Weekend List with Dessert Inpiration

Yesterday we had a fun taco family gathering at my sister’s house with plenty of vegan options starting with whipping up the Whole Fruit Margarita recipe in the Vitamix recipe book.

And I got brain freeze because it’s been awhile since I’ve had a frozen slushy drink!

There was also tortilla chips with fresh made avocado salsa, yum!

And dinner was a fun assemble your own taco bar with pressure cooked black beans for the vegan “meat” option and plenty of spicy salsa and peppers to layer on.

My sweet sister apologized for not having vegan sour cream and vegan cheese, but it didn’t need it and I preferred this whole veggie colorful taco plate instead.

Finally the adult dessert was simply watermelon which was okay.

It was early season watermelon that didn’t have a ton of flavor, but I’m thankful it’s showing up in grocery stores and looking forward to eating a lot more over the summer!

The kids got these horrible looking cupcakes with neon colored icing for dessert that I wondered if and how those kind of foods ever appealed to me as a kid. It inspired me to focus on more healthy dessert options this summer, fun foods that also offer a lot more nutritional value. Treats and desserts are great in moderation, but they can be so much better and probably very important to expose kids to these kinds of recipes earlier to associate them with fun and celebration. Desserts like chocolate cherry banana soft serve.

Chocolate Brownie Balls

Spiced Fudge Balls

Orange Sherbet

Watermelon Sorbet

And Mint Chocolate Energy Balls

The dessert ball recipes are always a hit with kids at parties, they can grab them and go without being too messy. And they’re super easy to whip up in a food processor!

I plan to focus on more healthy fun recipes for kids and adults this summer for parties and summer events. And Forks Over Knives has a list of 22 healthy foods to stock your fridge with.

How about 7 cheap ways to boost brain power?

LifeHacker has 10 foods that are healthier raw, onions are a tricky one for me.

Penn Jillette on Penn and Teller made a huge positive health turnaround on a plant based diet.

Not that I was ever a fan of Domino’s, but I’m really not a fan now.

Padma Lakshmi has a good view on a balanced diet, but 100% plant based would be better!

And Whole Foods has this tasty recipe for oil-free balsamic dressing.

Boo on the weekend almost being over, but I have a vegan meetup today that I’m really looking forward too because it’s been too long since I’ve chatted and hung out with fellow vegans sharing ideas, funny stories, and even a little venting. Then a productive day planned at home of decluttering, laundry, and yard work. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!