Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well. I am actually in Ocean City this weekend to see my dad sing in his chorus. I love seeing my dad, but its always bittersweet having to say bye.

It has been really nice getting back to writing. I have to say, that little break I took was quite refreshing. I feel so much more connected to my blog, and really enjoying writing again. I sadly don't have much free time lately, but I am going to do my best to keep on blogging!

Today I have the ultimate in classic comfort food. Its not mac and cheese, not meat loaf, and definitely not stew: its grilled cheese and tomato soup!




There is something so special and grilled cheese and tomato soup. Dipping the sandwich into the warm tomatoey goodness just makes you feel like a kid again. Its warm and tasty with those classic comfort flavors.

On the soup side of the plate, I opted for Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque. It was actually the first time trying this flavor.



This soup had such a fresh, tomatoey taste. I could actually taste a difference between this soup, and the non-organic ones that I sometimes eat. I especially loved the chunks of tomato and the hint of cheesiness. It was definitely a grown up version of the basic tomato soup.







Next, I bring you the grilled cheese part of this dynamic duo.



While for the cheese, I used the classic, individually wrapped, American cheese slices, I decided to add a little something special.  Recently, while visiting a friend, she let me pick a couple jalapenos off her plant! I thought they would be the perfect compliment to a grilled cheese, so I diced them up, put it in the sandwich, and cooked it in my panini press.



YUM! I love that you can see the jalapeno pieces. This sandwich had two of my favorite qualities, meltiness and cheesiness. I couldn't get over how cheesy it was. The jalapeno bits gave it the perfect amount of spice. It really brought this classic sandwich to a whole new, grown up, level.

It was so fun getting to regress to childhood for a meal, but still feeling like just a little bit of an adult.

What is your favorite kid food?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Not Just for Kids Meals-Baked Ziti

Hey everyone, I hope you are all having a great week. I have been spending my time packing for my big move to Virginia, taking my kitty to the vet, and Bikrim yoga.  I just started taking classes and I am really liking it.  Bikram yoga is a set of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises done in a 105 degree room! It is really intense but it leaves you feeling great. I suggest that everyone goes out and tries it!

Anyway, on to the food!  Taking yoga is making me want to make good food choices.  I actually read that taking yoga decreases your cravings for junk food! I wanted to show you another Amy's meal that is fun and delicious: Not Just for Kids Meals-Baked Ziti.





I completely LOVE that these are vegan and gluten free! Its such a great feeling knowing that I can have pasta with cheese and bread and it not to have any animal products or gluten in it.  These might be aimed for kids, but like the box says, its not just for kids. Anyone can enjoy a healthy, vegan, gluten free dinner. Of course, if you have kids this is a great meal for them too.  It has small portions which are good for small bellies, and the inside of the box has games and puzzles!



The baked ziti meal comes with ziti, vegan cheese, tomato sauce, broccoli, focaccia, and a apple crumb dessert. It is the perfect little meal from the bread, to the main course, and even the desert.  It reminds me of those Kid Cuisine meals, but a thousand times better for you!  The pasta and sauce tastes great and the broccoli tastes fresh.  I usually am not a fan of vegan cheese, but this one is really good.  It doesn't have a strong cheese flavor, but it melts really well. The focaccia was really flavorful and its great for scooping up the sauce that's left over in the dish. The apple dessert is hot and sweet. I love the apple cinnamon flavor and the crumb top is perfect!

I love this little meal, its perfect for when you want a complete dinner without all the cooking.  While I'm all grown up, I am a kid at heart and I love feeling like a kid again with these meals.  These are perfect for kids and adults of any age!

Have you tried the Baked Ziti Not Just for Kids Meals? Will you be buying these for yourself, or a kid you know?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Braceface

Hey everyone. Today I have a post that's a bit different from my others.  While its still has to do with vegetarianism (of course) it's not about food.  My post is actually about an old cartoon called Braceface.  I remember watching this cartoon all the time as a kid and I have recently rediscovered it. For those that have never heard of or watched the cartoon, Braceface is about a girl named Sharon, who is in middle school, and gets braces put on.  There was a mishap while she was at the orthodontist and it causes electrical currents to occasionally run through her braces. The cartoon is a typical pre-teen show about girl problems, boy problems, school problems, and just struggling with being a pre-teen.

What I love most about this show is that Sharon is a vegetarian. She has an experience at a slaughter house and decides she will no longer eat meat.  It is really amazing to me that there was a kids show that had such an important message.  While on the surface the cartoon is about girls and pre-teen issues, many of the episodes cover really important animal rights topics.  I think it is so important that this cartoon gave young vegetarians a person on TV they could  relate to.  As someone that gave up meat at an early age, I was alone among my classmates who couldn't understand why I didn't eat meat, and at times I got made fun of. This show focuses on an average school girl that goes through all the same issues that everyone goes through at that age, but really highlights the positives of vegetarianism.

I want to show you a clip from one episode that I thought was really important. In this episode, Sharon has just finished finals in school and has been feeling tired and run-down after studying and not eating right.  Please keep an open mind while watching this.  Remember this is a kids show and it will be a bit cheesy and immature, it is meant for kids to watch!

You can go to YouTube if you want to watch the full episode.

I love how this show paints vegetarianism in a positive light.  I feel most shows that have a vegetarian character are portrayed as crazy hippies. It nice that there is a show for kids that lets them see that eating differently is a positive. It highlights that vegetarianism is healthy, easy, and that you are able to get all the nutrients you need without having to eat meat. These are themes that every vegetarian can appreciate. Sharon goes through issues on the show that I went through being a vegetarian in junior high. Vegetarianism is becoming more popular among adults, and even kids, and I wish this show was still around to give those kids a person to relate to. 

Want to hear a funny story? The episode where Sharon becomes a vegetarian, she holds up the lunch line asking the cafeteria lady if there is meat in the items she is serving. She asks if there is anchovy paste in Caesar dressing, and that is actually how I learned about that!  I was eating Caesar salad when I first became a vegetarian until I saw that episode of Braceface and I learned it wasn't vegetarian.

Every episode of Braceface is on YouTube. You guys might not be able to sit through too many episodes since it is really geared for kids, but for those that have kids that you are raising to be vegetarians or might have made the choice on their own, I urge you to show this cartoon to them. I hope that this cartoon can reach out to more vegetarian kids to give them someone they can relate to and a show that they can learn a little more about vegetarianism from a kid's perspective.

Have you ever watched Braceface? Are you going to watch it, or show it to your kids?

Bye from the Veggie Side!