Eating Non-Islandy Style

About five years ago or so, Quorn came out with these Burgers and as a promotion, sent coupons out to every vegan blogger....except me. Feeling scorned, I vowed to never buy their damn Burgers....

but I suppose living here has softened my heart as I recently shelled out the $7 for a package of their elitist Burgers. Cant say I have been missing much, but if they ever drop the price in half, I would buy them again...

another processed item I've tried are these Verisoy Shrimp...

these were very enjoyable. Fried them up in some EVOO and dipped in Ranch Dressing.  Wasnt gonna buy a bottle of Cocktail Sauce, the Ranch Dressing worked just fine. I highly recommend these if you happen to miss eating Shrimp (which I never did)...

also been consuming lots of Soup from the Natural Food Grocery and Deli. Split Pea...

and Curried Cauliflower...

avert your eyes now, Unknown, for here is a teeny little Hermit Crab I found this week. This is how they protect themselves, blocking their shell opening with their huge claw...

the little guy was very brave and tried pinching me as hard as he could with  his big claw, but I still loved it. I sort of regret putting it back on the ground. Should have tried to keep it as a pet...

the prior owners of our house left some potted plants on the deck, including an eight foot tall Cactus. This morning, there was a ginormous flower on it. Good thing I got a pic, cuz it is completely wilted now...

and below is Jasper telling me not to disturb his slumbering Momma. I didnt.

Lots more to come. Bye for now.

Slow Sunday

It has not been a very exciting week. Gladys' sister, Pauline, made me a Mango/Papaya bowl this morning, which was awesome, of course. Also had some Avocado Toast, but I have shown that enough on here....

lunch was the 'Passion Salad' at Sails. Also awesome. The server asked it I wanted any 'protein' and I replied only if they had Tofu. It is very unlike me to ask for something that isnt on the menu but it totally paid off. The server went back and asked the chef and in the background you can see they fried up some Tofu special just for me..

after eating some plants, I then went to look at some plants at Phantasea Botanical Gardens...

something from Mexico...

no clue...

no clue..

the resident White Pea Hen, Peeps, telling me to get a clue and then bidding me adieu...

below are my own hens, which I discovered this week make use of the water I put out on the railing for the tiny Bananaquits and not-so-tiny Thrashers...

they have their own water bowl, but I guess, like cats, they prefer finding other sources...

been craving Trader Joe's Salted Dark Chocolate Almonds lately, so I splurged on these Chocolove Almonds. At least the portion size is small enough that I wont be able to make myself sick like with the TJ's tub size...

lots more to come. Bye for now.

Successful Saturday

We caught the 8am ferry to St. John today. That is it in the distance...

before departure I picked up a Veggie Pate from one of the four food stands in the ferry terminal...

Three dollars for a huge Pate. Now I understand why I see so many locals walking around eating these. Talk about stick-to-your-ribs food! Sure hope it was actually vegan...

the point of our trip was a two tank diving excursion with Low Key Watersports...

they did a good job, but we mainly saw tons of coral. Not many fish at all. I recently purchased another underwater camera and the Mr. paid for the waterproof housing. Below are some of the pics thay came out. A Moray Eel (left bottom corner)...

a Barracuda...

two Foureye Butterfly Fish...

caught the noon ferry back to St. Thomas and went to Gladys' for lunch. I just recently relooked at their lunch menu and noticed Gazpacho, so I had to try it. Very tasty and refreshing, I would definitely get it again...

also got a side order of out of focus Fries which were excellent...

Dinner will be this Salad I made at Moe's Market earlier. To be enjoyed with Ranch Dressing...

Below are some tourists enjoying an outting on a pirate boat. When we first came down here, I very much wanted to get on one of these, but couldnt make it happen. They are apparently cruise ship excursions only...

Lots more to come. Bye for now.

Foodie Friday

Earlier in the week, the Mr. told me he was taking off Friday, so I also put in for Friday off. Yesterday, he said he wasnt taking today off, but it was too late for me to change my leave request. I have been enjoying my time off, starting with breakfast at Gladys'...

afterwards, I went to Fruit Bowl...

observed a jar Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup. Exotic...

thought of FF...

lunch was some BBQ Tofu and Steamed Cabbage enjoyed at Trenchtown Rock. Some Fries came later as well...

I am posting this before dinner, but on the menu is the rest of the dinner I carried out from Ma's Vegi Deli yesterday, Chili on Green Bananas and Casava. Strange looking, I know, gotta adjust your eyes...

then I plan to open my pint of Fudge Brownie for dessert...

Lots more to come. Bye for now.

Natural Food Grocery and Deli

This is the main Health Food Store on the Island. When I first moved down here, I was so freaked out by their prices, I didn't go back for many months...
additionally, I found the little deli in the back too confusing in terms of what was vegan and what wasnt...

in recent months, I've come to appreciate this store and their prices no longer seem so unreasonable...

they offer a Sandwich of the Week, Chickpea Burger below, which I have learned how to order via the simple order form...

As you can see, they are extremely generous with the Lettuce. Too generous. I am still learning how to consume their Sandwiches without everything falling all over the place. Tofu Sandwich...

one item which I absolutely cannot fault them on is their Vegan Chili. Not too spicy and full of big pieces of fresh cut vegetables. I see many bowls of this in my future...

speaking of the future, things looked way up for me yesterday whilst browsing Plaza Extra....

Both Chunky Monkey and Fudge Brownie have made it down here! 

Now I can finally experience what mainlanders have been enjoying for months. The Chunky Monkey was so rich, I loved it. Will try the Fudge Brownie tonight. Lots more to come. Bye for now.

Celebrating the 4th

Like last year, we went to Water Island to celebrate...or rather, watch other people celebrate...

the ferry is $20 pp round trip and takes 10 minutes. Once there, you rent a golf cart for $50 to get around....

we specifically came to watch the parade...

a bottle of Bud was this guy's decoration. Pretty American I suppose...

the red, white & blue panties stretched across the back of the cart amused me...

it was cool to see that last year's Queen returned. Perhaps those are her grand-daughters...

a gnome in honor of Ingrid...

just a few more...

yahoo!

so onto the grub...we ate at Heidi's Honeymoon Grill...

they said this was a Boca Burger, but it didnt look like one to me...

the Potato Salad went to waste. Even this little face that was going from table to table wasnt interested, nor were the Chickens on the beach...

there were a few other dogs, but not as many as last year. This Teacup Maltese deserved an award for putting up with all the kids fawning over it...

I have never mentioned it, but this is the rule we abide by down here (the below sign was in the restaurant bathroom). I still abided while in Germany. It is a good rule. Everyone also does the 'California Shower' thing where we get wet, turn off water, soap up, then turn back on water to rinse off (didnt abide in Germany, lots of nice hot water there, with extreme water pressure)...

a parting shot before so we caught the 2:30 ferry back home...

Hope everyone had a safe holiday and no pups were traumatized by fireworks. Bye for now.