Birthday Fun for the Weekend List

It’s official, I’m 40. And not bothered by it. I am a little about going back to the grind tomorrow after 4 fabulously fun days of celebrating. I took Thursday and Friday off just to have a long weekend to play. It started Wednesday night with hubby making this great green curry veggie dish for dinner.

Thursday I had a leisurely morning relaxing with these two before heading to the gym, then to the California State Fair for the day.

After working out then walking the rest of the day in the heat, I was wiped and kept dinner a simple potato and kale saute.

Friday I woke up to a sweet surprise from hubby.

And he set up this awesome curtain rod in our home gym for my collection of race medals!

I’m such a lucky girl. :-) We also went to Zest Kitchen for lunch for the lentil and rice savory garden globes plate.

Eggplant panini with avocado.

And the mint chocolate chip cashew “cheesecake”.

Oh my, this was wonderful – I have such a soft spot for mint chocolate.

Dinner was also amazing, hubby took me to The Porch where we ordered all the vegan items on the menu starting with the watermelon salad with basil and tofu “feta”.

Cajun fried beets.

And spicy fried cauliflower with mashed potatoes and chard.

Dessert was almost too pretty to eat! A walnut brownie with chocolate chunks, plum sorbet, edible flowers, fruit, and fresh rosemary which was surprisingly delicious with sweet chocolate.

Saturday morning hubby continued the fun surprising me with a paddle board lesson, something I’ve been wanting to try but have never gotten around to it. The beginner class was perfect covering the basics before even getting to the water. And I did better than I thought I would and never fell off the board!

There was one close call while I was turning into a boat wake on the river. And the instructor had us switch boards with a partner on the water while hopefully not falling off and hubby and I successfully pulled that off. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can see myself doing it more because it can be either a relaxing cruise over the water or more of an intense workout. The class was 90 minutes long and I could have stayed out for another hour or so exploring the river.

We were home by lunch time, so I prepared a simple cabbage salad with hummus dressing after so much rich eating the day before.

And simple pesto roasted potato chunks and steamed broccoli using Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce for a dip.

The sauce is tasty, though not as creamy and a little tangier that traditional alfredo sauce. But still delicious as a dip.

Today I stepped out for lunch and shopping with my mom, sisters, and friends for the final birthday celebration. We went to Cheesecake Factory were I’ve been looking forward to trying the Vegan Cobb Salad they added to the menu because it’s a super huge and hearty salad.

It packed quinoa, farro, beets, chickpeas, avocado, sunflower seeds, and the perfect amount of light dressing that added flavor without being too greasy or overpowering. It’s not bad and a solid option for vegans I think. By the end of our shopping trip, I was feeling spent after so many days of fun and running around in the heat, so it’s nice to be relaxing at home now catching up on laundry to get back to work and reality tomorrow. But first the list:

Any diet consisting of more processed foods is not healthy.

Best vegan BBQ products?

Tesla becomes more vegan friendly.

Fun interview with vegan James Cromwell.

Crazy enough to run this race?

Jackson mayor goes vegan to encourage healthier eating.

Cheap and easy vegan recipes.

Or high end vegan dining in NYC.

This is a pretty great vegan story.

NFL Player Trent Williams is a vegan.

Finally, here’s a comfort recipe that health nuts should never eat.