66| 48 HOURS IN TAMPA

in

Hi!! I know, I know, I’ve been off the posting schedule for a few weeks now. But I have my reasons. Life ya’ll. She be lifin’. That’s it.

In January I booked a Thursday to Sunday trip in March to visit my friend Xenia in Tampa, FL. The Winter season was doing its thing, and my mental and emotional were taking hits.

Anyway, enjoy this photo diary of my short but unforgettable trip. And if you haven’t watched it there is a vlog of my time there that you can watch by clicking this link. It’ll lead you to the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/DoPJjsccz4M?si=3ksTqAQ5VKlvW3kO (For some reason I have to share the link in that format.)

Enough rambling, lol…

The Noble Crust of St Petersburg

8300 4th St N. St Petersburg FL 33702

Italian dining with minor Vegan options. First night we sat at the bar and the service was lovely. The bartenders were very attentive and nice. The drinks were good too. I really enjoyed my “meatballs” and pasta. The ambiance was nice too. I would’ve preferred the lights be dimmed a bit more lol. Would’ve changed the vibe a little more. But it was as if Xenia and I were in our own little World anyway.

Plant Love Ice Cream

953 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33705

A large variety of ice cream flavors all dairy free! The person that was there was very sweet and offered to take our pictures. We got there late and it was close to closing time. If not, we would’ve been there for hours! The vibes and decor were perfect!

House of Vegano

1990 Central Ave. St Petersburg FL 33712

If you’re ever in the St Petersburg area you must stop in! Even if you’re not Vegan! They have a large variety of rolls! The Winter roll is amazing I highly recommend it! If you enjoy Tiramisu do not pass up on theirs. It’s the best Vegan one I’ve had.

Saw this lovely mural during one of our walks and had to stop and take pictures!

Lol dont ask.

The Noble Crust of St Petersburg

8300 4th St N. St Petersburg FL 33702

We really wanted to try a New Mexican restaurant that had many Vegan options. But it had literally just opened that weekend and it was booked! It’s on the menu for next time! So, we went back to The Noble Crust and Xenia got to try vegan meatballs and ended up enjoying a full vegan dinner that evening.

After dinner we walked to a milkshake shop that had many vegan options. They had run out of those by the time we got there. We headed home afterwards since I had an early flight the next day.

Thank you for stopping by! I’m already thinking about my next adventure.

Love, light, the shadow too—-Cin.

If you’d like to donate or support me and my blog: Cashapp $cincimma , Venmo   @cincimma funds go towards learning.  materials, and monthly website domain fees.

64| VEGAN ALTERNATIVES

in

Entering my third month eating Vegan and I gotta say I have noticed a difference! But before I dive in let me share that I eat 3-4 times a day. I don’t really eat snacks. If I do it’s usually sunflower seeds and something like ice cream, or a baked treat. I drink a lot of water. Always have. I don’t consume a lot of juice or any sodas. I enjoy an alcoholic beverage maybe 3-4 times a year. I felt like I needed to share that because most of you know me personally, or from a social network platform and may be aware of my weight loss journey afteeeeeer I had my son, lol. Now let’s discuss what I’ve noticed…

The first thing being my energy level. I am less tired throughout the day. I have also noticed that there’s less highs and lows with my energy levels in between meals. I also sleep in less. I have to really try to go back to sleep after I’ve woken up in the AM. My digestion is also smoother. I don’t have much stomach disturbances if any. I can’t tell you the last time I had a stomachache or had to go to the bathroom with any discomfort. This might be TMI but the smell of my number 2 is basically non existent. My morning breath is also non existent. It is never my intention to offend anyone with my opinions or thoughts, but I feel the smells have changed because I am not consuming dead flesh. Again, just my opinion.

I have recently added a supplement to my diet. And this is to aid in a problem that I had prior to switching my eating. That being the amount of hair that I have been shedding. It is why I had to cut my hair. I did some research online and decided on these, which I ordered via Amazon.

It’s still too early for me to give an honest review. But I can say that I took two capsules at once and didn’t feel any adverse reactions. Although annoyed, and yes it does upset me sometimes—-I am not really concerned about any underlying problems with my hair at this time because I know its a result from heat damage. I know myself well enough to know that this is something that happens to my hair every few years if I don’t treat it properly. Lesson learned. Lesson learned.

Although today’s post will only focus on the food items. I’ll admit, I am really enjoying finding the vegan alternative to everything that I used to consume and put on my body.

Last month I was hooked to roasted chickpea and sweet potato fajitas. Still am lol but I am trying not to bore of it so I pace myself. Without listing a complete recipe (unless you’d like that, and if you do please leave a comment) here are the vegan alternatives:

I knew I’d need to find a cheese and sour cream alternative. These two are delicious and taste like the regular ones.

Both were purchased from Whole Foods.

Here are some sauces that I’ve tried on my fajitas and recommend due to their excellent flavor.

Can you tell that I love Garlic? 😩 Below are pictures of my fajitas and what they usually look like. I’ve added some lettuce, and hummus as well. Everything I’ve shared is also in the fajitas.

I want to end this post on a sweet note… Well, I of course needed to find a Nutella substitute to razzle dazzle my treats and the vegan cupcakes that I enjoy so much. Here are my two favorites. Justin’s is the closest in flavor.

Justin’s is also easier to spread since it has this fluffy creamy consistency to it. I highly recommend it. Note: the aftertaste is more on the cocoa side.

I plan to keep sharing more on my vegan journey, and what other alternatives I discover and my thoughts/opinions.

Thank you for reading!

Love, light, the shadow too—-Cin.

If you’d like to donate or support me and my blog: Cashapp $cincimma , Venmo @cincimma funds go towards learning. materials, and monthly website domain fees.