Indian Paintbrushes

This morning,while out house-hunting (yep, after three years of renting our current place, we're ready to become homeowners), we came across a field of Indian paintbrushes and I had to stop for some quick pics. As far as Texas spring blooms go, bluebonnets get all the love, but I think Indian paintbrushes look just as pretty! 

Came home and chowed on Smoky Split Pea soup from Appetite for Reduction, which I'd made the night before. One of our all-time favorite soups.

I also made a batch of "cheezy" kale chips from Ani's Raw Food Essentials. We preferred them over the spicy ones we made last week. They disappeared quickly!

Later, Olivia and Jackson played a fishing game while I made dinner. Olivia is an extremely focused game player.

Dinner was a treat: Ranch Salad with Buffalo Tempeh, from the PPK. The combination of hot buffalo tempeh and cool, creamy ranch dressing is out of this world. Tony and I did not even attempt to share this with the kids, knowing they'd find the tempeh too spicy. (I fixed them their own salads, along with various finger foods). So we each had a big bowl all to ourselves. I will definitely be making this again soon!

Blues and Greens

It's spring in Texas, so the bluebonnets are in bloom! 

I made Jackson and Olivia pose for an impromptu photo session after school one day. The field next to Jackson's pre-k is full of these beautiful blooms!

It was windy, can you tell?

This week I gave homemade kimchi a whirl, using this recipe. It was super easy and the result was delicious. I used a lot of ginger because that's how I like it, and a medium heat level. Next time I'll go hotter, haha. Kimchi is full of healthful probiotics that are great for digestion! I throw it on top of salads, in a wrap, or on a veggie burger.

I also dehydrated some spicy chipotle kale chips from Ani's Raw Food Essentials. These were a little too hot for Jackson and Olivia, but Tony said they make a good, healthy substitute when he is craving chips and salsa. The recipe called for 2 Tbsp. oil and I would cut that way down. The kale chips still stuck to the dehydrator trays! Next time I will use cooking spray on my trays and a lot less oil on the chips themselves.

Finally, dinner was minty pea soup from Great Gluten-Free Vegan Eats. We are by no means gluten-free, but I'm interested in maybe eating less of it, and this cookbook looked to have some tasty recipes in it. This soup is the only one I've tried so far. I enjoyed the refreshing addition of mint.