Food Review: Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels

Here's another reason to love Trader Joe's! So far this year they have released a lot of new vegan products, and I've been slowly trying to sample them all. One of these is their Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels. In my pre-vegan days I used to love TJ's mandarin chicken, so I was sooooo excited to try their vegan version.

I found the chickenless morsels in their freezer section priced at $2.99 per 9.25 oz. bag. Wow! What a great deal! This seems like an amazing price, especially considering the price of some other faux meat vegan products.

The morsels (they look like McDonald's chicken nuggets) can be prepared either in the oven or pan-fried, and I've tried both with equally delicious results. Both preparation methods yield crispy, mouthwatering morsels! The addition of the mandarin orange sauce complements the crispiness with a perfect mix of tangy and sweet. Surprisingly, there is enough sauce to coat ever single morsel (one of my pet peeves is when products don't include enough sauce). Thanks, Trader Joe's!

I like these chickenless mandarin orange bites served over brown rice with some sauted veggies, but I imagine there are lots of different ways to enjoy these. They would even be delectable on their own, using the sauce as a dipping sauce and turning them into vegan chickenless nuggets!

It has been a while since I discovered a mock meat product that I really loved, but these Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels are really amazing! Even the carnivorous Mister Spooky loved these, and said they very closely resemble chicken in texture and taste.

Trader Joe's Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels are easy to make, are low in cost and, most importantly, are one of the best-tasting faux meat products I've enjoyed! I highly recommend you pick some up at your friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's.

Cards Against Humanity: A Party Game for Horrible People

I just wanted to share that I was finally able to snag the card game Cards Against Humanity!

Cards Against Humanity is "a party game for horrible people" and has been described as an adult version of Apples to Apples. According to the creators, "...Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card."

This has been on my wishlist for quite some time and I'm soooo glad I finally got my grubby little paws on it! It is every bit as fun and offensive as I'd hoped it would be and I can't wait to play it with a big group of people!

The most recent release has already sold out, but the creators promise they are making more that are supposed to be available in May. Another cool thing is that they offer the game for free if you'd like to print it yourself.

I highly recommend the game to anyone that likes quirky and disreputable party games!

Visit Cards Against Humanity's website!

Buy Cards Against Humanity on Amazon!

Batfit 2012 – Challenge #3: Bad Habits

For the Batfit Challenge #3, we have been tasked with identifying at least one bad habit and then replacing it with one good habit. In 2011 I accomplished this by finally kicking smoking and reducing time spent around toxic people.

In 2012 I hope to reduce my bad habit of spending hours and hours in front of the TV/on the Internet. Instead, I’d like to get out more, spend more time with friends, spend more time being active, reading, being creative – just being more productive in general!

So far in 2012 I’ve done great limiting my time in front of the tube, resisting the temptation to spend countless hours watching Hulu Plus, Netflix or my own DVDs by choosing to work out right after work, run errands, cook a healthy dinner, tidy up the house, read a bit, spend time with the boyfriend and kitty cat and then maybe spend a few hours in front of the TV. I already feel so much more productive!

For me, breaking bad habits is all about establishing a routine to "re-train" myself. A healthier habit is established after I've repeated and repeated it and replaced my bad habit with the good habit in my routine!

How are you doing with eradicating your bad habits this year?

Pinterest Addicted

Hiya Fiends,

I know I haven't posted in a while...I have so much to share, but lately I've spending my time on Pinterest. Yup, I'm a certified Pinterest addict! Do you have a Pinterest? If so, I want to hear from you!! Leave your links to your Pinterest below so I can follow your pretty pins. Want to check out mine? You can find my profile at pinterest.com/spookyvegan!

Don't worry, though, I WILL be blogging again! I've got tons of vegan product reviews to share with you, plus random spooky stuff and updates on Batfit (though I have been failing terrifically on keeping up with challenges). Plus, it is never too early to get started on Halloween, right?!

See you lovelies very soon!

Gothic Love Songs for a Spooky Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

We all know music is the true language of love, so I decided to put together a few of my favorite love songs of the gothic persuasion to celebrate this day of amore!

Note: I realize these aren't all truly "goth" songs - there is some goth, some industrial, some electronic, some EBM, some synthpop and so on that appear on this list, but I decided to name this post "gothic love songs" for the overall emotional impact of the songs (and also "gothic-industrial-electro-EBM-synthpop-etc. love songs" just doesn't sound as nice as a title).

No matter the genre or sub-genre of music, there are numerous types of tunes sure to please anyone - there are playful love songs amidst ballads of love lost, classics and newer tracks, and even a few sensual numbers to sexify your day (and night)! 

Whatever you are doing this Valentine's Day, I hope you enjoy your day and take a moment to realize you are loved!

The simply stunning Siouxsie Sioux - "The Last Beat of My Heart"

One of the most beautiful songs ever - "Lullaby" by Assemblage 23

Zombies need love too! - "Corpses (A Zombie Love Song)" by God Module

Such a sensual song! - "Touch" by Wolfsheim

Somber yet dance-y love song - "Beloved" by VNV Nation

My only love, eternally - "The One" by Magenta

Without you, day is nothing but a waste of light - "Without You" by Seabound

October Rust is a sexy album in its entirety, but if I had to pick just one song it would be this one - "Love You to Death" by Type O Negative

I have to include this one...it's just a classic - "Lovesong" by The Cure

And finally this cover of Queen's "Get Down Make Love" by Nine Inch Nails always gets me feeling feisty and frisky!

Ryan Murphy's Horror Movie Fashion Shoot

Elle Magazine Online recently featured a horror-inspired photo spread shot by none other than American Horror Story and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy. The photos star Lea Michelle, Taissa Farmiga, Jayma Mays, Connie Britton and others from Murphy's shows vamping it up in homage to classic horror movies like The Birds, Suspiria, Repulsion, Carrie and more!

The photos turned out pretty amazing...check 'em out yourself below: 

Lea Michele - Creature From the Black Lagoon

Dianna Agron - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

Kate Mara - Carrie

Naya River - Suspiria

Jayma Mays - The Birds

Taissa Farmiga - When a Stranger Calls

Connie Britton - The Omen

Heather Morris - Repulsion 

Sarah Paulson - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

My favorites from this series are Creature from the Black Lagoon, Suspiria and Repulsion! What are yours?

Be sure to visit the original post, where Murphy discusses the inspiration for these photos and what these particular horror films mean to him.

Beauty Review: Booda Butter

Over the holidays, my sister introduced me to Booda Butter, which is a vegan and organic body butter and lip balm handmade in Colorado. Since then, I've had a chance to use their products and all I can say is my sister is the best, because I LOVE this stuff!! It has pure, unadulterated ingredients (seriously, when was the last time you saw a lotion with only five all-natural ingredients?!) plus a yummy chocolate scent. And it's cruelty-free and vegan!! Yippee!

I seriously use this stuff all the time. The body butter is especially perfect after a shower or a bath and really locks the moisture into my skin! It is never greasy or heavy and just melts into my skin. I also love that it gives my skin a supple glow that lasts all day long!

The lip balm makes my lips feel healthy and moisturized, and, unlike other brands, I don't have to reapply it every 5 minutes to keep that moisturized feeling going. The Booda Butter lip balm keeps my lips moisturized for hours! Plus, it also has a yummy (but not overpowering) taste/smell!

Both the butter and lip balm are made with only five natural, vegan and organic ingredients. The body butter is made from Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil and Olive Oil while the lip balm is made from Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Candelilla Wax. That's it!

I just adore this stuff and can't think of any negatives about it (except that it isn't sold on every street corner)! I love that it is handmade with care, that the company cares about the environment and uses only natural, cruelty-free and vegan ingredients, the subtle but delightful cocoa butter scent and its amazing moisturizing properties.

I also think the price is fair, especially taking into account the high-quality ingredients and that it is made by hand. I love supporting companies that support the environment and clean living, so I have no problem paying a bit more for better quality products.

Booda Butter comes highly recommended from yours truly and you can order both the lip balm and body butter on Amazon!

For more info, visit Booda Butter's website!

Batfit 2012 – Challenge #2: My Dark Dance Workout Playlist

Hello lovelies!

I hope you are doing well with your Batfit challenges. I haven’t posted about my experiences in a loooooong time because I got sick for a while and wasn't able to keep up with some of my goals (mainly the exercise portion). BUT...I am doing quite well with some of my other goals, especially getting out more and limiting my "couch time" watching movies and TV. Woo hoo for me!!

It's already February, but I wanted to address Challenge #2 since I never got the chance! This challenge involved dancing your ass off for 20 minutes (at least) a day. Well, I’m not much of a dancer, but I did want to share some of my fave industrial/EBM/dark dance music tracks I listen to that get me through my workouts. Check out one of my favorite playlists below! All links lead to Amazon where you can purchase the tracks yourself if so inclined.

My Dark Dance Workout Playlist: 
1. World Coming Down – Ashbury Heights (warm-up)
2. The Great Depression – Aesthetic Perfection
3. Adrenaline – Rosetta Stone
4. Dreckstück – Centhron
5. Resolution – VNV Nation
6. Dirtygrrrls Dirtybois – Faderhead
7. Say What?? - Uberbyte
8. Feuer Frei – Nachtmahr
9. Let's Go Dark – God Module
10. Get Your Body Beat – Combichrist
11. Democracy [Explicit] - FGFC820
12. Judas – Imperative Reaction
13. Once In A Lifetime – Wolfsheim (cool-down)

What are some of your favorite workout songs? 

How is your Batfit challenge going? 

Vegan Breakfast Burrito from Seabirds Truck

To enjoy the gorgeous weather today (high 70's), Mister Spooky and I headed to the SoCo Farmer's Market at the OC Mart Mix for brunch. Besides the beautiful produce from local farmers, there is always a tantalizing selection of gourmet food trucks to choose from! I heard from a little birdie that the awesome vegan food truck Seabirds was going to be in attendance, so I was totally stoked, especially since I've been dying to try their new vegan breakfast burrito!

I got there just in time to snag one of their last brekkie burritos...and now I wish I had ordered as many as possible since it was sooooo yummy! The burrito contained a fresh, flavorful mix of tofu scramble, black beans, kale, bell peppers, hash browns, Daiya cheese and was topped off with a delicious green salsa. Just thinking about it is making me drool! It had a rich, savory flavor and I loved the multi-layered blend of ingredients. It was also on the large size for a food truck burrito and very satisfying. Even the non-veg Mister Spooky enjoyed it (when I let him have a bite).

Seabirds always delivers high-quality, healthy and mouthwatering vegan dishes. I adore their jack fruit tacos,  deep-fried avocado tacos (ok, maybe those aren't that healthy...) and cupcakes (and pretty much everything else I've ever had there), but this breakfast burrito is definitely my new favorite!

Keep up with Seabirds on Twitter and Facebook!

Random Gratuity

Ok, I don't have anything to post at the moment, but I just couldn't resist sharing some gratuitous pictures of myself from last night!

I also wanted to say a quick hello since I haven't posted much recently! I was out sick for a while and since then have been trying to play catch up at work, in life, etc., but I've definitely been neglecting zee blog!

However, I hope to get back to posting more regularly, especially since I owe you readers some Batfit posts! I have been working on posts for challenges #2 and #3, and I will post them as soon as I get some extra time. Fingers crossed I will get to it soon!