Voodoo Child(ren)

Recently we surprised Jackson and Olivia with a visit to Voodoo Doughnuts, which has been around for a long time in Portland, but just recently set up shop in Austin.  We took them on a mystery outing, parking and walking up 6th St. without telling them where we were going. When we came to the source, they were only a little excited.

Not all of their donuts are available vegan, but several are, including the namesake voodoo doll donut. If you stab it with the pretzel stick, it oozes jelly! Now, I am not a big donut person. About 2-3 times a year, I crave a donut. That's it. But when I have that craving, I want a good donut, not some gas station Krispy Kreme crap. And this was a goooood donut. Thick frosting, no skimping on the jelly filling, and the donut itself was fresh and light and chewy. 

Jackson and Olivia went with the (not vegan) bubblegum donuts. The frosting really did taste exactly like bubblegum, it was a little unsettling, but delicious at the same time.

Saucy box!

As we walked back to the car, we encountered the usual 6th St. randomness.

Honestly, the only way I could possibly love them more? If they were also pizza.

For dinner I attempted to even out the donut indulgence, with a nice healthy pot of barley vegetable soup (recipe from Celebrate Vegan.)

Fizzy Paint

We love our neighborhood library. I have started working there a little bit. Just one day a week. Maybe more in the future but for now it is summer and I have both kids at home with me most of the time. Before I was a stay at home mom, I worked in libraries for years. I love to read and be around other people who love to read. So it is nice to be back in that environment.

We love art classes at the library, for sure. Every week, a different theme. This week it was fizzy paint. The teacher added some baking soda to paint. The kids finger painted their designs.

Then she sprayed their paintings with vinegar, and they fizzed up.

An experiment, but also art. Fun fun.

Mighty Miso Soup from American Vegan Kitchen. Orzo in miso soup, why not? I also added wakame because I love it and it's so good for you. Reading about the history of New Orleans and reminiscing about our vacation.

Gymnastics and Fennel

Really loving fresh raspberries right now. This morning I had a smoothie bowl (banana, soy milk, spirulina, cocoa powder, stevia) topped with coconut, hempseeds and raspberries.

It was parent observation day at gymnastics, so I was allowed to go into the gym and Olivia led me around and showed me everything she's been working on.

She can do a full flip on the rings, little monkey.

On the low bar, too.

Her little arms are definitely getting stronger!

The trampoline is her favorite.

For dinner I made the Chickpea and Fennel Soup from 1000 Vegan Recipes. It was lovely! All the parts of the fennel are used so you get a nice contrast between the wispy fronds, crisp celery-like stems, and the fennel bulb which goes so buttery soft when sauteed, plus a kick from smoky ground fennel.

From the same book, I made chocolate chip cookies, and they were probably the best ones I've ever made! The recipe calls for only brown sugar, which makes them really soft and chewy.

Snow Day

Spring seems to be taking its sweet time arriving in Austin this year. Hopefully that means summer won't be hot as blazes. Sunny days have arrived for now, but just a couple of weeks ago Jackson had a snow day. Actually it was an ice day, or more precisely, a "fear of possible ice" day. We'll take it.

Popcorn, pillows, and Big Hero 6.

Soup for dinner - the best thing to warm you up. Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato and Kale Soup from Oh She Glows. Oh, this was good!

I also tried my hand at baking some pretzel rolls. I am not very good at baking yeast breads. These came out less roll-shaped than I would've liked. I am not sure how to keep them from spreading. I will try again though.

Ice Cream Friday

Ice Cream Fridays started over the summer, when Jackson and Olivia were asking for frozen treats every day. In order to put a stop to the constant begging, but still maintain my image as a loving, benevolent mama, Ice Cream Friday was created. Now they know that they don't need to bother asking for ice cream throughout the week, because Friday is the day for no-holds-barred, whatever-toppings-you-want, ice cream madness.

At Sweet Ritual, Austin's all-vegan ice cream parlor, my kids are partial to the monkey cones. See the little monkey faces? Strawberry for Olivia, chocolate for Mr. J.

This time I went for the turtle sundae, with salted caramel ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrups, and crushed pecans.

Sugar brings out their competitive nature.

McConaughey watches over us all.

Dinner was Mulligatawny Soup from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of the East. The less said about the unattractive dirt color of this soup, the better. But the flavor is good and the rice and lentils make it hearty.

Mr. Dressup

Do any of y'all remember an 80's children's show called Mr. Dressup? He was like the Canadian version of Mr. Rogers. Growing up in Detroit we got a number of Canadian television shows, and this was one that I watched from time to time.

Anyway, now it's Jackson's nickname. It was his idea to make crowns and he specified the color of the "jewels" that should go on top. Then Olivia needed a crown, too, of course.

For lunch we had the broccoli cheddar soup from Isa Does It. I want to bathe in this luxurious creamy, golden soup. Not really.

Jackson received The Lego Movie for Christmas, so he said we should have a popcorn party and watch it. He described what a popcorn party would be like, and I thought a visit to Cornucopia would do the trick. There we chose several different flavors of popcorn that we could sample while we watched the movie. We got cajun, salt and vinegar, pumpkin pie, confetti, and red hot flavors.

We also picked up a couple of Via 313 veggie pizzas for dinner. THE BEST pizza in Austin. I wish I was eating it right now. And every day. They really need to open a North Austin location.

Cold Days, Part 2.

Today is pretty much a repeat of yesterday. Cold weather, indoor activities, and a comforting bowl of soup.

Fireside Lego building. 

Blanket fort relaxation.

Chunky corn chowder from La Dolce Vegan. Instead of a potato, which I did not have, I blended in 1/4 cup cashews, which gave it an excellent creaminess.

Christmas is Coming

Our Christmas preparations have been underway for awhile. Elfie the Elf showed up December first, ready for a month of hijinks and spying. 

Actually he is a slothful elf, spending days at time in the same place, but he does occasionally change his vantage point. The kids like to write him notes telling him how good they have each been (and how naughty the other has been, hmm!)

Olivia helped decorate by making a handprint Christmas tree.

Jackson opted to paint a nutcracker instead.

I even got in on the arts and crafts action, turning our door into Frosty.

The stockings are hung.

The tree is lit.

Here's a throwback, such baby faces!

I made my annual batch of magic cookies (or Hello Dolly, 7-layer, whatever you call them!) using the PPK recipe.

We've also been eating a lot of popcorn tossed with nutritional yeast. I think I'm late catching onto this, but it really does taste like cheese popcorn! 

These accidentally-vegan cookies came free with my dish soap purchase. For real, HEB, your buy-one-get-one deals are both crazy random and awesome.

Soups are always good for chilly evenings and saving a few calories in preparation for Christmas feasting! This was the Butternut Squash & Apple Soup from Appetite for Reduction. It's made with apple cider and it was super sweet as a result. We all thought it was a little too sweet, for a soup.

Finally, look who we came across in our neighborhood, just hanging out by the gas station! Thank you, hood Santa, for saving us a trip to the mall.