Chili Time of Year

This morning Olivia and I checked out storytime at the new Whole Foods. They handed out fruit bars and drink boxes, and did crafts afterward, so Olivia gave the whole experience a thumbs up.

After picking up a Red Rabbit Bakery vegan glazed donut and Blue Monkey coconut water, as well as Olivia's free piece of fruit, we moseyed outside and Olivia played on the little playground for a bit.

Tonight I made a big pot of lentil veggie chili. It is October; there should be a pot of chili on the stove. Even if it is still 85 degrees out.

Tony loves cornbread with his chili, so I made the Appetite for Reduction scallion cornbread.

There's supposed to be a cold front coming tonight, so let's hope this chili serves as a good luck charm and we see some actual autumn weather soon!

Moving In

Hey y'all! Sorry for the summertime sabbatical. It's been a busy time, even for my standards. First, after many years of renting, we purchased a home, which we moved into at the end of June. Then after a couple of days of frantic unpacking, we left to spend a week in Detroit with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. I'll recap our trip in coming days...for now I just want to say hi!

Some of the last things I cooked at the old place...

Candied pecans, because I am still working on that giant bag of pecans we received.

Yummy on breakfast oats!

Soup with lentils, spinach, and tons of smoked paprika.

Packing...

Moving day...I took the kids to the park while Tony supervised the movers, so we wouldn't be underfoot. Blue Monkey coconut water and Vega coconut cashew bar made an excellent playground snack.

First morning in our new home! I love all the natural light. Our rental was cavelike in comparison. Monster enjoys having all the windows to look out of, since he fancies himself our fierce guard dog.

New kitch! I love the island and tiled backsplash. Pardon the clutter. Our rental had a ton of built-in shelving, so we still need to purchase some storage pieces to accommodate our mess.

First breakfast: classic pancakes from How It All Vegan, supplemented with blueberries.

Green olive hummus with carrot sticks for a quick lunch while I was still locating my pots and pans.

Jackson and Olivia were pleased that the new abode passed the crucial, "Is it big enough for sack races?" test.

Hope you are having a lovely summer!