Zoodles!

Today we made our first glorious splash pad outing of the summer. 

Blaster cannons, look out!

Waterfalls are awesome!

And for dinner, I made my first zoodles! Zucchini noodles, y'all. I bought this spiralizer. Although there are models that cost 3x as much, it does a fine job. I topped the zoodles with tomatoes and fresh pesto made with basil from the garden. I thought the zoodles were just as filling as pasta, and more fun to make. Looking forward to spiralizing some cucumbers and carrots next!

Raw Power

I've switched out my usual rolled oats for steel cut oats, since they're supposed to be better for you, less processed. They do require a slightly higher alertness level in the mornings. Can't microwave them, as they will bubble over and make a mess. So I spend five minutes over the stove, whisking them. Then I stir in flax meal, maca, mesquite powder, peanut butter, and cacao nibs.

Olivia was a good sport about accompanying me on a boring errand (oil change that ended up taking an hour since I needed a belt replaced), so afterwards we treated ourselves to lunch at JuiceLand. She had a banana smoothie, while I tried the raw hot chocolate. It's made with cacao, almonds, coconut oil, vanilla and agave, and it's phenomenal. I'll be hooked on these all winter! We also shared a bag of Just Pure Foods raw onion rings.

Olivia and I both couldn't get enough of the onion rings! We quickly polished off the bag. The only bad part is -- holy onion breath! Good thing I had some gum in my purse!

Olivia always enjoys playing on the covered patio. It's a nice quiet place to chill and let her play.

After finishing her smoothie, she turned into a wild climbing monkey! She was full of raw power.

I had to take a pic of this drawing in the restroom. We have all been there.

For dinner I made a double batch of Appetite for Reduction's 40 Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli. We just had this a week or so ago, but it's so awesome, I want it all the time now.

You can never go wrong with some Iggy. (The original, not Azalea! Ha!)

More Oh She Glows

As promised, many more attempts from the Oh She Glows cookbook. First, Perfect Kale Chips. They really were perfect! Jackson and Olivia gobbled them up. To be honest, I only ever tried making kale chips in the oven once before, and I burned them. But setting up the dehydrator (and washing it afterwards!) is a process. I find oven-baking much simpler, as long as I make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew. Not a lot of peanut flavor, compared to similar recipes I've made, but a good hearty weeknight soup.

Broccoli, Cashew Cheese & Quinoa Burritos. Warm, cheesy comfort food that comes with a nostalgia factor (that is, if you grew up eating broccoli rice casseroles). The filling reheats well, so this was my lunch several days in a row.

Quick & Easy Chana Masala. Now this won't have the depth of flavor of a long-simmered tomato sauce, but when you crave Indian spices on a weeknight, it comes together so easily. I picked up some naan bread at the store and called it dinner.

Bonus, non-Oh She Glows meal! Since we moved, we now live within five minutes of Austin's only raw food cafe, called Premier Raw. I had to try it out, so I called in a lunch order: two Quantum Sliders with a side of caraway slaw, a Veggie Supreme juice with carrot, celery, beet, kale and ginger, and two coconut-pecan truffles for dessert. It was all delicious! I'd never eaten a raw "burger" before. The burger had a different consistency from the buns which, although raw, were soft and bread-like. The truffles were moist and cakey. Apparently you can get a lot of variation in your raw food textures if you know what you're doing! Jackson ate one of the sliders and Olivia had a truffle, so they are fans of raw cuisine, as well. I was surprised how full I felt after my meal. Raw food definitely satisfies. I think we'll become regular customers. 

It's been a lovely, rainy summer! You will never hear me complain about rain and cooler temps. I love being able to drink hot tea in July!

And the kids are happy to bring out the blankets and cuddle up with their babies.

Snake Farm

Last weekend we took a day trip to New Braunfels. Along the way, we stopped in San Marcos for lunch at the Root Cellar Cafe. We shared an order of chips and salsa to start with.

I ordered the Veggie Deluxe sandwich with a side of fruit. The sandwich contained grilled red onion, tomato, avocado, lettuce, and provolone.  I wouldn't rave about this place but the meal was adequate for a lunch on the road.

Our destination? Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo! If the name seems awkward, this place started out as an old-timey roadside attraction/reptile house, and is in the process of branching out into a tiny but legit zoo.

Austin's own zoo is actually an animal sanctuary, so I'm always slightly wary of other zoos that aren't. But the animals here seemed well taken care of. I noticed that they all had a buddy to hang out with.

I amused myself by referring to the capybaras as Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Olivia enjoyed watching them nibble on their plant-based lunch.

Have you heard of Reeve's muntjac? Me, neither. Apparently they are a breed of miniature deer. They are the cutest little guys ever.

White tiger cub, aw. (There were, par for the course, two tiger cubs hanging out together, but I didn't get a pic of the other one cause he was sleeping.)

The petting zoo was great. At the Austin zoo, you can feed the animals in the "petting zoo" area and pet them through the fence. But at Snake Farm, you can get up close and personal with the animals, like this super chill llama.

Olivia, the goat whisperer.

She seriously is.

"Love meeeee, Olivia! Love meeeee!"

We also saw piglets!

So tiny and amazing (these were fenced off, you couldn't pet them, and mama pig was right there with them.)

A great way to spend our Saturday! Finally, I'll share with you the Mother's Day present Tony got me. It was shipped to Puerto Rico before arriving here in Texas, haha! But it eventually made it. It's a box of raw cacao truffles from Coracao Confections.

Aren't they gorgeous little jewels? I think I'm becoming a chocolate snob, haha! So this was just what I wanted.

Hanging at Whole Foods

The kids and I spent about two hours at Whole Food this afternoon. Kind of nutty. But the new WF by our house is super nice, with an awesome outdoor play area. So Jackson and Olivia played for a bit, then we went inside to grab lunch.

The kids had mac and cheese and fresh pineapple. I had a salad with mixed greens, kale, olives, and a falafel patty, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I also tried a little bit of patatas bravas. Guayaki mint yerba mate to drink.

After lunch, we headed back inside to pick up a lavender plant to give to my mom on Mother's Day.

My next batch of homemade kombucha won't be ready for a few more days so I picked up a jug of Buddha's Brew peach mint to tide us over. It's good but very sweet; I prefer the mint julep flavor.

A woman was offering samples of local Love Bean raw fudge spread, and it was too good to pass up bringing home a jar. We also grabbed some So Delicious almond milk ice cream to go along with it.

Friday has become ice cream day in our house.

After our frozen treat, the kids got to work making Mother's Day drawings for my mom.

Olivia wrote her name! First time. Proud mama moment.

Hope you have a nice Mother's Day, however you spend it. I was already treated to a brunch at Jackson's school yesterday. I get a kick out of these questionnaires the kids fill out each year. Apparently Jackson thinks I am the stereotypical vegetarian, always eating salad. Salad is pretty good, but pizza is better, haha!

Trying Raw

So, I got it in my head that I would try to make a complete raw feast, based on some recipes I found on Pinterest. I am interested in raw foods, but it often seems like a ton of preparation. For example, I was going to do raw falafels. But to do this, you need to sprout your chickpeas several days in advance. So I moved back the date of my raw meal and started sprouting. It did not go so well for me. 

The chickpeas grew cute little tails, all right. They also smelled like garbage. Like, an obvious bacteria smell. Maybe I should have kept the jar in the fridge? The instructions were not clear. I have more dried chickpeas, so I can try again some time. These went in the trash.

Instead, I made the baked falafels from Appetite for Reduction. Always so good. My kids go to town on them.

To accompany the falafels, we made the Mediterranean-Style Cashew Cucumber Dip from Veganomicon. It's like a raw vegan tzatziki sauce. Jackson and Olivia are getting skilled with the veggie peeler.

Lots of dill is key! We had plenty left over for dipping carrots and pita chips.

Finally, I made a cauliflower tabouli. I guess you would call it high raw, since it has green olives in it, which aren't raw. The lemon juice/olive oil dressing kind of "cooks" the cauliflower, which takes the place of grains in a traditional tabouli. Tasty!

Since Jackson, Olivia and I were working together so nicely in the kitchen, we also made some hempseed salad dressing. It is so good! I love those nutty hempseeds. I ate it on a salad of mixed greens, roasted beets, goat cheese, and leftover falafels.

Please share any favorite raw food recipes with me!