Thursday, June 26, 2014

Richard Simmons and Pizza


Home Slice, where they bend over backwards to occupy your children for you until your food is ready so you can sip a beer. Love you, Home Slice.


Here is what Jackson was intently coloring, by the way.


If Mr. Simmons is too freaky for your kids, there is always pizza dough to mold and shape.


Family salad with garlic knots.


Large pizza, half cheese, half margarita.


Later, gin and tonics for my World Cup viewing. 


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Guinea Pig Adoration

 I started my day with two plums, hempseed granola, and coconut milk.


We had to buy some poo pickup bags for Monster so we were off to Petco. Always an entertaining errand for little animal lovers.


Guinea pig adoration.


For dinner I made the Quinoa, White Beans and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries from More Quick-Fix Vegan. (Between that and One-Dish Vegan, it's going to be a Robin Robertson kinda summer around here.) I subbed chickpeas for the white beans.


On the side, roasted butternut squash.


G'night.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

12th Anniversary

Tony and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary over the weekend with a date at Clay Pit, a fancy Indian restaurant downtown. 

I started off with a Pimm's Cup because it sounded super refreshing, and it was.


We shared mixed veggie pakoras with mint and tamarind chutneys.


We also shared our entrees. I ordered the paneer vindaloo. Warm and comforting.


Tony ordered the bhindi masala. Smoky and perfectly cooked. We love okra! Also, plenty of garlic naan on the side.


Finally, we split a chai spice creme brulee. I'd never tried creme brulee before. Love that crackly top crust!


Tony also gave me some lush pink peonies and a dark chocolate coconut bar. Thanks hon!


Not bad for twelve years of married life! Here's to many more.


Monday, June 23, 2014

Game of Thrones Feast

So, I've fallen behind in posting, and the Game of Thrones season finale has come and gone. But my viewing feast was too good not to post about. I made dishes in honor of each of my favorite characters from the show.

First, Oberyn's Eyeballs (Roasted Grapes with Thyme on Ricotta French Bread). Ha! Kinda gross, I know. But I could not resist.


Next up, Davos the Onion Knight's Missing Fingers (grilled polenta fingers with caramelized red onion chutney.)


Then, the Hound's Chicken. Don't mess with his chicken, for reals. (Gardein chicken tenders with honey mustard/Veganaise dipping sauce.)


Finally, Sansa's Lemon Cakes (Lemon Maple Scones with Vegan Clotted Cream, from Vegan Yum Yum.) That girl loves her lemon cakes. I'd been wanting to make scones, and this recipe was so easy and rewarding! Aren't they cute?


The full spread.


This was my first time making a themed spread in honor of a TV show and I have to say it was pretty fun! Have you ever done a viewing feast? 


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Skaters 2014

Summer...time to hit the skating rink! Where the cheesy yet ever-so-catchy radio hits are pumping and the air conditioner is blasting.

Olivia was ready.


Jackson acts like he's over it but he was excited, too.


For dinner I made Quinoa and Lentils with Butternut Squash and Rapini, from One-Dish Vegan. Except, HEB doesn't sell rapini, so I used mustard greens, cause I love them. Also, the recipe called for walnuts, but our Aunt Emma gave us several pounds of pecans from her trees, so I used pecans.


Behold the glory.


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Quarry Splash Fun

Today we met up with my friend Jennifer and her girls at the Quarry splash pad. It was our first time there and I was pretty impressed. It is huge!


I was soaked by one of these water cannons within two minutes of arrival. You can't go to a splash pad and not get wet!


Jackson and Olivia spent about an hour just going down the waterslide, over and over.



"Again, again!"


My mom's neighbor gave us a bunch of plums from her tree, and they are Olivia's favorite snack.


Dinner was Sesame Soba with Tofu and Broccoli from One-Dish Vegan. The tofu had a great flavor, but the tahini sauce was a little heavy for the delicate soba noodles. I would make it again using spaghetti noodles.


For dessert we had homemade vegan ice cream. I used a recipe from The Vegan Scoop for cardamom-rosewater ice cream. Yay, a reason to use the bottle of rosewater that lingers in my fridge!


Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Burger Time

Any other children of the 80's who remember that video game?


We had burger time at Hat Creek this afternoon with my parents. I love their veggie burgers made with wild rice and cashews. I had to try all the fry dipping sauces this time around, too.


After lunch it was dress-up time.









Monday, June 16, 2014

T-Rex Invasion

Breakfast was a peach and a banana, covered in almond milk and raw chocolate granola. A nice alternative to my usual oats.


This afternoon my friend Jennifer and I took our kids to see the T-Rex at Zilker Park. He was visiting the park as a promotion for a show coming up at the Long Center.


In the crowd there seemed to be a ratio of about 3/4 laughing/amazed kids to 1/4 crying/running away kids. Jackson and Olivia saw the T-Rex last year, so they knew what to expect.


Daring to relax in the park after the T-Rex lumbered off elsewhere.


For dinner I covered a base of polenta with sauteed onions, mushrooms and spinach, and marinara sauce. You can't really see the polenta in this pic but it was totally there.


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Spring Oklahoma Trip

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies, and also to the single mamas who cover both roles! We will be taking Tony out for lunch a little later to celebrate his day. He is such a good daddy, he makes life with our two goofballs so much fun.


We spent last weekend in Oklahoma with my mother-in-law. I was excited that some new reading materials arrived in the mail before we left, so I could peruse them on the 7-hour drive.


"How are we going to go all weekend without kombucha?" asked my newly-addicted husband. Haha! As if! I picked up a variety of drinks to bring with us. Townshend's Tea white rose flavor was especially tasty. (I also got the kids an Evolution strawberry lemonade to share in the car.)


Road trip chow: Food Should Taste Good kimchi chips, and a Tom's Tabooley falafel wrap.


It was a relaxing visit, as usual. 


My mother-in-law babysat one evening so Tony and I could have a date night. We drove into OKC to eat at Iguana. I love how their bowls of salsa are ginormous. It's like they know us.


Frozen swirl, the ultimate summer drink.


Veggie nachos. OK, you can't really see the veggies. But underneath the cheese, there were tons of sauteed bell peppers and zucchini, as well as rice and tomato sauce. A full meal in nacho form.


Due to World Cup fever, and moving, I'm going to fall behind in posting for the next month or so. Sorry! Soccer is the only sport I actually enjoy watching.