Zoo Friends

I'm constantly finding discounted ticket deals for the Austin Zoo, so we go there often. Although it is a small zoo (actually an animal sanctuary), the kids never seem to tire of it. Today Olivia and I made a quick visit while Jackson was at school.

Olivia especially loves feeding the goats in the petting zoo area.

We noticed the black goat on the left has an underbite. I'm not sure if it affects his eating, but he was not interested in our food. He grinned at us while his friend munched on food pellets.

Olivia got to make a terrarium and bring it home.

Before we left, we visited her favorite animal, the fox.

Dinner was Ziti with Creamy Radicchio Sauce from More Quick-Fix Vegan. This book is in heavy rotation lately. So, my sauce turned out like more of a glaze, than a cream sauce. But I enjoy radicchio, so I did not mind.

Hope you have a great day!

Decorations

Olivia helped me put up our Halloween decorations. She loves all things spooky.

Some day I will adjust to living in Texas, and it won't seem weird to be putting up Halloween decor when it's 90 degrees out!

For dinner I made Pumpkin "Mac Uncheese" from More Quick-Fix Vegan, using Halloween pasta in fun jack-o-lantern and spider shapes.

Toasted pecans made a nice crumbly topping. We had roasted broccoli on the side.

That's all for today, I woke up with a stiff neck and shoulders two days ago and it still has not gone away, so I need to spend some time with the heating pad.

Out and About

Jackson was extra sproingy this morning. He bursts out of bed full of energy, in spite of the fact that our 6:30 a.m. wake-ups are getting darker and darker as we make our way through autumn. 

Watch out, kindergarten!

Olivia and I got out to Camp Mabry for a walk around the track and some pilot practice.

She had to try all the pieces of exercise equipment in the outdoor workout area, too.

For lunch, we picked up a take-out order from Bouldin Creek Cafe. After my recent failure at making homemade "eggs" benedict, I decided to let the professionals handle it. The "Renedict," pictured below, features ciabatta bread topped with tofu scramble, spinach, tofu bacon, and Hollandaise sauce. I really couldn't get home fast enough to tear into it.

Olivia was eager to share it with me, but she fortified herself with some Earth Balance cheezy crackers on the drive home. These are super good!

Dinner was Pantry Paella from More Quick-Fix Vegan. The idea is a Spanish paella made with ingredients you keep in your pantry, so the base is quinoa. It was tomato-y, olive-y, and not too heavy, perfect after a big lunch.

Vegan MoFo Day 20: Pretzels

I absolutely love soft pretzels, y'all. I don't indulge too often, but I had a jar of Hatch chili mustard that was just calling out to be paired with a chewy, salty soft pretzel, so I picked up a box of Kim & Scott's Bavarian-styles and called it lunch.

Mini-Oktoberfest!

Jackson, spending some quality time with his Zord after school.

For dinner I made Banh-Mi Noodles from More Quick-Fix Vegan. I loved this linguine with all the flavors of a banh mi sandwich: tofu, cucumbers, cilantro, sriracha sauce. 

As I type this, my kids and dog are tangled together on the couch, so I had to move over to the loveseat. Love my little pretzels.

Things We Ate in the Summer

Gardenburgers with homemade sauerkraut from Tony's coworker, and Alexia sweet potato fries. Fixins for this meal are always on hand in my freezer.

Cheezy Mac from Vegan Diner. Or cheezy farfalline, to be precise. I liked it, wouldn't change anything.

Yet another batch of salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas from Oh She Glows. Olivia's favorite. She would probably enjoy a salt lick if we purchased one for her.

Chocolate-blueberry pancakes (Jackson requested these, specifically) with blueberry maple syrup, and scrambled tofu.

Romesco Vegetable Bowls from More Quick-Fix Vegan. I am always a fan of romesco sauce.

Tofu and Green Beans with Hoisin Almond Sauce, also from More Quick-Fix Vegan. This was a hit with Jackson and Olivia, lovers of green beans.

Chimichurri Quinoa Bowls from, you guessed it, More Quick-Fix Vegan. Not the most flavorful chimichurri.

Matcha milkshake: almond milk, vanilla extract, matcha powder, stevia, ice. Blend. Repeat daily.

Water babies.

I've been listening to my old Low CD's lately. Slow and lazy. Summer soundtrack.

Guinea Pig Adoration

 I started my day with two plums, hempseed granola, and coconut milk.

We had to buy some poo pickup bags for Monster so we were off to Petco. Always an entertaining errand for little animal lovers.

Guinea pig adoration.

For dinner I made the Quinoa, White Beans and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries from More Quick-Fix Vegan. (Between that and One-Dish Vegan, it's going to be a Robin Robertson kinda summer around here.) I subbed chickpeas for the white beans.

On the side, roasted butternut squash.

G'night.

Spring Oklahoma Trip

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies, and also to the single mamas who cover both roles! We will be taking Tony out for lunch a little later to celebrate his day. He is such a good daddy, he makes life with our two goofballs so much fun.

We spent last weekend in Oklahoma with my mother-in-law. I was excited that some new reading materials arrived in the mail before we left, so I could peruse them on the 7-hour drive.

"How are we going to go all weekend without kombucha?" asked my newly-addicted husband. Haha! As if! I picked up a variety of drinks to bring with us. Townshend's Tea white rose flavor was especially tasty. (I also got the kids an Evolution strawberry lemonade to share in the car.)

Road trip chow: Food Should Taste Good kimchi chips, and a Tom's Tabooley falafel wrap.

It was a relaxing visit, as usual. 

My mother-in-law babysat one evening so Tony and I could have a date night. We drove into OKC to eat at Iguana. I love how their bowls of salsa are ginormous. It's like they know us.

Frozen swirl, the ultimate summer drink.

Veggie nachos. OK, you can't really see the veggies. But underneath the cheese, there were tons of sauteed bell peppers and zucchini, as well as rice and tomato sauce. A full meal in nacho form.

Due to World Cup fever, and moving, I'm going to fall behind in posting for the next month or so. Sorry! Soccer is the only sport I actually enjoy watching.