutes. Check them and make sure the skin has slightly pulled away from the flesh. Cut in half and let cool a lil' bit.

2. Preheat oven to 400° F. In a casserole dish or large pie plate, scoop out all the sweet potato, making sure to not get any of the skin! Mash in the soy milk, margarine, cinnamon, nutmeg, syrup, and brown sugar. Make sure it's nice and smooth, making sure to smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes.

3. When your 25 minutes is up, take it out of the oven and spoon some tasty Ricemellow Creme on top. There you have it!

Wait.....you haven't heard of Suzanne's Specialties??? If you have, you know how AH-MAZING the all-natural, gluten free, vegan, and organic sweeteners and toppings are. If you haven't, you're missing out. Either way, keep reading to find out how YOU can win some tasty sweet stuff for yourself!

The generous folks over at Suzanne's Specialties sent me loads of tasty stuff to give away. See for yourself:



One lucky reader is going to get to soothe their sweet tooth for themselves! I'll be announcing the winner on April 12. Before you start leaving comments, just remember: you can leave more than one! Each comment gives you an extra chance at winning. Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite, guilty sweet is. (Mine is Cody, just in case you're all wondering. Ha!)
2. Go to Suzanne's Specialties and tell me which product you would love to try.
3. Leave a SEPARATE comment letting me know I'm on your blogroll.
4. BECOME A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG! The area looks like this:

So what are you waiting for???
5. Follow me on Twitter.
6. Link this on your own blog, if you have one. IF YOU LINK BACK... leave TWO comments telling me you did. Yeah, that's right. You get two comments for this one. ;)
7. Let me know you posted this on your FACEBOOK OR TWITTER. If you did both, leave two SEPARATE comments.

I know the list gets longer and longer, but that means your chances get higher and higher. Booyah!

PS: If you're like me and you LOVE giveaways, check out this AWESOME giveaway over at Love Veggies and Yoga. Because everyone should have one of these.

Earth Hour

March 27th, 2010, 8:30 PM



I'm thinking bonfire. Are you going to be doing anything?

....the envelope, please...

Here are the lucky winners of my Ener-G Giveaway!!!!

Erin @ Living and Loving in L.A., who happens to be doing a giveaway herself, so go check it out!
Leslie @ Better Together
Eco Diva @ Sprouting Dreams
Christina, a new vegan friend who I think should start her own blog... :)
And Katie, who I'm thoroughly excited about winning because she's actually allergic to eggs!

Congratulations, lovely ladies! Send me an email with your mailing information and I'll get your box of Ener-G out to you this week!

Ener-G! Ener-G!

It's another giveaway, folks!

The wonderful people at Ener-G sent me an entire box full of their amazing egg replacer product to giveaway.



This stuff is absolutely AH-MAZING!!! I use it in pancakes, banana bread, pudding...it's a really great product for people like me who have a crap-ton of regular recipe books. You can literally just use this stuff in place of the eggs! Do you have an egg allergy? Are you vegan? Are you trying to lower your cholesterol? Or are you maybe just trying to lead a healthier lifestyle? I have FIVE boxes to give away...yes, FIVE...to five different lucky readers.

Here are the rules:

You can leave up to five separate comments on the blog, which gives you that many more chances to win.

1. Leave a comment telling me why you want to try this product.
2. Leave a separate comment telling me that you linked back to this product on your blog.
3. Leave another separate comment telling me that you tweeted about this blog.
4. Leave one more separate comment telling me that I'm on your blogroll.
5. And one more to let me know that you put it on facebook or myspace or whatever social network you use.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for???

*I'll be drawing the winner from Random.org on March 22!

And the cook book goes to.........

MELISSA!!!

Melissa (aka Missy) is a Staff Sargeant of Marines and relatively new to the vegan life. It might seem like I played favorites on this one because I'm also training for the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon with her, but I used Random.org to get my number and it came up 12! A HUGE congrats to Missy! She deserves this cook book and I know she'll put it to good use!

Everyone please stay tuned, though: I have another giveaway coming next week and there will be 5...yes, 5...winners! Thanks for entering! Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Vegan Cookies Invade YOUR Cookie Jar!

I can't say enough about the people I work for. They're sweet, thoughtful, hard-working, and they've been doing this for a while! They feed us at the end of every shift, so I feel it necessary to feed them right back. (Sometimes I think it's just because I'm like the old lady in The Wedding Singer and I like watching people enjoy the first bite. And the second and third.) Friday night, I even brought cookies in for our super old yet super amazing customer, Buzz (aka Bird Man). I made vegan Samoas (yes, like the Girl Scout cookies!) and they were AH-MAZING.

Now, I would post the recipe for these cookies. I would love to share it with all of you. However, since it doesn't just step on Girl Scout toes (and they're children! I wouldn't dare!), I'm going to do something I've never done before.

A GIVEAWAY!!!

That's right, I'm going to giveaway a copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.



One lucky reader will be announced next Friday, March 5! Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment on this blog telling me what your favorite cookie is!
2. If I'm not on your blogroll, add me and leave a separate comment telling me that we're friends!
3. Tweet back to this link, telling me you did so in a separate comment.
4. If you have a blog, blog about this awesome giveaway and leave another separate comment telling me you've done so.
5. Have another way to link back to this blog? Facebook, MySpace, MyFace, BookSpace? Let me know you've done so! You guessed it...in a separate comment!!!

So you see, that's FIVE DIFFERENT COMMENTS. I know it sounds like a lot, but I'm going to use Random.org to pick the winner so leaving five comments gives you a better chance of winning! Trust me: you want to win this book!

What are ya waiting for?

5 questions, 5 answers!

My beautiful, talented, marathon-running, inspiring friend, Erin (you should hear me when I'm sucking up! ;)), tagged me in her latest blog entry! Since she inspires me to blog more often, run more, and eat better (I sill can't thank you enough for my signed book, love!), PLUS I love answering questions, I'm going to roll with it! :)

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?

1. In the Marine Corps.
2. Dating my wonderful husband, learning what it meant to really be in love.
3. Working at Greenfield's Restaurant, my all-time favorite!
4. Babysitting my amazing niece & nephew. Miss you, Jacob. <3
5. Almost married. :)

Question 2: What is (was) on your to-do list today?

1. NOT RUNNING! I'm a little injured after yesterday's bosque run, so I'm taking it easy. Plus my feet have put up with almost 45 miles this week.
2. Grocery store...one of my favorite things!
3. Attend a basketball game for my friend's beautiful daughter.
4. Clean house and make dinner.
5. Have wonderful friends over for some Chickpea Cutlets and other tasty treats.

Question 3: What five snacks do you enjoy?

1. Anything chocolate.
2. Chips, pita, or veggies with hummus.
3. Chips & salsa, but only at La Salita!
4. Cuties. Oh, how I love Cuties!
5. Veggie Stix!

Question 4: What five places have you lived?

1. I grew up in New Hampshire...
2. Roamed around Canada for a bit with my bestie...
3. Spent time in the Marine Corps down south (SC, NC, VA)
4. Then off to Okinawa, JP to be with the husband...
5. And now I live in New Mexico!


Question 5: What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Immediately buy a home...one in NH, for sure.
2. Invest!!!
3. Help my mom and my family with whatever they need.
4. Shop till I can't even walk anymore!
5. Help anyone I know and love who might need it. (That I copied from Erin, who copied it from Miss Melissa. I'd do the exactly the same!)

I love questions. I also love giveaways, so keep your eyes peeled for my next post. ;)

Now for the fun part: getting to tag 5 of my friends! Here goes:

Leslie @ Better Together
The newly Mrs. Kanmuri @ Turning Iwatean
Dawn & Out of Africa
Jaclyn @ Jaclyn's Vegan Yumminess
ABQ Beer Geek @ Albuquerque Beer Scene

Have fun! Happy Saturday!!!

Got Chocolate?

This is not a fancy post, nor is this a post that needs any explanation. I'm a girl who loves chocolate. Dark chocolate, to be exact. I guess that's a good thing, too, since I can't really eat milk chocolate. :)

At the beginning of the month (not the year, because it wasn't a resolution), I started cutting back calories. I see so many people cut out carbs or start taking pills or eat nothing but bananas and grapefruit for a month. Really?? Losing weight is hard no matter which way you cut it. But when you're cutting it from weird places, it's going to be even harder to keep it off. Cutting calories not only works, it's logical and doesn't need to be FDA approved!

Picture this: 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat. If you burn 3500 calories from your normal intake a week, you'll lose a pound. If you have an extra 3500 calories floating around, you're going to gain a pound. My daily intake looks something like this:

1 cup of coffee with raw sugar & Mocha Mix = 42 cal
1 cup of Chex Mix with 1/2 cup of Light Soy Milk = 140 cal
Smart Deli sandwich on wheat bread, Vegan cheese, lettuce, Dijon mustard = 232 cal
Carrot strips = 20 cal
Cutie (or some other piece of fruit...but right now, these are my favorites!) = 35 cal
Something fabulous for dinner as seen on this blog :) = 200-500 cal
A cookie, some So Delicious Ice Cream, or hot chocolate = 100-200 cal

Add this all up and include the 400-700 calories I burn on a given day (depending on whether I run or just run my butt off at work!), I manage to eat under 1100 calories a day. If you were to tally up all of your calories for one day, what do you think they'd amount to?

I love hot chocolate.
Not the powdery stuff in the bag, good, warm, homemade hot chocolate. It warms up the hands and belly on cold days but also hits the spot when it comes to chocolate cravings without adding too many calories to your day! This is my favorite recipe for hot chocolate...



Dark Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time 2-3 minutes

1 heaping tsp Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa
2 tsp raw sugar
Pinch salt
1 - 1 1/2 cups light soy milk

1. In a large mug, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and a few tablespoons of the soy milk. Whisk until it is smooth and no longer powdery or lumpy. This is very important!!!

2. Add the rest of the milk to the mug, stir, and cook in a microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir, then cook for another minute or two. Voila!



I hope you try this delicious hot chocolate, especially if you're somewhere cold like me!

Eh, what's up, doc?

I don't have many followers. Do not feel sorry for me; I'm fine with it. For the moment. :) My main goal is to be able to use this blogspot as a reference when I get questions like, "What do you eat?" and "I could never NOT eat meat..." or the classic "Tofu is disgusting!". They can see firsthand that healthy, homemade, nothing-over-the-top type meals can be made...and can be made vegan.

I do have some followers, though, and the ones I have are amazing. One of my favorites being Living and Loving In L.A.. She has put up some great recipes (and DIY creative projects) that make me love her even more! She introduced me to Chia Seeds when I won a giveaway she posted. Well, it's time for another, and I'm shameless!

Living and Loving in L.A. is having another giveaway! She was able to convince 18 Rabbits to give two lucky readers a chance to win all 18 flavors of their tasty bars. Just go HERE to read more about it! You should be following her anyways, so there ya have it.

The Doctor is in!!!

For those of you who haven't been to visit Living and Loving in L.A., you need to check yourself. She is honest, amazing, insightful, motivational, funny, giving, and a great cook! No, I'm not sucking up because I want to win her latest giveaway. I mean, I do want to win, but most importantly, I want the world to know how wonderful this girl is! Go! Check her out!

<3

Today marks the 4th anniversary of my marriage to the most amazing man alive. Through good times, bad times, and the crazy ones in between, we've managed to come out even stronger. Thanks for loving me so much and being such a patient taste-tester.

I love you, Cody!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

I haven't had the opportunity to post anything over the past week. My wonderful, beautiful, best friend & sister is here in New Mehico with her two daughters. (I am making a vegan chocolate cake tonight since it's Hannah's 5th birthday, so there will be a new recipe up!) Since I still read all my favorite blogs (Jaclyn's Vegan Yumminess, SkinnyRunner, Better Together), I would like to share this wonderful giveaway from one of the most wonderful girls and best bloggers in the blogosphere, Living and Loving In L.A..

I don't know how I've never heard of Chia Seeds, but Chia Seeds Direct is giving away a 3-lb bag! I hope I win this generous giveaway so I can actually try them! But even if I don't, some lucky winner is going to reap the benefits of these little guys.



Go visit Living and Loving In L.A. for all the rules. The best rule of all is that you need to follow her. That should be a rule everyone lives by regardless of Chia Seeds.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Zevia Giveaway!

My beautiful friend, Living and Loving in LA always has the best news, DIY blogs, recipes, and giveaways. The giveaway she has up now is for Zevia soda. It's all natural, has ZERO calories, and tastes amazing! There will be a mixed case sent to one lucky Grand Prize winner and mixed sixed packs sent to 5 Runners Up!!! 6 chances to win??? Get on it! Go visit this amazing blog to find out how to win!

Perfect Strangers!

If you are unaware, my family here in New Mexico calls me EBeth (not for the same reason my best friend, Beth calls me EBeth...). They call me such because of the 'E': I'm obsessed with all things internet related. I am. I have Deidra's old iPhone, just in case there's free WiFi and I can check facebook. I blog. I have most updates (blog, fb, even banking) texted to my phone. I'm with the times!

Anyway, this blog has been so much fun. It motivates me to cook. It has introduced me to some amazing people who I consider friends (exhibit A). It makes me feel all warm & fuzzy when people I don't know leave me a comment or start following the craziness that I write. I got a neat little award today from Stephanie, someone I've never met. Obviously I'm going to do the natural thing and pass it along.



1. Where is your cell phone? still plugged into the wall
2. Your hair? I'm rocking bed-head right now.
3. Your mother? Too far away.
4. Your father? A riot.
5. Your favorite food? Hummus. And CoCo's.
6. Your dream last night? I usually forget!
7. Your favorite drink? Water. Coffee. Wine.
8. Your dream/goal? Radiology. Coffee shop. Book (???)
9. What room are you in? My living room.
10. Your hobby? Piano. Singing. Sewing. Baking.
11. Your fear? Not having babies.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? New Hampshire.
13. Where were you last night? La Salita.
14. Something you aren’t? A twig.
15. Muffins? Lemon Poppyseed...made them a few days ago & they rock.
16. Wish list item? Vegan cookbooks. I need to stock up.
17. Where did you grow up? New Hampshire.
18. Last thing you did? Made coffee. Well, watched my amazing Keurig make coffee.
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Your TV? News.
21. Your pets? Furbabies that belong to D & C.
22. Your friends? My family!
23. Your life? Close to perfect.
24. Your mood? Half sleepy.
25. Missing someone? Rob Pattinson. Oh, and my friends around the world.
27. Something you’re not wearing? Make up.
28. Your favorite store? Sunflower Market.
29. Your favorite color? Red, pink, and black.
30. When was the last time you laughed? This morning.
31. Last time you cried? It's been a while.
32. Best Friend? My husband.
33. One place that I go over and over again? Work.
34. One person who emails me regularly? USMC Marathon Training Program.
35. Favorite place to eat? Work.

Here are the 5 wonderful bloggers I nominate for this award!
Living & Loving In LA
Jaclyn's Vegan Yumminess
Better Together
Out of Africa
Turning Iwatean

These ladies make my day and their blogs really are over the top! Love you! xo