Chicago at a Glance

I decided to take the boys to Chicago on a whim and invited my Mom to come along as well. She is so amazing and helpful and positive and the kids adore her, so it was a no-brainer. Chicago is one of my favorite cities to visit, hands down, because it is so family friendly. The food is plentiful for a vegan as well, and each time we go we find a new amazing spot. This time it was the ice cream parlor "Icream" which flash freezes your ice cream (made with soy milk or cows milk) on the spot.  I've never seen anything like it! They used a special machine that smoked and spun and it felt like we were in a time machine and best of all the kids loved it. This vacation was for them for sure ;) The first night we got there we walked to the beach from our hotel. It was small but so cute. That's my Mom below swinging Toby with the beautiful skyline in the background.

The food is one of the main reasons we come here. In Cincinnati, it's not hard to eat vegan when you go out but there definitely isn't a plethora of options like there is here. The Chicago Diner is a must to visit when you are veg. It is the self proclaimed "veggie paradise" where they can make 100% of their dishes vegan. Karyn's restaurants are a favorite also. They cater to the lighter vegan and raw vegan pallet and completely come through on flavor. 

bi bim bap from Loving Hut

butter pecan soymilk ice cream with chocolate chips and pecans from Icream

We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I know this is a controversial outing for a vegan and there is a ton of judgement about whether we "should" support them or not. I decided to go because i wanted to see the giraffes and the kids have always asked me about it and i was curious to see their reaction without putting any pressure on them. It was a long hot day but we were adventurous and took the bus, which was a first for the kids and everyone came home with souvenirs. 

They watched this guy swim around for about 20 minutes and were saddened but amazed. 

J measuring to see if he is taller than a polar bear.

Toby finally fell asleep with his fingers clenched like a baby.


Our hotel was just a few blocks from Navy Pier which is pretty touristy but they have a gorgeous ferris wheel and some old fashioned carnival rides. We loved being able to walk or take the bus to almost everywhere we went. Millennium park was just about a mile away and it has the most amazing art installation I have ever seen. You have to go at night to the fountain and witness it yourself :) Everytime we come to Chicago, Elijah asks me "What if I could live here when I grow up?". I think we all have a crush on this city...if that's even possible :)

the bigger boys enjoying the flying swings

toby taking a turn at putt putt golf

a moment captured with all three of them

we walked for miles and miles and loved every step <3

a Bike Trip into town

We live in a small river town outside of Cincinnati. It really is a dream come true for us. There is a deep forest behind our house, three large parks with trails and playgrounds within walking distance and a ton of activities/shopping within biking distance. We have the candy shop, kroger's, multiple art studios, restaurants galore (a few who are very vegan friendly), a consignment store and Goodwill, starbucks, a farmer's market, canoeing, over 70 miles of paved bike trails...and much much more. It's wonderful for a growing family who loves old trees and friendly neighbors. Tonight was just such a perfect evening. The weather has finally cooled off and we all had a lot of energy so we decided to take the 2 1/2 mile journey to the small downtown area and see what was happening on a Friday night. We found several live outdoor musicians. The main square was bustling with patrons and bikers. We also made a stop to the candy store to get a couple of real lemon slushies, then took a quick bike ride down the trail and along the river to see the most beautiful sunset. On the trip back, my tire popped and I was reminded that life is not about what happens to you, but how you just roll with it and see the opportunities that are within every situation. I got to spend a giggly extra 20 minutes under the stars with my boys outside the small vintage Whippy Dip while we waited for Aaron to go get the car from home. I am filled with curiosity and truly love living life on the cusp of adventure. These may be small town adventures today, but hopefully we are setting our boys up to have no fear of the world or of meeting new people and to make a difference wherever they are. xoxo

                                           the town candy store

                                           cacao nibs, organic cane sugar, fresh vanilla bean

                                                        be still my heart

                                           filled with joy and laughter

                                                     follow the leader on the Loveland Bike Trail

                                                     the most perfect nightcap

Peanut Butter Pie

My husband recently turned 34 and I made him the most delicious peanut butter pie. He goes crazy at Christmas time when we make homemade buckeyes so I thought this would satisfy his craving and be a huge hit. It was pretty darn good..fatty (like all of the best desserts) but it hit the spot in the most perfect way. Aaron did comment though that he would have liked it better with a graham crust instead of cookie...so there's an idea for you! I pretty much followed this recipe spot on except for adding some of my homemade ground up coconut flakes into the peanut butter filling just to make it a bit thicker and to add more coconut flavor. Please check this awesome vegan blog for the recipe and other delicious ideas! http://www.namelymarly.com/2011/10/chocolate-peanut-butter-pie/

Happy Eating!

Coconut and Red Lentil Soup

Things have been busy around here and we've been traveling a bit so there haven't been too many creations in the kitchen. Tonight though I had to dig deep in the cupboards and get back to basics because we haven't been to the grocery in a while. Enter Coconut and Red Lentil Soup. There is something about red lentils that is just so comforting to me. The flavor is reminiscent of the chicken soup of my youth and every time I use them the dish just turns out delicious. And then coconut...if you know me at all you know that I have an obsession with coconut. IF I ever do a cook book it will be loaded with things to make with coconut products. I just love them that much.

Ingredients:
6-8 cups water or veggie stock (depends on how thick you like your soup...red lentils expand a lot!)
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
5 potatoes peeled and chopped
10 baby carrots chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk (canned)
lots of sea salt
pepper
TBSP of curry or garam masala
coconut flakes to garnish if you like

How To:
Just boil the water and add all of the ingredients at the same time. Let the soup simmer for at least 20 minutes and then serve pipping hot with brown rice or fresh bread.

The spoon pictured is a cedar spoon from Russia. It is amazing to eat with wooden utensils....especially when you are eating hot soup. The wood naturally cools it to a comfortable temperature just like magic. http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/articles/story-behind-cedar-spoon.php
Hope you enjoy this sweet simple meal!
xoxo

Snippets from our weekend~

The Bigger Boys enjoying dinner out~

A mini helper in the garden~

We had a birthday party too~

The weather has been so nice...picnic time!

They are such a big help around the house~

Daddy took them on a strange adventure~

Growing so big and strong~

Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

xoxo

No Bake Chocolate Macaroons~

 These are one of my most favorite "raw" desserts I've ever made. If you like coconut then you will love these little guys ;) After you dehydrate them, they will be crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, the most perfect combo.....they are almost gone in my house and it hasn't even been 24 hours since I've made them!

Raw Chocolate Macaroons
2 cups unsweetened organic coconut shreds
1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut butter/oil
a sprinkle of sea salt
that's all!

Mix all ingredients with a large spoon and then form into 1 inch balls with your fingers and dehydrate for 5-10 hours or put in fridge and eat them chilled w/o dehydrating. Either way is so delicious and I've even been thinking this recipe would be a delicious crust for a raw pudding or fruit pie. mmmmmmm.....

The homemade coconut butter made from dried coconut shreds and the Vitamix blender.

                                            

Dehydrated at 105 degrees F in the Excalibur

The finished product! This recipe made exactly 25 macaroons so adjust the recipe to make more for sure :) Also, if chocolate is not your thing, you can make them "blonde" by replacing the cocoa powder with almond flour and it's just as delicious~ In joy.

Beefless Stew so good it will make your toes curl~

Wow, today was an intense day! My iphone died and i ended up losing 1000+ pictures and videos from the past six months that were not retrievable....huge bummer. But now I have learned to back them up and that will never happen again...fingers crossed~ I got a new phone just in time though so I could take some lovely pictures of tonights dinner. We were busy and I had many intense conversations with fabulous women (Yay for Women's Day) but the highlight for the family was the dinner, of course :) I've been inspired by so much lately and I wanted to point out one blog in particular that is just so interesting to me: /http://bleubirdvintage.typepad.com/

The recipe below was inspired by one from this blog so I wanted to give credit where credit is due~

We rarely eat "meat and potatoes" dinners so this was a huge treat for all because of it's thick and chewy texture and deep flavor. 

Ingredients are as follows:

2 onions chopped

5 large carrots chopped

1 1/2 cups peas

olive oil

1/3 cup flour

1 pound Gardein brand beefless tips (vegan beef)

3 cups veggie broth

2 cloves garlic

5 bay leaves

6 large potatoes chopped

sea salt

pepper

 First you chop all of the veggies and then saute the carrots and onions for about 5 minutes in 3 TBS olive oil. Then add the vegan beef (it's delicious and filled with protein) and saute another five minutes or so until the "beef" is cooked through. Add the flour to soak up all of the oil. This is also what makes the stew so thick. Then, add the three cups of broth (or three cups water with two veggie bouillon cubes) and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. There is no need to cook any longer than this because everything will become tender and soft and full of flavor. Remember to add sea salt and pepper to your liking.
                                               
After the stew begins boiling, fry the potatoes in another 3 TBS of olive oil until they are browned on all sides. They should be done at the same time as the stew. Add the peas and cook several more minutes.

The potatoes look so good right?!

Serve the stew in a deep bowl and add the potatoes on top.

A close up of the Gardein brand beefless tips~ I think they are pretty great tasting for being meat-free~

And dinner was over in a shorter amount of time than it took to cook...story of my life ;) My husband even told me this was so good I need to save the recipe!! Full Bellies in the house~