Sushi and Spring Rolls

Recently, Jackson and Olivia's school hosted their first annual Move-a-Thon. This fundraiser was done as an alternative to selling gift wrap, magazine subscriptions, and other ecologically-unfriendly items. Instead, the kids spent the afternoon getting some fresh air and exercise while raising pledges. Have I mentioned I love my kids' school? We are so lucky to be among like-minded families who are interested in promoting fitness, outdoor play, and being green.

I love this pic. Jackson looks like a freaking gazelle or something.

I made a healthy dinner to refuel. From the Veganomicon, Butternut Squash Spring Rolls.

Also from V'con, Spicy Tempeh Rolls. Jackson and Olivia were sooooo excited to have sushi at home! I must make this more often.

Christmas is Coming

Our Christmas preparations have been underway for awhile. Elfie the Elf showed up December first, ready for a month of hijinks and spying. 

Actually he is a slothful elf, spending days at time in the same place, but he does occasionally change his vantage point. The kids like to write him notes telling him how good they have each been (and how naughty the other has been, hmm!)

Olivia helped decorate by making a handprint Christmas tree.

Jackson opted to paint a nutcracker instead.

I even got in on the arts and crafts action, turning our door into Frosty.

The stockings are hung.

The tree is lit.

Here's a throwback, such baby faces!

I made my annual batch of magic cookies (or Hello Dolly, 7-layer, whatever you call them!) using the PPK recipe.

We've also been eating a lot of popcorn tossed with nutritional yeast. I think I'm late catching onto this, but it really does taste like cheese popcorn! 

These accidentally-vegan cookies came free with my dish soap purchase. For real, HEB, your buy-one-get-one deals are both crazy random and awesome.

Soups are always good for chilly evenings and saving a few calories in preparation for Christmas feasting! This was the Butternut Squash & Apple Soup from Appetite for Reduction. It's made with apple cider and it was super sweet as a result. We all thought it was a little too sweet, for a soup.

Finally, look who we came across in our neighborhood, just hanging out by the gas station! Thank you, hood Santa, for saving us a trip to the mall.

Autumn Drinks

Now that we have turned the heater on, the air in my home gets very dry, and I find myself drinking more liquids to keep myself hydrated.

I had to pick up another Suja Elements Wassail, also known as cinnamon roll in a bottle!  I love it so much. I also tried their Chun Mee Tropical tea. 

Speaking of tea, I could not pass up these flavors. Celestial Seasonings Caramel Apple Dream, for a sweet treat, and Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief for sleepytime.

I also bought a pouch of Dandy Blend, an herbal coffee substitute. Now, I don't have any problem with coffee. I drink decaf iced coffees all summer long. But I have enjoyed other herbal coffees so I wanted to try this one out, too. 

Chocolate Pharmacy is an Austin business specializing in raw cacao with added healing spices. I love their raw truffles and when I saw their brand-new line of chocolate potions, I had to place an order. That's when I learned that Jyl, the owner, will personally deliver to your door if you live in Austin. That's service!

The bottle contains raw, unsweetened spiced cacao powder. So you measure out about a tablespoon and mix with warmed milk. I also add a little stevia to mine. The taste is pure, rich chocolate, plus a hint of spiciness that I can't quite put a finger on. It is such a lovely treat in the evenings when I am relaxing in front of the fireplace!

I've also used it to make a "tonic" by blending up with almond milk, spirulina, acai, turmeric, vanilla and stevia. 

It's hard for me to get excited about smoothies when it's cold out, but I try. Here is one with spinach, coconut water, cherries, acai, spirulina, and RAW vanilla protein powder.

I have also been juicing. I think I am in the minority here, but I prefer my juices to have a very "green" flavor, so I will leave out the apple juice or pineapple juice. This one I made today had celery, cucumber, carrots (which add a bit of sweetness on their own), kale, cilantro, and lemon.

Finally, Olivia and I made pecan milk. I don't have a nut milk bag or anything fancy. We just blended up 1/2 cup pecans, 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then I pushed it through a fine mesh strainer to get out the solids. You have to give it a good shake each time before using as it does separate, but it's great.

On to some solid foods. Dinner was the Chimichurri Pumpkin Bowl from Isa Does It. You know how I love my chimichurri sauce. This was lovely. The only thing is, baking pumpkins have disappeared from my supermarket, so I used butternut squash. I roasted it skin-on, which has become my new preference since it adds more flavor. Oh, and I also subbed chickpeas for the black beans, as usual.

Olivia enjoyed a deconstructed version. Little kids and their opposition to mixing foods! It's so funny. At least she ate the same food as the rest of us in some form.

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.

Squash Salad

Olivia and I spent the morning at the park with Ironman.

Olivia and her friend took turns burying each other in the sand.

Babies love my son. They will crawl right into his lap. Although he loves to wrestle and play hard with his friends, he is very sweet and gentle with babies. It always makes me smile.

For dinner, I made a salad inspired by one I saw awhile back on Laura's blog. Lentils, spinach, roasted butternut squash, red onion, and feta cheese, dressed with Better than Balsamic Vinaigrette from Ripe from Around Here. The vinaigrette was a little tart for me, but the salad was lovely. I love how roasting butternut squash makes it all sweet and caramelized.

Isa Does It So Well

We had a nice morning at the park with friends. Olivia is getting old enough where she seeks out other little girls to play with, instead of following big brother around everywhere. It's cute, watching her make friends of her own.

Jackson is just this giant kid now. Ropes course? No problem!

Ice cream peddler.

I've been trying out some recipes from Isa Moskowitz's newest, Isa Does It. So far, Isa is batting 1000.  You know how sometimes you try a recipe and it's bland, or it needs a little something? Isa's recipes are the opposite of that. It feels silly to use the phrase "bursting with flavor" but that's really how I feel about all her cookbooks.

Cucumber Ranch Bowl with Breaded Tofu. A bit time-consuming but you can prepare the components in advance, as I did. Make the rice, blend up the cucumber ranch dressing, steam the broccoli. Finally, saute that lovely breaded tofu and put it all together.

Jackson and Olivia liked it, too.

Edamame Hummus and Tofu Wraps. The wasabi-spiced edamame hummus is magnificent on its own. In a wrap with marinated tofu and broccoli slaw, it's even better. Actually, the recipe called for sprouts, but I couldn't find sprouts at the store, and I'd been wanting to try broccoli slaw, so the switch was made.

Butternut Bisque with a Coconut Swirl. So thick and rich, and thankfully, no butternut peeling involved. Just quarter the thing and roast it. That's my kind of thinking. I tried to make a spider web with the coconut milk to keep it seasonal.

Can't wait to make more from this book, and I'll share it with you when I do. If you have a favorite from it, let me know!

Recipe Roundup

Here's a roundup of recipes I've made in the past couple weeks, that I haven't included in other posts.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Vegan with a Vengeance. Made with leftover roasted squash that I froze a couple months ago. 

Emily's Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans. I subbed chickpeas for the black beans. Soooo good. I almost could not stop eating.

Hawaiian Sweet-and-Sour Vegetables over Rice, from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen.

To use up leftover pineapple, this was my take on Hawaiian burgers -- MorningStar Farms Asian veggie patties, pineapple rings, and chipotle Veganaise. Served with a side of sweet potato fries.

Veggie enchilada's from La Margarita. Reliably tasty Tex-Mex.

A friend made this Crockpot Spinach Lasagna for a potluck and I had to have the recipe. She omitted the sausage from the original recipe and of course I did, too. I'm going to use my slow cooker more and more as the weather heats up. Not having to turn on the oven on a hot Texas evening sounds good to me!

To use up the remnants from a bag of tortilla chips, I made Appetite for Reduction Tortilla Soup.

Finally, Slow Cooker Sloppy Lentils from Rooted Vegan. See what I mean about using the slow cooker more? This is the BEST vegan sloppy joe recipe I've tried. I am partial to the recipe in How It All Vegan, but I think this may be slightly better. And I know it's easier! If you haven't checked out Rooted Vegan (it's kinda new), definitely do! I've pinned many recipes to try.

So what should I make next week?