Broccoli All Day

Today in gardening class at school, the kids sampled the broccoli they harvested from their garden plot. It is really rewarding to see these kids enjoying fresh, raw vegetables. Some of the children are from homes where vegetables are rarely served, judging from their total lack of familiarity with our garden's offerings. Yet, they are the very same kids who nibble happily on broccoli stalks without asking for ranch dressing to dip it in, who ask for seconds and thirds!

Dinner was the Cucumber Ranch Bowl with Breaded Tofu, from Isa Does It. Plenty of broccoli there. We are all broccoli lovers in this house.

Broccoli makes tiny ninja strong.

Gumbo

I made a couple of sausage recipes from Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food one afternoon: the chorizo and the andouille.

I froze the chorizo, and used the andouille to make the QELCVCF gumbo recipe. It was good and filling, with a thick, rich roux. Definitely didn't feel like a low-calorie meal.

Jackson and Olivia posing for their next album cover or something.

Fat Tuesday

Easter has already come and gone...oh well! Forever catching up on here. That is life.

Fat Tuesday is the Tuesday before Lent, the Catholic season of deprivation leading up to Easter. The idea is that you indulge on this one day, before abstaining for the next forty. While Tony and I are seriously lapsed Catholics, we appreciate any excuse to indulge, and we certainly did this year. Tony worked from home and we went to lunch at Pinthouse Pizza for a couple of pints while the kids were in school.

Nachos smothered in queso and avocado, oh my goodness.

Margherita pizza...really unnecessary after that giant plate of nachos! I'd like to say we took most of it home as leftovers, but that was not the case.

Finally, that evening I fried up some beignets using a mix that I bought awhile back in New Orleans. They did not turn out nearly as fluffy as the ones I remember from Cafe du Monde, but once I covered them in powdered sugar there were no complaints. Monster even had one.

I may not have fasted for the next forty days, but I did eat considerably lighter in the days following our wonderful gluttony. No more beignets until next year. (Sorry, Monster.)

Hay Elotes

Hay Elotes is my new favorite dessert place in Austin. Look at that menu. Everything is sweet and sour and spicy and amazing. If you are not used to having sour and spicy flavors mixed in with your desserts, maybe buy some Tajin and some chamoy sauce and experiment at home. Or just go to Hay Elotes. I wish I was there right now!

If you just want straight up ice cream, they have that too. Olivia likes the strawberry flavor.

\

Tony's favorite is the Coconada, made with coconut ice cream, coconut syrup, whipped cream, and fruits.

Jackson and I like to share the Mango Hill. It's a giant, well, hill of mango sorbet, studded with strawberries and drizzled with strawberry syrup and a little bit of that sour pickley chamoy I was talking about. You can add more to your liking.

My favorite so far is the Limon King, lemon sorbet covered with tons of chamoy, and big pieces of cucumber and strawberry sprinkled with hot chile powder.

Hay Elotes also serves savory snacks, like these nachos topped with white corn. 

I will report back often, because I am going to try the whole menu by the time summer arrives!

Golf Course Food

Soccer, bright and early. Jackson and Olivia's games were played at the same time, so I took Olivia to her game while Tony went with Jackson. We trade off.

Olivia is not afraid to get in there.

Next up, lunch with my parents at Legacy Grille, a restaurant in their retirement community. Our table overlooked the golf course and I felt very Rory Gilmore as I dined. I also appreciated the entire carafe of iced tea. I drink a lot of tea.

Tasty veggie burger with sweet potato fries.

Finally, driving around aimlessly and stopping to take pictures of cute/interesting street art.

Meow.

Thumbs up dude.

Outside the Mexic-Arte museum.

Life goal right here.

March Randos

March is almost over already, whaaaa?! Here are some pics that didn't make it into other posts.

Catching up with girlfriends at Jack Allen's Kitchen one evening.  I had the sweet potato fries topped with scallions and cotija cheese, with garlic aioli.

Tony asked me to pop into Whole Foods to get him some Ninja Squirrel sriracha, which is only sold there. I exited with a few more items: turmeric capsules, hazelnut coffee maca bar from local company Thunderbird, and Guayaki mint yerba mate AKA my true love in energy drink form.

Ninja Squirrel joined the rest of the gang.

Tony had to go to Boston for a few days on business, so I had my cuddle buddies in bed with me. 

Learning book repair at work. I like working with my hands, much better than being on a computer.

Rainy day buds.

Lunch on the go, and a good book.

Sweet potato smoothie topped with goji berries.

Fitness fair one evening at school. 

One more reason to love our school. An hour of indoor fun and movement on a stormy, soggy night.

Supergreen smoothie with sweet potato, peanut butter powder, chia, spirulina, stevia, and two huge handfuls of spinach.

How is your month going?

Sherwood Forest Faire 2016

Sherwood Forest Faire is one of my very favorite Austin traditions. 

There is just something about spending a gorgeous spring day out in the woods, sipping on a cup of mead.

Relaxing, watching your husband and kids strengthen their bond via knife throwing.

Then there's the pride you feel as your children whip tomatoes at some dude's face. 

Nodding knowingly as your daughter smooches a troll. There will be a lot of those, honey, before you meet the right guy.

Jackson was named an honorary knight of the forest by Robin Hood himself.

Olivia loved watching the belly dancers so much.

She had to join in!

Then there was this guy. Typical faire shenanigans.

Mushroom wizard maybe ate a few too many of the magic-type mushrooms.

Faire food, always fried, always calling my name.

From our picnic table we caught the midday parade.

Wenches!

Spooky skeleton guy?

No idea!

We had just enough time for a ride on the giant swing over the moat.

And a bit of archery practice.

Tony helping the fair maiden with her aim.

Then it was time to get in the time machine and return to 2016.

Too much excitement. Too much turkey leg.

Until next year!