August Already

Summer has flown by! And that makes me happy. I always look forward to cooler weather and the holidays. Although I do enjoy spending this time with Jackson and Olivia while they are out of school. Here is what we've been up to since our New Orleans vacation. One evening I had a girls' night at Gourmands Pub. They are known for their sandwiches so I had the roasted tomato soup in a bread bowl, along with 1/2 Cleopatra sandwich with havarti, olives, poblano peppers, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado. It came with homemade pickled veggies and chips. I devoured it all!

I had to take a pic of this mural next to the parking lot. "I'm your huckleberry."

Too hot to play outside, ugh. I have been relaxed about screen time rules.

Monster loves Olivia so much, he tolerates playing dress up.

My weird shaped cucumbers seem like they are just about done for the season. 

Vegan on the Cheap Almost Instant Chickpea-Tomato Soup, I usually have pantry ingredients on hand to to make this.

Vegan Richa's Tempeh Tikka Masala, lots of fresh tomato taste! I just picked up her cookbook. What should I make first?

Oh She Glows 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta, another fast favorite. Salad with Amy's Goddess dressing on the side.

Quick lunch -- horseradish hummus, Mary's flax crackers, carrots.

Roasted Brussels, a special treat for me and Olivia.

Aztex and Teacher Appreciation

Awhile back (before the field you see below, completely flooded during the May storms, yikes!) Jackson and his soccer teammates attended an Austin Aztex pro soccer game and had the honor of walking the team out onto the field.

We watch soccer on television, but this was Jackson and Olivia's first time at a live game. They were pumped!

The kids also got to have a scrimmage on the big field during halftime.

The Aztex ended up winning, yay!

My handsome husband chillin in the beer tent.

Prickly pear beer! I support this.

Slushies for the kiddos.

It was also around this time that we had Teacher Appreciation Week at school. One morning a bunch of us moms made breakfast for the teachers. I made chocolate chip banana bread pudding...

coconut almond granola from 1000 Vegan Recipes...

and blueberry muffins!

The granola is now my go-to granola recipe; I have been making big batches of it for Tony to take to work in the mornings.

Also, I didn't have any overripe bananas lying around, so I tried baking some unripe ones, and it totally worked! They look ridiculous, but on the inside I assure you they are soft, sweet, and ready to throw into some delicious bread pudding.

Another day, we catered a lunch for the teachers. I made my favorite pasta salad, the Goddess Rotini Salad from Vegan on the Cheap...

and the Arabian Lentil and Rice Soup from Appetite for Reduction. I got so many comments on this soup! It is so good. I think the key is using lots and lots of lemon juice.

Go Dragons!

Spring soccer season has begun. Jackson is on the Dragons this year. Earlier games mean sleepy players.

And sleepy spectators.

But everyone is still having fun.

To warm up afterwards - Sweet Potato Succotash Stew from Vegan on the Cheap.  So good. I'm always excited to make a recipe that uses the underrated lima bean.

Cupcake Practice

A chilly morning in front of the fire. We may not have too many more of those! Spring is on its way.

Vegan on the Cheap's Almost-Instant Chickpea Tomato Soup. Five minutes and you have lunch. We love this recipe.

And VOTC Baked Ziti for dinner, except made with whole wheat elbow macaroni because that's what I had.

Oh yeah, we also made cupcakes! I've decided to add more vegan baked goods to my repertoire. It took me forever to master buttercream, and now I'm working on my decorating skillz. Every batch of cupcakes is practice. I love practicing.

These are the PPK Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes. I don't believe in food guilt or using words like "sinful" to describe my food but I will make an exception for that chocolate mousse because it's like, how can I be eating something THIS insanely rich and chocolately and oh yeah, it's also attached to a delicious chocolate cupcake.

Broccoli Flowers

One of the many things I love about Jackson's school is the fact that the kids maintain a garden and sell the vegetables at a weekly after-school farmer's market. Sometimes parents bring in items from their home gardens as well, so there is always something interesting to sample. This week it was broccoli flowers.

I did not know broccoli plants produced flowers, and I certainly didn't know said flowers were edible. They have a very clean, green flavor, not really like broccoli. More like asparagus maybe? The yellow flowers would be pretty atop a salad. My kids, however, ate them right off the stem.

For dinner I made our favorite pasta salad, the Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad with Goddess Dressing from Vegan on the Cheap. I always make it when we attend a potluck, but Tony said I should make it at home too, so he can eat more of it. Ha! I also made a batch of kale chips in the oven. I sold my dehydrator while ago because I think they turn out just fine in the oven.

My Little Pony steel cage match. Two ponies enter, one pony leaves!

Captain Olivia Fingerhands

I had barely gotten the words "pirate storytime" out, when Olivia had donned her best pirate threads and was ready to go.

Such an attentive pirate.

She was ready for the interactive portion of the program. Balloon swords were passed around and there was much swashbuckling to be had.

Afterwards we hung out and, of course, she was drawn towards the masks and disguises.

Fingerhands! Kind of creepy, no?

We came home and had lunch. I had a salad with pomegranate seeds, peanuts, and mulberries, topped with TJ's hummus dressing.

We also made another green juice, except this one wasn't as bold green, because I added carrot.

Dinner was noodles with sauteed tofu and steamed broccoli, tossed with Easy Peanut Sauce from Vegan on the Cheap. My go-to peanut sauce recipe. I don't know why I don't make this every week.

Vegan MoFo Day 13: Soccer Mama

Jackson played his first soccer match bright and early Saturday morning, with Tony as assistant coach.

Olivia and I camped out on the sidelines, ready to cheer on our boys.

It was perhaps not the most even match-up. The other team did a lot of wandering around looking vaguely confused, while Jackson and his teammates scored about five goals apiece. Thankfully, the referee did not announce the actual score at any point.

Victory! Go Pirates!

In the afternoon we attended a birthday party for one of Jackson's teammates. It was a Star Wars-themed party, so the kids played "Pass the Death Star." Ha!

Lining up for the pinata...all eyes on the prize!

When the pinata came down...chaos and candy for all!

Finally, we spent the evening at a soccer potluck at the park. I made my go-to potluck dish, Garden Rotini Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing from Vegan on the Cheap. I doubled the recipe, and the entire bowl was empty within fifteen minutes. I love not taking home leftovers!

All the food gave the kids lots of energy for hill rolling.