My Quest through The Joy of Vegan Baking

As some of you who are closest to me know, life has thrown me for a few loops lately. Some have been bad, some have been good. All I know is that I have found myself in this weird place and I know that things are about to change. So in the spirit of Julie Powell (Julie and Julia), only on a different level, I am going on a quest to bake every recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick - Goudreau. I have been trying to become a vegan for a long time now, but I am the only one in the family on this path. For me, it's not really about animals (although I do love animals) it's about health. Humans are the only mammals that drink another animals milk after weaning....yes, that's what cow's milk is...breastmilk for baby cows. Sorry to burst the bubble. Dairy just doesn't make sense to me. And meat is just bad for your body. Plus, I have never been a fan of either milk or meat. I LOVE veggies, grains, legumes. So it shouldn't be too hard...except I have a sweet tooth. That's where The Joy of Vegan Baking comes in. I want to learn how to bake vegan style. And I am hoping for some sort of life journey on the way. We'll just have to see.
I decided to buy the kindle version and start on the first recipe in the book...


Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!

The recipe was very easy and made a dozen of the most perfect banana chocolate chip muffins I have ever made. I can't believe how well the muffins rose!

And you know, there is something soothing about measuring sugar, flour,and baking soda and grating squares of chocolate and mashing bananas. Something fun about putting it all in the oven and watching perfect muffins come out.

My son has already had two and he loves them, but I think that they would be better with something other than grated baker's chocolate. Anyone know where I can get dairy-free chocolate chips?

Lunch Bots

So Lunch Bots Stainless Steel Containers have always been one of my favorite things. Almost three years ago J started preschool and that meant snacks or lunch or snacks and lunch! My son has been allergic to eggs and peanuts (although we think he may be growing out of the allergy... yea!!) so it meant packing everything in a separate container that he could use. I found Lunch Bots then. BPA Free...Awesome. Light and rust proof stainless steel..Awesome. Eco-Friendly...Awesome! Divided...Awesome! They come in different sizes and are SO much better than the plastic boxes most of us are using. I wanted all of them. But Alas, Daddy won. J wound up with ziploc baggies  and I have felt guilty for polluting the earth ever since. Anyway, today on BzzAgent the Bzz Campaign is for Lunch Bots and I was reminded of how I have been wanting one of these cool Lunch containers for years. Soon I am going to be spending my lunches at school (as a special education teacher) and I am not taking baggies with me...so I better buy two of everything! LOL

Become a BzzAgent at www.bzzagent.com
 and check out the coolest lunch gear around at www.lunchbots.com !

Wow! It's Been too Long!

Well, time flies and it's almost fall. We moved to Texas and I have been CRAZY trying to finish up my term at school. J is in pre-k and he loves it. :-) I couldn't ask for a better public school or a better teacher than the one he has. And things are starting to settle a little. Which gives me time for new things, like riding my bicycle with J and trying new BzzCampaigns on Bzz Agent!

www.itemize.com


Itemize.com is a new website that scans your email for online receipts and then, based on what you have purchased, finds you great deals online! I really love this site because it has found me great deals on sites like Totsy, MyHabit, Gilt and more! Honestly, I love shopping for J online because I can get great deals and I do a little shopping for myself too. And online shopping has served me well for my out of town family. So if you are like me and are an online shopper, save yourself some time and money by clicking above at itemize.com. It won't cost you a thing.

SodaStream Campaign

So if you don't know already, I am a BuzzAgent. But my love for SodaStream came long before BuzzAgent launched the campaign. Last October, my mom was visiting me and we went into Sur La Table. (my favorite window shopping store) I saw the Soda Stream and freaked! I could make my own soda!! My son (who was three at the time) would think this was SO much fun! My husband could make his OWN diet soda. And the eco friendly soul inside of me would be happy by the lack of cardboard boxes and aluminum cans being used in our house. Plus we would be saving money!! Then I saw the price tag. It's really not that expensive, but at the time my husband was just starting a new job and I am a stay at home mom of a developmentally delayed son AND a full time student. So it wasn't in the cards right then. But I still dreamed of getting one and put it on my list of gadgets that I NEEDED for my kitchen. Fast forward to a few days ago when I got an invite to the Buzz Agent SodaStream Campaign. I saw the invite in my inbox and screamed! Jumped up and down and then I entered the campaign. I can't wait to share my Buzz Kit with all of you. Until I do, check out SodaStream :

Educator.com

So here's the thing. I can't wait to be a teacher. I don't know what age level I am going to teach yet. I just know I am going to teach special education students and I am very excited. And let's face it, all students learn differently...finding creative ways to motivate your students or as a parent, your children can be hard.

Here is where educator.com comes in. It can help your child learn math and science. Personally, I found it kind of dry and boring. But hey! My style of learning isn't your style of learning. Everyone learns differently and I think a lot of students might thrive from this...

But here's the thing. Right now thanks to Buzz Agent and Educator.com you can check it out for free for 30 days. See what you think. See what your child thinks. Decide if it is the right learning style for you.... Go to Educator.com and Use code: EDUCBMF30

Let me know...I'm curious...as a future teacher :-)

My Son

My favorite thing in the world isn't a thing at all. It's my son. My silly, crazy, funny, beautiful, loving, what's-he-going-to-do-next?, four-year-old, son. My son has Autism, ADHD, and possibly bipolar. A lot of people would think of Rain Man. But he's nothing like that. He has angry moments. Those are bad. Kicking,screaming, headbanging angry moments. But that's not my little boy. Most of the time my little guy is smiling. Laughing. Hugging me. Begging me to pick him up. "Cuddle mommy! Cuddle" I know what you are thinking...."Autistic kids hate to be touched!", "Autistic kids can't show love!" Well yes. And no. They are all different. My little boy is pretty much a smart two year old. Only he is four. I understand what he is saying, but no one else can. And some things he does are pretty brilliant, some may say genius. But overall he is two, trapped in a four year old body. I love him for who he is. Every bit of him. Every quirk. Every little bit. He is perfect in my eyes.

Educator.com and The Factor Tree

AND




So here is the thing. I am going to be a special education teacher in the next couple of years. I'm really excited. So when BuzzAgent gave me the opportunity to check out two new education websites, I was more than happy to jump in and take them up on their generous offer. Educator.com and The Factor Tree are completely different and yet they focus on the same topic. Math. Not my strongest subject. (so this was even more exciting for me).

Educator. com uses real educators to teach a variety of different types of math, but I found their website and techniques a bit dry and boring. And they had nothing to offer my four year old son. This my just be a personal preference though.

The Factor Tree was just the opposite. While I don't think they get into subjects that were quite as advanced, the website quickly gained the attention of my autistic, ADHD, four year old, and had him counting objects correctly within minutes. Even I had to admit that this website was cute and easy to use. Again, this is probably personal preference.

So, my friends, I, as a BuzzAgent, along with Educator.com and The Factor Tree am going to give the chance to make up YOUR own mind.

Go to Educator.com and enter : EDUCBMF30

That way you can check out the website free for thirty days!

Then go to to thefactortree.com and enter: BZF

And you can check out their website for free for two weeks!


Come back and let me know your opinion after you've tried both!!