NEW VEGAN SHOE FIND: cute styles, reasonable prices

I’ve just found a new on-line vegan shoe vendor which carries both women’s and men’s shoes.  I love shoes, so I had to go there and look around, to see how chic the shoes really might be, as well as how much they might set one back.

I’m happy to say that VeganChic is definitely worth the visit.  Warning: These are not necessarily shoes for the “earth mother” in you… these are attractive, or, possibly, even sexy, nice-looking shoes at seriously reasonable prices.  You could indulge the vegan fashionista in you without putting too serious a dent in your pocketbook (oh, yeah. They have nice-looking handbags as well)

I’ve already put VeganChic on my list of purveyors of vegan shoes, to make it easier to visit.

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I’m excited again!!! Vegetables coming!!!! Just seeing how excited the other people looked when they opened their boxes last week brought me back to wonder of the CSA distribution.  Yippee!!!! Yes, I remember how I struggled to make the payments earlier in the year, but… now it is like free food, all of  it good, some of it mysterious….

Here is what they promise this week:

TOSCANO KALE………………..1 bunch
RAINBOW SWISS CHARD…….1 bunch
BROCCOLI……………………….1 piece
RED ROMAINE LETTUCE…….1head
GREEN BOSTON LETTUCE…..1 head
STRAWBERRIES…………………1 pint
RHUBARB.……………………….1 bunch

I’m very excited about the rhubarb – I still need to figure out some raw recipes, but last year, I made a very nice citrus-y drink with some of it.  The strawberries are a plus!!!! How nice of them to include some strawberries in the regular distribution (for those of us who did not order the “fruit extension”) I will be getting the regular fruit share when that starts, but this is a nice nice plus.

I love kale – I make a nice raw marinated/massaged kale dish — I will post a new variation shortly.

I am not your biggest fan of lettuce, so I will probably trot off to get some apples and bananas to make smoothies with the lettuce.

This is my first experience with chard. It looks like lettuce. I will have to play with it.  Maybe it is marinatable.

Broccoli is broccoli. Maybe I can come up with something new to do with it this time.

I went to a raw food fair this past weekend and stood by the Vitamix lady (she was a new one, and very cute – I mean, she had the patter, but she added something to it… it almost seemed like she was talking to a pal in her kitchen, rather than just repeating the same spiel over and over again.) I watched her make about 4 things, so I got some new ideas.

EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON A RAW FOOD DIET

How can you economize on a raw food diet?

MAKE EASY TO FIND, INEXPENSIVE FOODS YOUR DAILY STAPLES. If you are like the rest of humanity, you probably eat mostly the same things. Bananas, cashews, flax, kale, collards, and other dark leafy greens are available most of the time. They are easily available and typically inexpensive because they are in demand by many people, regardless of their dietary focus.

ONLY EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY: Many people graze, eating whenever it occurs to them, all day long. (Some raw food “gurus” actually recommend this approach) This can be expensive, and it can also add to your girth. If you stick to eating only when you are truly hungry (not when you are just thinking about what you could be eating, or because you have that food in your bag), the only thing that will get fat will be your wallet.

ONLY BUY WHAT YOU EXPECT TO EAT: Make a shopping list and stick to it. Work at sticking to that plan, and only buying those things. Of course, if you find a new recipe, and you need something unusual for that recipe, you can deviate from your plan.

BULK BUYING: On-line stores often offer bulk rates. The local co-op may offer a discount for cases of whatever it is that you want. Of course, if you buy from the bulk bin, it will be cheaper, and, likely, fresher, than buying packaged goods.

TRACK WHERE YOU FIND THE BEST PRICES: Shop your local health food stores, farmer’s markets, and co-ops, as well as any on-line suppliers you use. Notice the prices on the things you buy, and where you buy them, and track them. You can even track this information on a spreadsheet. When you run low on something, you can refer back to your listings to remind yourself of where prices on that item are best.

PREPLAN WHAT YOU WILL DO WITH LEFTOVERS: It is a good idea to plan what you will do if you have leftovers BEFORE you start to prepare a meal.  If you know exactly what you are going to do, and, even better, if you can do it right after the meal, you can prevent the food wastage that can come when you just don’t want to eat that again. Freezing and dehydrating are the usual options. I usually make patties in the dehydrator right away with the spaghetti sauce that isn’t used when I make it for dinner.  Dehydrating is a wonderful way to save prepared food as well as vegetables and fruit that you just are not going to get to.  In addition, many raw food preparations, as well as raw fruit and vegetables can be frozen for a month.