Packed Weekend

Whoa, Monday again already? This weekend was kind of a busy whirlwind in a good way, but whew! Saturday I left the house early and drove for about an hour to meet my sister for her son’s baseball game because I wanted to make at least one of his games before the season was over. The game was adorable, it was cute watching 6-year-olds eagerly play, or attempt to play, baseball and funny at times. But it was 2 1/2 hours long as they switched innings and coaches assisted in pitching which was cute, but maybe a wee bit too long. My 6-year-old self wouldn’t have had the patience to make it through!

It ended at lunch time and we were starved! My sister is lucky enough to have a Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine near her, so we headed over for lunch. Can you believe it’s the first time I’ve been to one? Naturally I was eagerly taking pictures of the decor and appreciated the inspirational vegan messages painted on the walls and the peacefully calm atmosphere.

The menu is inspired by Indian, Thai, American, Chinese, Mexican… well it’s a party of fusion and everything looked great. I have to be careful in an all vegan restaurant since I’m not used to having so many tempting vegan options and wanted to order a few items. Since I knew we’d go back soon, I went with the Lemongrass Tofu dish while my sister ordered the Pad Thai.

The Lemongrass Tofu was delicious with a tangy and bright lemony flavor and nice texture on the tofu. I liked that it was on the lighter side paired with just veggies, but still very filling and hearty. And the Pad Thai had a nicely daring level of spice! Can’t complain about the low prices and fast service either!

After we spent most of the afternoon having girl shopping time, then I played with her son who’s an endless source of energy. I couldn’t wear him out after baseball, skateboarding, volleyball, and running. But I was starting to feel worn out after the long day! We could possibly solve the world’s energy crisis if we could just tap into the non-stop energy of kids!

Yesterday my mother and I took my other sister out for lunch and shopping for her birthday, so I’m think I’m good on eating out for awhile! We headed to Mikuni Sushi for lunch where I grabbed one of my favorite vegan sushi rolls – The Rabbit.

It’s not like your typical plain avocado or cucumber vegan roll, it’s packed with greens, avocado, fried soy wrap for a little crunchy texture, asparagus, and wrapped in a soy bean wrap instead for nori for a unique texture.

Besides my usual salads and smoothies, I did do a little cooking at home this weekend like this curry tofu stir fry I had for dinner last night with carrots, onion, and baby bok choy.

I simmered it in water in the wok instead of using oil and it still came out great.

Since I played all weekend and didn’t get to the grocery store, things are getting a little low here in the fresh produce department and it will have to wait until later this week. Good excuse to use up my stock pile of frozen kale and fruit in the freezer and do a little pantry clean out.

Luckily I still have plenty of popcorn in the pantry, I love loading up on the organic bulk popcorn in the Whole Foods bulk foods bins because it’s not pricey and lasts awhile. If have this Poplite Hot Air popcorn popper which I love for making quick and healthy light popcorn seasoned with a light oil and/or tamari spritz. But sometimes it’s not quick enough, especially on a rushed weeknight. Lately I’ve been popping batches on the weekend, tossing it with a little coconut oil and salt in a large bowl, and storing in these OXO Good Grips POP containers in the pantry.

The air tight lid will keep the popcorn fresh for weeks and makes for an easy grab, cheap, light snack. Much cheaper than microwave popcorn and bagged snack popcorn. And better without the preservative  chemicals.