Tasty Tidbits

 

Our rhubarb is growing like crazy & I've been taking advantage of that. Newest rhubarb food to love: vegan ice cream!  Made with coconut milk, it's pretty healthy as far as ice cream goes, & it even has minimal sugar (1/2 cup, all of which is maple syrup). One of the main issues with using rhubarb in desserts is the high sugar content used to combat the tartness of the fruit. We don't mind things a bit tart, but the coconut milk also helped to counter the tartness in this treat. It's hard to describe the final flavor, but I think the closest thing I can relate it to is a strawberry-lime flavor. Anyway, it was delicious!

 

The farm market in town opens today & I can't wait to see what goodies they have this year. After that, we're heading on a bike ride. I'm so happy for warm weekends again because that means we get to start our summer biking days!

 

Happy May! Enjoy your weekend!

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cinnamon chia spinach smoothies
• Blueberry muffins with grapefruit halves
• Baked blueberry rhubarb oatmeal
• Rhubarb spelt muffins with almond butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Brussels sprout grilled cheese on homemade 7-grain bread
• Out to eat for Mother's Day: bean burgers w/ fries & salads
• Katie's Melty Pizza Hummus with crackers, carrots, & celery
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Canteloupe, apples, & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:
Out to eat with friends

• Summer salad (me)
• Caesar salad (W)
• Cajun fries (we split a side order)

Sunday:

• Mega salads: lettuce, spinach, fennel fronds, roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, onion, feta, & Brittany's Coconut Bacon with Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

Monday

• Broccoli fried brown rice
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Grilled zucchini, ramps, & asparagus with perogies
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• The First Mess' Roasted Carrots + Rice w/ Zingy Turmeric Broth - This was delicious! The broth was super flavorful. It also stained my countertop when I spilled some on it...so if you try this, beware of spills!
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Keepin' It Kind's Sweet Potato-Black Bean Pasta Summer Rolls with Coconut-Lime Tahini Sauce - I didn't actually make these into summer rolls, but might do so with the leftover noodle mixture for lunch this weekend. The flavor combination of the noodles, sweet potatoes, cabbage, & sauce is perfect!
• Mango guacamole with popchips

Friday:

• BBQ tempeh on sweet potato slices
• Green salad

Treats

• Happy Healthy Mama's Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls - These are made using black beans, but you would never know. They're a perfect chocolate snack that still boasts high fiber, protein, & iron.
• Ice cream (me) & choc cake w/ pb icing (W) while out to eat
• What's Cooking Good Looking's Rhubarb Ice Cream
• Ashley's Vegan & Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Tasty Tidbits

 

When we have time, I love to sit & have coffee/tea in the morning. Sadly, it's very rare, but we did take a moment recently to just savour breakfast together.

 

 

This cat is a serious problem. We can't go in or out the kitchen door without her being right there, trying to sneak outside. Sometimes, I let her out just to avoid the hassle of trying to keep her in. Lately, if I do that, she loves going onto the garden (this is where we planted potatoes this year).

 

W got Tink a harness so that she can go outside with us & we don't have to worry so much. She hates it, but is slowly learning that if she wears it she'll be allowed out. He had her wearing it around the house one evening & she somehow found her way out of it. That doesn't bode well for keeping her secure outside!

 

Our flowers are blooming & something new pops out every day. I love the bleeding heart.

 

Spring is here at last!

 

 

We both have off this weekend & are doing a outdoor work day at the church followed by dinner with friends.

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, including mine!

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cherry green smoothies
• Cookie & Kate's GF Buckwheat Pancakes topped with cinnamon apples
• Mango banana granola
• Oatmeal with blueberries & sesame seed milk
• Chai baked oatmeal with pears
• Bananas + pb

 Lunches

• Mega salads: lettuce, spinach, dandelion greens, roasted potatoes, roasted cauliflower, coconut "bacon," & sweet potato vinaigrette
• Hummus with crackers, carrots, & celery
• Leftovers
• Canteloupe, apples & watermelon

Dinners

Saturday:

• Pizza with spelt beer crust (3 kinds: vegan cashew cheese + Brussels, marinara sauce + ramps, & bbq sauce + onions + mushrooms)

Sunday:

• 10 Spice Vegetable Soup from The Oh She Glows Cookbook topped with Brittany's Coconut Bacon 

Monday

• Leftovers

Tuesday:
Dinner cooked by campfire

• Foil packets:
• Portobella caps topped with cashew cheeze & spinach
• Butternut squash & ramps
• Zucchini, onions, & red bell pepper
• S'mores (of course!)

Wednesday:

• Whole wheat mini shell pasta with ramps & mushrooms

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Rigatoni with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Friday:

• Bean burgers
• Grilled zucchini

Treats

• Popcorn with Ashley's Vegan Parmesan 
• Side Saddle Kitchen's Raw Vegan Banana Ice Cream Pie with a Macaroon Crust - You have to try this!!! It was delicious.
• Ashley's Vegan & Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 

Tasty Tidbits

 

 

We opened the grill this week & officially kicked off spring! It's pretty rare that we have a standard "meat & potatoes" type plate. This is mostly because we don't eat meat, but also because we like more meals that are mixtures instead of each separate on the plate. This meal was an exception, with a portobello cap, brown & wild rice, & asparagus. It was great to be able to grill again!

 

I can't decide if the purple color of the rice combination is fun or gross. I'm leaning toward fun, since I know the hue came from the wild rice. Maybe I should call the combo Royal Rice? Or is that taking it too far?

 

We have seedlings growing inside until they're big enough & it's warm enough to move them out to the garden. Because Tink is crazy about dirt, we had to lock them away in an upstairs room so that she can't get at them. One evening, I found her sitting at the top of the steps & as soon as I opened the door, she bolted in. She looked around briefly, then jumped onto the daybed & buried herself under the blanket. If I hadn't seen her doing it, I wouldn't have known she was there...except for that little paw sticking out!

 

 

I lifted the edge of the blanket & there she was, peeping out at me. So cute!

 

Happy weekending! It's supposed to be pretty nice here & I can't wait to spend some time outside.

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Peach & spinach smoothies
• Happy Healthy Mama's Lightened Up Homemade Granola
• Jessica's Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes
• Oatmeal with blueberries & coconut almond butter
• Bananas

Lunches

• Mega salad with spinach, red leaf lettuce, roasted Brussels sprouts, onions, mushrooms, carrots, almonds, & dried cranberries
• Lunch date: Vegetable hibachi at Tokyo Diner
• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Oranges, grapefruit, & apples

Dinners

Saturday:

• Two Peas & Their Pod Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea Tacos - These were full of flavor & texture! Plus they were super easy to make. We'll definitely have them again soon!
• Guacamole

Sunday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' with my aunt

• Orecchiette with tomato mushroom sauce
• Roasted cauliflower & fennel
• Green salad

Monday

• Collard green wraps stuffed with the Chickpea Salad from The Oh She Glows Cookbook & cashew "cheese" (learn how to make a collard wrap here)

Tuesday:

• Grilled portobello mushroom caps
• Grilled lemon pepper asparagus
• Brown & wild rice mixture (did you know this turns out purple? fun!)
• Lemon tahini dressing from The Oh She Glows Cookbook
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Raw zucchini noodles with tomato sauce
• Ashley's Almond & Cornmeal Herb Crusted Eggplant - This was super flavorful & just the right combination of crunch & chew.
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choirs

• Bean burgers
• Roasted squash
• Green salad

Friday:

• Girls' night for me: waffle bar!
• Minestrone for W

Treats

• Ambitious Kitchen's Flourless Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oat Brownies {vegan, gluten free & healthy}
• Mom's lemon blueberry bundt cake
• Rainbow Snow - pb soft serve on a cone (me) & choc milkshake (W) - They're open again for the season, so we just had to go support them on opening day. :-D
• Mom's chocolate cranberry cake

Tasty Tidbits

 

Last weekend, we made homemade ravioli! It was fun, but a lot of work for the amount that we got. We didn't use any cheese - instead, half were stuffed with a mushroom cashew filling & the other half had a sweet potato filling. Both were really good & went well with the tomato mushroom sauce we served them with. Plus we had plenty to freeze for future meals!

 

 

We've been watching Pixi, my parents' cat, this week. They had a wall of wine crates set up to block her from getting into the living room where Mom's quilt is set up, but she was in there when I got there. Sneaky cat! 

 

These are a few of my new favorite things! Right before we left for Florida, I got The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out in the mail. I had pre-ordered it through Amazon & couldn't wait to check it out. I love her vegan recipes & have been reading & cooking from her blog for years. This cookbook hasn't disappointed yet! I made a few things from it this week (see below!) & have lots more bookmarked to try soon.

 

The other favorite from the picture is almond milk lattes! We have an Aerolatte Frother, which works great. Plus W has been practicing & he's can get the froth to be 2 inches thick. Yum! Then he tops it with either cinnamon-sugar or cocoa-coffee from these grinders we bought at Trader Joe's. It's sooooo good! I wish coffee shops would offer almond milk instead of always having just soy milk.

 

Happy weekending! Hope you have fun plans & it's not too rainy. It's supposed to rain here, but I have lots of house stuff to do so I'll be cozy inside.

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Hungry Girl Por Vida's Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby - This was basically a baked pancake. The thing that made it special was the blueberry sauce - yum!
• Tropical Green Monster Smoothies from The Oh She Glows Cookbook - I usually use bananas in our smoothies, so this was a fun change of pace. Plus the flavors were spot on fantastic! 
• Angela's Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Breakfast Parfait - We liked the flavor a lot, but aren't huge into the texture, so I turned half of this into pancakes, which were delicious!
• Happy Healthy Mama's Lightened Up Homemade Granola
• Bananas & grapefruit

Lunches

• Spaghetti squash with onions, zucchini, & bell peppers
• Grilled cheese on Everything Onion Bread from Sandi's Breads
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale & Pecan Parmesan from The Oh She Glows Cookbook - Loved this!!!!!
• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Oranges, grapefruit, & apples

Dinners

Saturday:

• Brittany's Peanut Butter Vegetarian Chili - The combination of using tomato sauce & peanut butter made this a nice thick chili. We'll definitely make this again!
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper Crostini from Sandi's Breads

Sunday:

• Homemade whole wheat ravioli, stuffed with vegan mushroom filling & sweet potato turnip filling
• Green salad

Monday

• Kale salad with baked sweet potato, carmelized onions, pecans, & a cinnamon apple dressing

Tuesday:

• Portobello "Steak" Fajitas from The Oh She Glows Cookbook - I wasn't sure the time for marinating the mushroom was enough, but it was perfect. This is my new favorite way to prepare portobello caps.

Wednesday:

• Red quinoa with grilled zucchini & asparagus
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with red quinoa

Friday:
Dinner at Hershey Road Family Restaurant for my mother-in-law's birthday

• Veggie burgers with side salad

Treats

• Angela's Chocolate Peanut Butter Chews
• Snowflake cookies
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Summer's Gluten & Dairy Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - I added dried cranberries & walnuts to these, too. They were soooo good!

Tasty Tidbits

 

We had a great trip to Florida & now we're back into the work groove. Amazing how fast the vacation feel goes away!

 

Happy spring!

 

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Banana nut toast
• Kashi Crunch with coconut milk & strawberries
• Baked oatmeal
• Leftover whole grain waffles topped with almond butter
• Bananas & oranges

Lunches

• Bennett's Salad Bowl (me) & Panini Caprese (W) at Bennett's Fresh Roast
• Bean burgers
• Bean salad
• Sandwiches

Dinners

Saturday:
Dinner at Doc Ford's

• Tropical Salad (me)
• Veggie Burger with fries & side salad (W)

Sunday:
Dinner in while in Florida

• Baked sweet potatoes
• Roasted broccoli
• Bean salad

Monday
Dinner at Fresh Taqueria

• Guacamole with housemade tortilla chips
• Tacos with rice & beans

Tuesday:
Dinner in the airport (we packed)

• Almond butter sandwich
• Pistachios
• Clementine
• Trail mix

Wednesday:

• Tortilla pizzas topped with bbq sauce, onions, mushrooms, & zucchini
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choirs

• Whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Roasted butternut squash
• Green salad

Friday:

• Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette

Treats

• Yeasted donuts from Bennett's Fresh Roast
• Gelato at PocoLoco Sanibel
• Frozen yogurt at Zebra
• Chocolate pecan bars
• Ben & Jerry's Core Ice Cream (PB Fudge for me, Hazed & Confused for W)

Can you tell from all the ice cream variations that this was a vacation week? And we loved every bite! :-)

Tasty Tidbits

The view of palm trees!

And blooming flowers!

And lots of time spent in the sun while biking, reading, eating, swimming, & generally relaxing.  Welcome to Florida! :-)

Hope your weekend feels like a bit of summer, too!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts 

• Triple berry & spinach smoothies
• Sunflower seed coconut granola
• Top With Cinnamon's Two Ingredient Pancakes topped with blueberries
• Keepin' It Kind's Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes - These gluten free pancakes are light & fluffy & delicious!
• Overnight oats with chia seeds, cinnamon, unsweetened almond milk, & cashew butter
• Bananas

Lunches

• Mashed avocado & salsa on rice cakes
• Homemade pizzas
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, & apples

Dinners

Saturday:
Dinner at church friends' house

• Smoked portobello mushrooms, smokey baked beans, veggie "meat"-balls
• Veggies with A Cozy Kitchen's Sweet Potato Hummus

Sunday:

• Slow Cooker African Peanut Stew from Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love

Monday

• Baked pasta with kale, zucchini, mushrooms, & onions
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Coconut & Brussels sprouts stir-fry
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Brussels sprouts tortilla pizzas

Thursday:

• Out

Friday:
Dinner in while in Florida

• Veggie soup with wheat bread

Treats

• Hummusapien's Peanut Butter Banana Chickpea Cookies - These were really good! You can't taste the chickpeas at all & you get all the health benefits from them in a fun treat!
• Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate with 88% Cocoa - We love the snap of a good quality dark chocolate. Yum!
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate

Tasty Tidbits

Who's ready for spring?  Tonight we get to lose an hour of sleep, but it's totally worth it for the extra daylight to bring us out of the winter blahs. I don't mind winter, but I definitely am ready when spring gets here.

We started some seeds this week - bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, basil, parsley, & eggplant. Last year by this time we had lettuce & spinach planted outside already. It's hard to believe. I can't wait for things to start growing!

Lots of yummy eats this week, although mostly they were re-heated from leftovers. I'm slowly emptying out my freezer to make room for the coming summer produce. It's amazing how much it can hold!

Happy weekend!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts 

• Veggie & egg sandwiches on rye bread
• Sunflower seed coconut granola
• Angela's Easy Vegan and Gluten-Free Pancakes with blueberries - These were made with buckwheat & they were perfect! Nice & fluffy with lots of plump berries throughout. They also reheated well in the toaster.
• Baked apple cider donuts topped with almond butter
• Overnight oatmeal
• Orange muffins (from the freezer) topped with almond butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Oh My Veggies' Slow Cooker Corn & Red Pepper Chowder - I used the last of our frozen corn from last summer in this soup & it was totally worth it. Aside from some initial chopping, this came together with very little work, and it was full of flavor!
• Angela's Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Spicy Peanut Sauce  - We loved these! The thai flavors really came through and the peanut sauce was the perfect topper.
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, & apples

Dinners

Saturday:

• Homemade pizza
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Ashley's 1-Pan Vegan Enchilada Bake with Cauliflower Nacho Sauce - This was a winner enchilada recipe! And the cauliflower nacho sauce was awesome!
• Green salad

Monday

• Leftovers

Tuesday:

• Spaghetti squash with roasted broccoli & peanut sauce
• Green salad

Wednesday:
Out to eat at the Chocolate Ave. Grill

• Hummus trio with pitas
• Spinach salad with portobello mushroom (me)
• Portobello mushroom sandwich (W)

Thursday:

• Leftover bean burgers
• Roasted sweet potato wedges

Friday:

• Tempeh with zucchini slices
• Recipe.com's Basic Roasted Fennel

Treats

• Angela's One Bowl Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Banana soft serve
• Ambitious Kitchen's Fudgy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

Tasty Tidbits

 

We had our first winter campfire last Sunday night! It was a gorgeous day with the perfect temps for it. And the rain even held off until we were almost done.

 

 

I missed having campfires. It's so relaxing to feel the warmth, watch the sparks, & spend time together.

 

 

And the when we looked around, there was still snow! So fun!

This weekend, we won't be quite so lucky...but that's ok. I'm not quite ready for winter to end, although this frigid cold is a bit much. I'm tired of sweaters. 

 

Happy weekending!

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts 

• Strawberry banana peanut butter smoothies
• Veggie & egg sandwiches on rye bread
• Sunflower seed coconut granola
• Baked oatmeal with vanilla cashew butter
• Ashley's Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins - These were fantastic! It was perfect, because the recipe makes 2, so we didn't have tons of muffins around getting stale before we got to them all (although I do often freeze half the batch). Plus we were eating chocolate for breakfast, which is a win!
• Bananas + pb

 

 

Lunches

• Twice baked potatoes with green salad
• Pickled beets
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Vegetable stir-fry with brown rice
• Green salad

Sunday:
First campfire cookout of the year!

• Pizza mountain pie sandwiches
• Veggie foil packets (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, & Brussels sprouts)

Monday

• Apron Strings' One Pot Wonder Thai Peanut Pasta - This was super easy to make & it was delicious; super creamy with lots of flavor! I think next time I'd add more carrots & peppers, just cause I like lots of veggies, but the sauce was spot on.

Tuesday:

• Happy Healthy Life's Maple Chili Beans over Sweet Potatoes
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Brussels sprouts
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Broccoli & wild rice casserole
• Green salad

Friday:

• Grilled Portobello caps
• Glazed carrots
• Brussels sprouts
• Green salad

Treats

• S'mores over the campfire - We tried a new organic chocolate bar that had chopped hazelnuts in it. It was soooo good!
• Ashley's Chocolate Peanut Butter Creamy Chia Pudding - I've tried chia pudding in the past, but it was never blended. I much prefer it blended! Plus this was a healthy treat that didn't taste healthy at all - bonus!
• Tasty Yummies No-Bake Smore’s Energy Bites - These were the perfect snack! Sweet, but still healthy, with lots of omega-3s from the walnuts.
• Anise & peach schnapps pizzelles
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate

Tasty Tidbits

 

Last weekend we went to the cabin. So much snow! I thought we had a lot here, especially after last week's Thursday craziness, but they have so much more there.

 

 

We did some cross-country skiing, which was lots of fun. The first time we went out, it snowed the whole time. It was so pretty.

 

This is the view from inside the cabin, right next to the fireplace. That's the best spot to be!

 

In the afternoon, we baked cookies. Mom & I made these Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies that we made every Valentine's Day when I was growing up. We turned a few into a linzer version by stuffing them with chocolate glaze. Yum!

 

Dad & W made pizzelles, which always requires wine. :-)  They made 2 kinds: anise & peach schnapps. Both were delicious.

 

When we got home on Sunday, we did some shoveling & then took Tink out to explore a bit. She's always right at the door when we come in, trying to sneak out. Apparently she didn't mind the wet, cold snow under her paws, because she was wandering around the patio.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Mom's blueberry buckwheat pancakes
• Top with Cinnamon's Whole Grain Banana Bread Waffles
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Quinoa with cinnamon & strawberries
• Baked oatmeal with vanilla cashew butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Eating Well's Quinoa Mushroom Soup - This was perfect for lunches during the week. The flavors improved each day!
• Tomato Basil Soup (from the freezer) with dipping bread
• Eating Well's Quinoa Peanut Soup
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Black bean, zucchini, & kale enchiladas
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Once Upon a Cutting Board's Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Burgers on oatmeal whole wheat buns
• Roasted sweet potato & red potato wedges
• Green salad

Monday:

• Sweet potato & bean chili with Popcorners dipping chips
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Polenta with roasted broccoli & coconut "bacon"
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Tortilla pizzas - brown rice tortillas topped with bbq sauce, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, & raw milk smoked cheddar cheese
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Brown rice fusilli with kale, white beans, onions, & mushrooms

Friday:

• Leftovers
• Green salad

Treats

• Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies
• Anise & peach schnapps pizzelles
• Chocolate cake (from the freezer)
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Angela's Peanut Better Balls

Tasty Tidbits

Last week, we got a heating pad. I was going to use it, so I plugged it in & got it set up (but didn't turn it on). I went to the other room to get a glass of water, came back, & saw that Tink had decided it was her new spot. She somehow knew it would be a warm place to sit!

We were off on Monday together & ended up going to Troeg's in the afternoon to try their new bourbon barrel troegenator. It was delicious!!! The first bourbon barrel ale I had was in Kentucky & I still remember how good it was. This was about equally delicious. Yum!!

The skies were so pretty during the cold spell earlier in the week. That sun!

Yeah, it was a cold week. But I'm very thankful for a safe house & lots of sweaters & winter jackets. We got a ton of snow, which was fun to watch fall, especially because we were at home & not trying to fight our way through it.

We're staying warm & doing lots of skiing this weekend. What about you?

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Triple Berry Green Smoothies
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Baked oatmeal w/ chia seeds & blueberries
• Bev Cooks' Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pancakes
• Bananas + Ashley's Coconut Pecan Walnut Cashew Butter

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Bavarian pretzels with whole grain mustard
• Spelt pretzel bread bowls with broccoli potato soup
• Avocado toast on Summer's Oatmeal Sandwich Bread 
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Ashley's Cheesy Veggie Taco Millet Bake - We seem to have officially made Saturday nights Mexican night & we're loving it! This recipe had several steps, but wasn't actually all that labor intensive. And it was really good! I'd make a few changes next time - less cheese, more veggies - but it's a keeper recipe for sure!

Sunday:

• Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries
• Casear salad

Monday:

• Mega salads
• Curried lentil veggie soup

Tuesday:

• Toasted Summer's Oatmeal Sandwich Bread topped with kale, onions, mushrooms, & smoked gouda cheese
• Roasted butternut squash cubes with thyme - our new favorite way to season this squash! The thyme compliments the sweetness so well.
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta - We had a lot of cherry tomatoes in the freezer from over the summer, so I used triple the amount, making this more of a soup than a traditional pasta. It was great!
• Green salad

Thursday:

• Broiled tofu strips dipped in almond lime sauce
• Baked sweet potato wedges
• Green salad

Friday:

• Out to eat on the way from skiing to the cabin

Treats

• Chocolate coconut ice cream with pb oatmeal cookie chunks
• Trader Joe's sipping chocolate
• S'mores brownies
• Angela's Peanut Better Balls

Tasty Tidbits

Tink has started to love sitting by the fire when we have it going. Typical cat, I suppose, but up until a few weeks ago she didn't seem to care one way or the other when we had a fire. Now she's into it. She look so cuddly, but she's really not into that. :-/

 

 

Snacking & beer happened before dinner last Saturday night. Isn't that a fun coaster? :-) We were having enchiladas, so chips w/ guac & salsa seemed appropriate appetizers. I could make a meal of just that, but it's lacking balance...

Lots of great food & new recipe testing this week! I had some spare time last weekend & did lots of cooking/baking/prep for the week, so we were eating well. :-)  It turned out to be a good thing, since we had lots of snow/ice this week. Thankfully, we stayed safe & only had our power flicker once.

 

I'm baking with friends this weekend! Bread, tortillas, pretzel bread bowls, & brownies. It should be lots of fun & we'll have goodies stocked for the week/freezer.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Cherry Chocolate Green Smoothies
• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Top with Cinnamon's Whole Grain Banana Bread Waffles - These are delicious!!! We topped them with Ashley's Coconut Pecan Walnut Cashew Butter which was also fantastic.
• Oatmeal w/ chia seeds & blueberries
• Donuts - We really went crazy on breakfasts this week. :-) I think this was the first time we've had donuts in over a year. I had a pb filled one, W had a boston creme. They were good, but I was hungry again so soon!
• Bev Cooks' Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pancakes - I made these last weekend to have in the freezer for quick breakfasts. They're really good! The coconut flavor really comes through, with a nice hint of chocolate that makes them feel super special.
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Classic hummus
• Mega salad topped with tempeh
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Baked sweet potato wedges
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Oh My Veggies' Black Bean Enchiladas With Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream - These were much simpler than a lot of enchilada recipes seem to be. We loved the roasted red pepper cashew cream!
• Guacamole & salsa with sweet potato chips

Sunday:

• Baked sweet potatoes
• The Kitchn's Cider Beans - Every year I made baked beans on Super Bowl Sunday. This year I tried this new recipe & we enjoyed them. I made a few slight changes, but generally followed the flavor profile of the recipe.
• Green salad

Monday:

• Jessica's 30 Minute Portobello Fried Brown Rice - This came together very quickly & was bursting with flavor. If you don't like mushrooms, it's definitely not for you, but we liked it (especially Walter, who is a mushroom lover!).
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Curried lentil soup
• Green salad

Wednesday:
Out to eat at Lisa's Cafe (we walked/slid over in the ice)

• Me - Portobello mushrooms reuben (minus the thousand island dressing) + side salad
• W - Vegetable stromboli + side caesar salad

Thursday:

Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette - This isn't the most beautiful dinner, but it is SO GOOD!!!
• Green salad

Friday:

• One pot pasta

Treats

• Angela's Peanut Better Balls - These are a lot like buckeye balls, but healthier. No butter or powdered sugar, but still tons of pb flavor & deliciousness!
• Angela's Crispy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF) - Mine didn't turn out crispy at all, which was fine by us! Especially since you can't go wrong with those flavors.
• Top with Cinnamon's Healthy(ish) Vegan, Molten Fudge Brownies - Mmmmmmmm these were super fudgy. We never ended up baking them because the ramkins I tried to make them in were way too big for the amount of brownie the recipe makes. So we ate them raw, which I think was the best idea anyway!

Tasty Tidbits

 

Anyone interested in a little glimpse of our dining room? This was taken from our kitchen during the last major snow. It's all white out the window, which was really pretty. We have tons of plants in our dining room because after we moved them there during living room renovations, we decided we liked them there. It's a bit of a jungle! Mom made us the table runner & I think it's perfect for winter.

 

 

 

It was fondue night with friends on Wednesday. This time, we made a lightened up fondue by using pureed white beans. It also had Troeg's Mad Elf beer in it. Yum! For dippers, we did apple slices, carrots, roasted broccoli, sliced cherry tomatoes, & Eating Well's Spelt Indian Flatbread. It was good, as was the company. :-)

 

In other news, I've basically been cold all week. Thanks, vortex! I'm planning to spend a lot of time this weekend either in front of our fireplace or in the kitchen baking. How about you?

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Jenna's Elvis Granola
• Maryea's Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Minimalist Baker's Peanut Butter Flaxseed Oatcakes with fig butter
• Spelt berries with almond milk, cinnamon, & puffed rice
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Eating Well's Spelt Indian Flatbread
• Roasted red pepper hummus
• Smoked baked beans
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Food52's Wintry Mushroom, Kale, and Quinoa Enchiladas - The filling in these was delicious, but they needed more sauce. I would triple that part of the recipe if I make them again!
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Homemade spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Green salad

Monday:

• Stuffed acorn squash (stuffed with lentils, chopped veggies, & spelt berries) topped with almond-lime sauce
• Green salad

Tuesday:

• Potato kale soup
• Sauteed zucchini

Wednesday:

• Girls' night - Fondue (me)
• Leftover soup (W)

Thursday:

Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Whole wheat linguini with marinara sauce
• Green salad

Friday:

• Mega salads - lettuce, spinach, onion, mushroom, tempeh, almonds, & apples

Treats

• Chocolate cake with healthy choc pb icing (this cake recipe topped with my own icing recipe)