Showing posts with label El mercado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label El mercado. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2016

What Winter?

For our family, the hardest part of winter is not being able eat at all the Austin restaurants with outdoor playscapes. (Yes we have it pretty rough.) However, this winter appears to be cancelled, so we have been able to dine al fresco quite a bit.


El Mercado is always a favorite, with their beer garden full of playground equipment.


Their spinach enchiladas are tasty, also.


Monster, caught lying on my pillows like he owns the place. Look at that face, he does not even care.


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Bluebonnets and Kids' Meals

Thought I would share our annual bluebonnet pics, a Texas springtime tradition, along with some recent meals that Jackson and Olivia enjoyed. To my readers with kids, I am curious, how often do your kids eat the same meal as you do? Or do you serve it to them in a different way or fix them their own separate thing?


Jackson and Olivia both prefer to get their fruits and veggies in raw, bite-sized form. Olivia will eat half a cantaloupe for breakfast if I slice it up for her.


I can't put onion in any dish, or Jackson refuses it. So I have started omitting onions from recipes and using onion powder instead, for flavor. It worked fine in this French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme, from the Veganomicon.


One reason we eat a ton of Tex-Mex is that my kids love it. They will usually have a cheese enchilada with rice and beans, while I will go with spinach mushroom enchiladas, like these from El Mercado.


Same dish, at Maudie's. I like the grilled zucchini on the side, but I will give most of it to Olivia because she loves it.


Tex-Mex (or just Mex, maybe) at home. Baja-Style Tempeh Grilled Tacos from Veganomicon. Now, there is no way my kids are eating something like this. Too much going on. Too many foods combined.


So I serve it to them deconstructed. A little seasoned tempeh, a little slaw, a tortilla with Earth Balance. And, for extra veggie-tude, a bowl of cherry tomatoes to share.


There are some meals Tony and I enjoy, that they just will not have any part of. For example this Pan-Seared Tofu with Basil Balsamic Glaze (from Celebrate Vegan), served over rosemary mashed potatoes, with leftover focaccia.


So I give them their own separate meal, consisting of odds and ends that I find in the refrigerator. Kale chips, cherry tomatos, 1/2 Amy's bean burrito, and tortilla with Earth Balance.


Whatever works! I think they eat pretty healthy, and their pediatrician checkups and infrequent illnesses reflect that.


Love.










Monday, May 12, 2014

Mother's Day 2014

Hey all, how was your weekend? On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day with my parents by eating my mom's favorite cuisine - Tex-Mex!


We chose Mesa Rosa because it is the halfway point between our houses. I had spinach quesadillas. Tons of spinach inside, just how I like them.


Later, we ended up at a second Mexican restaurant, El Mercado, so that Jackson and Olivia could get rid of an abundance of energy.


Tony and I enjoyed frozen margaritas in the beer garden while the kids played to their sweaty, grimy heart's content.


Olivia loves mist machines!


Wonderful little playground, a perfect place for families to relax.


The children's playhouse cracked me up. Nice advertising!


Hope you had a nice Mother's Day!