arthursmommy

We hit 5 1/2 months this week. It is crazy how time is flying by. We found out it is going to to be a baby boy. We are very excited. Josh and everyone else say they can't tell I am really pregnant. They say I look like I just had a really big meal. The newest Kagan will be making his debut in October.

It has been hot here. Seriously hot. It is not even officially summer yet and we had 100 degree days in May and we still have 100 degree days. It is crazy. If I want to go for a walk or take Arthur to the park, we have to go before 11am. On a good note though, Arthur starts swim lessons this Monday, so it will be nice to cool off in the pool with him. By the way, you know it is hot, when you go to the zoo and the animals from Africa are hiding in the shade.

We went to the insanity called IKEA the other weekend. We had never been before and we had heard about it. It is a crazy store. It is like a maze. The prices are good and your could easily blow a couple of hundred bucks without thinking twice. Fortunately, we did not. We got Arthur a wooden table and chairs for the kitchen so he can eat, color, do projects, etc. It was a good deal. $20. He loves it.

Arthur eating breakfast at his table.


Such a big boy!


Isn't he just the cutest?!?!


Now for the cooking. I have made some really great meals this past week, but only took a picture of a few. We had a "Hot as Hell" potluck at work this past Sunday. All the food was spicey and tastey. I made some jalapeno cornbread and my famous peanut butter fudge that everyone at work is addicted too.

Potato Kale Enchiladas, yummy!


Double chocolate walnut cookies


Homemade cinnamon rolls, best breakfast ever!


Miso Ginger Noodle Bowl, very tastey and perfect for the summer.


Arthur's mac and cheese with mixed veggies. One of his favorites.


Our big guy turned 21 months old today. I can't believe he will be 2 in September. He is growing so fast. He is saying alot more words and is still learning more sign language. And this weekend, we saw on the news that the first tropical storm of the season is named Arthur. That made us laugh.

Here is the little man in the kitchen playing the pot lid cymbals.


Have a great week. Stay cool out there.

peas and love....
Krys

I am not saying that because I am pregnant. I am quoting Josh. He is very happy the first trimester is over and I can cook now without feeling the urge to puke. We are now hitting month number five. It is just a week away. Crazy how time flies.

So onto the food. Those of you who know me, know I like to cook and it is a hobby I do quite well. Here are some of the latest dishes we have had.

Blackeyed peas w/sauteed spinach and cheeze grits. A delicious Southern recipe.


Asian Noodles w/ Peanut butter and chilies. This dish was awesome. The leftovers were great too. It can be eaten hot or cold. Yum!


Spicy chickpea snack. Really good and healthy. They turn out crunchy. Arthur likes them too. They kind of remind me of corn nuts.


"Chicken" and dumplings. Such good comfort food.


Tofu lettuce wraps. These were freakin' awesome. I made a peanut sauce to accompany them. Yum!


Lowfat chocolate bunt cake. This is so rich, it does not taste lowfat or vegan. Eat your heart out Betty Crocker.


Aloo Gabi, darn good Indian food I made.


Simple Blueberry Muffins, that Arthur loves!


Ethiopian food that we made. This stuff was freakin' awesome. The recipes came from the zine Papa Tofu. Thanks KitteeKake!


I know this a long post, but I three weeks of catching up to do.

Mother's Day was nice. We went and saw my grandparents on Saturday and then hung out on Sunday. Josh, Arthur and I went to a park here that has beautiful peacocks that run around on the grounds. After that we went to dinner at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants.

Arthur checking out one of the peacocks.


Hanging out in the trees.


A male showing off for the females.


Me and my handsome little man.


Arthur acting silly with his Daddy.


My sweet Arthur. He's so cute.


This past Saturday, some coworkers and I participated in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. It helps to raise awareness for premature babies and birth defects. Thank you to all of those who donated to such a worthy cause.

Okay, this is weird, but true. I was talking to one of my friends about this and they seem to have felt the same or have known others who feel the same way. Do you ever get the feeling that you have relatives who just do not like you? Even though you have never caused them harm. For some reason you are not what they want in a relative and the only reason they associate with you is because you are related to them and they feel an obligation. Or they talk to you because you have a kid. Why bother? If you don't want to be around someone, don't waste your time or their's. I feel that way sometimes. They seem annoyed by us or embarrassed and always are short with us in their tone of voice or are just rude in their comments, but never seem to talk to other relatives that way when we are around. They act as if we are just dumbass kids. When we are hardworking, God fearing, good parents, who ask for nothing to harm them. It is almost as though, if we disappeared off the face of the earth there would be no love lost for them. Sad, but true. The definition of family has definitely changed over the years.

Alright, enough of that. We have a baby check up this Thursday. I am not sure what the doctor is going to do this time around, but we shall see. Josh is hoping to find out if Arthur is having a brother or sister. I haven't decided yet, if I want to know. I just want a healthy baby like Arthur.

I am going to close for now. I hope each of you has a wonderful week. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there.

peas and love....
Krys

A long awaited post, but here it is.

Arthur is doing great. He is 19 months old, talking more, he throws occasional temper tantrums, but not too bad. He loves to play outside and brings me his sneakers all the time when he is ready to go. He loves to wrestle with Maggie and thinks that she is his pillow when he lays on the couch. He is a big boy. He is already 34 inches tall and weighs about 30 pounds. And people say vegetarians aren't healthy. I guess the laugh is on them.

Arthur and his pillow, Maggie.


Josh started a new job at a pain clinic less than 2 miles from the house. He likes being so close. He can ride his bike to work, walk or catch the bus. The best part is, he gets to come home for lunch everyday. Arthur loves that. He gets so excited when he hears Daddy open the front door. He runs to him and says "DADDY!". It is too cute. Josh took a day off before he started at the new clinic, so we took Arthur to the park. It was really nice that day. We rode the little train, played and walked around the botanical gardens as well as the nature center.

Arthur and Josh on the train at the park.


Arthur very relaxed riding the train.


A cool horned lizard at the botanical garden.


Arthur digging for fossils in the prehistoric garden.



Me and Josh at the prehistoric garden.


A couple of weekends ago we took Arthur to a town east of here, Lexington and picked strawberries. It was super windy, but we had fun. We even got a little sunburn, even though it was so cloudy. Arthur liked it. He would pick strawberries right out of the patch and eat them. The strawberries were so sweet and delicious. I made shortcake that weekend so we could have strawberry shortcake. We still have strawberries in the freezer. Yummy!

Arthur picking strawberries.


Arthur eating strawberries he just picked.


Pulling the wagon around the srawberry patch.


Me and my sweet little man.


We are 3 1/2 months pregnant this week. I am not showing yet. which annoys some of the ladies at work. I cannot run anymore, but Arthur and I walk 12-15 miles a week which is good. We alternate 4 mile then 2 mile days. Josh and I haven't decided yet if we want to know the gender of the baby yet. Everyone keeps saying we need a girl. We just want a healthy baby. That is what matters most. We had an ultrasound done last week and listened to the heartrate. The baby looks good. I go back for my next appointment in May. We will decide then if we want to know or if we want to be surprised.

I am able to cook now. Josh is very happy about that. I couldn't cook much during the first trimester without feeling the urge to puke. Last night I made tofu and greens. We got some fresh mustard greens from Nana Donna's garden as well as some fresh spinach. I am making a blackeyed pea dish with that tonite.

Tofu w/ fresh greens


I have been a bit crafty lately. I embroidered a sweatshirt for Arthur and made him some more cloth diapers. I am going to start sewing cloth diapers for the new baby soon.

Arthur's sweatshirt.


I am going to close for now. Josh will be home for lunch soon. Yippee! I hope each of you has a wonderful week.

peas and love....
Krys

We are still waiting on our insurance to come through and decide if they want to cover me or not. So, I will be two weeks late on seeing the obstetrician. Which isn't the best for a high risk pregnancy, but what can you do. Seeing that I do not have $4-6 grand to pay out of pocket we are SOL for now. We are just hoping and praying they give us prenatal coverage. If not, I do not know what we are going to do. The healthcare system here really sucks. No wonder people move to the UK and Canada. Can you blame them?!?

So, my running is pretty much on the back burner until the little one arrives. I cannot run during the pregnancy, so I am now power walking. Ugh. I told one of my running friends, that is something old ladies do in the mall. Oh well, once the little one gets here, I will start training for the next half marathon in March. It benefits breast cancer. I have two more 5k's coming up and a 10k I am signed up for, before Mother's Day. Then the races will be out due to me having to work every weekend until August. Boo!

In the world of Arthur, he is 19 months old now and is doing great. He throws fits sometimes which is to be expected. It was funny, the other night he threw a big temper tantrum because he didn't get his way. Josh starting saying, "I need an old preist and a young preist, the power of Christ compells you, the power of Christ compells you". Quoting Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. It was pretty funny. Sans the temper tantrums, he is a very good little boy and sweet.

Nachos and chocolate chip cookies. Obviously he enjoyed them.


I love this picture. They are the best of friends. Arthur loves his Maggie.


Okay, so like the running, the cooking has been mediocre lately too. I did make chickpea cutlets the other night. But I was so not into them. I can hear Mary gasping as she reads this. Yep, I barely ate half of one. I even made some cream gravy to go with them, in hopes that it would be more appealing to me, but no. I did like the mixed veggie casserole I made and the roasted new potatoes. This is such a strange pregnancy. Definitely different from Arthur. We will be 12 weeks, 3 months pregnant this Thursday, maybe the food taste will change by then. Who knows.

Well, I told this post was kind of boring. Oh well. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

peas and love....

so, finally an update. it has been a crazy week and half. one of my friend's wife died. it is so sad, they haven't even been married a year. i am sad i missed the little farewell they had at her house, but that is what happens when people say they will call and then do not and don't keep you posted. we are going to send them some food next week after everything has calmed down a bit in their household. then, one of my friends had a miscarriage. it was early on in the pregnancy, but still difficult and sad for her. and today, one of my other friends had to make the decision to take his mom off of the ventilator at the hospital and say goodbye. we have been talking everyday for the past few days. it has been really tough for him. like i said, these past few days have been crazy.

arthur had his first Easter egg hunt over the weekend. it was cute. he didn't quite know what to do with the eggs, so he would pick them up, yell the word "ball" and throw them. silly little man. we took him to see "horton hears a who". he seemed to like it alot. he sat in my lap the whole time and watched it. it was a cute movie.

arthur trying to grab the camera


arthur and his Easter bucket


my two handsome guys


arthur and a garden buddha statue


me and my sweet little man


at the Easter egg hunt, there was a potluck. i actually made something. shocking, i know. i haven't been cooking much due to being queasy.

Easter cookies


cupcakes


we are 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow. this pregnancy has been a bit different than when i was pregnant with arthur. i can eat food, but i get queasy often after eating and i cannot stand the smell of garlic. it is banned from the kitchen right now. the smell makes me want to vomit. how odd?!? and what is even more weird, the smell of cooked meat doesn't bother me, where as before, it would make me gag. strange. this pregnancy has also made us broke for the month. insurance companies as most of you know, suck ass. we had to pay out of pocket for our first visit before being covered. $382 for the office visit and $333 for bloodwork. seriously. i kid you not. that pretty much d-cked us for the month of march and now we will be playing catch up. insurance companies suck ass. there was a girl here in austin, her insurance denied her claim for a rabies shot when she got bit by a dog. they said the rabies was pre-existing. what! if that was the case, she would be dead. if you are bit by a rabid dog, and do not get treated, you will die within 24-36 hours. i hope the insurance doesn't pull anymore stunts. if they do, it will cost 4 grand to cover this pregnancy and we do not have that. ugh. things are just so freaking frustrating and then you see these punkasses who have everything handed to them on a silver platter and do not have to do anything. they have no idea what it is to have to work hard or struggle. ugh.

9 1/2 week pooch, more like a bagel pooch from breakfast


i have a 10k this Sunday. i haven't trained much due to arthur having his first ear infection and josh getting over his second bout of bronchitis. they are both feeling better now, which is good.

well, i am going to close for now. i won't wait so long to post next time. hope each of you have a great week and weekend.

peas and love....

krys

Yes, I am behind on updates, but hey, what can you do. I do appreciate my friend runrevolt sending an email and checking up on me. He rocks! Speaking of running. I only got out once this week and did 2 miles, which sucks. The weather was mediocre and I was feeling really mediocre. I plan to go out at three times next week. I can easily get two miles in on Wednesdays when I take Arthur to the book store for storytime. It is 2 miles roundtrip. It is nice to get out and he loves books. The weather is supposed to be nice next week. Also it will be Spring Break so I can go for a quick 2 miles everyday and then let him play at the playground at the elementary school by our place.

So, Josh went to orientation to get into the Radiology Tech program. They send out acceptance letters at the end of this month. He will probably be on a year waiting list which is good for us because while he is doing the program for 2 years, he will not be able to work much. That is going to suck for us. It will be almost impossible for me to attempt to work 40 hours in the evening and care for two kids while he is in school. He is going to try to work alot this year to save money. And hopefully he will get a scholarship. Talk about being broke. We will be ridiculously broke. I don't know how we are going to swing it. Once he finishes school he will be doing great and we will be doing way better financially, it is just while he is in school is when we are going to get our asses handed to us. It pisses me off when I see these kids at my work who "work for fun", meaning the money is pissed away on whatever they want. Their parents pay for everything, house, car, school, fun money, etc. They have no idea what it is like to struggle or to worry whether you will be able to pay bills. They take what they have for granted. Where as if we were given assistance. We would knock school out in no time, and work hard to make a difference. I know things will be good when he gets his degree, but until then. Geez! Once Arthur and his brother or sister are in pre-k, I plan to go back and become a Surgical Technician. I have always been intrigued by it and think that I would really like it. I think I will do a specialty as well, maybe neurology or cardiology. Or I could always go where the money is and be in plastics and help on the vain women get their fake boobs. We shall see. That is about 4-5 years away.

I have not been cooking much lately due to the fact that almost everything I eat, makes me queasy. So, the next several weeks there will not be much food posts. Just the thought makes me want to puke. The food tastes great going down, but then makes me nauseated later. Oh well, the first trimester blues. It also affects my workout sometimes, when I am queasy, the running or walking fast makes my stomach churn too. Sorry TKWRT. I have a race next weekend, just a 5k and a 10k at the end of the month. We will have to see how those turnout.

Arthur turned 18 months old this past Monday. He is getting so big. He still loves to dance and play with the dogs. He is starting talk alot more and knows how to do things like open the front door, so it is always locked now. Silly boy. He loves the neighbor's cats and they love him. They brush up against him and he points at them and says "what's that?". He is the best. He makes us so happy.

Well, I am going to have a bit of soda. The belly is queasy as usual. I will post again in a few days. By the way, for those of you who do not know, my grandfather was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It is terminal. I would ask that you remember him in your thoughts and prayers. He is the greatest man I have ever known. Genuine, loving, strong, great, honest, sincere, you name it. I am a better person for having him in my life. I love him and will dread the day he goes home to heaven. He is one of the heroes in my life.

Have a great weekend.

peas and love....
Krys

Me and my sweet little man. He gives the best hugs.


Arthur at the playground. A storm is brewing in the background.


An action shot going down the slide. He loves the slide!

For the past week, I have been sick with some kind of bug and then poor Arthur caught it. We are feeling better now. Finally! At least I waited until after the marathon to get sick. I have not been able to get out and run or walk due to us being under the weather. Today was actually the first day we got out and went for a stroll. It was windy, but nice. We walked to the local grocery store and then to the bookstore. I plan to hit the trail tomorrow morning and at least to 4.5 miles. The weather was nice today in the 60's. Yesterday it was 92 degrees out. No, it is not a typo, it seriously was 92 out. If the weather is any indication of things to come, this summer is going to be hot as hell.

In the world of cooking, once I felt better, I hit the kitchen again. Here is all the goodness made in the past few days. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp(TJoVB) w/ soy dream


Here is a hearty stew recipe. Delicious!

Seitan Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound small cremini mushrooms
2 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds seitan, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 (14-ounce) cans vegggie broth
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed peeled white potato (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushroom mixture. Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge seitan in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of seitan mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook browning on all sides. Add browned seitan to mushroom mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining seitan mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add thyme, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in seitan mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.Stir in potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 30minutes or until vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Yield: 8 (1 cup servings)

The finished product.


Homemade Miso Soup (I have this recipe if you would like it, very simple, and tastey)


Skid Wraps(letsgetbaked) to go with the miso soup. These were so good. They had avocado in them. Yum! And I made a homemade peanut sauce to accompany it.


Spinach Calzones, a little taste of Italy in your mouth.


Homemade marinara to go with the calzones.


Sunshine Muffins (carrot muffins) for my little sunshine Arthur. He loves these.


Lemon Poppyseed Muffins


Here is a video link to Arthur dancing. He is so cute. It is guaranteed to make you smile. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACeYD1Tb6a0

Here is a picture of me and Trudy aka Trudy Boo. I realized I have posted pictures of Maggie our other pup, but not many of Trudy. She is my running dog and our happy girl.



Well, I have to go and get dinner started. Hope each of you has a great week.

peas and love....
Krys

Well, I ran a marathon. It was brutal but very satisfying once I hit the finish line. The course was about 80% hills and of course the last mile they make us go up another hill as if not to torture us enough before the finish line. It was definitely a unique experience. I started out pumped. And the sea of people was crazy. There were approximately 12,000 marathoners and half-marathon runners. My friend Mollie and I stuck together for about the first 12 miles and then I took off ahead. I think I was a mile or two ahead of her. The part that sucked about the marathon was having to stop and pee. I lost 10 minutes on my time to use the facilities. That sucked. So, I felt good for about the first 18-19 miles and then there is the infamous wall that hits. That makes you question your sanity and what the hell you were thinking when you signed up for a marathon. The weather was nice if you were at the park but not good for running on asphalt. It was at least 75 degrees and of course no shade in the last 10 miles. Ugh. The sun is not your friend when you are doing a marathon. So at around mile 19 I could feel the blisters on the bottoms of my feet. I was counting in my head how many I had on each foot. Around 4 each and praying they would not pop until after the marathon was over. I tried to run on some grass a bit to help my feet, but that was useless. The runners are very encouraging and there was this cyclist who was there for the last 7 miles who was our cheerleader. His wife or girlfriend was in the marathon and he just kept riding his bike back and forth around us yelling encouraging words. He would tell us how many more miles we had to go, how great we were doing and would stay stuff like "you know why marathon runners make great friends? because they never quit!" It was really cool. By mile 23 my feet were tingling and numb which was fine by me because then I couldn't feel any pain. The last 10k of the race, the mile markers seemed to get further and further away. You start to think someone is moving them and playing a joke on you. The last mile you see another big hill, but know that just around the corner is the finish line. I was so happy to see that last big hill. After the hill I turned the corner and what do I see? The finish line! Thank God! Finally! I pick up my pace even more, I see Josh with the biggest grin on his face and my little Boogie Arthur sleeping in the jogging stroller. I cross the finish and they put the finishers medal around my neck. When you do your first marathon and they put the medal around your neck you feel like you just won the Olympic gold. You are so excited it makes you want to cry with joy. And exhausted too. Then they made us walk four blocks to go get our finishers jersey. Come on, are you kidding? As if we hadn't run enough. They were out of medium jerseys, so I got a large. I didn't care. Hopefully, it will shrink. While running the marathon I learned to like and appreciate GU. I never liked it before, but when you are in need of it, it tastes pretty damn good. I went home, took a nap and Josh ordered takeaway for us. I am sore today and the blisters on my feet are ugly, but badges of glory. And I have a sunburn on my face that makes me look like a racoon or like I spent the weekend skiing in Tahoe. I am glad I had sunglasses on or my eyes would be bloodshot and sunburned too. My arms and neck are sunburned and my legs have the runners tan. I am sore, but I feel good and will do another one again, probably in mid to late 2009. I am also amazed that I completed it under the time given with only 4 months training. They say if you are to do a marathon you should train for at least a year. Ha! I showed them. I may not be the fastest, but I have heart. Maybe a little stubborness and insanity too. Ha ha. I am excited now, because my next runs are all 5k's and 10k's. So my training will be no longer than 7 mile days. Yippee. Go TKWRT!

Sunburned and tired, but happy.


I cooked this week of course. There are not alot of pictures on this post, but I will let you enjoy the ones I made.

Homemade Samosas, delicious!


Coconut Curry Chickpeas(vegandad) Great with the samosas.


Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes (TGoV) Saturday morning breakfast. Yum!


Last but not least, pictures of my cute little man.

Papparazzi style, no pictures please!


Smiley!


Puckering up to give a kiss.


Well, I hope everyone has a great week. I am going to sit and do nothing and relax. 5k and 10k training will begin on Thursday. I think I deserve a few days off from running. Talk to all of you soon.

peas and love...
Krys

I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day. Here are some goodies I made for the Valentine's in my life (Joshua and Arthur).

Mini happy hearts for my little man.


More love in the form of baked goodness.


and one more cookie picture...


Here is some yumminess I cooked up in the kitchen the past few days.

Blueberry granola bars as requested by Josh. Arthur likes them too.


Portabella Coconut Stirfry over Jasmine rice. Delicious.


Wild Mushroom Soup with Thyme (TGoV). This soup was freakin' awesome. We ate it with the homemade wheat bread I made.


Here are some pictures of Arthur and Maggie. Arthur loves his Maggie girl.






The marathon is 3 days away. Yikes! It is supposed to be cold and rainy that morning too. Ugh! Wish me luck.

Happy Valentine's Day. Have a wonderful day.

peas and love....
Krys

The marathon is 5 1/2 days away. There was a handful of us who were going to run it, but now there are only two. Myself and my good friend Mollie. We have 7 hours to complete, so come hell or high water, it will happen. Go TKWRT! I am excited and anxious about it. The freakin' course is mainly uphill too. Oh joy. Not! So, I am taking it easy this week on the training, just a few short runs here and there, nothing crazy. And the best thing about the marathon being done, well I get to focus on speedwork and training for 5k's and 10k's. That means my longest run for the next few months will only be 7 miles. Yippee! Then when fall hits it will be focus on half marathons and contemplate a full one for next year. So, wish me luck, remember me in your thoughts and prayers as well as all the other runners participating. We will need the well wishes. Oh, yeah and here's hoping for decent weather!

In the world of cooking, this is a big post. Obviously I cook. That is why most of you read my blog. Here are some of the meals we had for the past week. Enjoy!

Ginger Scones for breakfast. (tjovb)


Kuching Tamarind and Coconut Milk Curry (wfc), this was a Malasian dish we had for dinner. It was really tastey.


Banana bread, one of Arthur's favorites!


Yucatan Seitan w/black beans and sauteed plantains (veganyumyum), this recipe was delicious. I used the seitan I made the night before. The sauteed plantains were a perfect touch.


crazy tastey pumpkin cinnamon rolls (donteatoffthesidewalk), this recipe was excellent. The pumpkin is very subtle. Such goodness for breakfast.


chickpea coco-oat cookies (vegweb), these were great. The whole family loves them. The chickpea in the title comes from the use of chickpea flower. I drizzled them with some lime icing. Yummy!


Spaghetti and Beanballs (veganomicon), this recipe was different. The jury is still out. I think I will tweak the beanball recipe some more. It was a very hearty meal.


African Rolls, a favorite in our household. Definitely a 5 star recipe. The sauce alone is a taste of heaven. You can't beat the combination of kale, sweet potatoes and rice covered with the sauce.


Broccoli growing in Nana Donna's garden. I used in tonite's dish. It was so good. She has cauliflower that will be ready to eat next week, I can't wait to taste it. You can't beat fresh veggies.


Crispy Sweet and Sour Seitan (veganyumyum) over jasmine rice, I used the seitan I made the other night and the broccoli we got from Nana Donna's garden. This was very flavorful.


Whole wheat bread fresh from the oven. This beats store bought any day!


Now for the best kind of update, an Arthur update. He is already 17 months old. Can you believe it? Time has flown by. He is talking more and signing more. We are already looking into swim lessons again this summer since he loved it so much last summer. One of our friends who bought a house nearby, thanks to his dad buying it. Lucky! They are getting a swingset and their daughter is a year and one day older than Arthur, so he will get to go over there and play which will be nice. I take him to the playground at the elementary school nearby. He loves it. He especially likes it when I bring Trudy. The play in teh fenced in "little kid" area together.

Here is a picture of the little man being silly. "No pictures please!"


Well I am going to close for now. I will try and post before the marathon, if I don't I definitely will afterwards and give a post-race update. Have a great week.

peas and love....

Krys

Well, this past Saturday I went for 21 miles, well actually 21.36. I survived it. I paced myself. The marathon gives you 7 hours to finish the 26.2. Even if you don't need it, it is nice to know you have the window of time. Because going for that long makes you tired, bones ache, feet hurt, etc. Meaning that if you have to walk a bit you can. It was funny, when I finished the 21.36, I thought, "oh crap, I would still have 5 more to go!". There is something about the 18 mile mark that makes me feel like I am about to lose it. That mile mark is my wall. My body says "stop" and my mind says "go for it". It is definitely a battle. All I know is the marathon is 13 days away. I am anxious, excited, nervous, crazy!
Funny running quotes for my running friends to enjoy.

-You won't die from running, you'll pass out first.

-26.2, not as easy as your girlfriend was last nignt...

-Run a marathon, eat delicious carbs.

-A marathon is just a 10k race with a 20 mile warm-up.

Arthur turned 17 months old yesterday. He is getting so big. He talks more, knows more sign language. Dances to music. Pets the dogs "nice" now. It is great.
Bed head is the best!


In the world of cooking this week. This is some of my readers favorite segment. I have already been offered a job as Matt's personal chef when he hits it big. So enjoy and once again, please wipe the drool off of your keyboards. :)
Maple Baked Seitan(vegandad) with kale mashed potatoes & corn

Elvis Cupcakes (banana, chocolatew/peanut butter icing(VCTOTW) Delicious. Josh said it made him mad that we ate them all. He wanted more.

Curry Pot Pie w/ Chickpea Crust (TGoV) So tastey!


Raspberry Granola Bars, Arthur and Josh's favorite

Spanakopita, Not the best picture, but very very good.

Mac and Cheese, another family favorite.

Brownie Cupcakes (VCTOTW)

Fresh from the over baguette

Oyster Mushroom Chowder(robinrobertson) Delicious without the fish!

The Chowder with the baguette. Yummy!


Have a lovely week. For those of you in the cold, stay warm. It is in the 70's here.

peas and love....
Krys

Well me and Arthur still have colds. He has had a terminal runny nose for several days now. I have a cold now as well. Ugh. The onset of this crap that is going around definitely did not help my time in the half marathon. Speaking of which, it was this past Sunday. It was my first ever and my first time to run in a race since I was 17, 20 years ago. I felt like crap that day due to some bug that is going around, but I was determined to do it and finish it under 3 hours. I finished it under 3 hours. I would have liked to have been quicker, but at least I did it. It was fun to see the runners and marathon walkers, people of all ages. The participants definitely support each other. When I would run by a person, we would chat for a bit and then move on. I stayed with this little old man who was 73 years old for about a 1/4 of a mile. He told me he was doing the marathon in 3 weeks. I thought that was awesome. I hope I am doing 1/2 and full marathons when I am in my 70's. It was great to see the people cheering us on at every mile stop as well. And the people waiting at the finish line were great too. It was funny when I hit the finish line, I was a bit tired, but happy. Then I suddenly thought "oh crap, if this was the marathon, I would only be halfway done, yikes!". I am going 21 miles this Saturday in prep for the marathon. It is crazy, it is just around the corner. Also, there were several of us who were going to do the marathon and now only two are doing it, me and my friend Mollie. Wish us luck!

In the world of food. My favorite segment of my blog besides Arthur pictures of course. I did some baking this week. I made up a recipe for raspberry lime muffins. I had one this morning, delcious. I am sharing the recipe as well. Hope you enjoy it.

Raspberry Lime Muffins

2c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
zest of 1 lime
3/4c turbinado sugar
1c soy milk
1/3 c canola oil
2 1/2 tbs lime juice
1 tbs white vinegar
1c raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease muffin tin. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and lime zest. In a medium bowl combine sugar, soy milk, oil, lime juice, and vinegar. Mix well. Add to flour mixture. Stir until just blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 minutes or until toothepick inserted into muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12 muffins.
The finished product.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake(TJoVB) Arthur liked this alot.

Almond Quinoa Muffins w/Blueberries(Veganomicon) Very healthy.


For dinner...
Potato Kale Enchiladas w/Roasted Chili Sauce(veganomicon) Awesome!

Thai Coconut Corn Chowder(vivelevegan) Such goodness in our bellies.

Homemade Spring Rolls to go with the Thai Chowder


Well I am off to marinate some seitan for a recipe I got from VeganDad. Hope you have a great week and weekend as well. Please stay healthy. Strep throat is going around. Yuck!

peas and love....

Tomorrow, Sunday is the half-marathon. I am excited and annoyed at the same time. Annoyed because our whole house is sick. Snotty noses, scratchy throats, ear pain, the whole nine yards. And of course right before my race. Go figure. I am trying to take some medicine in hopes that i feel better before tomorrow. Cross your fingers. Two friends are running the race as well. So if I feel good, I will run with the fast one and if I feel crappy, I will run with the slow one. The one highlight about tomorrow is we are eating at Casa De Luz afterwards. The best vegan and marcrobiotic restaurant around. They have an awesome brunch.

Well this post is a big food post. I love to cook and made some wonderful dishes this week. Enjoy the pictures and please wipe the drool off of your chin. Hee hee.
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes (TGoV) I woke up one morning last week and decided Arthur and I needed pancakes for breakfast. Yummy!

Jelly Donut Cupcakes (Veganomicon)

Giant Scones for Breakfast. Yum!

Homemade Seitan (TGoV) It beats store bought any day.

Tempeh Wingz (donteatoffthesidewalk) with roasted potatoes. Seriously delicious. It was one of those meals, Josh said he was sad it was over. It should be in the weekly rotation of meals.

Sesame Tofu. Darn good!

Cholent (veganomicon), a very hearty Jewish Stew.

Coriander Bread (TGoV) Subtle and sweet.

Hot N' Spicy Rice Noodles w/Oyster Mushrooms (TGoV) We are officially addicted to oyster mushrooms. This dish was excellent.

PB chocolate chip cookies, If I eat a whole bunch of these tonite is that considered carb-loading before a race? Ha ha, just kidding.


Last but not least, a picture of my sweet little man. Isn't he the cutest?!


Well I am off to rest and get ready for bed. Wish me luck tomorrow. I will post my race update next week. Have a great weekend.

peas and love....

I finally got some new running shoes. Yippee! I tested them out on Saturday, just 4 miles and then yesterday, I went 15.13 miles. I wanted to go further but it got dark out, so I had to stop and my feet were thanking me. It kind of sucks because once I hit the 16 mile mark, my feet start to quit on me. They get really sore. I don't need this because the marathon stops at 26.2 miles not 16. Ugh. But my shoes are cool. They are the Nike Air Zoom Elite +4. They feel great and I am hoping they take me through the marathon. I am determined to complete that damn marathon even if I end up walking half the bastard. Sorry for the language. By the way, the half marathon is this Sunday. I am excited because it is mostly downhill and we are going to eat brunch afterwards at Casa De Luz. It is so good there. The food is all macrobiotic and delicious.
My new shoes, well one of them anyway.


We took Arthur to the Childrens Museum Saturday night. They had a new display called "Play It by Ear Music". It was really cool. They had all these neat instruments and crafts for the kids. We made a shaker out of cardboard and beans and a drum out of a Tinker Toy canister. It was fun. Arthur loves anything musical, so he had a blast.
Arthur playing with the xylophone.

Arthur and Josh playing on the big drum.

Arthur playing the piano.

Me and my little guy.


Now to everyone's favorite part of my LJ entries. The food. Get ready for the "ooohs and ahhhhs". Ha ha. This week in food:
Cherry Almond Muffins (VwaV) Arthur liked these alot! Not the best picture, but darn good.

Algerian Chili (meatoutmondays) and homemade cornbread

Oyster Mushroom Saute(TGoV) So delicious. We had never had oyster mushrooms, they are terrific.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast!

Brownies with Mint Chocolate Icing (TGoV)

Molasses Cookies that Josh made for us. Yummy! Nothing beats coming back from a long run and the house smelling like baked goodness.

Tonite we had some homemade curried cauliflower soup with foccacia bread. We had a whole bunch of cauliflower from Nana Donna's garden. It was rainy and cold out, so what better time than to make soup and bread. I made up the recipe, so if any of you are interested, send me a message and I will gladly share it with you. It makes alot, freezes well and tastes great!
Curried Cauliflower Soup

Foccacia bread, freshly sliced from the oven.


Have a great week. Stay warm.

peas and love....

Well, my half marathon is 10 days away. I am stoked about it. I am looking forward to it and feel I am ready. The full marathon, now that is another story. Just the thought makes my stomach turn. Ugh. I am going for 18-21 miles this Friday. It is supposed to be cold that morning, but oh well. I'm doing it. Josh will obviously be hanging out with the little man. While they are warm and snuggled in bed, I will be out with the crazy people who run.

Speaking of cold. It is supposed to get super cold tonite, well cold in our terms. A low of 29 and a high of just 45 during the day. So, right now I have some Algerian Chili cooking in the crockpot for dinner tomorrow night. The recipe called for 15 cloves of garlic. Yes, 15. That was not a typo. It smells so good right now cooking. We are going to eat it with some cornbread. Yum! Here is some of the cooking goodness I made in the past few days.

Homemade Gravy, good gravy!


Chickpea Cutlets (Veganomicon) w/mashed potatoes, gravy & mixed veggies. These are the best, cold hot, on sandwiches, smothered in gravy, whatever!


Lower fat Chocolate Bundt Cake (Veganomicon), does not taste low fat at all. Delicious!


For one of the meals I made Chili Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu (Veganomicon) with Southwestern Corn Pudding (Veganomicon) and steamed kale. It was like Chicken Fried Tofu, but no animals were involved. :)


Pumpkin Saag(Veganomicon) w/basmati rice. It was really good. I had never had pumpkin in a curry and am glad I tried it.



For dinner tonite we had Cashew Ginger Tofu(vivelevegan) with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. So tastey, even Arthur liked it.


I am going to make some Cherry Almond Muffins now for breakfast tomorrow. It is from the book "Vegan with a Vengeance". If you haven't bought this book or "Veganomicon". I highly recommend them.

So, last night there was a work party. It was from 6-9 at this fancy restaurant downtown. Free appetizers, all that was there for the herbivores was chips, salsa and guacamole, while the omnivores dined on bacon wrapped shrimp, sweet potato puffs with chorizo on top, chicken tenders, etc. There was a paid bar, but I didn't drink. A: because I had to pick Arthur up from Nana Donna's in a few hours and I would never drive with any amount of alcohol no matter how little or big in my system with my child. B: I'm training for a marathon. C: I'm not a big drinker and D: Getting drunk with your bosses is weird. Though they seemed to no problem getting sloshed. I dressed up, well because my clothing attire lately is workout clothes or scrubs for work. Well that kind of backfired, in a good and bad way. People were staring and making comments like "damn, you look really hot." or "I knew you had a great figure, but geez". This one lady refused to believe I had a baby over a year ago and that I was 37. And apparently my eyes were on my chest because they just kept staring at my name tag which was on my chest. Funny thing, they all know my name. It was quite humorous to me because as much as they drank, they won't remember and were probably feeling the wrath of the alcohol this morning while getting ready for work. It is amazing how wasted people can get in just a few hours.

Me and my little man before the work party.


Arthur is doing so much more lately, he signs "please" now. He also throws fits when he doesn't get his way, which makes me laugh. He is the best. He loves to chase the pups and play with them and bark at the dogs on the trail. He is the best.

Our little man making a silly face in some Halloween glasses.


Well, it is time for the little man's bath. By the way, I am getting my new running shoes tomorrow. Yippee! Have a great night, stay warm. Happy Birthday to my little BIG brother Jas. I love you.

peas and love....

It's been a few days since my last post, 4 to be exact. Let's see what has been going on. Cooking as usual. One of my favorite things to do. I will post pictures for you to see the loveliness of it all.

Arthur is talking more and getting into EVERYTHING now. He knows another sign as well. The other day he signed "please" and then he said it, well it sounds more like "bease". It is cute all the same and a very nice word to know. He also gives lots of kisses which is the best. And he dances to music and for all of you metal heads, he bangs his head. Yeah!

So, I went for 16 miles this past Saturday. 16.22 to be exact. The first 11 miles were great. The last 5 sucked ass. Seriously! I came prepared. I had my MP3 player and my hydration belt as not to get dehydrated. It was a sunny day, around 77-80 degrees out. I started out smooth sailing going my usual route. No big deal. Josh and Arthur met me for the last suck ass 5 miles. My problem was my feet. It was horrible. I felt as though I was running on glass. My feet hurt so bad. I didn't want to give up, but geez. When I was done, my feet were bruised. I would have done better running barefoot. I think it is time to buy some new sneakers and retire the SOB shoes I have now. I soaked my feet when I got home and pretty much did nothing the rest of the day. It felt good the run, just my feet killing me was making me feel really discouraged. I think it is the shoes though, because I did 7 miles today and my feet hurt. I actually got a small sunburn from my run, but it tanned and freckled. By the way, the half marathon is 18 days away. I am excited about it.

Hair today, gone tomorrow. I got my haircut on Monday. A short pixie cut. It looks good. I have had that style before and have gotten alot of compliments on it. The black is all gone and my true auburn shows now. Though my hair doesn't seem to be as red as it used to. I think having cancer a few years ago caused it to get even more baby fine and change color. Stupid cancer. Oh well, what can you do. It is better to be healthy and alive than concern myself with hair.

I did some cooking this week. Jealous? You should be. Ha ha. Just kidding.
Blueberry Coffee Cake, not the best picture, but darn tastey. (from the Joy of Vegan Baking)


Mocha Chip Muffins, chocolate for breakfast. Yeah! (from VWAV)


Apple Pie, Josh made this one. He decided to surprise the chef, me. :)


Lentil Mushroom Stroganoff


Cauliflower & Mushroom Pot Pie w/ Black Olive Crust (from Veganomicon)


This past Monday, Josh was off work, so we went to the Children's Museum. It is such a great place and Arthur loves it. We are members. Which is cool because we get a sneak preview of one of the new exhibits coming up. It is called "Play It by Ear". It is about music and musical instruments. That is definitely something we wille enjoy.

Pictures from the museum.




Well it is time to give the little guy his dinner. Have a great week.

peas and love....

Yep, I am doing 16 miles tomorrow. Well actually 16.22 miles tomorrow morning. The half marathon is just 23 days away and the full marathon will be here before I know it. I didn't train at all this week due to the weather being cold and Arthur having a cold. If it was just me on the trail, it would be no bother, but you can't take a 16 month old out in 30 and 40 degree weather especially if he has a cold. So tomorrow is 16 miles no matter what.

I have been cooking some good recipes lately. I made some Oatmeal Cinnamon Scones for breakfast. It was like eating a healthy oatmeal cookie. Arthur liked them as well. I also made a Tamale Pie which was the bomb. I got is from Lets Get Baked w/Mat & Dave. I served it with some fresh guacamole and salsa. And the leftovers were pretty damn good as well. Tonite I made some Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)from Vegetarian Times Magazine. It turned out really good. It was warm and very tastey. This weekend I am giving some new recipes from Veganomion a test run. I will share the results later.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Scones


Tamale Pie w/fresh guacamole on top.


Pho, and it doesn't have nasty beef broth in it like the restaraunts serve.


So our car had been acting up for the past few days lately. As if it did not want to start. I was an the grocery store yesterday and of course it decided not to start. The car is an '06 with only 20k miles on it. Fortunately I was right by Josh's work. Nana Donna was there too, so she gave us a jump. Josh took it to the dealer this morning and they replaced the battery. I think it is odd, the battery already crapped out. Thank goodness we have a 100k warranty. I missed coffee with a few friends due to the car incident and I know they were a bit pissy about. That's too bad. If it was just me and Josh then I wouldn't be so concerned, but with Arthur in the picture. Having a car that runs is priority. So, they will have to get over it.

We are selling Arthur's crib this weekend. He never used it. He didn't like it. We do attachment parenting and he sleeps with us. We figured that if we were blessed with a sibling for Arthur, then that baby can sleep in a bassinet or co-sleeper and by the time it sleeps with us, we will either have a king-size bed or Arthur will be sleeping in his big boy bed. I feel rather safe with Arthur next to me. After his bout with pneumonia last summer, I would have been up twenty times checking on him and this way, I can roll over and see that he is just fine. Plus he sleeps better and when he dreams and I can hear him giggling in his sleep. It makes my heart melt. Ahh, children, they definitely make you suckers.

Today is my friend's son's birthday. He is turning 1. Happy Birthday August! Now starts the exploring and talking even more and getting into EVERYTHING. So, look out. Speaking of kids. Arthur turned 16 months old yesterday and has started walking up to me or Josh or even the dogs with his lips puckered and that means he wants to give you a kiss. It is really cute. I just hope he gets a kiss from the dogs before they decide to like their butts. Gross! At least he doesn't try to drink out of their water bowls anymore. He realized it is for them. So, now he carries the bowls over to them and just giggles when they drink out of it. My silly little man.

Well, I am going to close for now. I think me and the family are going to sit down and watch Spiderman 3. Have a great weekend.

peas and love....
Krys

Me and Maggie Not the most flattering picture, hey, it was bedtime.


Maggie wearing Arthur's winter hat.


Blueberry face. Arthur loves fruit!


Such a sweet little man.

Well, it is 2008. No partying in the Kagan house. Having a 15 month old, we were all in bed by 11:15. Poor Trudy was disturbed by the fireworks being shot off until almost 4am. Ridiculous seeing that it is legal in the city and it has been so dry here that it is a serious fire hazzard. Plus the city had a nice, safe firework display going on earlier in the evening. Oh well, what can you do.

2007 was a good year, Arthur turned 1. He is such a big boy. We had some highs and lows for the year. This past Christmas was our first without Dexter. We said goodbye to him last May. And our second Christmas without our Daisy girl. God I miss those dogs. They set the standard for dogs. They were pitbulls and were the best dogs anyone could ever have. I am looking forward to 2008 being great and very prosperous for us.

Arthur turning 1.


My sweet Dexter. We love and miss you.


Our sweet little princess, Daisy. We love and miss you sweetheart.


I am starting my new years resolution as soon as I enter this journal. That is, running. I plan to run 5 days a week, plus add mileage. The half marathon is on the 27th of this month and the full marathon is on the the 17th of next month. Crazy. I am excited about the hm, I have already done 14 miles, so I know I can do it. The full is another story. I am kind of nervous, but hey, I'm already signed up, so there.

There was some cooking in the house as usual. I tried the Leek and Bean Cassoulet from Veganomicon. It was really good. Hearty, filling and made alot.
The leek and other veggies sauteeing. Such a lovely color.


The cassoulet before it went into the oven.


Fresh from the oven, look at the baked biscuits on top. Yummy!


Some tastey blueberry scones I made for breakfast.


Mint chocolate chip cookies for Matt.


Speaking of Matt, he came to town over the weekend. I made him some cookies and peanut butter fudge. I only got to see him Sunday morning, but that is better than nothing. He is such a nice person and a good friend, I am glad to know him. He went back to Seattle. Josh and I keep saying we need to visit Seattle, we have a friend who lives in Portland, Oregon, so it would be cool to hit WA and OR in one trip. Maybe I'll run a marathon there one of these days.

Yesterday, I was a crafy biatch. I love to sew and do Sublime embroidery. I put my sewing skills to use yesterday. Arthur wears cloth diapers and I made him four really nice and soft cloth diapers. They have organic cotton in the center for extra absortion and the fabric was cute too. Two diapers were dark blue with polka dots, the other was a dinosaurs and then a white one. They are much nicer than the ones we have bought. I plan to make him a couple every week. They are so much better than paper and we can use them over and over and for a possible brother or sister for Arthur if one comes along.

Today is going to be a slacker day for us with the exception of running 7 miles. One of my favorite comedies is on today. I like it because it is stupid and funny. The movie "Zoolander" comes on in a few hours. Yeah! I used to model and it makes me laugh seeing how dumb the male models are because some are really that dumb, seriously. "A model idiot?"

Gotta run, really. Hope you all have a wonderful, safe and very happy new year.

peas and love....
Krys

A picture of my two handsome guys. As you can see in the background, all my sewing junk.


Silly Maggie wrapped up in her favorite blanket. Her eyes look crazy.

So, tomorrow morning I am going to wake up early and run. It sucks because it will be 32 degrees then. Ugh. Josh said he thinks mother nature has it out for me because the past few weekends I have gone on my long runs 14+ miles, it has either been cold or 40mph wind gusts. I gotta do it though, the half marathon is less than a month away now and the full marathon is 49 days away. I am getting new running shoes in about a week or so and I am super stoked. Most of you reading this might think "big deal", who cares, but my running friends who read this totally know what I am talking about.

I made the red lentil cauliflower curry in Veganomicon. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was really good. I am making the leek cassoulet tomorrow night from the book. I will let you know how it turns out.


Special request breakfast for Josh and Arthur. Josh wanted donuts with toasted coconut on top. I made coconut, chocolate w/sprinkles and pink icing a la Homer Simpson style.


Our friend Matt is in town for the weekend. We are going to have breakfast with him on Sunday. I wish we could see him sooner, but such is life with a little one. I am going to make him my famous peanut butter fudge that fools all the carnivores in my life and some mint chocolate chip cookies. I would share the pb fudge recipe, but if I told you,then I would have to kill you. Hee hee.

Josh is off until Wednesday. Yippee! That will be fun. We plan to take Arthur to the park to ride the train and to the Children's Museum. I don't know what we are doing for New Year's Eve yet. I know that day we are going to a parade and see the fireworks, but other than that, who knows. It depends on our little man.

I got Josh the movie "Superbad" for Christmas. It was pretty damn funny. It had the same humor as "40-year old Virgin" and "Knocked Up", probably because it was by the same directors. I am going to get him the Simpsons movie next.

Well I gotta run. Have a great weekend.

peas and love....

Arthur playing on his rocking horse.


Enjoying his radio flyer wagon.


Josh and Arthur playing with Arthur's Christmas present, a musical instrument set.

Christmas was good. It looks like our living room has thrown up Toys R Us. Arthur hit the jackpot. He got a rocking horse from my parents. He got a radio flyer big wagon from his Nana Donna and a million other things. We saw my parents and had a vegetarian feast which was pretty cool. We swung by my grandma's on the way home. We decided to at the last minute. That was a pain because my aunt and uncle and cousins were there. I like my uncle and cousins, my aunt on the other hand seems to dislike us for some unknown reason. She saw the back of Arthur's diaper and asked us if it was a tattoo. Are you serious? Just because we have tattoos, we would not tattoo our son and plus there are laws against it as well. Dumbass. Then she asks if he is potty-trained yet? And we said "no", she kind of just looked at us as if we were unfit parents. According to his pediatrician, he doesn't worry about children starting to potty-train until they are 2 years of age. Oh, wait I forgot, she knows everything. Whatever. She sucks. She is rude, doesn't speak to Josh at all and then chats on her cell phone when people are over. What happened to family time over the holiday? Like I said, she sucks.

Arthur is getting so big. He is talking more and dances when he hears a song he likes and if you ask him what the puppy dogs says he says "ruff ruff". Too cute. He is definitely in his "stranger danger" phase. When he went to the doctor, he freaked out. The doc said it is not uncommon. Poor guy.

My little guy already doing tricks on a skateboard at 15 months old!








Pad Thai from Veganomicon. Very good. As good as a restaruants or better! I will be testing some more recipes from it this week. I will share how they turn out in future posts.


Well, do you have any new years resolutions? I have a few.
1. Complete a half marathon and marathon.
2. Run 5 days a week.
3. Save $$$ (I think everyone has this one)
4. Teach Arthur more sign language and spanish.
That is all I have for now.

Oh, I got the MP3 player I wanted for Christmas or as my friend calls it "frivilous and consumerist technology". I hope he gets one soon too. So, he can get down to a 4 minute mile. I will be that fast one day. Ha ha. NOT! We also got a printer/scanner/copier/photo printer from Nana Donna. It is freakin' awesome. I already printed out some awesome pictures of the little man. And one of our good friend's, Ross, came down from Colorado and we got to have dinner with him, Arthur's Godfather and his brother. It was fun. We hadn't seen Ross since Arthur was a two months old. We miss the hippie.

Alright, I gotta go now. Arthur is signing he wants a snack. Have a great week.

peas and love....

Maggie giving Arthur a kiss.


Cutest double chin ever.


Goofing around with Arthur. (Hey, you can see up my nose!)


Last but not least, vegetarian/vegan peer pressure. The Survey...

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

Silk Soy

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

1 - African Rolls

2 - Vegan Pesto Pizza

3 - Vietnamese Pho

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

sea salt

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

Tofu Saag Paneer, it tasted like ass and smelled like it too

5. Favorite pickled item?

Okra

6. How do you organize your recipes?

In a binder

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

compost

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

chickpeas, tofu, leafy green of some sort

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

PB sandwiches my Memaw would make for me.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

Strawberry

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?

Food processor

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

garlic

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Vegan with a Vengeance

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

raspberry

15. Favorite ecipe to serve to an omni friend?

African Rolls


16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

tofu


17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

dinner

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

tea pot, tea, animal shaped cream holders


19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

flax seeds, chocolate chips, pecans


20. What’s on your grocery list?

balsamic vinagrette, tamari, black tea, soy margarine


21. Favorite grocery store?

Wheatsville Co-op


22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Caldo, it is a spicey Mexican soup


23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?

Fat Free Vegan
Vegan Dad
Scottish Vegan

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Endangered species chocolate


25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

vital wheat gluten flour

26. How did you get so pretty?

from God