Cooking Tips & Tricks!

I’m a fan of little notebooks, the kind from the dollar store. It’s the geocacher in me (we call them logbooks) – and they’re perfect for grocery lists, things to do lists, and random notes while I’m in the kitchen. But – why keep them on the side of my fridge when I can post them to my blog! So – here we go. I’ll add to this whenever I’ve got something new…

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder = 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 – 15 oz. can of kidney beans = 8.5 oz drained & rinsed
• 1 – 15 oz. can of black beans = 6.6 oz drained & rinsed

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#skibeering

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Travel Bucket List

Goal! One a year. Lots of national parks…I have a passport for the NPS, hope to get many stamps before I kick the bucket.

2013: Great Reno Balloon Race (September)
2014: Banff, Alberta

…and the list goes on, in no particular order:

Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway, MA (cycle?)
Blue Ridge Parkway (fall)
Canadian Rockies via rail
Jasper National Park (tramway)
Toronto
The mountains of Colorado
Bryce Canyon
Whitefish, Montana (ski)
Grand Tetons
Savannah, Georgia
Mount Rushmore
Florida (Key West)
Haiti
Alaska
Whistler, BC (ski)
Glacier National Park
Badlands National Park
Cherry blossoms in DC
Cherry blossoms in Japan
New Zealand (visit friends Annie, Brett)
London (Ms Cupcake, vegan fish and chips at Coach & Horses)
Mount Bachelor, OR (ski)
Tahoe (ski)
Yosemite National Park
Yellowstone National Park (been there at a kid, want to go back)
Tainan, Taiwan (visit college roommate Jessica)
Stay at Edgefield, Troutdale OR
Crater Lake, OR (as an adult)

Dream Big! UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other worldly locations…

Machu Picchu, Peru
Easter Island, Chile
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro
Great Wall of China
Samoa
Iceland
Morocco

Maybe I’ll win the lotto and I could fly around the world in a jet with National Geographic!

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My Review of REI Camp Dome 2 Tent

Originally submitted at REI

Ideal for 3-season camping, the REI Camp Dome 2 is durable, trustworthy and a cinch to pitch—and it's offered at a sweet price!

REI Camp Dome 2 Tent

Easy simple affordable tent, 1-2 people

By SudsyMaggie from Vashon Island, WA on 7/13/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Comfortable, Fly Works Well, Easy To Setup

Cons: Heavy

Best Uses: Car Camping

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven

Was this a gift?: No

Perfect for car camping! As a newbie camper I was able to put it up and take it down all by myself, a big bonus for simplicity. Fits 2 people snugly but comfortably. I went solo last weekend and there was tons of room for me and my stuff.

My first tent in action!

Tags: Picture of Product, Using Product

(legalese)

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New Music Tuesday

I’ve been finding some sweet tunes lately so I thought I’d share with you!

• Ringside – Struggle
• Life In Cartoon Motion – Relax, Take It Easy
• Cake – Long Time (new album! Showroom of Compassion)
• Cosmogramma – Do the Astral Plane (totally random but I love it)
• Wye Oak – Civilian (discovered via the NPR music app, here’s the article about their new album)
• The Heavy – Short Change Hero (the entire The House That Dirt Built album is rockin’, thanks to Quinn for introducing me to them)
• MGMT – Kids, Electric Feel
• The xx – Intro, Crystalised
• Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
• Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside
• Adele – Rolling In The Deep
• Bon Iver – Blood Bank
• Jeremy Messersmith – A Girl, A Boy, and a Graveyard

Also be sure to check out this post I did year ago – some sweet tunes to discover over there!

Cheers,
Maggs

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Vegetarianism 101

I’ve been vegetarian since I was 16, so going on 13 years now. I get a lot of, “well what do you eat?” remarks and I always think, ‘does it look like I’m starving?’ While I’m no foodie, I certainly find a way to feed myself each and every day. I’ve gotten a few inquiries lately about vegetarian suggestions, so I thought I’d put a quick blog together with some information for folks interested in a vegetarian and/or vegan diet.

One thing is that most foods you eat ARE vegetarian. And if they have meat in them, it’s easy to leave it out or find a meat-free substitute (tofu, seitan, soy, etc). I usually just tend to omit the meat.

Websites:

• http://www.barnivore.com/ – is your beer/wine vegan?
• http://vegweb.com/ – mostly vegan recipes but great inspiration for meat-free recipes
• http://www.vegetariantimes.com/ – online recipes, nice magazine you can pickup at the grocery store
• http://www.theppk.com/ – vegan but once again, great inspiration on what you can cook up

Vegetarian Foods I Like To Cook/Eat:

• dal – lentil or garbanzo beans, curry, rice
• hummus + pita
• soup (homemade or canned, I like Amy’s brand)
• homemade seitan (fake meat, wheat based, makes great ‘turkey’ sandwiches)
• freshly juiced fruits & vegetables (especially leafy greens)
• veggie burgers – Boca, Gardenburger, etc.
• curried carrot soup
• sesame noodles
• Tofurky
• oatmeal
• pancakes, waffles, french toast
• tofu scramble
• tofu – seasoned, marinated, baked, fried, stir fry…
• cookies
• pasta (spaghetti + marinara + garlic bread)
• pizza
• vegetarian chilli (with or w/o TVP to replace ground beef – I prefer w/o)
• veg sloppy joes – yum!
• veg lasagna

Eating Out:

• Burger King – BK Veggie (Morningstar Farm) – DELICIOUS, and usually only about $2.99
• Italian – pasta/pizza/etc sans meat, salad, breadsticks, sometimes soup (chicken, beef stock based?)
• Indian – anything goes, lunch buffets are a great deal but can order pretty much anything sans meat
• Thai food – can pretty much always get sans meat plus tofu (ask about fish sauce, easy to omit)
• Greek - falafel, pita, hummus - mmm…
• American – mac n cheese, sandwich, fries, breakfast, etc.
• Breakfast – McDonalds – hot cakes, McSandwiches sans meat patties

I realize most of this is carb/protein heavy so I’ve been trying to juice at home once daily. I prefer eating fresh fruits over fresh vegetables, so it’s a good way to get fresh produce in me.

Hope this helps with some ideas! Feel free to drop me a comment here, catch me on the Twitter (@SudsyMaggie), or shoot me an email – sudsymaggie AT gmail DOT com.

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Sunrise, Sunrise

I was blessed with a beautiful sunrise on Tuesday morning. First I passed by Mt. Rainier, and the show just kept getting better and better as I made my way to the ferry dock. Cheers!

Mount Rainier, what a beauty!

Salish Sea and Dolphin Point

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Happy New Year – 2011!

Maggs has been a busy girl with work, geocaching, hiking, snowshoeing, #geobeering, adventuring with Team Double Rainbow, and sleeping on occasion. I went with a small group and summited Mt. Zion in the Olympic National Forest on New Years Eve – a bluebird day to summit & get a fantastic view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mt. Baker, and the northern & central Cascades. The cache was buried under about 5 feet of snow so I look forward to returning this summer to turn my frown upside down.

Cheers to health, happiness, and even more fun adventures in 2011!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

As I have been vegetarian for 12+ years now, I’ll be enjoying Tofurkey with my family today. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tofurkey for me, Tofurkey for you...

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Smoking (or lack thereof)

I quit being a daily smoker nearly 6 months ago (quit April 25th) after 14 years (that’s HALF of my life for those of you keeping score at home, as I started when I was 14 & quit when I was 28). I’ll still have one on occasion (usually while I’m drinking and socializing) but I know I’ll never be a daily smoker again. It’s pretty nasty, actually. When I pass people on the street smoking it’s gross. I WANT to have one but usually by the first or second puff I’m grossed out and put it out.

So yeah, go me.

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