vegan food review: Gardein meatless pepperoni pizza pockets

In one of the cruelty free beauty groups I'm in on Facebook, someone mentioned that Gardein has some pocket type meals. Then I noticed that there were meatless pepperoni pizza pockets and I immediately started looking for them.



I found them! They're certified vegan, quick to heat up, and delicious! Typically I'm not a big faux meat fan, but the texture of the pepperoni wasn't bad at all, nor did the pockets have that gummy textured cheese.



I keep them in the freezer at work for quick lunches as they only take less than two minutes to heat. They have great flavor and are pretty filling. The sodium is a tad high, but not terrible, and they don't have much sugar. I'd highly recommend these.

If you've been looking for a tasty vegan pocket meal, go find these!

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empties #10

Another month of digging through my trash! Here's what I used up this month. As always, I'm still working through old products that aren't cruelty free or vegan from my couponing days, and I'm human so sometimes I miss an ingredient.



Petalfresh Pomegranate Rejuvenating Facial Wipes // cruelty free and vegan // I like to pick these wipes up at Ross or Marshall's to get the bulk of my makeup off before I cleanse. They weren't excellent for eye makeup, but they did the job. I'd get them again.

Jojoba Farms Jojoba Treatment Conditioner // cruelty free // I really liked this conditioner. It lasted me a while and was really rich, but didn't weigh my hair down. If I saw this again I'd pick it up, pending the verification of a few ingredients.

Dove Men +Care Fortifying Shampoo & Conditioner 2 in 1 // Sigh. This was a freebie with a men's body wash I got for a super low price forever ago with coupons. My father and brother both have super short hair, so they don't use shampoo, so I just used this up so it didn't go to waste. I treated it as just a shampoo, and it was fine. I wouldn't get it again.

Neutrogena Body Lotion & Shampoo // These were hotel bottles. You know that feeling when you use a bar soap that makes your skin feel tight and dry? That's what this shampoo made my hair feel like. The body lotion was your average run-of-the-mill lotion. I wouldn't buy either of these.

Not Pictured:
Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion // I didn't see how it did any better than any other lotion. I wouldn't get this again.

Crest Pro Health Complete Mouthwash in Clean Mint // It's mouthwash. Sometimes it would leave a purple residue in my mouth. Gross. I won't get it again.



L. A. Colors Nail Polish Remover Pads // cruelty free and vegan // I think in my last empties post with these in it I said I wouldn't buy anymore after this tub was used up, but I did anyway. Oops. They're fairly decent and convenient, and only $1! They do leave a bit of a residue, so I use them before I shower.

Gucci Bamboo Eau De Parfum Sample // Meh. I wouldn't buy this in full size.

Estee Lauder Foundation Sample in Beige 2C // I received, from a friend, three Estee Lauder foundation samples since she didn't like them, so I've been slowing using them up. This isn't the ideal color for me, so I use it sparingly and blend it a lot. The coverage is decent, but I wouldn't buy a whole bottle, especially since EL isn't cruelty free.

B&BW PocketBac in Snow Kissed Berry // This smelled great, but B&BW isn't cruelty free, so I won't be purchasing again.

Estee Lauder Makeup Brush // I'm not sure what kind of brush this is, but I used it for powder. The bristles had started to get manky, so I'm setting it free. I've replaced it with an EcoTools brush, so I won't be getting another.



Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara // cruelty free and vegan // I absolutely love this mascara. The brush is fantastic, the formula is perfect. I just really, really, really hope that Too Faced remains cruelty free after being bought by Estee Lauder.



Covergirl The Super Sizer Fibers Mascara // I received this in an Influenster VoxBox. The brush looks weird, but it works pretty well. The formula starts off REALLY wet, but works a lot better once it dries out a bit. I wouldn't purchase this, though.

That's it for this month! What have you tried lately?

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mini haul from tn

While out in Tennessee, we may have done a lot of shopping, but most of it was for gift giving. However, I did pick up some clothes I'd had on my "to find" list and a few odds and ends.

Did you know if you sign up for the Eddie Bauer Adventure Rewards they send you a $10 certificate every so often that you can use on anything? We stopped by the outlets and everything in the store was half off, so I scored two Stasher Totes for only $2 and some change. I love little collapsible bags I can put in my purse, so I'm glad we stopped there.

We stopped by Ulta and while I had a few gifts in mind, I picked up Tree Hut's Passion Fruit and Guava Shea Sugar Scrub. I'm a sucker for anything passion fruit and I've really gotten into scrubs lately. My e.l.f. powder is panned so I thought I'd try the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder for a change. I've already cracked it open and I like it so far.

The In Vitamin Activated Charcoal Tooth Powder is something I've wanted to try but didn't want to order, so I snatched it up at a hefty discount at TJ Maxx. I'm going to give it a shot.

I'm excited to try all of these!


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the mountains called and i answered

I just got back from a fabulous weekend in Tennessee visiting my mom. We had a little pre-holiday visit and did so much Christmas shopping! It was nice to get away for a couple days and seeing your mom always helps. :)

Since she lives six hours away, it can really take it's toll on both her and I when we don't see each other often. Between work, dogs, and general responsibilities, I don't see her nearly as often as I'd like. We're really close, so this weekend was just about us hanging out and catching up.

And that's exactly what we did! We ate tons of food, did bunches of shopping, and talked about all kinds of stuff. It was so nice. I had such a great weekend that I hard took any pictures, but I did capture this Smoky Mountain sunrise once morning. ♥

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empties #9

This month I had a lot of empties, so there's going to be two posts! I'm still rolling through my non-CF and vegan items, but the pile is getting smaller and smaller as I replace them with cruelty free and vegan options.





Botanical Choice Nose Pore Strips // These didn't do a whole lot of anything. I wouldn't get them again.

Clinque Liquid Facial Soap Mild // This was a decent cleanser, but it smelled terrible and chemical-y. Not only is Clinique expensive, but not cruelty free. No dice.

Clarisonic Deep Pore Detoxifying Clay Mask // My mom gave me this little sample and while it was a decent mask, Clarisonic isn't cruelty free. It took me a while to use this up, so a full size would probably dry out on me. I wouldn't buy a full size.

Generic Nail Block // A dollar store purchase. It did the job, and I have another in my nail box now.

e.l.f. BB Cream in Fair // cruelty free & vegan // This has a lot of product left in it, but the nozzle broke and I didn't want to take the time to get it all out since this was nearing the end of it's shelf life. Sometimes this can make my face greasy, but once I use up the other bottle of this that I have, I'll probably get another.

Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub // I found another bottle of this stupid stuff in my stash. I don't like it. It's hard to wash off and doesn't have much exfoiliating power. I used it as a hand scrub and I'm glad it's gone. I definitely won't be getting any more.

B&BW Endless Weekend Body Lotion // I found this little bottle when I cleaned out a purse. It was a decent lotion and smelled nice. B&BW isn't cruelty free, so I say so long.

e.l.f. Daily Brush Cleaner // cruelty free & vegan // This wasn't much more effective than my vinegar and warm water DIY brush cleaner. I had to use a lot of this to clean my brushes. I don't think I'll pick it up again.



Sally Hansen Insta Dry Polish in Mint Sprint // I liked this color, but as you can see it spoiled on me.

Clinque Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam // First off, this smelled like nail polish remover. Ew. It foamed well and the consistency was nice, but as above, Clinique isn't cruelty free and I didn't like the smell.

Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Creme // A decent little sample, but nothing special.

Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste // After grabbing this in a super pinch, I wish I hadn't. Coming from natural toothpastes to this was terrible. Waaaaay too much fake mint taste. I'll stick with my natural pastes.

Alba Botanica Even Advanced Sea Moss Moisturizer // cruelty free & vegan // I loved this! It was light but moisturizing, and I think it evened my complexion a bit. I'll definitely be repurchasing.

A lot of "no's" as I slowly weed out the bad products, but I'm happy to have more items out of my life. ♥

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