Will I Ever Catch Up

Time for another holiday post, will I ever get through my old pictures? It is possible. Some day. Goals are important to have.

"Show me how much you love Christmas."

Over the winter break, we visited an art gallery in Round Rock that gets taken over by model train enthusiasts each holiday season.

Their vignettes are so detailed, it is pretty neat to see how much time and effort they put into constructing them. And of course, Jackson and Olivia loved taking turns playing conductor.

Winter village.

Carnival.

The roller coaster had a little car that ran along the tracks, although you can't see it here.

One of the first meals I ever learned to make was pasta with tofu, broccoli, and peanut sauce. Here it is many years later, still in regular rotation. It is a good way to use up those last few ounces in different boxes of pasta that you may have lying around.

Snow Day 2015

Jackson was off school last Monday for MLK Day. We started our morning with blueberry waffles and Trouble.

In the afternoon we headed for a "snow day" held by a local church. In Austin, this is the only chance we usually get to play in the snow, so it was madness!

Jackson and Olivia jumped right in.

The perfect snowball, he said, then quickly looked for a target to throw it at.

Warming up with hot cocoa.

For dinner I made a simple stir-fry with frozen Asian veggie mix, baked tofu, brown rice, and the Passion Peanut Sauce from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.

Captain Olivia Fingerhands

I had barely gotten the words "pirate storytime" out, when Olivia had donned her best pirate threads and was ready to go.

Such an attentive pirate.

She was ready for the interactive portion of the program. Balloon swords were passed around and there was much swashbuckling to be had.

Afterwards we hung out and, of course, she was drawn towards the masks and disguises.

Fingerhands! Kind of creepy, no?

We came home and had lunch. I had a salad with pomegranate seeds, peanuts, and mulberries, topped with TJ's hummus dressing.

We also made another green juice, except this one wasn't as bold green, because I added carrot.

Dinner was noodles with sauteed tofu and steamed broccoli, tossed with Easy Peanut Sauce from Vegan on the Cheap. My go-to peanut sauce recipe. I don't know why I don't make this every week.

Ready for Soccer

Jackson has had soccer fundamentals in the past, but this fall he will be playing on an actual league with games and everything. I'm not sure how I feel about him learning to be competitive, but hopefully the other parents are relaxed about it and realize these are just little kids out on the field. 

Practice doesn't start until next week, but his cleats and shin guards arrived in the mail today and he wanted to break them in. Olivia was eager to join in.

Afterwards, lunch. Carrot sticks and hummus, strawberries, sun chips, and lemonade.

We also snacked on some homemade granola bars. I am determined to find a version my kids will love. We tried Chocolate-Covered Katie's recipe. Mine turned out a little more dry and cakey than her pictures would suggest. They are good but we will have to make some other recipes and compare.

Dinner was Thai Peanut Empowered Noodle Bowl from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I topped it with wasabi sesame seeds that I found at Central Market. See those bright green little specks? They're not spicy (bummer) but they do add a slight wasabi flavor. 

Are you tired of me making stuff from this cookbook yet? Haha. Actually, I'm debating ordering Salad Samurai, so that might be the next book I binge-cook from. But for now we're sticking with OSG.

Costco Haul

My new favorite breakfast: oats (made with 1/2 almond milk, 1/2 water), maca powder, peanut butter, cacao nibs and bee pollen. Fortification for the Costco journey that lay ahead.

I thought I would share a typical haul. I go to Costco once a month. I don't always buy the exact same things, but here's what I needed (and impulse bought) this month.

Mixed olives, organic diced tomatoes, salsa.

Amy's bean burritos, Mary's crackers, and organic carrot juice. I thought my kids would love the carrot juice because they are fans of making it at home. Turns out, they are mostly interested in using the juicer. Store-bought carrot juice does not appeal to them at all. Lesson learned.

Organic blueberries, black olives, avocados. I wavered on the avocados, wondering if they'd go bad before I could use them. But then I confirmed that you can refrigerate avocados to slow their ripening. Which is what I did.

Mamma Chia squeeze packets, stevia packets, Alexia sweet potato fries. Olivia requested the chia squeeze. It's like a pouch of jelly with chia seeds mixed in. The kids suck it down, of course, since it's sweet. But it's also very messy. They get it on their clothes every time. Won't be buying again for that reason.

Mama's treats: pistachios, smoked almonds, Sabra hummus.

Organic red quinoa, Brussels sprouts, pecorino romano, and Baby Bel cheese rounds (another request from Olivia, my constant Costco companion.)

I find Costco fun -- I like to see what new products they have and try the samples -- but also semi-exhausting. For dinner I made something simple, the Curried Peanut Sauce Bowl with Tofu and Kale from Isa Does It. I served it over some of the red quinoa. Amazing, thanks to the rich, flavorful peanut sauce. 

My buddy working on his Legos. I love seeing the chimera-like creatures he comes up with.

Fall Festival

The other day we took the kids to a fall festival at Jackson's school. In addition the typical booths selling crafts and baked goods, there were a lot of fun activities for the little ones. Jackson and Olivia both loved the bouncy house.

There were llamas to pet...

...and feed.

And, Jackson got to ride a pony. He was so excited!

I've seen some sad pony rides in my lifetime, but honestly, these animals didn't look like they minded being there one bit. So I was glad to give Jackson this fun new experience. He and his sister are both developing a big love for animals, which is so nice to see.

To snack on, we brought along some Navitas Naturals Raw Power bites. Jackson and Olivia both love the Citrus Chia flavor.  Since the snacks are so nutrient-dense, you'd think one or two would be enough for them, but they like the flavor so much that they keep coming back for more.  I'm partial to the Cacao Goji bites because they taste like a chocolaty indulgence, yet they actually have no refined sugar and are packed full of super healthy stuff like sunflower seeds and maca powder. They are my new favorite grab-and-go snack when I am out with the babies.

Dinner was super-easy Peanutty Pasta. You'll have three burners going at once for this, but it really is easy and fast.

Peanutty Pasta

8 oz. linguine

14 oz. firm tofu, drained and pressed

2 carrots, finely shredded

6 scallions (white and light green parts only), sliced

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp. sriracha chile sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced

Boil linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, cube the tofu and dry-fry it over medium heat in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Fry until golden-brown on one side (about 5 minutes), then flip and brown on the other side (5 more minutes.) Once you have those things going, combine the water, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sriracha and garlic in a saucepan and heat, whisking, until the peanut butter melts and the sauce thickens slightly.

To serve, drain the linguine and toss with the tofu, carrots, and scallions. Pour the peanut sauce on top and stir to coat.