Dallas Weekend

We spent last weekend in Dallas. A three-hour drive for us. Just a quick family getaway.

Travel snacks: coconut water, smoked almonds, fig bars.

Our first destination was Legoland in Grapevine. Start singing now, because you know you want to.

"EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!"

The mini-Dallas made entirely of Legos was super cool.

Cowboy Stadium, Tony's favorite part of course.

There were various statues for the kids to pose with, like this Chima dude.

And also some sweet murals that glowed under black light. 

It's not just a Lego museum, though. There was plenty of hands-on play for Jackson and Olivia. I appreciated that there were different areas that appealed to both kids. Jackson just wanted to build.

Olivia was more interested in the rides, and karaoke.

They both spent the majority of their time in the playhouse, building with the oversized bricks.

We spent about four hours at Legoland. Could've stayed longer, but we were starving and didn't want to eat in their cafe. Not when Spiral Diner was an option!

Chili-dusted chips and salsa.

I'm so glad Sessions is vegan. It's probably my favorite beer.

I had the Cowboy BBQ burger. This was my first time trying a Spiral Diner veggie burger! I went with the quinoa-cashew patty, which was falling-apart tender. The burger was topped with BBQ sauce, mustard, and bacon. I chose potato salad as my side. It was all amazing. I cleaned my plate.

Tony started with a blue plate special, the gumbo. It was nice and spicy, with big chunks of okra and meaty sausage.

He also had the Sweet Luv'Us Hummus Wrap, filled with sweet potato, hummus, broccoli, pecans, and tahini dressing. Pesto pasta salad on the side. The wrap didn't look super filling, but Tony assured me that it was a good hearty meal when paired with the gumbo.

Olivia went with the spaghetti and meatballs.

Jackson, pumped for the arrival of his grilled cheese sandwich, expresses the excitement we all felt to be eating at our fave vegan restaurant.

Tomorrow, sloths and manatees! Whaaaat?

Vegan MoFo Day 10: McKenna Museum

To celebrate Jackson's successful first week of kindergarten, Tony and I took the kids to the children's museum down in New Braunfels. It was Tony's first visit and the kids were thrilled to show him around. First they did a little construction.

Olivia took a break to exercise her muscles.

Tony kept going with the construction.

I can't even describe the dream lab without using the word "trippy." You put together these little plastic puzzles and it somehow makes a story on the screen. Jackson and Olivia could have stayed here all day.

But there were pizzas to be made.

"Thank you, Chef," said Olivia.

While the kids noshed on plastic food (and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), Tony and I had Vegan Richa's Tempeh-Broccoli-Jalapeno Popper Wraps, which I made that morning and packed in a cooler. I loaded them with extra pickled jalapenos, yum!

After lunch, the fairy bandit was spotted.

Her mild-mannered alter ego, Dr. Olivia.

Always a fun day at the museum. Blast off!

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.

All the Food

Started the day early with oats, topped with Brazil nuts, maca, ground flaxseed, bee pollen, and caco nibs. I am trying to cut back on eating processed cereals every morning, choosing either oats or yogurt for breakfast. It is hard! I love cereal.

After we got around, we headed to Wheatsville. Jackson and Olivia snacked on blueberries in the car, hence the blue lips!

Whenever I go to Wheatsville, I want to buy everything! It isn't easy to restrain myself and only buy what I came there for. In fact, it was impossible on this trip because I found so many goodies! Suja Elements organic cold-pressed juice...Olivia chose this flavor, and the kids shared it. Tastes like strawberry and banana!

Wheatsville's Southern-fried tofu, Livin' Spoonful raw pizza-flavored crackers, and my very first Hail Merry raw key lime tart. I sampled a bite of it as soon as I got home, and I've been dreaming about it ever since!

I also grabbed some Living Raw darkest cacao truffles, coated in cacao nibs which are my newest love, as well as a Reed's kombucha because I'd never tried that brand before. It was super fizzy and good.

It was a day of sweet firsts, actually. Besides the Hail Merry tart, I had my first vegan donut from Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery. I only get a donut craving once or twice a year, and it hit me big time when I saw these in the Wheatsville bakery.  I went with Boston cream pie -- if I'm going to have a donut, I want frosted, cream-filled, the whole enchilada. Jackson and Olivia both chose Mexican chocolate donuts.

After finishing a few other errands, we came home and made wraps filled with Scrambled Chickpeas (from Isa Does It), greens, tomato, and that amazing Southern-fried tofu.

For dinner I had a big salad with lemon-cashew dressing (recipe from Oh She Glows, but her site is down as I write this post) and tons of kalamata olives.

Santa Storytime

Hope you had a lovely Christmas! We just got back from visiting family and we are still getting settled in. 

Before heading out of town, we attended storytime at the rec center with two special guests...Santa and Mrs. Claus!

We started with crafts.

Then, after a story, the kids lined up to discuss their Christmas lists with the big man.

Olivia went into quite a bit of detail.

Afterwards, I made wraps for lunch. The wraps included Baked Falafel from Appetite for Reduction, Tzatziki Sauce from American Vegan Kitchen, Tofu Feta from Vegan on the Cheap, plus lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and kalamata olives. 

The folks at Cocozia sent me a generous sample of their product. I like drinking coconut water from time to time. It's "nature's Gatorade," great for rehydrating after exercise, high in potassium and magnesium. Compared to other brands I've tried, Cocozia has a light, neutral flavor, not super coconutty, and not too sweet, which I appreciate. I'm not looking for a lot of added sugar in my beverages. Cocozia is also organic and non-GMO. I wasn't paid to endorse or review this product, by the way, but I'd have to say it's probably my favorite brand now.

Coconut water makes an excellent, healthful base for fruit smoothies. I blended one up for me and the kids with frozen raspberries and strawberries, acai powder, walnuts, and a handful of kale.  I never thought to throw nuts into a smoothie before, but the walnuts were an excellent addition. Besides being full of heart-healthy fats and protein, walnuts taste great paired with strawberries.

Merry merry!