Lavenderlicious

This afternoon after working up a sweat at the park, I treated the kids and myself to vegan ice cream at Sweet Ritual. Jackson and Olivia both ordered the same thing, a mint chocolate chip "monkey cone" (served upside-down in a bowl).

I was excited to try the lavender white chocolate chip flavor. I have a thing for culinary lavender, and its flavor was so strong in this rich ice cream. Isn't it pretty, with the tiny purple specks?

Afterwards, we stopped at HEB to pick up a few things. They have introduced a bunch of new organic items recently. I picked up some organic coconut oil, and I also used a coupon for a free bag of organic granola.

The kids also talked me into buying a seedless watermelon, which they polished off in one evening.

I had a couple slices of watermelon and sipped on my homemade kombucha. I tried to give this batch a mango lassi flavor by adding cardamom and pureed mango. It's fine, but the mango flavor isn't very strong. I think I may have better luck using a mango nectar.

Organic

Before I had kids, I always swore that when I did have kids, I would feed them nothing but the absolute best foods. Even though I didn't buy organic food for myself, there was something about the idea of harsh pesticides in tiny toddler bodies that kind of horrified me.

But by the time my babies arrived, I guess I had other things on my mind. Also, I had this idea that organic food was always so expensive.  As Jackson and Olivia started eating solid foods, the fruits and veggies I served them were not organic. They were healthy and thriving, so it didn't seem to matter.

However, I recently came across these lists of the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen." I didn't know that some fruits and veggies have higher levels of pesticides than others. A lot of produce I buy often is on the Dirty Dozen list. That does not make me feel good.

So I think I'm going to start buying organic versions of the Dirty Dozen, at least. This week, I bought organic apples and spinach.

The spinach was a bit more expensive. (I'm glad I didn't want to buy strawberries, because they cost twice as much as the non-organic ones!) However, the organic apples actually cost two cents less than the non-organic.

And then, everything I get from my little backyard garden is organic. Right now the collard greens and kale are doing well, and we should have some carrots pretty soon. Unfortunately, that is all I got from my fall plantings. I am going to plant some new stuff for spring this weekend and try to keep my black thumb from killing everything.

Do you buy (or grow) organic fruits and veggies?

The warm temps are making me crave all things tropical and fruity! I didn't realize this until I got home from the store and sensed a theme. Tropical fruit gum...Jamaican ginger ale (so good with a squirt of lime)...

The theme extends to non-food items, as well. This Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia body butter cost twice as much as the Bath & Body Works stuff I usually use, but I think it's twice as good.

Dinner, however, was the opposite of tropical. I made Caldo Verde with Crumbled Tempeh from Appetite for Reduction, a soup so thick and hearty it would be perfect for a winter snowstorm. Instead of making the tempeh according to the recipe, I threw in some Turtle Island tempeh bacon that I needed to use up. It added an extra level of smoky, maple-y flavor to the already tasty soup.

King Jackson bids you a good evening!