Bella

Last night I made a batch of maple-pecan Alternative Granola from The Urban Vegan. The "alternative" is that this granola includes atypical grains such as quinoa and amaranth. Well, to be honest, there's no amaranth in mine, because this was a spur-of-the-moment craving satisfation and I had no amaranth in my pantry. I had a bowlful this morning with Greek yogurt and sliced peaches.

For dinner I made two Going Vegan tester recipes. First, Summer Squash Veggie Sloppy Joes, served open-faced on whole wheat buns, sprinkled with nooch. These unique joes have a distinctly Italian flavor, rather than the traditional smoky BBQ flavor I frequently associate with sloppy joes.

Herb Roasted Potatoes on the side. The spice blend coats the potato cubes and bakes into a crispy, flavorful shell.

Today I ventured into IKEA to look for a bookshelf for the kids. No luck there, but I picked up a milk frother for $3. This produkt is going to revolutionize my coffee experience...just as soon as it gets cold enough to drink latte's. I'm hooked on iced coffees at the moment.

Afterwards, I stopped in to see my parents, who are all settled in to their new home along with their two cats, Bailey and Bella. Little hermit Bailey was hiding under the bed as usual, but Bella came out to say hi. She is so tiny, barely six pounds.

She's really sweet, although you wouldn't guess it from these photos. Every time I aimed my camera at her, she shot me a glare that clearly said, "Put down that stupid camera and pet me, human!"

What Bella wants, Bella gets.