John, I'm Only Eating Pizza

The other day we had lunch at Via 313, AKA best pizza in Austin. Their arugula salad with goat cheese was a nice starter, big enough for all four of us to share.

Even without the childhood nostalgia that comes with Detroit-style pizza (because he grew up in Oklahoma), Tony loves this stuff as much as I do.

Afterwards, we stopped at Natural Grocer's to pick up a few cold-weather treats. Teeccino herbal coffee, Tazo cocoa mint yerba mate, and some chamomile soaking salts for the bath.

Amber incense, and more tea- Numi's chocolate pu-erh. Confession: I do not know how to pronounce pu-erh. Is it power? I'm going with power. 

Finally, we stopped by the library and it warmed my heart to see a little David Bowie shrine set up, complete with coloring pages. Start 'em young on the path to good music.

Isn't this how you dress to practice reading? I like to think Mr. Bowie would be pleased.

Things I Have Eaten

One week last month, Tony worked long days downtown at the convention center, usually getting home after 9 pm. Since he wasn't joining us for dinner, the kids and I ate out often. 

Big-ass house salad with cashew tamari dressing from Mothers. I was craving greens and this salad was bigger than my head!

Red-Hot BLT's from Isa Does It. Hot sauce-marinated tempeh makes these sandwiches super good.

Staring contest over cereal, super intense.

Frozen matcha latte, a summer necessity.

Rebbl maca mocha. Chocolaty herbal goodness, worth the $3.99.

Wheatsville tofu poboy with cashew tamari dressing, and a sparkling grapefruit yerba mate.

Also from Wheatsville, a Red Rabbit Co-op pink lemonade donut!

New England Glam Chowder from Isa Does It. I shut the blinds and pretend it's a rainy, cold autumn day when I eat this hearty stew.

Garden fairy Olivia.

Turmeric tonic, made by heating soymilk and then blending it up with turmeric, vanilla, and stevia.

A tiny friend on the patio. I thought it was a leaf until it hopped.

Sunday Morning Pancakes from Let Them Eat Vegan. I like the slight crunch that chia seeds add.

Looking at the world from a different perspective.

Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff from Isa Does It. The best.

Tony relaxing with Jackson after a long week. 

Tony had been eating out all week too, so I offered to cook for him, but he was craving a bowl from Bouldin Creek so off we went. He had the Buddha Bowl topped with sauteed cubed tofu.

I had the Aztec Bowl with rice, broccoli, sprouts, zucchini, and chipotle pesto.

This month, fewer restaurants, more home cookin'!

Pierced Ears

Olivia has been asking to get her ears pierced for some time. Her pediatrician recommended waiting until age five so that Olivia could better understand how to care for the piercings and keep them clean. Well, Olivia is five now. And at her recent wellness visit, she got her ears pierced! She was very brave, and now she is counting down the days until she is allowed to change out the studs and wear earrings that express her personality. For example, she informed me that she really wants a pair of taco earrings. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that Olivia and I always seem to pick up a few goodies while we are out running errands. Here are some recent treats.

Buddha's Brew kombucha. I couldn't pass up Tangerine and Sea Salt!

Kosmic Kombucha in a more traditional flavor, Ginger Spice. I love both of these local kombucha brewers! Don't make me choose! Haha.

From Rabbit Food Grocery, some mozzarella Teese to try on pizza, and a vegan raspberry zinger (the company, Dillos, also makes vegan Twinkies!)

Also from Rabbit Food, some gelatin-free gummy worms and fruit chews (you can see the kids had already torn into them when I snapped this pic), and Big Island Organics gingerade mate. This drink was super-heavy on the ginger if that's what you're into (and I am!)

From Trader Joe's, Goddess dressing, Mandarin orange faux chicken, some very Gardein-esque chicken tenders, baby carrots, and sliced watermelon.

Soccer snacks: peanut butter dark chocolate Kind bars, juice pouches, and mandarin oranges.

Chips ahoy! First, two new Kettle flavors, Pepperoncini and Red Curry. 

And some local Paqui tortilla chips, in roasted jalapeno and grilled habanero flavors. 

Chillin' on the Whole Foods patio, one of our frequent hangouts. Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery maple donut and Suja green juice for mama (they cancel each other out, dontcha know!) Lavender donut and apple for my shopping buddy.

I feel like this post needs to end with some Jackson to balance things out.

Vegan MoFo Day 16: 52 Cloves (or Thereabouts)

This morning Olivia and I popped into Whole Foods to pick up a few treats. I was craving a yerba mate. I love the mint flavor. Olivia chose Brad's Raw Broccoli Poppers. Similar to kale chips, but broccoli! We quickly finished off the bag together. Olivia also got a free orange. At our Whole Foods there's a little wagon full of fruits by the cash registers, and kids can pick out a free piece of fruit each visit.

We stopped by the outdoor play area so Olivia could do some climbing.

When we got home, I tossed three heads of garlic in the oven to roast. This is always a wonderful sight because I know that in a few minutes, the whole house will start to smell amazing.

Can you believe that wasn't all the garlic that went into 52 Cloves Red Lentil Soup? The recipe calls for five heads total. Three are roasted, two are sauteed. I didn't get an exact count for my cloves as I was peeling and chopping them, but suffice to say, my hands will be smelling like garlic for days. (I don't really mind.) Besides garlic, it also contains other healing ingredients like ginger and turmeric. Goodbye, back-to-school sniffles!!

Hanging at Whole Foods

The kids and I spent about two hours at Whole Food this afternoon. Kind of nutty. But the new WF by our house is super nice, with an awesome outdoor play area. So Jackson and Olivia played for a bit, then we went inside to grab lunch.

The kids had mac and cheese and fresh pineapple. I had a salad with mixed greens, kale, olives, and a falafel patty, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I also tried a little bit of patatas bravas. Guayaki mint yerba mate to drink.

After lunch, we headed back inside to pick up a lavender plant to give to my mom on Mother's Day.

My next batch of homemade kombucha won't be ready for a few more days so I picked up a jug of Buddha's Brew peach mint to tide us over. It's good but very sweet; I prefer the mint julep flavor.

A woman was offering samples of local Love Bean raw fudge spread, and it was too good to pass up bringing home a jar. We also grabbed some So Delicious almond milk ice cream to go along with it.

Friday has become ice cream day in our house.

After our frozen treat, the kids got to work making Mother's Day drawings for my mom.

Olivia wrote her name! First time. Proud mama moment.

Hope you have a nice Mother's Day, however you spend it. I was already treated to a brunch at Jackson's school yesterday. I get a kick out of these questionnaires the kids fill out each year. Apparently Jackson thinks I am the stereotypical vegetarian, always eating salad. Salad is pretty good, but pizza is better, haha!

Healthy Hips

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it on the blog, but Olivia was born with hip dysplasia in both hips, and she had to wear a special harness for the first few months of her life. 

This contraption helped her hip sockets develop in the right position, and she crawled and walked at the usual times. Over the years, she has had to go for periodic x-rays to make sure her bones are growing properly. Last week, she had her final checkup with the orthopedic specialist!

I am happy to report that her hips are in good shape, and no further monitoring is needed! Olivia is happy to report that she got to wear some super silly oversized medical shorts and play with the cutest soap dispenser ever while we waited for the doctor.

Afterwards, we had some time to kill before picking up Jackson from school, so we went to the grocery store and picked up a few treats: cacao nibs, ancient grain milk (made with rice, quinoa, amaranth and millet), kombucha with chia seeds, and arugula and cabbage chips.

I gave up caffeine when I was pregnant with Jackson and never really returned to it, but I was curious about yerba mate tea. I heard that it gives you an energy buzz, but without the jitteriness that coffee can cause. So I picked up a bottle of mint-flavored yerba mate and drank it over the course of the afternoon. It did make me feel more energized, and I like its refreshing taste. But I'm not sure if I want to go back to consuming caffeine on a regular basis.

Dinner was Lentil-a-Roni from Isa Does It. I loved the creamy tomato sauce. I want to start adding cashew cream to all my tomato sauces from now on, it's so good.