The Snack Attack and Other Stories

I'm having one of those weeks..snack attack! I'm not sure what's going..I started running again..maybe that's it? Not sure but I have the urge to snack frequently lately. So the other day, I was in the drugstore in downtown Boston after my dentist appointment. Did I mention that going to the dentist always make me hungry too? Okay, that's probably because I usually go right at 4pm and I'm done right before dinner so in all fairness probably nothing to do with dental hygiene..he he he! Anyway, the point is I'm a HUNGRY girl this week. So I stopped into the local CVS drugstore and scanned the aisles for a snackeroo. Other vegans know, this isn't always easy but I was pleased to see a big selection of nuts and dried fruit. Even when excluding the honey roasted items, I still had a decent selection to choose from. That's when I met the love of my life. Okay, I exaggerate slightly..but these are darn good nutty treats! True North Pecan Almond Peanut Clusters..so good. And sweetened only with brown rice syrup. Delicious..addictive..and vegan! Anyways, if you check them out, the chips they make are not vegan but I think all the clusters are. There's a $1 off coupon on the website too!


Second snack attack involved some nakedness. Okay, okay, rawness. Close enough! I am a big fan of the Raw Pirate Gourmet Show..I'm bummed that there haven't been any recent recipes from Bam and Share (I keep checking even though my iTunes updates automatically..I'm just a crazy girl like that) SO I keep watching the older episodes (only five of them but so good). The raw "chocolate bombs" caught my eye this winter and I've been meaning to try them. So to Whole Foods I went and finally got the dates, cacao nibs and mint leaves. This couldn't be easier (slit date open, remove pit, fit date with cacao nibs and mint leave, eat, enjoy, die happy). And so yummy! I was skeptical folks but I can vouch for this one:

The mint I put into my container garden this spring just happens to be the "chocolate mint" variety..of course!


Also roasted some summer squash and onions on my little indoor grill that I just inherited from my mom (thanks Muz!)..yum on salad and looking sooo pretty!

And finally, a little Goo. Well, specifically, this is Keebler. Each of my six Goos has such a unique personality. Keebler may just have the biggest personality of all of them. I try not to pick favorites but it's hard with a fuzzball like this. However, this cute little ball of fur is also big trouble. I know you know this kind of kid..everyone does. He's got a big heart, big energy, and is *slightly* emotionally disturbed. He's the kid who is a good kid but always seems to get in trouble at school because he just couldn't help it. That's Keebler. Each Goo "colony" has a dominant Goo. Since my six are broken up into two groups (3 brothers and 3 brothers, the two groups are not related), we have two dominant Goos here, Brownie and Keebler. Brownie is pretty much like, oh, I'm the boss and I know it. He's confident. He's a little older than Keebler. Keebs is still just a kid, a teenager so he's a little, well, ADD and insecure. If his brothers interact with the other group of Goos, he starts snorting because he's so upset. Like a little pig. I try not to laugh but he sounds so funny and adorable. He then goes out of his way to show his brothers who is boss but they won't have any of it and push him back. So then he starts to doubt his dominant goo status and gets really sad. Then his brothers have to kiss him and groom him until he's back to his old self. After that, he takes to bouncing off the walls again. Keebler's got a complicated life! Note his brother in the background and you'll see that Keebler (in the foreground) is actually scaling the little fence to check out my camera. Right after snapping this picture I found him nibbling on my camera cord!

Keebler also has boundless amounts of energy. I had to buy the little fence that I put around his "terrace" to Degu Manor so that he would stop jumping off the table. It works thankfully. Just yesterday I found an electrical cable that he gnawed through in the living room..I have no idea how he was not electrocuted but it really freaked me out. So I'm Keebler proofing the living room in the event that he does get out again and I don't notice right away. He also broke his finger the other day...he usually has some kind of injury from leaping from something high or doing some kind of daredevil stunt. H and I frequently shake our heads at his doing and say "Oh, Keebler!" His favorite toys are chopsticks (which he can shred to shavings in about 15 minutes), toilet paper (which he used to line his nest and everyone else's..he's thoughtful like that!), and a big ole bag of paper recycling. We joke that when Keebler is reincarnated he's going to come back as a sanitation worker because he loves nothing more than jumping into our bathroom trash or the recycle container.

But the thing I love most about Keebler is that he's very affectionate..he'll sit on my shoulder, nuzzle my ear and play with my hair. None of the other Goos do this. I don't know if this is because he considers me his "territory" or if he just really knows that as much trouble as he causes, I still adore him!

Off to make a vegan carrot cake and quinoa salad for a potluck tomorrow night with a bunch of omnis so these better turn out better than good...wish me luck!