Time flies

It's weird that I'm going to be 25 next week and I still never really feel like an adult...I can't compare to the other moms I see out and about. The moms with 400 dollar strollers and super clean calm kids, organized diaper bags and well put together outfits with awesome accessories. It's hard not to feel insignificant with amazing women like that all over the place. I look at me and Kjonaas, covered in whatever snack we just had, diaper bag and hair a mess and I just feel blown away.




I can't help but smile and be grateful though because I know that Kjonaas is living the life I would have wanted so badly at his age and the reason that we're covered in snacks is because he loves to hug and kiss even when he is covered in peanut butter. Our diaper bag is unorganized because I just can't bear to stop playing with him when we are having such a great time running through the park like there is no one else in the world around us.


A few weeks ago we were driving to the park with the windows down enjoying the breezy day and singing and dancing to the smiths and I had to stop and just breathe and smile because that moment was exactly what I imagined when he was nothing more than a tiny shrimpy guy living in my womb.

If I never look like one of those well put together moms with the perfectly behaved babies, I'm ok with that because I have him. Its hard to explain how I see him but it's as if he can't get enough of life...he always wants more time on the swings, more tofutti cuties, more hugs, more snuggles, more everything because he just loves it so much.

He is the kind of person everyone wants to be around because you just can't feel bad around him, his positive attitude rubs off on you and getting to be around him for the past (almost) two years has irrevocably changed me for the better.

vegan cheese reviews

1. Most awesome and amazing DAIYA vegan cheese. I tried this at Sticky Fingers in Washington DC and I actually cried while I was eating it. This stuff stretched, melted, and tasted EXACTLY like real honest to goodness cow puss cheese. It isn't soy based, which is interesting. Having daiya pretty much solidified the decision that the second I graduate from college (18 more months woohoo) we are moving to DC. Kjonaas strongly approved of this cheese and all of the baked goods he ate at sticky fingers.




2. Also amazing tofutti american cheese slices. These are mindblowingly realistic and taste fantastic on everything from tofurky sandwiches to boca burgers. Kjonaas eats them cold and loves them. I just ate a slice on a boca burger and it was heavenly. I am so mad at myself for not trying these sooner. I walked by them at Wheatsville (a store in Austin) several times and thought, naaah no way they must be gross. I think that all the years of eating follow your heart and dealing with the unrealistic taste of it broke my vegan cheese seeking spirit.

3. Teese vegan cheese. We ordered the nacho version online and it was so/so I don't think I tried hard enough to make it into a good cheesy dip, so I can't speak too much on that one. The mozzarella teese that is sold at Hoboken Pie on Red River is absolutely incredible. I can't wait until they start selling this retail at whole foods or some other such store in town.


4. Follow your Heart, my old friend...you need to step it up and make your vegan cheese taste more realistic. You were there for me in some dark moments when I craved real cheese so badly I could have cried and I appreciate that...but I have moved on to more delicious and melty dairy free cheeses.

I'm so glad that Kjonaas doesn't have to grow up craving and yearning for grilled cheese sandwiches , cheeseburgers, etc. He can have a vegan version of anything that his meat and dairy eating peers eat.

Here are some new photos of his almost one year old cuteness.

He always squints when he gets his photo taken, I don't think he knows how to smile without doing this. He also thinks that kissing means biting the kissee on the face as hard as possible.



This is possibly the best face I have ever had the pleasure of seeing any human make.

junk food friday - woohoo!

today i decided that it was high time i made some junk food. so may i present, vegan corn dogs and onion rings. yummy deep fried goodness. the batter is simple...

1 cup ground corn meal
1 cup flour
tbsp sugar
tsp salt
tsp cayenne pepper
UNSWEETENED soy milk

all you have to do is roll your smart dogs in corn starch and then cover them in batter and deep fry them. i chose to use the same batter on the onion rings, but honestly i prefer them with a more traditional non-corn based onion ring batter...the recipe for that is:

bowl #1 : unsweetend soy milk + tsp corn starch (for thicknesss)
bowl #2: flour, salt, pepper, tiny bit of corn starch (for sticking to onion ness)

i use big sweet onions for this, first slice them into rings (duh) then dip them in the soy milk bowl and then the flour bowl and fry. it's best to have one hand designated for each bowl to avoid too much stickiness.

everything came out awesome, i wish kjonaas had more teeth so that he could enjoy them. he helped himself to some apple cinnamon puffs and sweet potatoes for breakfast. speaking of kjonaas, look at how freaking cute he is...he is walking now and it's amazing.

HEB's most awesomely accidentally vegan items (part one)

for those of you who don't know, HEB is pretty much the only major grocery store option in texas that isn't whole foods. i have roamed its vast aisles in search of things that are accidentally vegan because peta's list of accidentally vegan items just wasn't enough for me

#1 tradition ramen chicken style instant noodle soup

this is the holy grail of accidentally vegan foods, it's chicken flavored but all vegan!! wtf? this delicious heavenly food can be found in the kosher section if noah and i haven't already purchased all of heb's stock. holy crap vegan cup o noodles, i think so!


#2 mc cormicks ranch dip seasoning mix

for some this might be the best thing ever, epsecially if you miss ranch dressing as i so painfully have for years. all you have to do to this wonderment of accidental veganism is mix it with either tofutti sour cream or veganaise OR veganaise and some plain soy milk to make it really ranch dressingy. you will never have to long for ranch again. we like to make this with some boca nuggets and salad. so awesome!


#3 hill country fare refrigerated butter flavored biscuits

normally biscuits are no big deal as most dry mixes are already vegan, but the amazing thing about refrigerated biscuits is that once deep fried they make kick ass donuts. just purchase a tube of these babies, poke holes in the middle of them, deep fry them until they are golden and then dip them in cinnamon/sugar or sugar and they make mouthwatering donuts. you will not be sorry, trust me.

i will add more soon, but please do yourself a favor and eat some of these amazing (though not terribly healthy) vegan foodstuffs.

car troubles always come at christmas time

so it has been quite a weekend for us. on thursday night i was out shopping for christmas presents with kjonaas when the car totally stopped running in an unlit parking long downtown. my friend katie came to jump start me but after four tried our poor car wouldn't hold a charge. oh yes by the way this was me and screaming kjonaas...magic fun. so we got the car towed back to our apartment and the next day my step dad came up and put in a new battery, woohoo the car started to run again.

saturday the car stopped again and upon taking it to pep boys we learned that our alternator had gone kaput and we needed to purchase a new one at the hefty cost of $267.00. So it is at pep boys waiting for me to pick it up and i don't want to walk over there with kjonaas in this god awful weather. ugh stupid car. so we wound up spending $60.00 for towing $95.00 for a brand new battery and then the cash for the alternator bringing us to a grand total of: $422 dollars spent on car crap that was supposed to be for bills/christmas presents.

on the upside i made vegan mac and cheese and vegan sopapillas. be jealous. selby the yellow lab decided to help herself to about half of these sopapillas since i left them on the counter to cool, but i won't hold it against her since she is a dog and can't really help herself. merry christmas food stealer.

race car jammies + shots + fog

My little trooper got his 6 month vaccinations yesterday, look at him happy as can be even with a fever. I wish that I was as easily amused and pleased as him, all he wants is some attention and to play the "vampire game" with me and he is stoked. My mom aka nini brought Kjonaas some race car pajamas and he has been rocking them all day long looking adorable.

I tried to get Kjonaas to try some oatmeal with soy milk today and he was not impressed, he spit it out at me with a fury usually reserved for medicine or other such nastiness. Let me tell you, its weird to see someone who lived inside of your womb for 40 weeks start to develop likes and dislikes and his own identity and personality. We also learned some baby signs today that I'm trying to teach him. What a yuppie I have become with my brita water filter and baby sign language.

I'm slowly snapping out of my bad mood, I even took the time to take a ridiculously cheesy myspace photo of just me, which made me feel guilty as I have only put up photos of me with Kjonaas. I don't think I'll be able to keep it up as my default for very long without feeling like a bad mom.

Yes the jacket is fake leather...duh. I found it at wet seal and had to have it, I have longed for a fake leather jacket for so long, but I feel bad if i wear it without a "fake for the animals sake" sticker on it.

Ok I'm going to make myself have fun Christmas shopping with my feverish grumpy goose baby and then tomorrow attend my friends graduation and try not to be too jealous that I won't graduate for at least 3 more years.

my kid is strange sometimes

this is his new favorite thing in the world.



a lebanese diaper commercial of kick dancing babies. wtf kjonaas? i don't quite know how i ran across it, but upon seeing it he started bouncing and squeaking wildly.