Farewell!

So, the blog is done.

I feel really good about where I am in my life right now, and I no longer need this outlet. With Jasper and Husband and all the exciting things that will be happening this Spring and Summer, I am so busy and so happy. 

I appreciate everyone who took time out of their day to read my little blog, and I really enjoyed telling you all about our lives in Portland. 

Thanks for traveling with me on this journey! 

Thanks for reading! Best wishes and love from Portland. 

Veggie Grill

We got to eat at an all vegan restaurant the other day, called the Veggie Grill. It's a chain with locations in California, Washington, and Oregon. I have been excited to try this place since we have gone vegan, and it was great! 

http://www.veggiegrill.com/index.html

It's more focused on meat substitutes than whole food eating, but when I'm craving some 'normal' food, this is where I will go. Plus, it is HUGE joy to order something off the menu without any extra instructions. I was grinning like a little girl the whole time. 

I got a buffalo chicken salad, and husband got a cheese burger with all the fixins. We went with a friend who is not vegan, and he enjoyed his Thai wrap. 

This is mine, and I don't know what happened to husband's food pic. Note: I had eaten like half of this before I remembered to take a pic, so it's MUCH bigger than this. 

Here's a fancy professional pic of husbands food:

It was so freaking good. My food even had ranch dressing on it. I need that recipe Veggie Grill, give it up!!!! The 'chicken' bits were crispy and coated in hot wing sauce. MMMMMMM, now I'm hungry. 

I had a bite of the burger, and it was awesome. The best vegan burger I have ever had, by FAR. We got it 'El Dorado style' which includes jalapenos and onions. It came with a side of red cabbage slaw, although there are other side options, some for an upgrade price. 

I have a feeling that this will be our go-to restaurant whenever I feel the itch to go out. It's so satisfying and a perfect treat for anyone--vegan or not. If there's one near you (sorry, Colorado peeps) check it out ASAP!

Thanks for reading! Best wishes and love from Portland. 

He got the velcro

I got to go thrifting for the first time in a long time, and the thrift shop gods smiled on me. 
First, here's a video--in case you live under a rock and haven't seen it--that adequately sums up my love for thrifting. 

I only purchased 4 items. I am extremely picky when I thrift, as it's easy to spend money on things you will never wear or use. But when I encounter THE ITEM, I know it. 
We have a moment.

In this case, the magic happened when I met all of these items: 

 Let's talk sewing box first. 

I have always wanted one of these! The angled legs caught my eye first. The wood crap aisle is always intimidating at Goodwill, as it's not very organized. But take your time and check it all out. There's 'gold' in there, and lots of it is vintage. (before the "plastic age") This box made me squeal, especially when I discovered that it folds out like a tackle box. I can now free up the bowls that I currently store pins and needles in. It's something that your grandma has that gets passed down. It has some wear on the top, but I'm not going to touch that--it's earned it character. 

Next, let's talk about the clothes
 (not the scale yet, I'm saving the best for last).

The sweater is a new sweater, with tags still on, from Target. Always shop at a Goodwill nearest a Target, as that's where they send their clearance rejects. It's great for the more expensive lines Target does, like the recent Neiman Marcus collaboration (I found NM sweater there this time, but it was too big). 

The skirt has buttons down the front and pockets. It will be shortening it, as it hits mid calf. It will replace the other dark background floral skirt that I have worn. to. death. Literally held together with safety pins. 

Okay, the scale. I have been angry with my current scale for a while, as it EATS batteries. And they are the expensive flat ones too. Today I took out the battery and stuck it in my pocket, determined to get some more after I went to Goodwill. But I found a manual scale for $3!!!! 

This 50's scale stuck out at me under the pile of modern scales at Goodwill. 

I did test it with practically ALL of the other scales at Goodwill. That's right, I spend 15 minutes weighing myself with various scales at Goodwill. No shame. This scale was just as accurate as the new ones, and it is much cooker looking. 

I cleaned it up when I got home, and I think it's perfect.

Here's the old one: 

Shame on you Taylor scale for eating batteries! 

The best part of the new scale is that I just did some research on the Borg name. They are selling for up to 70 dollars on Ebay! Don't worry Mr. Scale, I'd never sell you!

I tell ya, it's the little things in life.  

Thanks for reading! Best wishes and love from Portland. 

End of Vegan Challenge!

So, here we are, three months without ingesting animal products. You probably think that we've turned into this guy: 

Well, we haven't. We have probably shifted a bit more toward the dirty hippie side of the spectrum, but we're totally still showering and everything. Promise. And lezz be honest, we were pretty much on the dirty hippie side of the scale already. 

I am staying vegan, and husband is as well. I wasn't predicting that outcome at the beginning of the year. It comes down to several factors: 

1. We feel great. 
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have tons of energy, and no "Ugh, I just stuffed myself, I need to lie down" feeling after eating. We get to eat more volume with less calories. 

2. We don't feel deprived. 
There's a vegan alternative to everything in these modern times! Even though we generally stay away the fake meats and cheeses, we also believe in indulging in cravings before they become obsessions. If I do miss anything, it's the convenience of quick eating, and we really shouldn't be eating those convenience foods anyway. 

3. There's an amazing power in saying "no" to yourself.
This is hard to explain unless you've experienced it yourself. I think of our modern food world as being in a constant state of feasting. High calorie foods are the norm. We eat those high calorie foods and our brain is happy for a moment, because feasting just feels good. We want that feeling again and again. Obviously we can see the effect of this behavior on our society. Making a break in that behavior ends up making you feel better, for a longer period of time. What you don't realize is that while feasting feels good, not feasting doesn't feel bad. In fact, it doesn't feel like anything! Your self control improves, and you realize that emotion doesn't rule your food choices anymore. I am the most in control of my relationship with food than I have ever been, and I am loving it. 

4. It's easy now!
I've adapted to cooking vegan, we've adapted to eating vegan, and we know where to eat out. 

As I have said before, eating is a highly personal choice, and has a major impact on your body. I urge you to think about your own food 'path'. Do what is right for YOU! 

Thanks for reading! Best wishes and love from Portland.