Kindergarten Roundup

A quick breakfast smoothie: blueberries, banana, spinach, spirulina, RAW chocolate protein powder.

Off to the elementary school for kindergarten roundup! An emotional time for this mama. While Jackson is my big boy, Olivia is my baby. Besides the fact that she is physically more petite than Jackson was at age five, and I can still easily pick her up and give her cuddles, she did not attend pre-K like he did. So, for the past five years, she has been my little shadow and companion, 24/7. 

But, she is so ready. She is ready to learn to read, she is ready to make new friends, she is ready to spread her (pink sparkly) wings and venture out into the world independently. 

After turning in all her paperwork at the school, we treated ourselves to lunch at her favorite, Juiceland.

For dinner I made two recipes from Vegan Richa. I had been meaning to make her Mozzarella Sticks forever, and they turned out awesome! Can't wait to have them again. The Potato Cauliflower Chickpea Salad was great too, with its sour cream and onion dressing.

A new pack of Play-doh colors is a great investment. For $6 the kids were busy and creative all afternoon.

"We're making pizza. Dad, what would you like on yours?"

Sway

Tony and I had a "date lunch" over the weekend while the kids visited my parents. 

We ate at Sway, a fancy Thai restaurant. When I say fancy, check out the restaurant interior by clicking that link. The design is beautiful. Not kitschy like some Thai places. We had the option of communal seating or window bar. We sat at the bar, with a view of the dreary, rainy sky and one of the moon towers.

I started with the po-pea jay, a vegetable spring roll with tomato chutney. I admired the slab-of-rock presentation. The roll was good, a little dry.

Sway brings out dishes as they are ready so I got my side of baby bok choy with toasted garlic, before my entree. I love bok choy and it was sauteed to perfection.

I ordered the green curry with tofu, eggplant, fingerling potato, peas, Thai basil, hot peppers, and more of that toasted garlic that seemed to garnish every dish. The server warned me this was one of the spiciest dishes and I thought, "Bring it on!" Well, it was a challenge! The curry was delicious, but you know how a curry's heat intensifies when it sits overnight? I was actually afraid to bring home leftovers because I wouldn't be able to eat it if it got any hotter! Luckily I was able to eat it all at the restaurant, haha.

Kosmic Kombucha is a local company and they make a special kombucha just for Sway, with Thai flavors like coconut water, ginger, and lemongrass. It was the perfect drink to wash everything down!

Truly out-of-the-ordinary flavors and experience, we'll be back for sure.

Pinterest Odds 'n' Ends

Occasionally I become determined to actually cook a few of the hundreds of recipes I've pinned on my "food I will cook" Pinterest board!

First up, Soba Noodles with Lemony Kale Pesto. I love soba noodles lately, and they are so easy and fast to cook. I didn't know you could make pesto from kale. It has a really green, vitamin-y flavor. Really tasty; I had two helpings. Oh, and I cut the amount of oil in half and just thinned it out with water as needed, because an entire cup of oil is too crazy.

Next, Roasted Radishes. OK, I also never knew you could roast radishes. Pinterest is so educational. When roasted, the radishes have a buttery, potato-like flavor and texture. Aren't they pretty?

Finally, Okonomiyaki -- Japanese savory pancakes made from napa cabbage, and served with a dollop of sriracha-enhanced Veganaise. These crisped up really nicely and I'd definitely make them again. 

I had to pick up some bath soap for the kids today, and instead of their usual Mr. Bubble, I decided to go a more natural route. Although I don't usually talk about bath and beauty products, I have to rave about this Everyday Shea lemon-lavender bubble bath. Aside from being all natural and fair trade certified, it smells amazing. And very strong! I could smell it down the hall, and my babies came out of the tub smelling like the little cherubs that they are (haha!)

I also picked up two bags of Saffron Road crunchy chickpea snacks because they were on sale at Whole Foods. I got Bombay Spice and Falafel flavors. Olivia has eaten almost the entire bag of Bombay Spice by herself. Jackson is not crazy about them. The Falafel flavor is spicy, so we saved that one for Tony. I grabbed a Kosmic Kombucha for myself. I brew my own kombucha but sometimes I want a different flavor. Kosmic is my favorite brand and their Mint Julep flavor is super refreshing.

My pretty girl showing off her new headband.

Extreme Mammals

Last Sunday was free admission day at the Texas state history museum, so we headed over to check out the Extreme Mammals exhibit.

If you have ever wanted to see a giant sloth skeleton up close, this is the exhibit for you. I actually didn't realize giant sloths were a real thing! I thought they were more like unicorns -- an animal whose existence we only wish for.

Flying squirrel's gonna getcha!

The smallest mammal...

Indeed, very small.

The craziest part was seeing animals that looked like mutations, but were actually in existence as a species at one time in history. Did you know some beavers used to have horns?

Horns were a common theme.

Deer had fangs?!

And whales walked on land.

Sorry, Mr. Walking Whale, you are creeping me out.

The narwhal was Tony's giant sloth -- he didn't believe it actually existed, in spite of the heartwarming scene in Elf. But this horn proves otherwise.

Interactive stations kept Jackson and Olivia entertained.

The only ancient animals I'm used to seeing in museums are dinosaurs, so learning about these mammals was a nice change of pace.

Afterwards we hit up Whole Foods for an alfresco lunch. Kosmic Kombucha is Austin-based, and I think they have the best, most unique flavors of any kombucha on the market. I went with a Salty Dog -- grapefruit, sea salt, and agave.