Lock & Don't Stop!!!

Another Hair Regimen Post....

2011-02-27T16:57:00.011-05:00

Here's what I've been using lately......

1. After hearing and reading others reviews on Nizoral I decided to try it out for myself. It's absolutely friggin amazing for those who have dry scalp. I thought I was destined to forever see flakes in my hair, even right after shampooing. I use it once a week and it works like a charm!

2. ACV is a girls best friend! Not just for balancing your PH but for deep cleaning your scalp & hair. I've started spraying diluted ACV in my hair after shampooing and conditioning and rinsing thoroughly.

3. Conditioner is a neccessity. Nizoral is a strong product and I can only imagine how harsh it is on my hair, which is why I use the Nizoral on my scalp only and conditioner on my locs. I'm currently using Oyin's Honey Hemp Conditioner. I'm not to gung-ho on the smell myself, it reminds me of the flintstone vitamins I took when I was little. With that being said, it's an amazing conditioner and leaves my locs very soft.

4. I don't know how longed locd people let their hair air dry. When I air dry my hair the locs at the nape of my neck have this smell that I absolutely hate. Now Lando & my Consultant both tell me it's not stinky but I can't stand it.

So first I try to wrench my hair out as much as I can. I then, use a Turbe Twist towel and a Shamwow. Depending on how much time I have I may blow dry for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat. Granted, my hair is still slightly damp when done but this seems to be the only way I can combat that pesky smell. Maybe when the hotter days come I'll be more likely to air dry. The office I work in can get pretty warm/humid at times, which I'm sure doesn't aid in the drying process. If anyone has any advice on this one please please please leave a comment.

5. Lastly, I've recently discovered my hair does just fine without oil. It's crazy cause yall know I've been living off eo combos with almond or jojoba or olive oils forever. Now I'm only using Greg Juice every other day. I never in a million years thought I'd only be using a single product in my hair....

That's All Folks!!!!

I'm An Official Peach!!!!!!

2011-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

2011 has started out ineterstingly enough.....

- My bathtub got clogged, by who knows what, and we had to call in the repair man. This guy comes in the apt with all kinds of contraptions and is unable to fix it on the first go round. Next thing we know this fool walks into the bathroom with a cotton' pickin hammer!!! WTF!!!??? So it didn't surprise us to find out their were holes in the tub and it would need to be replaced. 3 days into sponge bathing the apt complex offers one of their models for us to shower in. 5 days after that the tub is replaced and we're clog free...It could have been worse.

- Since my B-day is Monday I decided to get my official GA car registration this past Friday. I know it's bad that it took me so long to finally register but I couldn't find my FL title and really didn't want to pay the $90 for a replacement, not to mention my FL registration wasn't ending until this month anyways.

So, I fail my first emissions test and have to take it to a mechanic. Turns out whomever had the car before me switched the check engine light chord into the abs chord(mind you the car doesn't have abs). 20 minutes and $45 later the car was good to go and the 2nd emissions test was passed. I then go to the DMV for my license and after waiting an hour my number is called...phew...it just so happens that right after she's taken my FL license and my money the machines go haywire. 45 minutes later Lando & I are off to the Tax Commissioner's Office. Strangely enough that part went smoothly, with the exception of the man ahead of us having a flatulence problem.

After all is said and done I'm happy I was able to get everything done before my B-Day. My license picture is insane!!!!!!!! I know I have a big forehead but DAMN!!! LOL!!

On A Brighter Note!

Yall know how I love to crochet right? Well, I can actually wear my crocheted hats and scarves now...WOOHOO!!! While living in FL it was somewhat of a joke to gift someone with a crocheted scarf or hat. But in GA people are more than welcome to wear my stuff, especially since we're supposed to be getting snow for the next couple days. The hat I'm wearing below is a pattern from Afya Ibomu's Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats & Cool Caps book. I'm actually wearing the one on the cover but I didn't add the brim. I love her patterns, even though I purchased the book specifically for the pattern Erykah Badu is wearing and the patterned brim doesn't seem like the same one Erykah has on. Oh well, there are still some awesome patterns in the book. Since a post isn't a post without a pic I'll be posting pics of the hats I've made or will be making from her book as well as from other sources.

Enjoy Your Week! And Stay Warm!

Long Long Overdue.......4.5 Years!!!

2010-12-26T18:37:00.007-05:00

Wanted to make sure I, at the very least, started this post out with an update pic. I can't believe it's been 4.5 years....!!! (The top left pic is 2 years and the top right pic is 3 years, the bottom pic was taken today)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!!

I want to thank everyone who emailed me and was concerned about my well-being. I don't even know where to begin with all that's been going on. I would also like to apologize to those who sent me emails with questions about Sisterlocks and received no response, I literally just checked my email from the last 1 1/2 years.

1) We finally loaded up the car and made the move to GA late last year.

2) I landed a job in Jan 2010...YIPPEE!!! Yep! Living off unemployment was more than a struggle I wanted to admit to the folks.

3) I work atleast 55 hours a week and come home tired as hell...I'm not complainin though cause I'm so ecstatic to be working during the holiday season. I actually cried when I realized I could buy my family gifts.

4) Since I'm such a hermit and don't really hang with many folk, I sit at home and read and eat.......Not to mention I stress eat at work...eeekk!

5) Which brings me to the fact that I've gained a new location, a new job, and 20 new lbs... I kid you not guys! I didn't even want to post a pic for this post but thought that would have been unfair.

6) Here's another kicker....I'm no longer vegan, not even vegetarian!!! I'll be sure to do another post about this one.

7) I've been having even more dry scalp issues and now that it's longer washing & drying it has become more difficult. I will be sure to post my new regimens and issues.

8. I've really really missed you guys, reading all your inspirational stories and being apart of the Loc'd Family!!

I ask that you guys please forgive my excessive absence. I will try my darndest not to drop off the face of the earth again. Don't know what I'll be posting much of since my digital camera has pretty much died and my hair stories are usually kind of lame....hehehe!

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sniff Test Triumph & Tagged...

2009-07-31T14:01:00.012-04:00

Remember this post by Lakia? I can't recall one time I've been able to do my own sniff test.....until NOW!! WOOHOO!! Am I crazy for being excited about this??!!

I've Been Tagged by Sophia!!!

This was fun!!!!!

Rules:
1.)Respond: answer the questions on your blog.
2.)Replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
3.)Tag eight other people

What's your current obsession? Crocheting...

What's your must have fashion need? Headband (I know it's sad..)

What are you wearing right now? Pajama pants and tee

What's your favorite food? Black Bean Soup

What do you do for fun? Crochet, Read, Hang w/Friends

What made today special? Woke up this morning

What would you like to learn to do? Sew

What's the last thing you bought? Beans and veggies..

What are you listening/watching right now? Nothing..

What's your favorite weather? Freezing Cold (Who doesn't like snuggling weather)

What's your favorite quote? We don't live in a world of reality, we live in a world of perceptions.-Gerald J. Simmons

What do you think of the person that tagged you?
She's an awesome, intelligent, beautiful young woman with an amazing blog.

If you can have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? Vancouver

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
Chocolate Chip cookies

If you could be any animal, which would you choose? Eagle

If you could give one piece of advice to someone wanting to loc or go natural, what would it be? Don't let the negative comments or views of others affect your choice to go natural or loc...

What language would you like to learn? French & Creole

What do you look for in a friend? Honesty, Empathy, & Loyalty

Who do you want to meet in person? Mrs. Obama

What's your favorite type of music? Neo-Soul

What's your dream job? Good Question...

Do you admire anyone's style? No..

Describe your personal style? Comfortable & Outdated..

What's your favorite t.v show? Bones, at the moment..

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Haven't had any in years..but I guess it would be Butter Pecan

What's your favorite makeup brand? Don't use any...

What's your all time favorite perfume? Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom

What's you fondest childhood memory? Age 6, visiting my maternal grandparents in Louisiana..

What is a current life goal you are working on right now? Writing a cookbook..

What is one item in your home you have more of than anything else? Chapstick

Sadly, I've never been good at tagging others but here goes...
Southern Girl
BrownButtahfly
Carmen
Cluizel
Shawna
Disregard if you've already been tagged...

Sandwiches...YUM!!!!

1) Boca Burger w/ Chips - Johnny Rockets has The Streamliner, a vegan burger, that is amazing!!! My wallet doesn't allow me to go often, so here's my version...
2) Black Bean & Rice Burrito - Just black beans and rice
3) Vegan Deli Chik'n Salad Sandwich - I got nothing but good things to say about this recipe..
4) Chik'n Tacos - I really don't think a person can go wrong with tacos. These were made with Morningstar Chik'n Strips and veggies..

Enjoy Your Weekend!!!

Say What??!! 3 Years Already!!!!??

2009-06-14T11:53:00.012-04:00

Ok....so I did say in my last post I would post new pics for my 3 year locversary, June 11th!! WOOHOO!! My hair has never, and I mean never (cause you know how when you were a little girl your hair was long when straightened right?), has my hair ever been this long.. WOW!! I know I say this every year, but for those who can't wait for their locs to fall, it's coming! No matter how well I took care of my natural loose hair it would have taken forever to reach this length without straightening. I'm one who's hair was 5 inches straightened and barely an inch after being washed...

I really really detest posting individual pics on blogger but I don't have any software that allows me to do collages. So, I decided to save pics using the Kodak Easyshare Gallery site and see how they turn out. My only complaint is it cuts off some of the pics. Please excuse the blurred images but the CD's that have the original pics are packed away....

I have a friend who's been transitioning from the perm to natural. She recently cut off all her permed ends and flat ironed her hair, made me really miss my loose hair and wonder if I would have loc'd if I was introduced to the "Chi" type products. What was I thinking?! I'm so in love with my locs I can't stand it!

What's For Breakfast....?

1) French Toast - I used soymilk, cinnamon, almond extract, and a little flour for the coating. This has become a family favorite!
2) Breakfast Pizza - Had some extra pizza dough laying around. I used marinara sauce, Gimme Lean Sausage, some leftover Morningstar Chik'n Strips and green peppers. Who says you can't have pizza for breakfast?!
3) Breakfast Scramble Burrito - Tofu, red onion, green pepper, and tortilla..NICE!!!
4) Breakfast Scramble Taco - Same as above just added a taco and some taco sauce...

Enjoy Your Week!!!

More Crochet Happenings & The Fat Smash Detox Recipes Request

2009-05-21T07:39:00.018-04:00

Hey Guys!!!

Still nothing going on with me and I figured it would be better to post my 3 year locversary pics in a couple weeks... I apologize for slacking on my posts....

First up.....crochet projects...
1) Baby Blanket
2) Another scarf...I've made so many scarves it's not even funny...
3) & 4) My friend requested baby beanies and booties for her friend. I took the beanie, wrapped a chain around it and placed the booties inside. Kind-of looks like a goodie bag....ha! Pic #2 is the whole shebang..

And as requested from Happiest Nappy, here are all the Fat Smash Detox Friendly recipe's I have used. I can't see myself detoxing again for a long time...but you never know...ok, so I didn't realize I had so many pics of detox stuff...phew... Here's the thing, alot of the recipes were off-the-fly. I will either link to the cookbook used for the recipe, link to the actual recipe, link to a similar recipe, or let you know the ingredients I used.

1) Oat Pancakes (replaced flour with ground oats) & Breakfast Scramble.
2) Breakfast Scramble (minus the cheez sauce) & added veggies.
3) Banana Oatmeal
4) Falafel w/ Spinach - Don't remember if this was the exact recipe I used but I used chickpea flour instead of flour (don't know if that's allowed...
5) Salad w/ Spiced Chickpeas - you can use any spices for this.
6) Lettuce Wraps
7) & 8) Stir-Fries
9) Plantain, Black Beans, & Stir-Fry.
10) Vegetable Stew (exclude the dumpling & cornstarch).
11) Mushroom & Porcini Soup - from Veganomicon.
12) Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Soup - this is close to what I did.
13) White Bean Chik'n Chili - White Beans, Onions, Veggie Broth, Morningstar Chik'n Strips, green salsa, and spices...
14) Mushroom Curry w/ Spinach
15) Pakistani Dahl
16) Asparagus, Yuca, & Portabello
17) Stuffed Peppers - I stuffed the peppers with leftover rice, veggie crumbles, tomatoes, and spices. Or you can use this recipe. I forget if a small amount of cheese is allowed.
18) Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie - veggie crumbles, veggies, spices, and mashed sweet potatoes.
19) Tamale Pie
20) Baked Tofu, Plantains, & Brown Rice
21) General Tao Tofu (minus the sugar)
22) Eggplant Lasagna
23) Black Bean Soup (minus garnishes)
24) Yellow Split Pea Soup - I think from La Dolce Vegan....?
25) Stuffed Pepper Soup
26) Barefoot Contessa Lentil & "Sausage" Soup - I subbed tofurky beer brats, don't know for sure if detox friendly, but it's just as good without them.
27) Vegetable Soup - Just a whole bunch of root veggies in a pot.

Food & Crafts...

2009-03-30T12:19:00.010-04:00

Don't really have much to blog about at this time..But, here are some pics of what I've been doing lately..food and crafts...hehe!

Crafts

1) A hat and scarf for my friend, it was her birthday!
2) A bracelet I made for the same friend..as you can see her favorite color is purple..
3) Lando's friend's wife had a baby boy and he requested I make them a small blanket with the Cleveland Browns in mind...the colors aren't spot on but my choices were limited in the soft yarns.

Food

My eating these past couple months has been horrible. It's as if I've reverted back to my junkatarian days filled with coffee and cookies, so sad. Here are some pics of my healthier choices..

1) Stuffed Pepper Soup - Fat Smash Detox Friendly. This was really good. I love stuffed peppers and this soup took so little time to prepare..
2) Vive Le Vegan's Oat & Apple Pancakes w/ Banana Topping - Fat Smash Detox Friendly. I won't say they were the best pancakes I've ever eaten but they did hit the spot.
3) Eggplant Lasagna - Fat Smash Detox Friendly. AWESOME!!! I've wanted lasagna for some time now and this was perfect!!
4) Yellow Split Pea Soup - Don't remember where I got the recipe from but it was really good.

Enjoy Your Week!!!

I'm Still Alive.....

2009-02-26T10:59:00.006-05:00

LOL!!! I've been kind-of busy lately and I'm in such anticipation to leave Orlando. Still waiting on things to get settled with Lando's job so we can get things rollin'. I would sure love to win the lottery...guess that would mean I'd have to play huh?

As you can see from the above pic, I'm desperately in need of a retightening. I wear this style 99% of the time... Athena and I both put on our serious faces...hehe...what's up with my pets and two different color eyes...?

Hair Regimen...

Well, Still Waters asked, a couple posts ago, what my hair regimen is. Here it is....

-Since the day I came back from my install I've been wearing a satin bonnet or loc pocket when I'm home to prevent pet hair getting in my locs and lint. Lando is always joking about me wearing one all the time...We were in Wally World the other day and a dude with long locs was in front of us. They were literally peppered with lint all the way through, to the point that if you removed the lint he would no longer have locs. Lando had not appreciated my efforts so much as he did at that moment....

-I spritz my hair on a daily basis with a water, aloe vera gel & essential oil mixture. It not only helps moisturize my scalp, but livens up my locs. Now I love me some Greg Juice but I went through my bottle so quickly, I'm talkin it was gone in a little over a month...The next time I purchase some I will have to dilute it to make it go further but for now I'll stick to my spritz.

-As for shampooing...I'm now using diluted Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Liquid Soap and Nature's Gate Tea Tree Conditioner(once a month).

-Just recently, I started using coconut oil as a moisturizer to my scalp and locs. I've read that it helps with dandruff so I gave it a go. Here's the one I use, it smells like actual coconut. Coconut and jojoba oil both mimic the skins natural oils but jojoba isn't cheap and wouldn't last nearly as long. After all my lotions are used up coconut oil will be my primary skin moisturizer as well. It has also helped soften my locks.

And that's all folks!!! I use a spritz, a shampoo & conditioner, & coconut oil. Oh! Let's not forget the ACV rinses every once in a while...

Food Pics...

1) Cinnamon Buns - These were pretty good. Wish I had some raisins on hand though... Lando wasn't fond of them.
2) Banana Nut Bread Cookies - I had an extremely ripe banana and a handful of chocolate chips, found this recipe and was in heaven!!! They tasted so pillow-y and delicious...
3) Banana Pancakes - YUM!! These require very little ingredients and I always have bananas on hand.
4) Baked Tofu, Brown Rice, & Plantains - By baking the tofu it firmed up without me having to pan fry and was quite good. I'm thinking teriyaki or jerk baked tofu is in my near future!

The Weekend Is Near!!!! YAY!!!

The Big 3-0....Isn't it the new 20!!?? LOL!!!

2009-01-10T22:32:00.010-05:00

Like I stated last year...I really didn't feel this specific birthday would be different from any other. Lando & I chilled with my folks, watching movies, eating sweets, and watching Athena run like crazy in their back yard. She's such a cutie!

I'm not going to reflect on all the negative that occurred while I was 29...I did have some pretty amazing positives, such as; my health, my family & friends, Lando, Athena joining the family, losing weight, increasing my veggie intake, becoming more comfortable in my cooking skills, alleviating my dry scalp, and so much more.....

Been locked for 2.5 years now!!! YAY!!! RMC asked if I could get my hair in a comfortable ponytail and I can. I didn't double up on the elastic band cause it would have pulled my hair too much. This ponytail was definitely more comfortable than my previous ones.

When I was a loose natural I used to love when my friend would put my hair in two big braids. It reminded me of my childhood. Even though I'm not even close to being a good braider I decided to give it a go. I still love this style though and can't believe it took me this long to try it. Very little tension was used since my edges are so fragile...I really need to work on my braiding skills but I think I did an ok job....ha!

Speaking of my edges...I've been researching essential oils that promote hair growth and came across this site. I will massage my edges with this mixture two times a day and will give an update on how things are going on my 3 year lockversary. I have quite a few pics on this blog showing my edges, so I'll have some comparison pics too... Nappturality has an alopecia forum of which many women have praised different products and oil combination's that have helped their edges and/or hair loss.

YUM-O!!!!!

1) VCTOTW Cookies & Cream Cupcake w/ Cookies & Cream Icing - WOAH!!! These were amazing! I left my cupcake tin over my parents house so I ended up using a mini bundt pan. So far my favorite recipe from this book is the Tiramisu cupcakes but these babies weren't to far behind. I think it's cause the Tiramisu cupcakes use Kahlua...hehe!

2) Tamale Pie - Fat Smash Friendly (Detox). I've always wanted to make tamales but thought it was too laborious, so I gave this recipe a try. It didn't fulfill my tamale craving but was good. I would recommend doubling the spices and using hot salsa or adding more heat.

3) Veganomicon Porcini-Wild Rice Soup - This wasn't a cheap meal to make but it made a huge pot of soup. If you like the taste of mushrooms you will love this soup, not to mention it's extremely hearty!

4 & 5) Veggie Stew & Veggie Stew w/ Biscuit Topping - I had a ton of stew leftovers and baked it with a biscuit topping.....YUM!!! Biscuits make everything taste better right??!!! I gotta give it up to the person who posted this recipe cause I'll be making this stew often....It's very comforting.

Enjoy Your Week!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

2009-01-03T16:09:00.009-05:00

I brought in the New Year sipping on a Martini and dancing with my best buds!! So much fun!!! The club that we went to required semi-formal attire and my friends wanted me to wear a dress. I decided to do a braid-out.

New Year's Spread!!!!

1) Soup Joumou - YUM! This one came out so much better then last year!!
2) Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Green Soup - I was stressing about the dishes I would make with both ingredients but decided to make a soup. This was awesome and hearty, I plan on making it every year.
3) Savory Biscuits - This recipe has yet to let me down.
4) JOVB Apple Cobbler - Wasn't much of a hit with me but Lando was pleasantly pleased!

Happy New Year!!!!!!

*Updated on 01/06/09 with close braid-out pic.

Another Sisterlock Stage Met....

2008-12-29T16:03:00.007-05:00

I took a trip to the mall this morning...just because. Why oh why did I forget to bring something to tie my hair up with? Every time I would try on something my hair would either get caught in the collar or zipper or my bra strap... For the first time, in my Sisterlock Journey, I was so over my hair... In a desperate attempt, I took some hair and tied it to the back of my head. To my surprise...it worked..WOAH!!!

I know this may sound so corny to all of you with longer locks but I would have never imagined I could do this. The last time I tried this style I was 8 years old, took a long sleeved shirt, put it over my head and tied the sleeves together to make it look like I had long princess-like hair....I hope I explained that correctly...hehe!!! Now I know it can come aloose at anytime but I was just relieved to have my hair out of the way...

So what stages/progressions have you reached and/or look forward to reaching? For instance...

I couldn't wait til:
- I could feel alot of movement in my hair. --> Check
- I could wash my hair without braiding and banding. --> Check
- My hair would not stick out but fall down. --> Check
- My hair would touch my chin. --> Check
- I could put my hair in a ponytail/bun. --> Check
- My hair would touch my shoulders. --> Check
- I could use interesting ways to get my hair out of my face. (I didn't know what other way to describe this one) --> Check
- Seeing less scalp after retightenings. --> Check

I look forward to:
- Doing updos that require very few to no hair pins.
- My hair reaching mid-back.
I can't think of anything else at this time but I know there's so much more I can't wait for!!

It's Food Time.....

1) Romaine Lettuce & Veggies w/ Spiced Chickpeas - Fat Smash Friendly. Spiced Chickpeas have helped with my chips cravings.
2) VCon Chickpea Cutlets w/ mustard sauce, Black Beans & Rice & Fried Plantains - So many vegans have given these Chickpea Cutlets such rave reviews...This is my second time making them and they're just ok..Lando really likes them though....go figure.
3) Portabello, Asparagus & Yuca - YUM!!!
4) Chickpea Tacos - These were soooo good!!!

Have a Wonderful New Year!!!!!!

The Final Look.....

2008-12-21T19:59:00.007-05:00

Here's the final look...I searched high and low to find an inexpensive hair accessory that would compliment my dress, seemed like an impossible task. After searching for, what felt like an eternity, I decided I would make my own. Went to the craft section of Wal-Mart, picked out a $1.00 bunch of fake red flowers and was on my way home. I took out the center piece of the flower, since it was yellow and super-glued two flowers to a hair clip, voila...I was very pleased. My flower was a hit at the wedding!! WOOHOO!!! Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions in the previous post!!!

Your thought on my quick wedding style...

2008-12-17T17:30:00.006-05:00

Feels like it's been forever since I last blogged, even though it hasn't been a month....haha!

As you guys know I'm the free-style queen.... I will be attending a wedding in a couple days and was wondering if this style looks ok. I didn't want to choose a style that would require alot of pinning or setting my hair the evening before. If I'm bout it bout it I may try out some sponge rollers I purchased a while back. Regardless, I'll make sure I post a pic of the end result. I haven't worn a dress in 6 years....isn't that sad...LOL!!! I'm posting two back shots, one with and one without the flash.

Couple things I plan on doing:
-getting my locks retightened..YES!!!
-I used a headband to tie this up but I will use a thinner black elastic band so it's not as visible.
-I'm going to try to put the bun higher.
-I will brush back my nappilies on the sides.

What ya think?

The Food....

1) Veggie Wrap w/ Peanut Sauce - cleaned out the fridge of veggies, the peanut sauce was pb, spices, and soy sauce. This was a great snack!
2) Whole Wheat Pasta w/ Marinara Sauce, Tofurky Italian Sausage and Focaccia - This was excellent!!!! I haven't eaten pasta since Thanksgiving so it was a good treat!
3) Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie - Fat Smash Friendly. This was absolutely amazing! The sweetness of the potato with the savory veggies & crumbles. I'll be making this one again real soon....
4) Baked Fried Eggplant w/ Marinara - YUM!!! The crunch of the crust and the smoothness of the eggplant are perfect!

What A Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

2008-11-30T10:30:00.008-05:00

I'm having an amazing Thanksgiving with Lando's family!!! Eating like a mad woman doesn't come close to describing me at the moment...hehe! Where's the fun in not pigging out during the holidays??!!

Well....wanted to show everyone my very first apron. It was on sale at Anthropologie and a good friend had given me a giftcard. I've been thinking about making my own but haven't got up the umph to do it. It's a bit big but not having flour and food on my clothing after cooking/baking is well worth it. Don't mind the serious face...

I knew my locks had been growing but didn't realize how much til I saw these pictures. In the first pic Lando had me watching Tim & Eric Great Show (Adult Swim) on tv, which was disturbing... The second pic is another braid-out. This is after one day of taking the braids down, Greg Juice was used to help with the hold. I've said it once and I'll say it again, getting Sisterlocks is one of the best decisions I've made in my life!

Thanksgiving Dishes & Smashing....

1) Nonna's Italian Kitchen Baked Macaroni & Tomatoes - this should be a familiar pic but I felt it would be better posted again rather than leaving a link. I made this for Lando's family and it was a hit!!
2) Mini Pumpkin Pie - I'm all about mini stuff; mini pies, mini loaves, mini cakes...jut makes portion control easier. I made these for my family and they were greatly appreciated.
3) Brownies - The PPK site raved about these brownies so I decided to make them for Lando's family. Even though I ate the majority of the two batches I made, everyone loved them. I subbed espresso for the water and added 1/3cp of chocolate chips.
4) Stuffed Green Peppers - Fat Smash Friendly. I just took my brown rice & stir-fry leftovers and added some boca crumbles, tomato sauce and more spices....AWESOME!!!!
5) Tofu Wraps - Fat Smash Friendly. Pretty Good...
6) Curry Mushrooms w/ Spinach - Fat Smash Friendly. This was an ok recipe, felt like something was missing....

I Trust That Everyone Enjoyed Their Thanksgiving!!!!!

I'm Starting To Like Caps!!

2008-11-16T20:27:00.000-05:00

When I was younger I would always envy girls who could wear ball caps and look good with them on. Lately I've been over and tired of my hair so I decided to try something different. I'm liking the red one!!!

The State Of Our Economy....sigh....

I know the state of our economy is in so much turmoil, where's the light...?? It's hella scary!!

Your economy is bad when:

- You shed a tear when gas prices are less than $2.50.
- Every other person you know has either recently had lay-offs, in fear of being laid-off, or has been laid-off.
- 5:00 traffic is light...huh??
- Blockbuster's older released movies are 99 cents.
- Your average Caribbean can only find 2, as opposed to 5, jobs.
- Prostitutes are putting in day shifts.

- There are no long waits, during peak hours, at restaurants.

Feel free to add your own.....

My Fat Smash Detox Experience...

Some time ago, while reading Coop's Blog, she had mentioned the Fat Smash Diet. Me, the diet queen, had to find out what this diet entailed. After reading online reviews and purchasing the book I tried out the Detox Phase, which was 9 days.

1) Banana Oatmeal - 1Cp Soymilk, 1/2Cp Oatmeal, tsp Stevia, tsp Allspice, 1/2 Banana - Tastes like Banana Bread. Using a tsp of regular sugar would make these even more amazing!!!
2) Mini Apple Pie - A disaster... I tried to make my own crust with banana, oatmeal and brown rice. The apple topping was just apples, spices and water...YUCK!!! Such a bad experiment.
3) Tofu Scramble w/ Grits
4) Asparagus & Tofu Stir-Fry
5) Spinach Salad with Falafels
6) Tofu, Asparagus, Spinach, Black Beans, Brown Rice & Plantains

I did lose 3 lbs in nine days!!! WOOHOO!! There was no point for me to move on to Phase II since it introduced lean meats & coffee...So when my eating gets out of line I'll go back to eating Phase I style.

Enjoy Your Week!!!

Election Day

2008-11-04T11:44:00.005-05:00

An awesome video, to help with the tension....

VOTE!!!

Guess Where I Was This Weekend???!!!

2008-10-28T13:17:00.017-04:00

The Central Florida VegFest!!! What's up with the goofy face??!! LOL!!! Though it wasn't as exciting as last year, I still had a good time, considering I went by myself. I didn't eat as much this go round...YES! There was less of a crowd but the organization of the booths seemed off, which frustrated me a bit. Interestingly, a Raw Food Restaurant, Cafe 118, will be opening within the next couple weeks. I don't see myself going raw anytime soon. I'm still working on minimizing my sugar intake, which based on my food pics isn't going so well....hehe! I will without a doubt be visiting Cafe 118 to sample their dishes.

I've Been Tagged....

Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you: Jenn
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share 6 non-important things/quirks/habits about yourself.

* My neighbor makes these really cool cigar purses! She knew my favorite Hello Kitty character was Chococat and showed me how to make this one. Isn't it the cutest?! I use it to transport my unfinished beading projects. I love that I have an awesome neighbor!

* I make my own Weight Watcher's bracelets, I'm so over writing down everything I eat. I'm also tired of counting points so I'm giving the Core plan a go.

* I'm continuously in search of a good facial cleanser due to having dry, sensitive and slight eczema-laden skin. I'm really liking Lush's Angels on Bare Skin & Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleansers. Both are literally a breath of fresh air after being used. They are also pricey, therefore I won't be purchasing anything from either of them until getting a job. I love that they label their vegan products!

* I'm making another granny square blanket. This ones gonna take forever since there's no deadline....

* I finally got my first food processor. There are so many pesto's, hummus recipes, and sauces I want to make but have yet to open the box. Got it on sale at Target!! WOOHOO!!

* It hurts me to say this but......thus far Grey's Anatomy Season 5 is sooooooo boring...sigh... Anyone else feel me on this one? I don't know if I'm up for watching it anymore. Izzie's into Alex, AGAIN! I'm just waiting for either Meredith or McDreamy to end it cause the show doesn't seem right without one of them chasing the other. Dr. Hahn & Dr. Torres together...huh?, and the fact that she's confiding in McSteamy, her former lover, makes it even worse. I think they're just pulling crap out of the arses right now. The only one who hasn't slept around is Dr. Yang and I'm rooting for her with this new Dr. (lets call him McArmy).. As much as I've loved the show I think it's time to say goodbye.

4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. I'm tagging:

Alaiyo
Au Naturale
B
Cherie
Coop
Thandi

If you have already been tagged or choose not to participate it's cool.....

My Nemesis.....sigh.....

1) Kick-Ass Molasses Cookies - They taste more like spice cookies but they're good nonetheless. I can't make these often cause they're not a hit with Lando
2) Another Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - These were ok, the added cinnamon was a turn-off.
3) Joy of Vegan Baking Oatmeal Cookies - Didn't have many raisins so they're not visible, wasn't impressed with these. I'm still looking for a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie recipe. I'm usually impressed with the recipes in this book but this was not one of them.
4) Blueberry Muffin - I actually made these muffins for Lando when I had taken a vow to not eat sweets for a couple weeks. I didn't even eat one! This has got to be my best muffin pic yet!
5) La Dolce Vegan's Apple Cinnamon Muffin - Bland...bland...bland..
6) Nonna's Italian Kitchen Anise Biscotti - These were just too sweet...I had to throw them away cause neither myself nor Lando could eat them.

Hope Your Week Is Going Well!!!!

Where It All Began......

2008-10-19T17:50:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I haven't a blog entry about Sandi, the amazing woman who installed my Sisterlocks. If it weren't for Sandi, I would still be a loose natural head. The Sisterlocks website, blogs and various forums I visited were great inspirations but Sandi sealed the deal. When I saw her beautiful locks flowing over her shoulders I knew Sisterlocks was for me. She's an absolute angel who is my consultant, my friend, a shoulder, and just an awesome person. She has this wonderful energy. How crazy is it that my locks are now the same length hers were when I got mine installed? Since she has her hair tied back you can't see the thickness, but her hair is twice as thick as mine. She's been locked for a little over 6 years.

We hadn't seen one another for six months. She's lost so much weight and looks phenomenal! She also noticed that I had lost some weight as well....YES!!!!

Greens & Pasta!!!!!

1) La Dolce Vegan's Spinach Salad w/ Sweet Vinaigrette Dressing - I've always been a fan of raw spinach, the addition of raisins & toasted pine nuts was greatly appreciated. The dressing on the other hand was not sweet at all, just vinegary..
2) Manicotti - This was a good recipe! My only issue was the suggestion to not cook the pasta beforehand, it was just to al dente for me.
3) Nonna's Italian Kitchen's Baked Macaroni & Tomatoes - This is the best recipe I've tried out of this book yet. It was so creamy and will most likely be my mac&cheese fix meal. Lando is in love with this one.
4) General Tao's Tofu - I can never recommend this recipe enough! I wanted to see how it would taste without battering the tofu, it wasn't as great as the original but it was still good and more point friendly.

Enjoy Your Week!!!!

More Comparison Shots!!!

2008-10-13T16:06:00.007-04:00

You gotta love the comparison pics!!! The pic on the left was taken on 10/17/07 and the pic on the right was taken today (before an interview)....almost one year later....WOWSER!!!!

For all those loose natural or permed heads out there wondering how much growth can occur in a year with locks....here's proof my friends..! Not to mention, my hair grows slower than the average persons...

Hearty Dishes......

From time to time I will post pics of dishes made using recipes from the various cookbooks I own. If you find any of the dishes that don't have recipe links, to your liking, feel free to email me for the recipe.

1) Vegetable & Root Soup - Even though I forgot the carrots this soup was excellent. This is a great soup to have when you're sick. Lando didn't have any since it was all veggies...LOL!!! More for me! It also helps on those days I've eaten a crap load of points and still want something else to eat. Since it's all veggies I either count it as zero or one point.
2) La Dolce Vegan's Green Split Pea Soup & Brown Rice - Split pea soup never sounded appetizing to me before becoming veggie but I decided to give this one a try since I had all of the ingredients on hand. This soup is DIVINE!! Even Lando thought it was good. I added the brown rice thinking the soup wouldn't fill me up by itself, I was so wrong...YUM!!
3) Chili & a Baking Powder Biscuit from La Dolce Vegan - My chili is always amazing! The biscuits were good straight out of the oven, after they cooled down they became hockey pucks..blah...Since I'm not trying to eat 10 biscuits at one time, I won't be making these again.
4) Chana Masala w/ Spinach & Chapati - Lando said this actually tasted like an authentic Indian dish...WOAH! It better since I got it from this website. Another staple can be added to our list. Still need to work on the Chapati though, the texture was better this time around but I didn't get the same bubble effect as in the video...

Enjoy Your Week!!!!

Athena Is Huge!!!

2008-10-03T10:30:00.002-04:00

Look how big my baby has gotten!!!!! I still remember when Lando first brought her home.. Don't know what I would do without her now.. She's such a cutie!!!!!

I've Been Tagged.....

Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you: Locsuluv
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Share 6 non-important things/quirks/habits about yourself.

* It's that time of year again....jewelry making time.....!

* I've added Fringe to my list of must see television shows. I just love Dr. Walter Bishop.. It's kind of like X-Files meets CSI...

* I so dislike Kinley from Project Runway, matter fact, why is she still on the show??!!! Everything of her's looks the same. I don't know if it's camera trickery or what but her actions are just uncalled for, laughing at others while being critiqued, duking it out with the judges and thinking her designs are perfect...yeah right!!! Her hip-hop outfit was atrocious!!

* I have a crush on Mohinder Suresh from Heroes. There's just something about that man that makes me feel tingly!! Turns out he was on the first Grey's Anatomy episode...ha!

* I would like to take a sewing class but don't know where to begin. I thought I could take some courses at the local community college but can't seem to find anything. I'm probably not looking hard enough but if any Orlando people know of any businesses teaching sewing classes please let me know where.

* I haven't worn earrings for over 10 years...There was a time I had 14 piercings and wanted more...What?! After purchasing studs I realized why I preferred not to wear them. If you look closely you will see they are not lined up the same on both ears. Lando says they look like Yin & Yang....LOL!!! Ear pics are scary!!!

4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

Who should I tag this time....hehehe!!!!

Food Challenge...

I keep complaining to my friends about my weight and how I need to lose about 10 lbs. After going over the foods I eat, my friend challenged me to stop eating candy, foods with alot of processed sugars and to do a little exercise. What a challenge...phew.. I think raisins are my best friend right now...so sad isn't it??!! So far so good though. The food pics are just a reminder that sweets are not an option.

1) Lando went to visit his folks a couple weeks back and his mother made some beans and rice for me...I just love her cooking. I made Aloo Gobi to pair with it.
2) Diri et Djon Djon (Mushroom Rice) & Green Beans - Courtesy of Diva La Reine!!!! Thank you so much for the Mushroon Rice recipe!!!! Lando said it was pretty good for my first time. I was unable to find the mushrooms so I used the Maggie Djon Djon. Lando requested that I use more of it the next time since the mushroom taste wasn't as pronounced as he was used to...Thanks Again!!!!
3) Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli - I wasn't raised on meatloaf but wanted to give the VegCooking recipe a try. All in all it wasn't to bad but just wasn't something I would want again anytime soon. I may make sandwiches out of the rest of the loaf.
4) Tacos - These were amazing!!! Used taco seasoning, lettuce, salsa, Boca crumbles and Tofutti sour cream...YUM!!

Guess What I've Been Using???!!!

2008-09-23T17:30:00.011-04:00

I received my Greg Juice order at the beginning of the month and wanted to make sure I had used it for a little bit before giving a review. It has a pleasant citrus scent, I will definitely be placing an order for the Juices and Berries one... Due to it being oil-free, there are no regrets using it daily. As stated in my previous post, it's just to hot in Orlando to use an oil spritz often.

Here's some exciting news for all you dry scalp readers!!!! I did my usual wash a couple weeks back and instead of using my oil mixture, I used the Greg Juice only. I was a bit apprehensive at first since the oil mixture was the only thing that helped with the itchies for atleast a week. Well, I'm here to say I haven't washed my hair since then and haven't had a dry scalp flare-up...WOOHOO!!! I will still use the oil mix in the cooler months. I just can't tell you guys how great it feels to not have itchies for such a long period of time. My locks LOVE Greg Juice!!! I ecstaticly recommend Oyin's Greg Juice to all locked and natural heads!!!

Thanks to everyone who recommended this wonderful product!!!!

It Ain't Pretty....But Soooooo Good!!!!

Here are some food pics I usually would not post b/c they just aren't pretty. But I love all the meals and felt a pic should go along with the recipe link....except for the Bow tie pasta.

1) Tofu Scramble & Grits - I haven't had grits in forever but I've always had them with eggs. The tofu scramble subbed perfectly!!!
2) Bow Tie Pasta with Pink Sauce - Just mixed some tofutti cream cheese and marinara sauce together. It was pretty good...
3) Biscuits & Gravy - This time around I used the biscuit recipe listed and Boca crumbles in place of the Gimme Lean. Lando was in love with this dish and didn't think it was possible to veganize biscuits and gravy.
4) Soba Noodles with Mushrooms - To all those who have not tried Soba noodles....Get thee to the store!!! They were awesome and it was nice to try something different.

Job Update....

Been on several interviews and using a couple temp agencies, nothing as of yet. Still keeping my head up though...!

Enjoy Your Week!!!!

Should A Grown Woman Be Wearing These Styles??

2008-08-25T10:43:00.002-04:00

outside the house....? These are comfortable styles for me, since they keep the bangs out the face, and I wonder at times, if I look like a grown woman imitating a child....LOL!!!

I've Been Tagged!!!

Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person that tagged you: Shawna
2) Post the rules on the blog
3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

* I can't stand the Hillshire Farms commercials...I change the channel every time one comes on. My family and boyfriend like them though...LOL!!! Here's the worst one yet!

* My favorite commercial, at this time, is by Staples. A woman gets her gas tank filled and she asks what her total cost is. She's told $92.50...She then hits the 'Easy' Button and asks what the price is again.... The gas attendant says the price is still $92.50...LOL!! I know, I'm a dork! You can watch it here.

* I got the old crochet needles out and made a beanie, booties, and a granny square blanket for my friend's upcoming addition. I've never done booties..I think they came out ok..ha!

* I have every Grey's Anatomy DVD and watch them religiously...Again I'm a dork! Matter fact, I'm watching the last couple episodes of Season 3 now.. I sure hope Season 5 is better than Season 4 or I may have to give up my obsession with the show.

* I actually like the smell of Patchouli and most think it smells like sweet dirt..

* Does anyone else have a collection of Publix, Whole Foods, WalMart, etc. recycle bags? I seem to forget them when I'm on my way to the store so I end up buying another one. Fortunately they're only 99 cents and they can usually pack 4 plastic bags worth of items in one. I have a bunch in my car now, so I'm hoping I won't be purchasing anymore.. They're everywhere in my house....

4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

Sorry guys....

* Naturally Sophia (like you haven't been tagged enough!)
* BlackRussian
* Diva LaReine
* Cluizel
* Kandgoods
* Lakia

If you've already been tagged this go around...disregard my tag..

Wraps & Salvaging Leftovers....

1) Gardenburger's BBQ Riblets, Mashed Potatoes, & Green Beans - I've heard nothing but rave reviews about these riblets and had to give them a try. Now I know I haven't had meat for a while but they reminded my of McDonald's McRibs...pretty good! The mashed potatoes were made using red potatoes, salt, and a little Earth Balance(vegan butter)..I used garlic, soy sauce, powdered ginger and a little sugar to season the green beans.
2) Shepherd's Pie - Here's an example of salvaging leftovers. The potatoes and green beans, from the previous dish, were used. I seasoned some veggie crumbles and used them as the base. I couldn't stop eating this dish. The potatoes were so creamy and fluffy, the green beans were crisp and the veggie crumbles were seasoned just right.
3) Black Bean Wrap - This helped my Chipotle craving.. I used canned black beans with spices, brown rice, and leftover salad mix.
4) Tofu Scramble Wrap - I've never had a McDonald's Breakfast Burrito but it sounded like a great idea. So I whipped up a scramble and it was great, especially with hot sauce.

Have an Exciting Week!!!!

What's Up With Customer Service???!!!

2008-08-14T11:32:00.005-04:00

I was so excited after receiving suggestions from everyone regarding lock moisturizers and leave-in conditioners. The top 3 recommendations were:

Oyin's Greg Juice - 6 Votes
Sisterlock Moisture Treatment - 2 Votes
Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in - 2 Votes

Even though Oyin's Greg juice won by a landslide I wanted to get some information regarding the Carol's Daughter and Sisterlock products mentioned.

I called the Carol's Daughter contact number and was greeted with an 'I don't want to be here' voice....I figured the rep was having a bad day and shouldn't be faulted for it right? Mind you, here I am trying to find a job. I then asked her if Carol's Daughter had any vegan products. She responded with a "WHAT!?" I then asked the same question again, I was placed on hold. Thirteen minutes later the line was dropped. I didn't even want to bother calling back. What's up with customer service? I guess it doesn't matter if they lose a potential customer?

I knew the Sisterlocks corporate office wouldn't let me down since their website, the Sisterlock blogs, and my Consultant resulted in my marvelous decision to Sisterlock. First off, the prompted message from the office stated it would be closed until after the homecoming and to leave a message. I thought it was last month? I then left a message asking if the Sisterlock Moisture Treatment product was vegan? A simple yes or no would have been fine. I have yet to receive a follow-up call. My initial Consultant told me that one of her clients was having a reaction to one of the Sisterlock products. She called the corporate office asking if there were a specific ingredient in the product she was using. They told her they couldn't divulge that information....What?! Come on!!! What's up with customer service??

So......my money will happily be going to Oyin!!! WOOHOO!!! I didn't have to contact them since the ingredients are listed on the website. I don't expect certain places to have impeccable customer service like, Wal-Mart and McDonald's (even though lately the service I've been getting from both have been on point) but when you're catering to a specific market you should be on your game. I understand we all have bad days and companies are trying to prevent others from copying their ingredients but come on!!!!!

I just had to vent there for a minute.....

On A Brighter Note...BREAD!!!

1) VegWeb Quick & Easy Pizza Crust - It took so little time to make and the dough was amazing!!! I made my own personal pan and topped with marinara sauce, spinach, onions, and Boca crumbles.
2) Chili Dogs - For some reason I couldn't get that chili dog from the Central Florida Veg Fest off my mind and just had to make some myself. They were a hit with Lando!
3) VegWeb Banana Bread - As always...we had some overripe bananas in the fruit basket. It was really good!!
4) VegWeb Tomato Sandwich - You wouldn't think something so simple would taste so great but it did!!! I didn't have any chives on hand so I used spinach.

The Weekend Is Right Around The Corner!!!!

What Kind Of A Ponytail Is That???!!!!

2008-08-05T20:37:00.006-04:00

First of all, I need some lock moisturizer suggestions. Is there such a thing as a non-oily all natural one? My jojoba almond oil mixture is mainly used after my shampoo and it's just to heavy for Orlando's 98 degree weather. Has anyone tried Oyin's Greg Juice? or any Carol's Daughter moisturizers?

I've yet to be able to put all my hair into a comfortable ponytail. I'm pretty sure BlackRussian recommended taking two individual ponytails and combining them together to form one. I can't seem to find the post... The first pic was my attempt at her advice....what do you think? The second pic is a quick ponytail I do when I'm trying to get the hair out of my face and walking Athena. I've been asked what I was thinking when I had my hair like this....LOL!!! Since I'm using an elastic cloth headband and it's not tied tightly, there is little discomfort which is all good for me. As you can see I'm definitely in need of a good moisturizer...

My Rice & Bread Addiction....

1) VwaV Samosas - Not close to the real thing but good nonetheless.
2) Vegan Planet Dirty Rice - I used GimmeLean Sausage for the meat and it just didn't taste right. The rice and veggies were good so next time I'll use regular veggie crumbles.
3) Chana Dal w/Spinach, Chapattis and Brown Rice - This dish was so close to perfection...sigh... I thought I could take spicy but I was so wrong. It was so spicy I could only eat it with the chapattis and bowls full of rice...phew.. Lando even thought it was too spicy, which says alot cause he can tolerate mucho spice. This was also my first time making chapattis and they came out crunchy, which I don't think was right. I will keep practicing with these since they were so much fun to make. I didn't get the puff effect like the instructional video showed.
4) VegWeb No-Knead Wheat Bread - Considering all whole wheat flour was used, it was pretty good. It was so light and fluffy which whole wheat bread rarely is. PB&J and Chickpea Salad paired perfectly.
5) VegWeb Easy Big Bread - The title is true to it's name. It takes so little time to make and it tastes soooo good! I even used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 bread flour and it still turned out well.
6) Red Beans & Rice, Plantains and Spinach - I haven't had Spanish style red beans since before I was vegan. Going to a restaurant and getting red beans without pork used for flavoring has yet to occur. I got the recipe from the Goya site and it didn't disappoint!

Have a Great Week!!!

Bootleg Braidout....

2008-07-25T18:02:00.005-04:00

So.....I stated I would be posting pics from my attempt of a braid-out in my next post... Here it is! Nevertheless a bootleg attempt...LOL!!! I spritzed with water and aloe juice and put about 14 braids in, left the braids in for a couple of hours and voila! It added a slight boost of fullness. Next time I will braid after my hair is freshly washed and do smaller braids. I'm very interested in the loc loop tool.

Desserts!!!!!!!

1) 'Cheese'cake - Made for Lando's B-Day. You can tell it's not real cheese but Lando really liked it considering it was cholesterol free and we both could enjoy it. He actually liked it more than I did.
2) Blueberry Muffins - I used chocolate chips instead of blueberries and used an 8X8 pan...YUM!
3) Gingerbread Scones from Joy of Vegan Baking.
4) Chocolate Chip Scones from Joy of Vegan Baking. Out of all the scone recipes I've tried, these were the best. For anyone wanting vegan desserts, I recommend this book. I have yet to try a recipe that was not excellent!

Wicket & Athena...
They're so cute when they sleep.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Onyx Tambourine TT & Summer Soothing...

2008-07-07T17:48:00.013-04:00

I've had the Onyx Tambourine Tomoka Twist for some time now, but I couldn't quite get it to look right at the time I received it. After viewing Carmen's lovely tutorial I realized I wasn't doing anything wrong, it just didn't look right on me 6 months ago. I didn't feel my hair was long enough. Yall know how my main choice of hairstyling is headbands right? Well, Tomoka Twists are the awesomest headbands! Thanks Carmen!!!! It's definitely time for a retightening....LOL!!! Braid-out pics to come in my next post.

Summer Foods That Soothe....

Summer & BBQ go hand in hand, luckily for me, a grill wasn't necessary. Making a soy burger on a grill can be a bit tricky..

1) Veganomicon BBQ Tofu on Ciabatta Bread - This was ok...I probably should have drained the tofu a little longer since the texture was a bit on the soft side. Wasn't to impressed by the BBQ sauce either.
2) Veganomicon Brooklyn Macaroni Salad - I didn't have the full amount of vegan mayonnaise that the recipe asked for so it was a bit dry, otherwise this recipe would have been fine.
3) VwaV Sweet Potato Fries - These were amazing!! The spices mixed so well with the sweetness of the potatoes.
4 & 5) Both pics showcase the Burger Buns from VegWeb. They were a bit dense b/c I used all whole-wheat flour but they were really good! The first pic is of a Boca Burger, Tofutti Cheese (I finally used it and it was ok, like I've said before I've given up on cheese subs), onion, tomato, lettuce, ketchup, and fries. The second pic was a Boca Chik'n Pattie and ketchup with fries.

More Wicket & Athena Cameos...

Is it me or does Wicket look like he's laughing it up??!! ROTFL!! Just look how big Athena has gotten...I still can't believe how quickly this beautiful little girl has grown...

Enjoy Your Week!!!!

Bangs, Breakfast & BS!!!!

2008-06-26T14:03:00.018-04:00

I don't know why I like posting pics with my bangs in my face but it makes for great comparison shots. The one on the left is from May 2007 and the one on the right is from today. I'm still astounded by the difference in length in only a years time....WOW!

Breakfast...YUM!

Breakfast is one of the hardest meals for me to plan. Waking up to prepare a labor intensive meal is not going to happen, unless for a special occasion. But cereal gets old after a while too. Well, I decided to give some breakfast recipes, other than pancakes and waffles, a try.

1) Buttermilk Biscuits & Gravy - I had been craving this for some time now and didn't know if I could mimic the tastes I remembered from before going vegan. I found this recipe on VegWeb and thought it would be great but after reading the reviews about how the biscuit recipe wasn't all that good, I used this biscuit recipe instead. The biscuit recipe used too much nutritional yeast which made it too salty for me. The gravy was phenomenal though!!!!!! I will definitely be making this again and I may even try the biscuit recipe mentioned with the gravy. This was my first time trying Gimme Lean Sausage and I was very very pleased!!!!!

 2) Crumb Cake - I kind of bootlegged this one. I didn't have margarine or canola oil, so I used olive oil. It came out ok considering the drastic adjustments I made. I'm going to give this one another try with the correct ingredients.
3) Tofu Scramble - For all those vegans out there who miss eggs and toast for breakfast, this recipe is for you. I've had tofu scrambles before but this recipe was awesome and I know it's due to the cheez sauce. Can't wait to have this one again.
4) Quick Cinnamon Rolls - I tend to shy away from cinnamon roll/bun recipes since most times they require yeast and waiting for the dough to rise before baking. When I want cinnamon rolls I want them NOW!! These were pretty tasty and Lando liked them. Since I subbed a bit of whole wheat flour in the recipe it was more dense. I need to get me some more whole wheat pastry flour cause whole wheat flour doesn't work to well when you want something light and fluffy.

Who Knew There Was So Much BS!!!
Car Search Craziness - Since my search for a used car has started I've done over 80 Carfax searches, Carfax even placed my account on hold, my search rate seemed unusual. After emailing them and stating I had purchased the unlimited service they lifted the hold. The majority of the vehicles I searched had previous car accidents or odometer inconsistencies. When buying a used car, Carfax is priceless.

Craigslist was my worst enemy, so many scammers! There are people posting who don't even reside in my city and want to do business through EBay, of course you've got to send the money first. Or those who go to car auctions and try to sell the car at Retail Value (even though dealers can only sell at retail value). I got so frustrated with everything, almost caved in to financing a vehicle. Thank goodness I did not. I'm happy to say after over 80 Carfax searches and all the bullsh*t, I found a reasonably priced used vehicle!!!!

Job Search Madness - It's been a while since I job hunted, I didn't think you could scam people looking for jobs. Boy was I wrong! I would email my resume to a legit company and get a response from the HR person asking me to complete an online application. I'd click on the link and it would be an application for an online college degree or the site link wouldn't work or it would be another link to a job search engine or it would just be a page with information that didn't include a link to apply for the position...huh?! It's all making me crazy!!!!

Times are hard right now.... Who would of thought all these scams would be going on?! Maybe I'm just naive..sigh.. I didn't think finding a job or car would be a piece of cake or anything but still..... I mean, applying for jobs and looking for cars that are non-existent is so tiring and such a waste of my time.

I'm Still Truckin Though!! Hope You Are Enjoying Your Week!

Two Year Sisterlock Anniversary!!!!!

2008-06-14T11:33:00.026-04:00

June 11th was my 2 year Lockversary!!! I knew my hair was growing but when I saw the comparison pics I freaked!!! I've had so much growth it's insane!

Here are my Sisterlock thoughts regarding this year:

1) Shrinkage isn't as much of a problem, since my hair has more weight to it, gravity is helping my length out.

2) I'm not used to feeling hair on my neck...I can't even tell you how many times my co-workers have seen me swat at a bug that wasn't there.

3) Keeping it simple..at the moment I wash my hair with Dr. Bronner's soap, I condition every once in a while and I use a aloe vera and water spritz for daily moisture. Oh! Right after I wash my hair I use an almond & jojoba oil mixture for the dry scalp. I can't believe I haven't had any dry scalp issues in a while! YAY!!!!

4) DIYing isn't as hard as I thought it would be, just time consuming. If I were a bit more stable, I would have done my own hair but that didn't happen. Read on for details on the consultant who did my hair.

5) The growth spurts that come after year one are no joke!!! Just look at the differences in year 1 and 2...WOW!!!

6) No matter what life brings you, Sisterlocks always makes you look good!!! HEHE!!!

I tried to fit three pictures in one row but blogger wasn't allowing that. From left to right top row: install and year 1 front. Middle row from left to right: year 2 front and install back. Bottom row from left to right: 1 year and 2 year back.

My Retightening.....

My Sisterlock consultant lives an hour away from me and due to being laid-off, gas prices and already being in a sad financial situation, I made an appointment with a consultant located in Orlando, Kadyra. That's Right Everyone!!! There is a certified Sisterlock Consultant located in Orlando, FL. Please email me if you're interested in her contact information.

So, I felt a little awkward at first, like I was cheating on my actual consultant, Sandi, which made me sad. I ended up calling Sandi and telling her what was up. She understood, matter fact she told me she hoped there was someone closer by to do my hair because of the gas prices. She's even purchased a scooter to ride to work..WOW!!! This is what I love about my consultant!! She is very understanding and concerned about my well-being, not just the money that goes in her pocket!! SHE'S AWESOME!!! Funny story, is she knows who Kadyra is as well.

Ok....let's get back to Kadyra! When I saw her Sisterlocks I was in awe..they are so beautiful, thick and long. She is very personable and friendly and we even watched movies while she did my hair. I must admit, she did take me back to my braid extension days cause she did them tight, but all is well. I would definitely recommend her to anyone living in the Orlando area. I tend to ask alot of questions so I give her mad props for putting up with my inquisitive mind...hehe!!

Athena & Wicket

I find myself taking a crap load of pictures of Athena since she's growing so fast. Seems like last week she was curled up in her little blankie. As I was snapping the pictures of her I thought back to my brother and I's baby photo albums. He was the first born so he was the star, I mean his photo album was huge and filled to the brim with pics. Since I was the second child, everything had already been done before and my album wasn't nearly as full as my brothers. I vowed for that not to happen to my own children, including Athena and Wicket. Here are a couple cute and funny pics of them both. Am I the only one who likes animal close-up pics? Her big nose looks so cute! I have no clue about Wicket's eye in the third pic...it's just plain scary!

It's All About The Food!!!

1) This meal can be made with just a microwave if necessary. It consisted of a half can of black beans, a Boca Chik'n Pattie, 1/4 can collard greens(I know it's a shame but everytime I make a big batch so much gets wasted, Lando really isn't into veggies) and Minute's Ready to Serve Yellow Rice. I think they over did it on the saffron so I won't be purchasing anymore of that kind but the brown rice one is awesome! This definitely helps with portion control and I can easily prepare a stir-fry in minutes without worrying about cooking the rice first.
2) Vegetarian Times Jamaican Tempeh Patties. The crust was amazing and on point. The filling lacked spice and taste (which wasn't much of a surprise). Next time I will use a bit more oil, more curry, and more seasoned salt.
3) Peanut Butter Cookies.
4) Plain ole Tofurky sandwich with roasted red peppers, Tofutti Cream Cheese and romaine lettuce.

Enjoy Your Weekend!!!

So Much To Do..So Little Time.....

2008-06-01T19:24:00.008-04:00

Getting laid off still hasn't sunk in yet because my last day is this upcoming Friday, June 6th. I thought I would have so many things done before this week but I've been in such a depressed and slothful state. I'm trying to stay positive but there's so much I need to get done.

1) Update my resume, the method has changed since the last time I did one. I've yet to do a Cover Letter and most positions I'm interested in require one.
2) I'm leasing a vehicle through my company, therefore I have three options. One, pay the vehicle off (which would be $12,000-$16,000), Two, turn my vehicle in and Three, Finance the vehicle until the lease is up. I have no idea what I will be making at my next job and I need to save all the money I can. So I'm looking for a dependable reasonably priced used vehicle. Preferably a manual transmission Honda Civic or Accord or Toyota Corolla or Nissan Sentra. I can't even think about a monthly car payment right now.
3) DIYing....I'm thinking I lost my job so I need to make this work. It took me 8 hours to do about 30 of them...WHAT??!!! By the time I finish my whole head it's time to start again. I came to the conclusion that paying someone to do it in 3-4 hours was better than me taking weeks to finish and tearing my hair out.
4) Taking care of Athena.

Seems like such a small list but I can't, for the life of me, figure out where to even begin...sigh... Once I find a decent car I will feel much better.

How is Athena???

She's doing well. She's lucky she's so cute... Her PetSmart classes have been going well. We are now teaching her 'stay' and 'come'. The second pic is of Athena's brothers. Anarchy is the black one and Aries is on the right hand side. Aren't they so adorable?? They are so calm, unlike Athena. They are getting big so quickly!!!!

Look What I Can Do Now!!!!!!

I was able to put my hair in a ponytail!!! YAY!!! I did get a headache towards the end of the day but it was still nice to try something other than a headband. I can't believe it will be 2 years in 10 days...WOOHOO!!!!

Food!!!!!

1) Easy Pancakes with Berries and Pineapple - Ugly pic but they turned out great as usual.....
2) Quick-Fix Vegetarian Curried Tofu "Egg Salad" Pitas - The taste was good but I'm still not used to the raw tofu texture. I was never a fan of actual egg salad but I had all the ingredients for the recipe and wanted to try it out. Lando thought it was pretty good and tasted like egg salad.
3) Quick-Fix Vegetarian Oh-So-Sloppy Joes - This recipe was amazing!!
4) Baked Doughnut Nuggets - I made a glaze using confectioner's sugar, water and vanilla extract. They actually tasted like baked donuts. Lando said we should try frying them next time..yeah right!!! Next time I'll cut back on the nutmeg and maybe by then I'll have a donut pan.

Just Another Week Right???

Never Saw It Coming :(

2008-05-18T08:22:00.016-04:00

Well.....I never saw it coming, I became so relaxed and content in my day-to-day activities. My company is down-sizing and I, as well as all my fellow office employees, have been laid-off. The entire Orlando office is being closed..sigh.. I can't be too broken up about this since I really wasn't happy with my job. My main concern is making sure all my finances are under control until I find my next job. Isn't life funny? Guess this is the kick in the arse I need huh???!!! Lando and I are actually considering moving to Atlanta within the next 6 months... Any ATL residents have suggestions about great apartment locations?? I'm all ears!!

I've Been Tagged By Coop & NiaNaturally!!

The rules are the following:
1. Link the person who has tagged you.
2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1) Eeyore is my favorite Disney character!! I have about 30 Eeyore plushes, a clock, a watch and I love the backpack my mother got me a while ago. She also got me some scrunchies but I'm a bit too old for them..Like I'm not too old for the stuffed animals or backpack..ha!

2) My favorite Hello Kitty character is Chococat! I even have him hanging on my rear view mirror. Lando's not to fond of Chococat cause he doesn't get as much attention from the ladies...LOL!!!

3) I'm an early bird. Rarely can I sleep past 8am on the weekends. If I wake up any later I feel like I'm wasting the day away. Then again, my bedtime is around 10-11pm which is extremely early for most.
4) I have double-jointed elbows. My friends think I'm an alien..LOL!!
5) I can cry at the drop of a hat.. Pet commercials get me almost every time.
6) I will never be able to eat brussel sprouts..blah! Many say they taste like cabbage and I LOOVVEE me some cabbage but.....they remind me of the movie Gremlins. Remember when the Gremlins jumped in the fountain and the little slimy green balls popped out of their backs?? That's why I can't eat brussel sprouts.

Athena...

She's doing really well.. We had out first Puppy Education class at Petsmart last Sunday and she was a good girl for the most part. Unfortunately there was only one other puppy taking the class and she was more of a lap dog so Lando and I were a bit concerned. The trainer did say it was ok and more people would probably enroll for the class. Since you can start training at 8 weeks she now knows the 'sit' and 'down' commands. Still working on 'come' and 'off' but she still gets very excited when she sees other people. Athena and our cat, Wicket, are getting used to one another. Wicket is realizing Athena can't jump to high places so he'll jump on our living room table, wait til Athena tries to get up on it, and starts slapping her. It's quite funny but Wicket will be in for a surprise when she gets bigger and can reach over the table.

Food...

This was a pasta week...I've been trying to make a garlic sauce that doesn't require marinara or cheese(of course). I'm learning that olive oil, virgin olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil serve different purposes. All taste differently and the cooking temperature determines which oil is preferred.

1) Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce - This was pretty good. It hit the spot and it was very simple. Four ingredients; spaghetti, olive oil, garlic and spinach.
2) Bowtie Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes - The burst of sundried tomatoes was nice and kept it from being overly bland.
3) Garlic, Olive & Tomato Pasta - Bland..Bland..Bland... I had to add a ton of different spices and it still wasn't quite right.
4) The Pigs Aren't Necessarily In The Blanket - This was more of an experiment. I took some leftover pizza dough and wrapped it around a smartdog. Next time I will use less dough and maybe try it with a tofurky sausage.
5) Banana & Berry Waffles - these were pretty good. The crunch of the berries and the banana flavor made for an awesome breakfast.
6) Banana & Berry Waffle Peanut Butter Sandwich - Since I had so many waffles left over I just stuck them in the freezer. Came home one day last week starving and didn't want to cook anything. Waffles and PB worked out well. Adding jelly would have made it even more better!

Working these last couple weeks should be interesting...

Ain't Life Grand!!!

2008-05-04T07:42:00.019-04:00

Alot has been going on.....I'm a huge stress ball right now because of Athena. We are crate training at the moment and it has it's ups and downs at times. She's growing so quickly and we've only had her for 3 weeks. She was 5.8lbs when we got her and she's now atleast 10lbs...WOW!!! She's such a cutie, I just want to give her kisses all day but her constant nipping brings me back to reality quickly. We will be attending PetSmart's Puppy Education Class next week and I'm looking forward to it. I've heard nothing but great things about these classes. You see those cute little eyes in the first pic? That's why she's already spoiled. Why Lando decided to take the second pic in front of her puppy pad noone knows, still the cutest pic ever!!!!

Short and Sweet Foods...

Since Athena's arrival I haven't been able to take the time and prepare a nice planned meal. So, we've either been ordering out food or I'm just putting something together in minutes. I do try to make one adventurous recipe a weekend. Fortunately Athena is usually curious of what I'm doing while I'm chopping veggies or mixing ingredients so I'm sure I'll be able to cook more often.

1) Shepherd's Pie - This was a weekend meal and it was pretty tasty. I used some of the tofutti cheese in the potatoes and I wasn't feeling the flavor. I'm honestly done with cheese subs..and I'm ok with that.

2) Peanut Stir-Fry - This was an awesome recipe! Neither Lando nor I could stop eating it and we fought over the leftovers. Definitely a staple.
3) Pita Pizza - A convenient meal I whipped up after craving pizza. Just took some marinara with green peppers (the only veggie in the fridge) and veggie crumbles. It was pretty good.
4 & 5) Meikmeika's Personal Pan Pizza - Even though the Pita Pizza was good I'm a pizza crust person. Lando whipped out the Bread Maker and made some pizza dough. This was amazing! As long as the dough is available these are easy and take very little time to make.
6) Whole Wheat Pasta with 'meat' sauce - This is a weekday staple, I may change up the pasta sauce or add a couple more veggies here and there but this saves my life when I come home starving.
7) Whole Wheat Muffins - YUCK!! I don't know where I got the recipe and never want to stumble upon it again.
8) Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins - I've been trying to cut down on my sugar intake and thought these muffins would be good. Most reviewers stated they were great, some even said they had too much sugar in them! I must have done something wrong cause there wasn't enough sugar and they had little taste. Don't know if I'll make this again...
9 & 10) My wonderful big brother, which many people find hard to believe. Most think Lando and I look more like brother and sister...go figure.. After reading this article from the VegCooking site I knew I wanted to try Johnny Rockets' Streamliner. It's been so long since I've actually sat down to eat burger and fries. I know a hamburger and fries can be easily mimicked but it was just nice to be amongst other people. It was nice spending time with my big bro too! Hope he's ok with me posting his pic. What he doesn't know won't hurt him right?....hehe!! Hey! Lando thought I looked like Michael Jackson in this jacket?! What do you guys think? I look a bit tired, which I was....

DIY Halted...

My consultant has been the greatest. She helped me with my mistakes and she even lent me a mannequin head to practice on. I will not be DIYing for a while...atleast until Lando and I have gotten adjusted to Athena more. Taking her out every 3 hours, taking her to visit her brother and the vet in another city every other weekend and crate training has left me sleep deprived. Going to see my consultant will be my treat to myself..ha! I think I will stretch my visits to every 8 weeks instead of 6 weeks now though.

I know I've been tagged by Coop & Nianataurally and will be posting my info soon...

Does anyone out there plan on going shopping with their IRS Tax Rebate money? My plan was to save it but things have come up and the money will be spent accordingly..

Enjoy Your Weekend!!!

Please Welcome, Athena, The Newest Addition to Our Family!!!!!

2008-04-14T12:27:00.012-04:00

Lando had mentioned he had a surprise for me Friday evening, and I didn't have a clue what it would be. After visiting my parents Saturday morning, I came home to this adorable puppy. She's one of 12, I think, and Lando's cousin has her brother, Aries. I think we should have called her nibbler cause that's all she does, with everything...You see, this is all new to me. I didn't really have a pet growing up and my cat, Wicket, is so low maintenance, give him a little lovin and he's good to go. Wicket and his reaction to the puppy have been funny but I'm sure they will get along soon enough. It's definitely been an interesting experience. She's 6 weeks old and we won't start really training her until around 8-12 weeks. All training tips and suggestions are tremendously welcomed.

The DIY Saga Continues.....

After combining a few sets of locks I decided I would find out from my consultant what the heck I was doing wrong. The top pic on the left are several I had done myself, you should be able to see the two that were combined... My consultant did say that I barely combined them, by a couple hairs or so. Her advice was first and foremost, patience..but also to try retightening after 4 weeks, since only one rotation would be needed, it would take less time, and the likelihood of combining would be lessened. I got some clips like the ones posted in the top right pic too. The top right pic is of some locks she had me do in her presence. Thankfully, she said I would be fine in no time. The bottom pic is of how much growth I'd had before my retightening. Most people like their locks freshly done but I'm all for my new growth showing, it gives my hair more fullness and body. Once I get used to DIYing, it will be done every 8 weeks.

I've also really started noticing the little white hair buds everywhere. I showed Lando and he was concerned it was lice for a brief minute...YIKES!!! I remember in daycare and elementary school the nurses skipped the little black girls for lice checks since we all used grease in our hair....LOL!!! I was just happy I didn't have anyone digging in my hair with the same comb that was picked through every other students hair. No wonder all the kids were getting lice, the school spread it....hehe!!

No Food Pics....

You know what's crazy? Now that I have this vegan cheese that so many have raved about, I don't even want to try it. Lando tried some and thought it tasted decent. I'm still preparing myself for the disappointment. I think I'll make a burger tomorrow and see how it goes. I've only made one new dish since my last post, so I'll just wait til I have more food pics for my next post.

Enjoy Your Week and May the Weekend Come With Haste...

You Will NOT Defeat Me!!!!! HaHaHa!!!

2008-03-30T16:12:00.011-04:00

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your kind words regarding the condition of my eye and the DIY words of wisdom. I've come to the conclusion that I won't let my fear of making mistakes hinder me from trying. Here are some suggestions I was given:

Sistalocd> Patience....take your time, don't let the process overwhelm you and practice makes perfect.
Sophia> Try out the Latch Hook Tool, which is cost efficient, and check out Brenda's blog for Latch Hook information as well.
Goodnapps> Take it one lock at a time.
Maryee> You will save a lot of $$$$$$!! WOOHOO!!!
BlackRussian> Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Considering the amount of locks we have, making a few mistakes won't make a big difference.

What would I do without my Sisterlock Family??!!! You Guys Rock!!!

Less Than 30 Minute Meals...

Now, my definition of a 30 minute meal is only meant for preparation. Cook time for one or two of the foods above may have taken 45 minutes to prepare and be plated.
1) Spicy Eggplant and Potato Stew from Vegan Fire & Spice. I don't know what I could have done wrong but I just didn't like this stew. It was more bland than spicy as stated in the title. This won't be repeated. It took about 15 mins to cut all the veggies and potatoes and 30 mins cooking time.
2) My mother used to prepare a macaroni and hamburger dish that I couldn't get enough of when I was younger. Here's my own version using Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce and veggie crumbles. This meal took less than 5 mins to prepare and was plated after 15 mins.
3) Another one of my staple stir-fries, took 20 mins to make. If I had already had the tofu ready to go, it would have taken 10 mins. This was a seven ingredient meal; rice, tofu, stir-fry mix, a tsp of olive oil, soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil.
4) Horrible lighting but here's a way to get in some veggies. I took roasted red pepper hummus, lettuce, tomatoes(which weren't the ripest), cucumber, green peppers and onions and made me a semi-healthful sandwich with ciabatta bread.
5) Boneless Chickenless Chicken Salad from Vegan Deli on ciabatta bread. Lando tore this sandwich up and wouldn't have known it was tofu if I didn't tell him. Thank goodness we have leftovers cause I will be looking forward to lunch at work. I think I'll try making it with curry next time and will use some of Lando's bread.
6) Magical Chocolate Cake from ChooseVeg.com made into little bundt cakes. This helps with portion control.
7) Vanilla Cupcakes, made into Vanilla Mini Bundts, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. My only revision was using 1/4cp oil instead of 1/3cp. Tofutti Vanilla Ice Cream paired perfectly.
8) Whole Wheat bread courtesy of Lando.
9) My friend's friend had a birthday this weekend and she's an AKA. My friend requested a green and pink necklace and bracelet for her, which came out beautifully. I wish the pink would have come out more but my bead options were slim. At times I wish I could order beads in bulk but since I'm not opening a jewelry store anytime soon, I don't see that being a good idea. At the moment, the majority of the stuff I make is given as gifts or bartered....LOL!!!

I'm Not Ready For Work Tomorrow but I Will Make It a GREAT Week!

No Imagination What So Ever....DOH!

2008-03-11T18:56:00.008-04:00

I gotta tell you....I have very little imagination when it comes to taking pics of my hair. As you all know I'm either sitting or standing and cheesing galore..LOL! I never style it and I'm always seeing gorgeous styles by all you wonderful Sisterlock Bloggers. Shame on me! However, I am noticing zippers and velcro are my worst enemy. Just can't believe my hair is touching my shoulders at times. I can't wait til I can sniff my own hair comfortably like Lakia..hehe!

My co-worker took a nice pic of me today so I decided to post it on the blog. Guess it's always easier to take a pic sitting down. I don't know if all this talk about becoming 30 is getting to me, but I'm noticing some big changes in my face. I'm becoming a chipmunk and don't know what to do about it. I think I'm just losing it..you know, with the one good eye and all.

Eye Update..

Speaking of one good eye, my last visit to the LASIK Specialist ended with great news. Even though my pupil is still dilated, it is starting to constrict when light is flashed in it in the dark. There's still hope for my eye yet. I am now being weened off the current drops they have me on. Dumb arse me thought it would be ok to stop taking the drops cold turkey and ended up with the worst headache I've had in my life. Why must I make things so difficult?

How Can I Be Part of Your Crew?

I so want to be part of the DIY crew but I'm worried I will screw up my locks. I know the pattern is easy but I always make things more complicated then they really are. Can any of you DIYers give me some nice words of wisdom? It's become even more of a necessity to learn how to do my own hair because of gas prices and increased bills.

What's Cookin!

1) Red Lentil Soup from the Vegetarian Times Cookbook. It was really good and tasted like a low-key version of dahl to me. Don't know why it called for red lentils when yellow would have tasted and done just fine.
2) I was craving black beans and rice and wanted to try making yuca. A co-worker recommended this Yuca con Mojo recipe from the Goya website. The oil alone scared the living crap out of me. I reduced the oil mixture by half and there was more than enough for the yuca amount recommended.
3) Quesadillas from the VegCooking blog. These were really good and I used Follow Your Heart Cheese. When I came home the following day to get the left overs, Lando had beat me to them. Guess he liked them as well.
4) Bread made by Lando. He's always making bread but I'm the one pigging out on it. What is he trying to do to me?! LOL!!!
5) Enchiladas from VegWeb. Instead of making actual enchiladas I made a casserole and I was pleased. The cheese sauce calls for nutritional yeast, which was the nastiest stuff I had tasted when I initially became vegan. I don't know if it's the way this recipe is prepared or my memory of cheese is fading but it tasted kind-of like cheese...
6) Not a pretty Pineapple Cake picture but it was a huge hit with Lando. This cake was so sweet I had a stomach ache the next day. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick, not making this one again for a while. It was just too SWEET!! I didn't think it would be possible, for me of all people, to say that.
7) This is what happens when you put imitation pepperoni and Follow Your Heart Cheese together. A hot mess! FYH Cheese has to be broiled for it to melt and since I cooked mine in the conventional oven the broiler didn't get hot enough. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't all that great. Vegan Dad used Tofutti Cheese Slices for his and I'm sure it tasted better. There's a place in downtown Orlando that serves tofutti cheese slices on sandwiches and they're the closest thing I've tasted to the real thing. I did ask my local health food store to order them for me and they said they would try (which means they won't) unless I pay for the whole shipment...huh?!

Hope Everyone's Week Is Going Well!!!

What To Do About Dry Scalp???!!! EEERRRR!!!!

2008-02-28T18:50:00.005-05:00

Hello, My name is Meikmeika and I have dry scalp.......but not your regular ole oily dry scalp that can be eradicated with Head and Shoulders or Selsun Blue. Sadly, I used both for so many years...sigh... By using shampoos like the above I dried my scalp out even more and caused more irritation. N'Drea had also mentioned having a dry/flaky scalp issue and I knew my comment on her blog would be long so I decided to post about it. Is it me or is it hard to get good close-up shots of your hair? I think I need to get a new digital camera or something. Please excuse the crazy looking arms and straps fiasco.
About a year back I went to see a dermatologist. I had a friend who was prescribed a serum that she put on her scalp and washed out weekly, her scalp problems disappeared. WOW!! I was thinking my dermatologist would do the same for me but little did I know she wanted to prescribe me a steroid. Based on the info she told me about the product I would have to use it religiously initially and then work down to once a week. There were a couple issues with the Dermatologist's solution: 1) It was a steroid, 2) Washing my hair daily wasn't going to happen, 3) If I stopped using the product the problem would come back, and 4) Did I mention it was a STEROID!? She also made me aware that I had slight eczema, which was why my face would rarely ever be smooth and why my scalp burned something fierce at times.

Here's what I've realized in my on-going journey to scalp happiness:

Less is the best. And I mean less ingredients, less agitation, and less money out of my pocket. I used to purchase every dandruff/dry scalp shampoo I could get my hands on regardless of the price, thinking one of them would finally do the trick. There were also times I washed my hair three to four times a week, which did more harm then good.

I currently use Dr. Bronner's Magic Liquid Soaps, which mainly consist of natural oils and water. I take a small spray bottle and fill up a third of it with the soap(since it's pretty concentrated and potent) and two-thirds of it with filtered water. When I wash my hair I water rinse for a couple minutes, then saturate my scalp with the shampoo mixture and massage it into my scalp for a minute. I let it sit for a couple minutes under a shower cap and rinse out. Now I'm a lazy one so most times one wash does it for me but when I'm feeling super special, I will do this twice. I then do the five minute rinse to make sure all shampoo is gone and voila! I've also been known to shortcut on the 5 minute rinse which left my scalp itching hours after I had washed.

When my hair feels extremely dry I rinse it with water, saturate it with conditioner, leave it in for a couple minutes, and finish with the five minute rinse. The shampoo mixture is not used when I use the conditioner. This would only be useful for those who have received the approval from their Consultant to use conditioner or slippage is no longer a concern.

Moisturizing the scalp is key. I take another spray bottle and put two-third jojoba oil(which acts like your skins natural oil), one-third sweet almond oil, and one-third vitamin e oil. This is sprayed on as I'm separating my locks while my hair is still damp. Since this mixture is pure oil I take the time to massage my scalp for about three to five minutes to reduce the likelihood of the jheri curl activator dripping appearance on my neck or forehead...LOL!

If I feel my locks or scalp need more moisture on days I don't wash my hair, I spray a water/aloe vera and essential oil mixture on them.
As you can see I've got plenty of spray bottles..hehe! So far this method has been working pretty well. My scalp hasn't been on fire for a while now and I no longer fear wearing black tops. I think I just may have found my solution. Hope this may help others out there with dry scalp and/or eczema on the scalp.

Lastly, my eczema flares up when I'm stressed, I've been trying to incorporate meditation in my daily routine.

Oh! Just in case anyone is wondering I wash my hair once every seven to ten days. I dream of going weeks like some I know...

Enjoy Your Weekend!!!

Much Better!!

2008-02-19T06:46:00.014-05:00

Hey Everybody!!! I'm pretty close to my old self again! I'm no longer dealing with the cold or the everlasting dry cough I've been struggling with these last couple of weeks. Went to see the LASIK people a couple weeks back and they put me back on some steroid drops for inflammation, and here I thought I was done with meds. My lips are screaming for moisture. They handed me an appt card during my last visit which stated my next appt would be Fri, 02/15 at 12:45pm. I called just to confirm my appt and they had scheduled me on paper but not in the computer system so I had to re-schedule. Good thing I didn't drive all the way out there eh? So now I am scheduled for another eye check-up this week and just hope to be told I no longer have to take the drops. It's come to the point where if they just tell me my pupil will be dilated for the rest of my life and reading glasses will be necessary, that's fine. Just tired of seeing Dr's right now. Enough about that.......

I've Been Tagged...by Chosen Vessel!

Here are the rules:
-Link to the person that tagged you. Check!
-Post the rules on your blog. Check!
-Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Check!
-Tag six random people at the end of your post(this will be the hardest task cause everyone has been tagged).
-Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Here goes....

1. Favorite Movies:
Romance - Love Jones
Romance/Comedy - Sixteen Candles, Pride & Prejudice
Suspense/Thriller - Outbreak
Comedy - Coming To America
Horror - 28 Days Later
Sci-Fi - Star Wars(The Original Trilogy)
Teeny Bopper - Empire Records
Animated Movies - Final Fantasy

2. I have a massive chapstick addiction. I keep some in my purse, my desk at work, my car, jacket pockets, anywhere I can stash them so one is always within reach.

3. I detest people who leave shopping carts in parking spaces, on other people's vehicles, or in the way of vehicles driving paths. The worst is when you spot a good parking space, go to turn in, and others have decided to use that one space as the cart depot. I took this pic the other day, as you can see the cart is very close to the vehicle even though the cart depot is on the right...WTF???!!!!

4. Anytime a woman mentions a gripe regarding her man, I always state men are one dimensional and women are three dimensional..LOL!! Til this day I have yet to disprove this theory. I think all my friends get annoyed every time I mention this. But no matter how many times I tell myself this I still have frustrations with my man..hehe! I apologize to any males I may have offended...

5. The only clothing I dry after washing are socks and sweat pants, everything else is hung up to dry on a rack. I'm cursed when it comes to drying clothing. My pants and tops end up shrinking and are no longer presentable on me. I've been drying my clothes this way for the last 10 years. Hey! It saves on the utility bill right?

6. I'm addicted to Project Runway.. I never got to see the First Season and I can't find it on DVD. Just seeing how people can take hunks of fabric and make it into beautiful garments amazes me. That's a skill I would love to have. When it comes to sewing the best I can do is hem my own pants..LOL!!!

I have no idea who to tag. Is there anyone left? Many have been tagged a couple times.. Guess I'll update with names if I see someone has not been tagged....

Food & Crafts...

1. Paella from VegCooking. I've never had the original before so I wouldn't have anything to compare this recipe to. Wasn't too bad but since it wasn't a hit with Lando, due to blandness he stated, this more than likely won't be made again.
2. Pumpkin Bread from VegCooking. I was out of sorts when I prepared this recipe and forgot to add the sugar after mixing everything together. I mixed it in at the end and it still came out pretty good. Not to sweet and perfect with coffee. This will definitely be made again!
3. Orange Chicken Style Tofu from VegWeb. I thought Lando would gobble this one up since he's into sweet and savory foods. I actually liked it more than he did..hhmm.. Next time I will add less sugar to the sauce but it was still an excellent dish. Nothing like making your own Chinese take-out.
4. Easy Pancakes from VegWeb. EXCELLENT!!!!!
5. Banana Bread from VegWeb. Neither Lando or I could stop eating this bread. I love bananas so I was in heaven.
6. - 10. Bracelets I made for the LASIK staff. Eventhough I'm not happy I have to visit them so often the staff is phenomenal. I went to my last appt extra early and they squeezed me in. I'm lucky to have such a personable and friendly staff to deal with. I can't say the same for the Retinal Specialist....

Life is Good My Friends!!!!!!

When It Rains....

2008-01-28T12:23:00.003-05:00

All I can say is, When It Rains, It Pours... Guess where Meikmeika has been the last several days?? So everyone knows I've already been having issues with my right eye. I've finally weened myself off the medication but I'm now left with dry eyes, extremely dry and chapped lips, and sadly my pupil is still partially dilated. I never thought I'd be so happy to have dark eyes cause I would look like something from another dimension.

So, my internet went down on Thursday of last week and it's been excruciatingly painful without it. My 7 month old laptop has crashed and needs to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair and I've saved the worst for last.... I have a heinous cold.

This cold has knocked me off my feet. I felt it coming Wednesday, started upping the Vitamin C and drinking Echinacea Tea, by that time it was too late. On Thursday I sounded like I had a frog in my throat and by Friday I had to leave work early cause my nose was running like a faucet and my headache had become unbearable. By Saturday I had a fever which finally broke this morning. My taste buds are still off the wall so I haven't done much cooking.. I made some soup that tasted so salty I could barely eat it but my boyfriend said it tasted like there was no salt in it at all...huh?

The Brighter Things In Life...

1) Fantastic Foods Chicken Noodle Soup, it was pretty good. Too many "chickeny" pieces in it for me though...
2) Bread Pudding from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I subbed 7-Grain Bread which wasn't too bad. I really couldn't enjoy it since I was sick at the time I made it.
3) This is a Chili I saw in one of VegNews' Magazines. I don't put as much veggie crumbles as they recommend and add more beans but it's a hit with Lando and I. This is my go-to meal when we want something hardy with a lot of protein.
4) A revised Chickpea Noodle Soup from Veganomicon. This was the soup that I thought was extremely salty. The recipe called for mirin and brown rice miso which I didn't have so I just put in a pinch more salt. I made this one yesterday while I still had a fever so I'm sure my taste buds were out of whack. This soup does not work well the next day. I used Angel Hair pasta thinking they wouldn't soak up all the liquid and I was sooo wrong.
5 & 6) My co-worker's wife has had cancer for quite some time and she's going through a rough patch. I know this may sound a little unusual to some but I'm all about chakras, energies and balance. I asked him if I could make her a bracelet with the chakras on them and he said his wife would love that. I gave him the choice of the two, eventhough both bracelets include all the chakra colors, I didn't know if she'd want a bracelet that looked to busy. I was right cause he chose #5. #6 has been with me...

To all the Sisterlockers Who Attended The Orlando Gathering..

I am so so so sorry I couldn't make it. I so wanted to be there. I had Amura all mapquested out in my car ready for me to make that drive, but my fever wouldn't let me. I ventured out for the first time this weekend on Sunday afternoon and it wasn't fun. I had to constantly keep blowing my nose and the coughing alone sent children crying to their mothers. I wouldn't wish the weekend I've just had on anyone and I couldn't jeopardize anyone else's health. I'm looking forward to seeing all the pics and reading about all the fun you guys had.

I just hope there will be more Orlando Gatherings cause I would really Love to meet everyone.

I Wish Everyone an Extremely Healthy Week!!!!

Happy New Year & Happy Belated Birthday To Me!!!!!!!

2008-01-12T19:38:00.001-05:00

I turned 29 on the 10th...WOAH!!! My co-workers keep mentioning the big 3-0 and turning 30 just doesn't phase me. Maybe I'll have a break down the day before or something. One co-worker said she pretty much was having a mid-life crisis and another stated it was such a huge deal since at 30 you become a grown-up...excuse me? So my question to anyone 30 and older, Was becoming 30 a huge turning point for you or was it just another day. I've never been one to be big on birthdays...it's just another day to me.

Since I've been trying to eat better, and my best friends are aware of this, they sent an edible fruit bouquet from Edible Arrangements to my job. It was awesome and I'm still eating the fruit today! The Perfect Gift!

Eye Update....Sigh...

So, not much has changed. I'm still having problems seeing out of my right eye, still having headaches, and still praying that my eye will heal very soon. The Retinal Specialist is weening me off the drops I've been taking to un-dilate my eye and the LASIK Specialists won't really know if enhancements are needed until after medications have ceased. It's pretty much a waiting game right now. I hope that once I'm done taking these drops my eye will be able to heal on it's own and no enhancements or future Retinal or LASIK Specialist visits will be necessary. Patience is key for me right now......

Food....The Good Stuff...

1)These waffles were made on New Years day and I can't remember where I got the recipe. It was a pancake/waffle recipe and as you can seen they seemed more pancakey, then waffley. Lando liked them so that was good.
2)This was an interesting one. I made Joumou, which is a traditional Haitian Pumpkin Soup that is eaten on New Years day. I found this recipe online but it wasn't too detailed, atleast not for me, so I kind of put in the amounts that I thought was best. All in all Lando thought it was an excellent vegan version and he could eat it every year. I even gave him the choice of regular meat or my meat subs and he opted for the meat subs...WOW!!! I'm so proud of him!
3)I also wanted to make some black eyed peas so I used this Hoppin John Recipe recommended from the VegCooking blog but posted on the Whole Foods Site. As you know I've been on this soup/chili/stew kick so I made it more soupy than anything. This was my first time making Hoppin John and I don't know how it was supposed to turn out. I'm just happy I got my black-eyed peas in and I also put some greens in the Joumou as well... I wanted to make the VegCooking Collard Greens Over Fried Polenta recipe but didn't have enough time or energy.
4)French Toast that I just put together. YUM!!!
5)I still had a lot of greens left over from New Year's so I made a Potato and Greens soup and it was sooooo good!! I never thought something so simple could taste so marvelous!
6)At times I miss Tuna Fish sandwiches. My mother always made them when I was younger and I associate tuna with comfort. Since I'm now vegan, tuna's a no-no but VwaV has a nice Chickpea Hijicki Recipe that tastes pretty close. I have yet to find Hijicki so I used some kelp powder and added some celery. Lando was very impressed and adding the tomato hit the spot.
7)The First all Vegan Restaurant has opened in Central Florida, Ethos. The Grand Opening was today, so Lando took me as a birthday treat. The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff was extremely customer service oriented. I ordered the Pecan Encrusted Eggplant with mashed potatoes and veggies. I wish I would have thought to take a close-up of my dish but I was too busy actin a fool. The dish was pretty good and the mashed potatoes were outstanding.
8)Here's a pic of Landos What's The Dilly, Philly? from Ethos, this sandwich was AMAZING!!!!!!!! I kept asking him for another bite..LOL!! Ethos will definitely be a restaurant Lando and I frequent. They even have cookies, cakes, and pastries! YEAH!!!

I'm So Loving My Birthday Weekend!!!!! You Guys Enjoy Yours!!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

2007-12-26T19:29:00.001-05:00

First off Christmas came early for me this year. I received Shea Radiance Products, the Onyx Tambourine Tomoka Twist and the Nappyloc Tool earlier this month!!! YAY!!!! The Shea Radiance Whipped Butters are sinful... Can't wait til my next order arrives! I didn't realize how small the Nappyloc tool was and I ordered the medium one. Interesting..... This wrapping paper may look familiar...LOL!!!! I'm all about recycling...hehehe!

I had a wonderful Christmas with Lando's family! I ate soooo much of his mom's food it wasn't even funny. Being with family and friends was all I needed.

There's just no way I can deal with a diet this time of year. I wake up every morning with the intention of eating in moderation but it's thrown out the window when I think of everything I want to eat in that day. My mom has signed me up with Weight Watchers for 10 weeks along with herself. When I started Weight Watchers in 2003 it worked very well. It took me a while to reach my goal weight, but I did. I've tried doing it online and unofficially and just continue to lose and gain, lose and gain. Shouldn't a pill have been invented by now that keeps you slim and toned but doesn't require constant trips to the restroom or harmful side effects. I just need to take my arse back to the gym!! LOL!!!

Eye Update....Yall ready for this?! So, I met with a Retinal Specialist on Dec 14th. We discussed my options which were one, preventative maintenance, visiting the Retinal Specialist every three to six months to make sure my condition has not gotten worse, or two, do the Retinal Laser Procedure and be done with it. I'm all about prevention but I just wanted to get this procedure over with. They gave me a shot under my eye for numbing which hurt like hell (trying to get my blog rating up), then after all was done I had to wear an eye patch for eight hours. I just went home and slept, I woke up in the middle of the night from the pain, it felt like someone had taken my eye out, bowled with it and stomped on it to boot. I almost had my dad take me to the ER. Not to mention, the Retinal Specialist prescribed no medication at all. I was hoping for an actual pirate's eye patch but the Dr's office wasn't trying to hear that. I look like hell and high water, can't say the same for my Sisterlocks though...hehehe...
Like that wasn't enough right?? As I sit here typing this post my pupil is still dilated in my right eye.  That's right folks!!! My pupil has been dilated for 12 days. I can't see anything close up so most of my bracelet and necklace Christmas gifts have been put on hold. Thankfully my follow-up appt is tomorrow morning. I did call them last week and this morning and they make it sound like it's normal so I'm not too worried. All in all I can't say I regret doing the procedure, my odds of retinal detachment has decreased tremendously, so it was best to have it done.

Baking & Bracelets...
I haven't cooked much since I'm constantly on the verge of a headache. Lando's been doing all the cooking lately..YES! I managed to make banana bread last weekend and several bracelets.  I gotta tell you, the pictures do these bracelets no justice... I'm still working on ones for family and friends. Just can't wait til my right eye is back to normal.

Hope Everyone Enjoyed their Christmas!!!!!

1 Day Shy of 1.5 Years Sisterlocked!!!!!

2007-12-10T18:53:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be 1.5 years Sisterlocked....WOW!!!! My hair has grown more since I've been Sisterlocked then any other time in my life and I'm in awe every time I look back at my install pics. My only regret, as for many of us, is not Sisterlocking sooner.

I decided to treat myself to the Onyx Tambourine Tomoka Twist and the Nappyloc tool, so some interesting things will be happening over the next couple months. I'm trying to become an honorary member of the DIY Club and I will actually have another accessory to wear in my hair besides a headband..WOAH! A BHT is next on my list..

Here's a couple cooky pics. The first top left pic was taken in Dec 2006 the second top right pic was taken this morning. My bangs have grown so much! I kind of liked the spiked look I had going on but I'll take as much growth as I can get. The one hairstyle I knew I would miss after getting Sisterlocked was my afro puffs, so I attempted two ponytails for nostalgia-sake, not as cool as the puffs but it wasn't all that bad...What do you guys think? My eyebrows are so unruly...Sometimes I wish I could just shave them off but I don't have a steady enough hand to draw them in on a daily basis. The next pic is of that one rebel lock, it's a bit thinner then the others and no matter what I do it's always playing peek-a-boo. Should I cut it? The last pic is of me trying to be cool before going to work..I'm such a dork but I'm workin those shades!!!!

Wonder what's in store for the next 6 months... For anyone out there who has been Sisterlocked for a couple weeks or a couple months and are discouraged or just a little worried about how your Sisterlocks will turn out, be patient cause once the growth spurt hits there's no stopping it! Sisterlocks To The Rescue!!!

I've Been Busy In The Kitchen.....

1)I have this obsession with Panera Bread's Black Bean Chili and wanted to try to make my own. Cause if I can save money and make it myself I'm down. It was a bit bland to Lando and by the time he got done doing his "magic" it was toooo salty for me.
2)More Focaccia but this time I used some Follow Your Heart "Cheese", it burned a bit on top which added a nice crunch. This stuff is addicting and Lando keeps requesting it. I figure it's the Holiday Season and if there is a time to pack on the lbs, now is it. There's always New Year's Resolutions right? LOL!!!
3)Root Stew from the VegCooking blog. I knew something seemed strange about the cup of ACV the recipe called for, but I rarely revise a recipe I'm trying for the first time. Let me tell you I was so pi$$ed after making this. I spent all this money on these root veggies and all I could taste was ACV. Never and I mean NEVER will I make this recipe again. It'll be a while before I try a recipe from that blog again. I'm looking forward to trying Naturally Sophia's Sister's Root Vegetable Recipe!!!

*UPDATE - I received an email from the VegCooking blog host regarding my review on this recipe and how unhappy I was. Let's just say I felt like a fool when in her email she mentioned the recipe called for Apple Cider not Apple Cider Vinegar. DOH! For this reason I retract everything stated before my update. I must try to the recipe again the correct way and give it a proper review. Receiving the email was a bit humbling but I can't tell you how awesome it feels to know she cared enough to email me to set me straight. For that I will make it a point to try more recipes on her blog. The Mushroom soup looks divine!

4)To salvage the root veggies that I had left I made the Unbeef Stew Recipe from VegWeb and it was FANTABULOUS!!!! I will definitely make this again!
5)Plantain Soup from The Food Network's Simply Delicioso. I was pleasantly surprised and Lando said it reminded him of a soup his mother would make, very filling, hardy and flavorful.
6)I was craving bagels and didn't want to drive all the way to Whole Foods for them, so I found this easy Bagel Recipe on VegWeb. They came out pretty well. I forgot to allow them to sit for an additional 15 mins(got to work on my patience) and my shaping skills need a little work but other than that Lando and I were both happy.
7)Ahhh Dessert.. Even though I've been trying to decrease my sugar intake I baked the Apple Cobbler from The Joy of Vegan Baking... Lando brought home a basket of apples and I didn't want them to go bad.. It was the greatest!! Between Lando and I, it was gone within a matter of hours. We have no self control..ha!

Make It A Great Week!!!

LASIK Pre-Post Op Update...

2007-11-29T20:08:00.001-05:00

Who Knew The Eye Was So Complex??

So I had my pre-post op yesterday, mainly to discuss the retina situation with my right eye. The good news is the "hole" has not gotten any larger. The expected news is the Dr. is still referring me to a Retinal Specialist for a second opinion. I will be visiting the Retinal Specialist in a couple weeks to find out for sure if my right eye will need additional laser surgery. Like stated in my previous post, I still don't know the exact terminology, but due to my retina stretching to compensate for my near-sightedness I have holes in various places of my retinas in both eyes but the only one of concern at this time is the big hole in my right eye. I think the Dr. said it was called Lattice Degeneration....huh? I just want to get this over with.

I have a teensy weensy gripe at the moment. Why is it that Dr.'s offices are so quick to schedule you for an appointment without checking with you first? If I weren't standing in front of the person scheduling my appointment with the Retinal Specialist I wouldn't have been asked. Do Dr's realize that most of their patients work the same hours their facilities are open?

Guess I can't complain too much. Atleast this Dr. felt the need to mention my retinal issue. He couldn't believe this was the first time I was being made aware. I think I learn something new at each Eye Dr. visit I have. Even though I've been wearing glasses most of my life, up until 4 years ago I didn't know I had a slight astigmatism in my left eye. I was told I had spots in the back of both my eyes a couple years back (similar to the ones older people get before cataracts) but this year tops it all... I have a pronounced nerve in my left eye, floaters in both eyes but a massive one in my right eye and this lattice regeneration with my right eye.. HEY!! All I wanted was perfect vision...ha!

How many times have we gone to the Dr. for one thing and came out with more issues? I can understand why so many people are afraid to go to a Dr. when they're sick.... I know I digress but I just can't wait til this is all over and I'm not worried about my right retina getting detached. Scary thought huh?

On an extremely positive note my left eye is still 20/20 and my right eye is 20/22.5! The Dr. also stated that it could take weeks for my right eye to reach 20/20, which is why my actual LASIK procedure post-op will occur the following week after I see the Retinal Specialist..... I'm perfectly fine with my vision at this time and if this is how it stays, so be it!

Thank Goodness Tomorrow Is Friday!!!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I CAN SEE!!!!!!!!

2007-11-22T06:20:00.001-05:00

I can't even explain how excited I am to be able to wake up in the morning and see my alarm clock, no more fumbling for my glasses if I hear a strange noise in the middle of the night, no more struggling to shave my legs in the shower if I'm not wearing contacts (yall just don't know), and so much more. I think I was 7 or 8 years old the last time I had 20/20 vision...WOAH!

So here's how it all went. I went in for my pre-op the day before the surgery and everything seemed fine until the Dr. took an in depth look at my retinas. When you're near sighted your retinas stretch to compensate and depending on how much they stretch holes can be formed. Since I'm extremely near sighted I have quite a few holes in both eyes, of which one specific hole was of concern. I just recall the Dr. saying the word temperal and the hole wasn't in a good location. Oh, I also heard chance of retinal detachment...WHAT??!! He did mention the retina should not be affected by the LASIK surgery. So the surgery was on Tues, Nov 20th. As soon as the procedure was over I could already see much much better. As far as the pain, there wasn't any. There was a bit of pressure but the procedure was done in less than 25 mins, my boyfriend even got to watch the procedure. I got a nice bag with a pair of shades, some goggles, tylenol pm, and different drops for me eyes. It's so amazing how 30 mins can change the rest of your life. No more glasses (atleast for the time being), or fidgity contacts (since I have/had a slight astigmatism my contacts would move around at times), or dry eyes from wearing contacts, and I can just go on and on.

As of now I have 20/20 in my left eye and 20/25 in my right eye, which the Dr. said was normal. I also have hemorrhaging in both eyes. I will go back in a week to see if the hole in my retina has changed any. Regardless I asked them to refer me to a Retinal Specialist b/c even though I'm asymptomatic I would like to get this taken care of before or if it may become a problem. They also gave me a DVD of the procedure and I have yet to look at it.. After seeing Cluizel's I figured mine couldn't be much different.

Below is my latest retightening on Sat, Nov 17th, and the last picture I took wearing Rx glasses. My hair is growing!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I still can't believe it!! I had to hide my glasses so I would stop reaching for them. I'll say it again, I feel glasses give a person character and I already feel naked without mine. I still may purchase a pair of non-Rx glasses. I know it's silly but I'm a weirdo anyways..LOL!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Central Florida Veg Fest 2007!!!!!

2007-11-14T18:04:00.001-05:00

I had the pleasure of going to the Central Florida Veg Fest in Orlando on Sat, October 27th, with my friend Denise. We had soooo much fun! Yall already know that me and food are the bestest of friends..LOL!! Everything at the festival was vegan, so it was nice to be able to purchase or sample anything. We ate Indian food, Chinese food, Cookies, Brownies, Biscotti, Oat Patties and my most favorite was the chili hotdog..it was da bomb!! I sure wish I asked what brand hot dogs the vendor used, he works in Downtown Orlando but I'm rarely in that area so don't know how I would find out. I left the festival with a full belly and a bag full of brownies. Let's just say my stomach wasn't doing to well the next day..ha! It kind of reminded me of a hippie convention, many people of all races had locks and most sistas and brothas I saw either had locks or natural hair as well. The weather wasn't the best, very humid, but I was glad I went. I didn't know Orlando had so many establishments that offered options for vegans..YAY!!!

It was also nice to see kids playing games outside, instead of on the computer, in front of the tv, or playing video games.

1) Me waiting for a soup sample and a brownie.
2) Me and Denise, don't you just love her hair color?
3) Me holding the amazing vegan hotdog, which you really can't see all that well. See the kids playing in the background?
4) The soup samples I was waiting on in pic one (I just can't even explain how nice it was to see so many vegan goodies).
5 & 6) Both are focaccia bread but the one on the left is made with all-purpose flour and the one on the right is made with half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour. Both were great!!!!

That's right folks I only have two pics of food this time around. I couldn't believe it either but I haven't really been cooking many new foods lately. I will be on a soup/stew/chili kick soon so hopefully more food pics will be on their way.

Listed below are establishments that offer vegan/vegetarian food options if you happen to live in or plan on visiting Orlando.

Chamberlin's Market & Cafe
Dandelion Communitea Cafe
Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar
Ethos
Garden Cafe

Khasiyat 407-888-2147
Infusion Tea
Joe's Oat Patties

Whole Foods Market

Z-Cafe & Z-Coffee

LASIK Anticipation!!!

I will be having LASIK next Tuesday and will let everyone know how it goes! I can't even imagine having perfect or even close to perfect vision...WOW! Does it seem odd that I will most likely purchase non-prescription glasses? I've worn glasses most of my life and at times feel naked without them. Cluizel, do you miss wearing glasses sometimes? Maybe my thoughts will change on this after the surgery..

Enjoy The Rest Of Your Week!

It's Starting To Grow On Me....Literally!!!

2007-10-27T08:56:00.001-04:00

So, I don't usually take many pics of myself cause,I just don't, and never have been to fond of taking them. Once I got Sisterlocks I thought, "Hey! Now I can start a blog and take pics to document my progress!" Well, let me tell you, I think getting hair pics on this blog is one of my harder tasks, of course we know food is another story. On a daily basis, I'm thinking about what pics I can use for my next post..LOL!! I'm pretty much a hermit, I don't go out much and taking pics of me at work usually warrants a disturbing facial expression. My employer did have this big meeting so a co-worker happened to snap a shot of the ladies in the office. Now, even though having the other women in these pics would make it more pleasant, they would be extremely unhappy if I did that, so I guess you guys will just get silly ole me!

I know you're probably wondering what the previous paragraph has to do with the title of this post.....hahahaha!! Eventhough I look crazy in one pic and I'm cheesing to no end in another, I noticed something spectacular. My hair is finally growing on me! When I initially saw the pic on the left I thought there was a shadow or something that made my hair appear bigger and longer but it wasn't..YAY!!! I so can't wait to see what this year has to bring for me. And I truely must confirm what most have said about the first year being about your hair settling and the second initializing the growth. I was sitting at my desk the other day and thought a bug was crawling on my neck, but it was my hair..YYYEEESSS!! Even my co-workers are saying my hair is growing. I don't think my hair has been this length since I was maybe 6 years old. It's a hassle to wear glasses since my hair is always hanging in my face and causes smears. Sisterlocks To The Rescue!!!

Speaking of glasses, I have decided to get LASIK surgery next month. I'm a little nervous but it's something I've been wanting to do for years. I've worn glasses since I was 9 and contacts for over 10 years and my eyesight is horrible. Put it this way, if I were driving and my glasses were to fall off (which unless they fell in my lap I wouldn't see them), I would not be able to see to drive myself home. Granted, I can pull over and look for them. There have been times I've had a contact fall out and was miserable for the day, usually ending with a massive headache. Waking up in the middle of the night after hearing a noise is always scary because I can't see anything so I'm always fumbling for my glasses. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and eat a small snack or something(I know it's bad) and I usually don't wear my glasses. One night I kept slapping my hand cause it felt like something had bitten me and I was itching. Turned out the counter was covered in ants, now that's scary. Luckily I hadn't eaten the piece of cake I had cut from the fridge and sat on the counter. Sadly, I still get up in the night for snacks but make sure my glasses are on. It's just time for the LASIK to happen. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. If anyone wants to see how the procedure is done you can visit Cluizel's blog, I'm still amazed she got it recorded!! Cluizel if you have any advice or suggestions for me let me know...

This month has flown by too quickly... I mean, Halloween is next week!!! Anyone dressing up for Halloween? I never went trick-or-treating...so it is something I felt I missed in childhood but it's not that big of a deal. My parents did give out candy and what they had left was eaten by me and my brother. I think I had more candy then anyone else so, I say again, it wasn't all that big a deal. These days it can be a bit more dangerous but a good thing is daylight savings time doesn't change until next month so it will be light outside when the kids start trick-or-treating. One of my co-workers stated her mother made all her and her brother's costumes, I thought that was awesome. Can you believe they have pimp costumes for boys? Why would you want your son to be dressed up as a pimp?! And then there's the costumes that parents buy for their kids and the kids have no idea who they are like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Jason. I don't think seeing princesses, mermaids, witches and ghosts will ever get old for me though. Now on to more exciting stuff....

Food In My Belly....

1)Chili and Cornbread, this one was a bit of a challenge since I already had a recipe for chili and had a couple cornbread recipes. I didn't want to waste any ingredients so I halved both. It was pretty good but the cornbread was on the sweet side. Lando was taking the cornbread off the top and eating it with syrup, now that was just wrong. LOL! The chili didn't have as much of a kick to it as usual so next time cornbread without sugar and chili with more spice.
2)Chocolate Cupcake, another attempt at halving a recipe I had and it wasn't too bad, I should have added more cocoa powder cause it just didn't taste chocolatey enough, maybe even add chocolate chips or peanut butter...yyyuuummm...
3)Lando's version of curry veggies, he did a great job!!!
4)My pride and joy at the moment, Apple Cake, I based the recipe off of The Joy of Vegan Baking. It was excellent!!! The apples melted in your mouth and the cake was the perfect consistency. The glaze on top was a hit! This will definitely be made for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Lando did make an apple crumble cake, of which I took a pic, but it got deleted by accident. It was just so pretty and soooo good!!!

Enjoy your weekend guys!!!!!

More Pre-Sisterlock Pics and An Introduction!

2007-09-30T10:04:00.002-04:00

I found some more pre-Sisterlock pics which included my boyfriend and figured it was time for an introduction. Sisterlock Community this is Lando, Lando say hello to the Sisterlock Community!!! The pic on the left is from Dec 04, I think I had taken out my two-strand twists and was just wearing a headband (what's new right?). The second pic on the right is from Jan 06, my hair was two-strand twisted and in a little ponytail. After seeing these pics and my hair I'm so thankful for Sisterlocks, it was always a struggle to figure out a style to wear when going out and most of the time I just gave up and left it as is. Thankfully I can do that now and look just fine. For some reason I thought my hair was longer back then but when I compare my hair to my Sisterlocks now so much growth has occurred. YEAH!!!!

I got my hair retightened yesterday and spoke with my Consultant regarding my pattern, which she divulged with no problem. I feel good now that I know it, just in case I move or she moved or she decided she didn't want to Sisterlock any longer or just for my own knowledge.. I mean, the main selling point to people who are interested in Sisterlocks is that even though they may be spending a bit of money in the beginning they will be able to learn to retighten themselves. My main issue isn't learning or doing it for myself it's that I really really like my Consultant, I Love our conversations and look forward to my appointments, maybe I'll do half my head and have her do the other.. I know it's sad but she lives about 1 hour away from me so the retightening sessions are my reasoning for the travel.. What do you guys think? Then again, I like being spoiled and having someone else do my hair...hehehehe... I will be ordering the nappylocs tool and I'm still contemplating the retightening course that will occur sometime next year in FL. I'm so grateful to be reading Sistalocds, Woman In Process, Cherie's and Goodnapps' blogs that show me doing it yourself is a challenge but definitely can be done with or without the class.

YUM!

1) I can't believe I've been posting food pics all this time and never has a salad been posted. They're boring anyways but I decided to post one. I usually use raisins, apples, nuts and maybe something crunchy like pretzels or crackers.
2) Excuse the cupcake in the background that's oozing out with frosting..LOL!!! My best friend's birthday was last Tues so I made her some Tiramisu cupcakes. The recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. These cupcakes were breathtaking.. Thankfully I left them in her hands after I made them cause they would have been gone in one sitting. Lando wanted me to make more this weekend and that just wasn't happening. I have no self control. Not to mention it took several hours to make them.
3) I made these brownies from The Almost No-Fat Cookbook at the beginning of this month since I was craving chocolate and peanut butter. For some reason they seemed salty to me but Lando thought they were fine. Maybe I'll try them again but I don't know.
4) One of the many simple meals from Vegan Planet, Mushroom Fajitas, good and filling.

Well, that's all folks!!! Enjoy Your Work Week!!! Can you believe Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner???!!!! WOWSER!!!!

Am I Ready For A Ponytail????

2007-09-07T20:33:00.001-04:00

Even though I've been locked for over a year and started with an ok length I still look like a hot mess with a ponytail. I'm so jealous of Sistalocd's ponytail pics, so pretty. From the back it looks ok but I can't get all my hair up. Putting my hair in the ponytail required my mother's help cause I had to hold my hair while she put the rubberband on and still it ended up lopsided. My mom was also curious to know if I could get all my hair in a ponytail. I was able to leave the back hanging and get the front up but it still looked all wrong from the front. Patience is key...I know. The brighter pics on the left are my first attempt at a ponytail in Dec 06 and the pics on the right are from last month, I left the back down in the last two pics (excuse the parts...LOL!!!!). I probably won't try this again for another six months since it hurt so much to put it up but it was still interesting to see the difference in fullness.

Good Food....

I guess I had a FatFree Vegan adventure since two of the pics posted include Susan's Lasagna and her Pineapple Coffee Cake. I haven't had lasagna in a while and my last recipe required so many ingredients, it wasn't all that. Fortunately I was recipe hunting on the FatFree Vegan site and stumbled on this excellent recipe, another hit with the boyfriend. The Pineapple Coffee cake was pretty good considering I used whole wheat flour and no oil, the boyfriend thought this one was ok, it definitely helped with my sweets cravings. The last pic is something I just put together, I wanted pizza but with less calories so I used flat bread for the dough, mushrooms, tofu pieces, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Cheese. That's right Sistalocd! I found a vegan cheese that was pretty good..YEAH!!!! Can I just say this pizza was the greatest!!! Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest. My boyfriend made the usual pizza dough we use and topped with regular cheese and pepperoni. He preferred the taste of mine to his own....WOW!!!!

I'm trying to compile a book with all the recipes I've stumbled upon on the net that were amazing so they're all in one place.

TGIF!!!!

Why Vegan????

2007-08-24T18:58:00.001-04:00

Many people have asked why I chose to become Vegan including my co-workers, friends, DSTDiva and BlackRussian. My initial reasoning for becoming Vegan was for health. I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and if I'm not mistaken high cholesterol. Let me not forget I'm Lactose Intolerant. I remember my whole college career being surrounded by when and what I ate. If my friends and I wanted to go to a movie and grab something to eat, we would have to get the food after the movie cause I would be in the bathroom within minutes of eating pizza or ice cream or just a bowl of cereal. I still can't believe I allowed myself to go through all that.

A couple years back I started researching early prevention for the above ailments. Giving up dairy was a no brainer but I sure miss me some cheese sticks. Obesity and High cholesterol were a little on the easier side since obesity could be prevented using the correct diet and exercise and cholesterol is only in animal or animal by-products (i.e. meat, dairy, eggs). I was very surprised to find out a Vegan diet consisted of no cholesterol.

Weight loss was also an issue at the time and I came across "The McDougall Plan" which was mainly a vegan diet with little to no oil, processed meat and soy intake. It worked, I did lose alot of weight but it was due to always struggling to find something to eat. Of course you're gonna lose weight if your meals are based on ruffage! Nowadays I can go to a restaurant and order pasta with marinara sauce or a salad with dressing. The McDougall diet did not allow pasta or oil and I just couldn't cope. After that I decided to see how long I could go without eating meat. Would I live? Would I get sick? Would I have protein deficiency? I'm happy to say I'm still here and kicking!!! LOL!!!

Now, I've always been a junk food addict and have quite the sweet tooth as you can tell by my food pics. So I also thought the vegan diet would help with those cravings and get me eating more veggies. I am now eating more veggies but my sweet tooth is still here. I do revise my sweets recipes and use less sugar or less "butter" but I just can't give them up. It's also nice to be able to eat something without preservatives or fillers. I came across a bazillion sites with recipes and purchased some cookbooks (which I rarely use) to help me along the way.

I knew I would be Vegan before I locked so it was no surprise that I locked when I did. Just another added piece to my puzzle. As time has progressed and my research has continued I've become more aware of the heinous way the meat industries are treating the animals. Back in the day a farmer and his family would raise their farm animals and let them roam free and actually have a bit of freedom. Now alot of the companies are all about the mighty dollar and mass production, therefore the animals don't get that same life that was provided way back when and it's sad, their living conditions are heart-breaking.

By no way am I preaching to anyone about their food choices. I'm just letting everyone know a little more about me and why I choose to eat the way I do. I'm sure I left out so many things but it's all good. As long as you're healthy and happy Life is Good!!

When We Gonna See Some Food Pics!!!!!! Right Now!!!!

As you know my blog entry wouldn't be complete without some food pics. I really haven't been making too many new things lately but here are a few.
1) I got some wraps from Whole Foods and wanted to make something quick, so I whipped up some tofu, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, salsa and veganaise (vegan mayonnaise) and made this creation. It was PERFECT!! Let's just say I've been eating wraps for the last couple days...LOL!!!
2) Black Beans and Rice with BBQ Tofu. Beans good Tofu BAD!!! I'm still thinking you can season Tofu the same exact way you can regular meat and that's just not the case.. The Tofu should have been marinated before slathering the BBQ Sauce. My next go round will be better.
3)Peach Upside Down Cake... got this recipe from The Fat Free Vegan site and it was ok. I need to tweak the spices to my liking and it will be GREAT!!!! Susan the moderator on this site takes the most amazing pics of vegan foods and most are fat free or pretty close.

You Guys Have a Wonderful Weekend!!!!!!

Thin, Thick or Medium Hair.....Need Opinions???

2007-08-04T20:03:00.001-04:00

During my retightening today, my Consultant and I were discussing the fullness of my hair. I've always believed my hair wasn't thick but not quite thin.... So, I'm here to ask you guys what you think. Since locking, my hair appears much thicker than I thought it could ever appear and I must say that I'm ecstatic. My locks seem to be thickening more than lengthening these days. So, I'm mainly asking this question to see what others view as thick or thin or medium hair. I know my hair is nothing close to Brunsli's but a girl can dream right....LOL!!!!! I hope this isn't too crazy a topic but I just keep hearing my hair is thick one minute and thin the next or maybe the camera also adds ten pounds to the hair.....hhhmmmm? What do yall think??? I really need to start styling my hair in some other way since all my pics look the same but I just love letting my hair do it's own thing....

Let's See Some Food.......

Since I haven't posted in some time I've made quite a bit of food. As you can see I have a huge sweet tooth... Anyone know how to rid the craving for sweets?
1) another stir-fry with veggies
2) pasta with kale and garlic
3) my first yellow cake (wasn't to bad, the boyfriend loved it)
4) apply pastry (I was craving pop-tarts and this was the closest I could get)
5) fat-free chocolate cookies (weren't all that great but helped my chocolate craving)
6) Here's the best of all!!! My boyfriend made some chocolate chip cookies and they were amazing!!!! Who doesn't Love a man who can cook and bake???

Before Sisterlocks...

2007-07-15T16:39:00.002-04:00

I didn't think it would be so difficult to find pics of myself before Sisterlocks, most pics were taken before my digital camera days and are on CDs that I can't find...ha! Fortunately my father has a scanner.

I sure do miss my afro puffs, but I wouldn't trade having Sisterlocks for the world. I remember stressing about going on interviews cause I couldn't think of a style to wear or taking 5 hours to do my two-strand twists. I knew many natural sistas who could put their hair in a bun or ponytail and be on their way but I didn't have that type of hair. My hair had length but my happily nappy hair wouldn't stay in a slicked style for too long. People would tell me grease and water acted like gel in their hair... WHAT? My hair laughed at me anytime I tried using grease unless it was for my scalp..LOL!!!! Those were the days......

When I was in college it didn't matter how I looked cause I was always in class or studying, maybe partying a little too..but I knew my loose hair styles weren't going to cut it when it was time to look for a job... The first pic is me at either 4 or 5, the second is me with the afro puffs I adore and the third is my hair in a headband after taking out my two-strand twists, these were also my thinner days as well.... I finally get my hair right and now I got to work on my weight..hahaha! Are we ever pleased??!!

Let's See The Food (the cause of my weight gain)!!!!!

I've been kind of bored lately with my food options cause usually my cravings prompt me to make a new recipe. So, I've been sticking to my usuals like Spaghetti or Sloppy Joes. I did try a Moroccan Couscous recipe posted on allrecipes.com and wasn't pleased. I've never been one to like sweet and salty/sour things unless it's trail mix and this just didn't work well with me. My boyfriend said it needed either more spice or more raisins. I should have known better but wanted to try something different. I wasn't happy b/c of all the food wasted. Don't you hate when you use alot of ingredients and the food doesn't taste all that great? Oh well! You live and you learn. That's why I give Rachel Ray props, she may be a bit over the top using 3-4 different meats for one meal, but to get a good healthful meal that tastes great in 30 minutes is pretty dern good in my book.

In Search of The Perfect Shampoo...

2007-06-28T19:20:00.001-04:00

Just wonderin, has anybody found the perfect shampoo for themselves yet? I was so proud of myself, thinking I was out of my "product junkie" stage until I checked out the shampoos I've used since having Sisterlocks. Sadly, the shampoos above do not include all that I have. Now, I did use the Sisterlock shampoo before and maybe a couple times after my install but I just didn't like it. I knew my hair would have no problem locking and from what my consultant told me it was mainly to roughen up the hair to allow the locking process to go more smoothly.

Now that I'm pretty much fully locked I'm looking for a good nourishing shampoo. In the beginning I thought I had dandruff and started using Tea Tree/Peppermint Shampoo varieties to help it. I also used the clarifying shampoos on occassion for the build-up. In all honesty, I think I've dried my hair out using the clarifying shampoos, Apple Cider Rinses and Dandruff Shampoos.

What's a girl to do? Here I am thinking I need a squeaky clean head and more than likely stripping all the good oils away. Because of my dry scalp (I now realize this is what I really have) I wash my hair on a weekly basis. I know some people can go weeks without washing their hair and I would just LOVE to wake up one day and be that person. After about 5 days my head is itching and after 7 my head feels like it's on fire from all the itchiness. I've also made a concoction of Jojoba Oil, Aloe Vera Juice, Essnential Oils and Water. No matter how hard I try to be a minimalist it just doesn't happen...LOL!!!

Have you guys discovered the perfect shampoo?? If so, please share in my comments. I'm all ears!!!!!!

My Revamped Bread Pudding and General Tso Tofu

I've got to tell everyone I was so surprised with these last two recipes. I'm always trying to get my fiber in any way I can so I wanted to revamp the last bread pudding recipe I used and make it a little bit more healthy. Since I couldn't find a vegan wheat bread in my area and I wasn't willing to drive far for one loaf of bread, I decided to make my own. I then followed the same recipe as before with my bread. It appears more like the bread pudding I'm used to seeing in pictures much thicker than the last and more filling to my belly! I think the picture makes it look a little thicker than it really was...

I frequent a website called Vegweb and this one "General Tao's Tofu"recipe was calling my name. Out of all the recipes posted on the site this one has the most rave reviews so I had to try it. I get tired of ordering plain ol' teriyaki or szechuan veggie stir-fry when I order Chinese take-out, I want some protein in my food as well. This recipe was da bomb!!!! It will be a staple for me and my boyfriend. Next time I will add more spice to it cause I'm a spicy food girl!!! Even for those who would want to make their own General Tao Chicken the sauce in itself is amazing!

Texture Shots....

2007-06-19T21:23:00.001-04:00

Do you guys have any favorite texture shots? Here are some of mine, very rarely do I get a good shot without blurriness. I thought my hair was jet black, guess I was wrong. I think everyone should post their favorite texture shots on their blogs!!!

Bread Pudding and Black Bean Chili, not together of course...

As you may have already noticed I'm a black bean finatic, this week alone from this one pot of black bean chili, I have had this chili by itself, with rice, over a salad, I even attempted to make my own whole wheat tortillas so I could have black bean burritos. I mean...How many days can a person keep eating black beans??!! I don't think I'll be making black bean anything for a good lil minute. Still trying to waste less food and wanted to try to switch it up a bit. All I can say is, Thank Goodness the boyfriend and I have finished the black bean chili....sigh.... I don't even know what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow...I do know it won't be black beans!! LOL!!! I gotta start freezing this stuff? How many people out their actually freeze leftovers...?

My father wanted Bread Pudding for Father's Day, mind you I had never tasted nor baked it before but anything for dad! Bread Pudding can easily be made vegan by substituting soymilk for milk and applesauce or banana for the eggs. It came out wonderfully, the boyfriend couldn't stop eating it. I think I may have eaten three pieces out of the whole pan. I used french bread in my first recipe but I want to make it a little more healthier next time, maybe use cinnamon raisin or whole-wheat bread.