Yums and nums

As planned, today was another mellow day. We actually DID the Sunday crossword (we are getting better at this!), video-ed the boys playing (Ted's volume was up a few notches all day and we couldn't figure out how to adjust it), had donuts, napped, and cooked. Lots of cooking. I wanted to try something different from our standard waffles and eggy bread, and Orange Poppy Seed Muffins from Vive! looked perfect. They are awesome. They use barley and oat flour and lots of other yummies like orange zest, flaxseeds and maple syrup. So good. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top for the boys (Mae and I love them the way they are). For dinner I thought Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew with Parsnip Fries from Veganomicon sounded delicious. I used our CSA Indian Woman beans instead of pintos, sweet potatoes instead of parsnips, and CSA onion and garlic, but felt some twinges of guilt when buying plantains from Mexico and tomatoes from California. Oh well. Can't win them all. This is the first time I've bought non-local produce since we started the Eat Local Challenge. We've had some non-local produce in our Fruit Box this winter (kiwi, oranges and bananas, mostly) but it felt weird to actually pick up the fruit, see where it came from, and still buy it. Luckily, while this was a good meal, it wasn't out of this world, so I probably won't make it again soon. I think it would be terrific for a pot luck, when vegan food like this would be a huge hit with a spice-loving crowd.

Tomorrow is no school for President's Day, so we are going to head up to the mountains to our friends' for a day of hiking, trampolining and hot-tubbing. Sam still isn't 100% but neither is their younger daughter (Evie is in Mae's class so those two will have a blast together), so we figure one of us can stay back during the hike portion if they are too tired. Tomorrow the only cooking that needs to happen is Ted's bread. We have leftovers from all week that should last us a while. It feels good to be back into cooking again. It's grounding, some how. And delicious.