Two Kids, Two Approaches to Sports

Soccer season is underway. Jackson is back with his same team from last year. They are a great group of little dudes.

Olivia is playing this year, too! Her team is called the Rainbow Dashers, ha! 

She did amazing in her first game, scoring four goals! While our happy-go-lucky Jackson is just out there to have a good time with his friends, Olivia appears to have quite a competitive streak in her! I am not the least bit competitive, so this is an interesting development and just goes to show that, with children, you never know what you are going to get! 

For dinner I made the Curried Udon Noodle Stir-Fry from Veganomicon. I was too lazy to make seitan, so I subbed tofu.

Jester King

Like probably 97% of Austin males aged 21-60, Tony is a craft beer connisseur, so he had been wanting to make the drive out to Jester King brewery compound for awhile. One Saturday afternoon we met some friends there. The grounds are sprawling, with whimsical touches like chandeliers hanging from tree branches.

The sun was bright, so we situated ourselves inside the barn.

Although I am smiling in this picture, I did not like my first beer at all. It was way too bitter. Then I switched to a raspberry beer and it was like the clouds parted and the cherubs started strumming on their little angel lutes.

Jackson and Olivia hung out all afternoon in the sand pit with their buds.

Olivia actually asked to be buried up to her neck in the sand, this was all completely voluntary, although I feel like it looks otherwise in the pictures.

Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza is the only on-site restaurant and they seem very meat-oriented, I suppose I could have just special ordered a marinara pie with some veggies on top, but I didn't feel like messing with it. Once we got home I made a quick stir-fry with tofu, rice, a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, and hoisin sauce.

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.

Super Kids

I'm going to make it a point to eat more bok choy in 2014, because I love it! While I was at the Asian supermarket picking some up, I impulse-bought this fried tofu studded with black mushrooms.

Result: Hoisin-Glazed Tofu and Boy Choy, over rice. This recipe is the first I've tried from Robin Robertson's new One-Dish Vegan, which I received for Christmas. A simple, tasty dinner. Can't wait to try more of her one-dish meals.

After dinner, Jackson and Olivia decided to morph into superheroes.  At their request, Tony drew shields on their chests. 

Super Jackson and Super Princess Olivia, to the rescue!

Recent Eats

Just a rundown of some recent tasty dinners, before I forget where I got 'em from.

Stir-fry with hoisin-marinated tofu, broccoli, carrots and green beans, served over brown rice. All my favorite veg in one stir-fry...if only I'd thought to add Brussels sprouts!

Creamy Florentine Soup from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe -- chock full of vibrant green spinach, and so delicious.

Scrambled Tortillas from Vegan Brunch. We loved the sauce, but the tofu and tortillas were mushy. Tony described a similar (non-vegan) baked dish he'd had, where the tortillas were layered on top so they had a chance to crisp up. I might try it like that some time.

Tofu Baked in an Olive, Grape and Herbed Marinade served over Creamy Polenta, from Let Them Eat Vegan. Isn't is gorgeous? The roasted grapes make it seem fancy. 

BLAT's with Light Life Smart Bacon, Veganaise, avocado, tomato and lettuce, on Kaiser rolls. My love affair with this sandwich never ends.

Veggie Pot Pie from La Dolce Vegan. An old favorite, not much to look at, but I love the buttery crust.

My little pioneers enjoying a sunny afternoon.

Astronauts, Bankers and Artists

Today we made our final trip of the summer to the New Braunfels children's museum.

Astronaut Jackson cooked up some space food.

Banker Olivia guarded all the cash.

A turtle really, really liked Olivia. It kept swimming over to wherever she stood.

Young artists hard at work.

Making crayon rubbings.

Finally, a session at the face-painting table.

Dinner was Veggie Stirfry with Spicy Almond Sauce from Vive le Vegan!, made with tofu, broccoli, kale, red peppers, celery and other goodness.

Blast off!

A Day in New Braunfels

Today we traveled to New Braunfels to visit the McKenna Children's Museum. Olivia took care of her baby...

Astronaut Jackson played us a tune.

Olivia did some shopping (this means I can send her to H-E-B for me, right?)

Foreman Jackson on the construction site.

Dinner was the Broccoli and Vegetable Teriyaki Stir-Fry with Cashews from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. Fast and tasty.

Nature Center Fun

Hi guys, sorry I disappeared there for awhile. Tony and I both came down with strep throat. Not fun. And ten days of antibiotics is rough! The cure was almost worse than the strep.  I felt horribly dehydrated the entire time I was on them.  Thankfully, Jackson and Olivia didn't get sick at all. And now we are all healthy again.

The kids had a bad case of cabin fever from being cooped up in the house while Mommy and Daddy were recuperating. I tried to make it up to them with a trip to the nature center.

The grounds are really pretty. And there is so much to see -- you could easily bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it.

They loved tossing pebbles into the pond.

Their favorite activity by far was the Dino Pit. It's like a huge sandbox with cement "dinosaur bones" buried in the sand. There are plenty of shovels and brushes lying around, so the kids can act like little paleontologists at a dig.

Olivia did NOT care for the feeling of sand between her toes. She was much happier once we put her sneakers back on.

Inside the nature center, there were various fossils, crystals and rocks for the kids to examine.

There was even a cave replica to play in. Jackson had a great time chasing Olivia through the cave repeatedly.

Such a fun morning.

That evening, Tony was nice enough to make dinner for us while I attended a meeting at Jackson's school. He is the stir-fry master. This one had tofu, edamame, peas, broccoli, and onions, and green peppers. Very green. And very tasty!

Tofu Stir-Fry

I've never been a big fan of Chinese food, probably due to bad restaurant experiences. ("Do your egg rolls contain meat?" "No...just a little pork for flavor.") I actually worked at a Chinese restaurant for a brief time in college, delivering food. While I made great tips (why do people feel compelled to tip so much better for Chinese food than pizza?), it definitely put me off the food, because there was meat hidden in everything.

On my first trip to Boston a couple months ago, I was happy to hear about a vegan Asian restaurant called Grasshopper. I loved the tofu and broccoli dish I ordered. I said I would eat Chinese food more often if there was a restaurant like this in my neighborhood. I never thought about trying to make it myself.

But Tony really likes a good stir-fry. So when I saw that Vegan on the Cheap contained a Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-Fry recipe, I decided to give it a try. I followed the steps, not really thinking about the outcome. In the end, I was surprised to realize it looked just like the tofu broccoli thing I had in Boston. It tasted like it, too!

The sauce has a sweet-and-sour citrusy flavor. Coating the tofu in cornstarch before pan-frying it gives it a crispy texture. Steaming the veggies first and throwing them into the sauce at the end means that they don't sit in the sauce for too long and get soggy. These are simple steps, but the result is fantastic.

I didn't have any sesame oil, so I substituted peanut. I also left out the Asian chili paste so it wouldn't be too hot for Jackson. This was a good choice, because he ate it up and asked for more. Now I know how to get him to eat his broccoli!

This recipe was a little more labor-intensive than the other VotC recipes I've tried, what with prepping and steaming the veggies, frying the tofu, making the rice. But it wasn't difficult at all. I think it just seemed to take longer because I was feeling so scatterbrained at first. Olivia had broken out with a bad facial rash, and she was scratching her little cheeks and looking all red and miserable. So Tony had her at the doctor's office while I was watching Jackson and making dinner. (It turned out to be an allergic reaction to Aquaphor -- I had no idea this was possible.) I was glad I had my cooking to focus on, so I wouldn't worry too much while she was at the doctor's. I don't know about you but being in the kitchen really does relax me. It's like meditating -- you get so focused on one thing, like chopping the broccoli just right, you forget about other things on your mind.

And when you're done, you get the best Chinese food you ever ate. Not bad!