Jack Allen's Kitchen

We met my parents for dinner last night at Jack Allen's Kitchen in Round Rock. I had noticed a few things on the menu back when I was eating vegetarian that sounded good, but their vegan offerings are pretty slim. I had the portabello veggie fajitas, served with rice and black beans, corn tortillas and guacamole. The fajitas were a little dry, I should have asked for some salsa to pour on them. The guacamole was really good.

I had a vodka with grapefruit juice and sage. It was a refreshing little beverage, although I could not taste the sage, it was more of a garnish.

To sum up, fine for meat eaters and it's cool that they source locally, but nothing special to draw in a vegan. And here is Olivia up a tree.

Rio Grande in Pflugerville

My view during my morning stationary bike ride.

Afterwards, I was ravenous. We tried out a new Tex-Mex place called Rio Grande that Tony had discovered on a Starbucks run. I had hoped to try their breakfast tacos, since they offer nopales as a filling and that's kind of rare. But they're only served til 11 a.m., and it was noon.  So I ordered the veggie fajitas, which arrived sizzling hot with warm tortillas and a side dish of guac, pico, rice and black beans. 

I also had a sangria margarita. Day drinking, since I already got my workout in.

A nice meal. I gotta go back again and try the nopales tacos!

Lil Peppers

One day I was looking for fun day trips and I came across a Groupon for admission to the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco. Now, Tony loves his Dr. Pepper. So we decided to check it out.

It's in a cool old building in downtown Waco, right by the zoo.

Inside, you can look at the old bottling machines and learn about the history of Dr. Pepper.

Like, for example, its winning business model based on discrimination against us southpaws.

Or this proud fact. USA! USA! USA!

OK, maybe I think it is a tiny bit silly to dedicate a museum to a soft drink. But some of the random stuff on display made me giggle.

The kids were entertained by games, and excited to receive a small sample of the carbonated goodness when we finished our tour.

Afterwards, we hit nearby Ninfa's for lunch. Chips, salsa, and avocado dip were complimentary.

I had the veggie fajitas, which could've easily been shared by two people. Underneath that rainbow of grilled veggie sticks lay a giant mound of darkly caramelized onions.

After filling our bellies, we concluded our day in Waco with a visit to the zoo, which I'll post tomorrow!

Urban Vegan Tester #8 - Fajitas

This month, Tony is working his weird training schedule again, which means he sometimes gets home at 3 p.m. ready for a big meal because he's been up since 4 a.m. with no lunch break.  So I look for meals that I can make for him and then easily reheat when I get hungry later. The Urban Vegan's Fajitas fit this requirement perfectly.  Chunks of seitan, sweet red bell pepper, and caramelized onion on a warm tortilla -- this is just what Tony needs after a long shift spent on his feet. 

It was also just what I needed last night, after attending my first yoga class in over a year! I'm sore today, but it's a good soreness -- letting me know I used muscles that hadn't been worked out in awhile.

We got a foot of snow overnight and lots more coming down, so I'm not going anywhere today, just trying to entertain these kids the best I can while cooped up inside. Have a great Wednesday, guys!