Best finds:

My Costco card.  After 20 minutes of digging in my purse.

10 pounds of organic carrots.  Otherwise known as “self-tanner.”

Brownie sample.  Yum.

Best finds:

Under eye concealer.  Now why would I need that?

Emergen-C Kidz.  Now why would they need that?

Piece of popcorn in the seat of our cart.  Trust me Lulu, you do not need that.

Best finds:

Gigi.

Popcorn with nutritional yeast.  Yum.

A quiet 45-minute drive.  Thank you, God.  And our next door neighbors who loaned us their DVDs.

Best finds:

A full-size grownup grocery cart and ONLY a full-size grownup grocery cart.

Chill lime edamame.  And 173 other items.

A clerk willing to lift my body bag-sized reusable bag into my car.  Oh yes, I killed Trader Joe.

Best finds:

A friendly reader in the produce department.  Hi!

Organic take-and-bake pizza.  Otherwise known as “dinner.”

The road home.

Yum.

It snowed for about 45 seconds yesterday, tiny white pindots of indecision that evaporated in the air before they could even dream of making it to the ground.  Of course, that didn’t stop Gigi and Lulu from asking if they could go out and play in it.

What happened to your flesh-eating Ebola virus, Gigi?  Your telethon donors are going to be angry if they see you dancing around outside trying to catch absolutely nothing on your tongue.  Or maybe they’ll just donate more.

The girls weren’t the only ones disappointed that the roads were clear this morning.  The warm rain paved the way for me to sit in the ballet studio for an hour an a half, like I do every Wednesday.  I love watching the girls dance, but the small talk with the other moms is challenging.  I bite my tongue as they swap chicken recipes.  I bite my tongue as they elbow each other out for the prime seat in front of the teeny tiny viewing room.  And when I crack jokes, there is nothing but crickets.

Just today, one of the younger brothers of one of Gigi’s classmates was excitedly telling me about Halloween costumes.  He was six or seven and thus got boxed out from the viewing window quite easily.  I was his last resort at combatting boredom.

“For Halloween, my sister was a ladybug!  And I was Scooby!” he said, quite pleased with himself.

“Scooby Doo!  That’s wonderful!” I congratulated him.  The other moms listened to see where this was going.

“Yes,” he continued. “Scooby Doo.  The dog.”

“Oh, I see.” I said, glad he cleared things up.  I went for the laugh.  “As opposed to the person? President Scooby Doo?”

Crickets.

And then I just sat quietly and bit my tongue.

But that was today, and yesterday we were stuck at home with life-threatening rabies.

I couldn’t go to Whole Foods and pay $8 for a green juice.  Guess I’ll have to make my own.

I couldn’t go pay $1.79 for a Larabar.  Guess I’ll have to make my own.

I couldn’t go pay $7 for curry kale chips.  Guess I’ll have to make my own.

I couldn’t pay $7.99/lb. for Cracklin’ Cauliflower.

Guess I’ll have to make my own.

Cracklin’ Cauliflower

Serves 4 (who am I kidding? Serves ME)

• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
• 1-2 t. olive oil
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 t. curry powder
• 1/2 t. garam masala
• 3 T. chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 t. ginger, minced
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1 t. lemon zest
• stevia to taste (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put cauliflower florets in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat.

Add salt, curry, and garam masala, and again, stir to coat.

Add onion, garlic, ginger, peas and lemon zest.

Season to taste with stevia, if using, salt and pepper and mix well.

Transfer to a medium baking dish,

and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

In the interest of transparency, I should let you know the lens cap wasn’t even on my camera before I ate this whole batch.

Call it a snack.

But serve this up with some pumpkin spice roasted chickpeas and some rice or naan, and you could absolutely call this a meal.

It’s a meal I’d be proud to serve to may family or to company.

Maybe even President Scooby Doo.

Don’t confuse this get-up with a Halloween costume.  Trust me, we’ve got several of those too.

This is obviously a storybook character.

However, I’d appreciate if someone could please tell me what story “sexy candy corn witch” is in, because though Gigi’s classmate came with a corset, knee high boots and fishnets, she did not carry her book. And thankfully, not a whip.

Did you know that Angelina Ballerina has a little sister?

She does now.  And that little sister was destroyed when she learned she would not be attending the kindergarten Harvest Party.  Gigi promised to bring her home some treats.  I love that mouse.

That worked until we dropped Gigi off.  I then discovered that the threat of “smeary whiskers” is enough to stop tears instantaneously.  Do not be surprised if you suddenly see whiskers now in every single picture of Lulu.  How young is too young for cosmetic tattooing?

As the classroom party parent, I was in charge of activities (“Boo” bingo, pumpkin bowling, storytime and treat bag crafts), and (insert evil laugh here) snacks.  After some long thought, I came up with an arguably fun, inarguably vegan solution:

After decorating their treat bags with stickers, googly eyes and markers, the kids got to fill the bags with their own mix of:

• pretzels;
• dairy-free chocolate chips;
• apple cinnamon Cheerios;
• banana chips; and/or
• dried cranberries.

All washed down with some apple cider.  Do you see the three sets of hands clamoring for the chocolate chip scoop?

Other than a few moms who thanked me, the parents weren’t as enthusiastic as I was about the non-traditional snacks.  When I explained to the parents that we don’t really do candy in our house and that the girls trade their trick-o’-treating loot to the Treat Fairy for a new game, toy or book, you could have heard a pin drop.  You’d have thought I told them that I kick puppies.  Or that I was saving up for Lulu’s facial tattoo.  After a strange glance from the ninja’s dad, he then looked in his son’s bag and told him to go load up on the chocolate chips.

But overall, I thought the kids had a blast getting to make up their own snacks, and I was able to encourage the kids to try new flavor combinations other than chocolate chips with a scoop of chocolate chips on top.  With a little help, of course.

“Hey guys, you gotta try a pretzel with a dried cranberry!”

I love that mouse.

Story time also got a little sketchy when I had to on the fly change the words to the story I was reading.  I wasn’t about to say the “D” word.

Suddenly Aunt Min’s soup had eighty-nine “varieties of tomatoes.”  I’ve never been so grateful for childhood illiteracy.

After wrapping up our party, we took our celebration on the road and did some harvesting at Whole Foods.

Now THAT’s my idea of a jack-o’-lantern.

Gigi asked if we could eat it.

I love that mouse.

“What ARE you doing?” you might ask.

“Washing your hair?”  Yes.

“Visiting the elderly?”  Yes.

“Making your husband and children drive 35 miles to go to your favorite stores in the entire world to participate in one of your favorite activities in the entire world?”  Yes and yes.

“Is Pea Daddy still sporting that smokin’ stubble… wait, and is that a Tommy Bahama jacket?”

Yes and Lord help me, yes.

“Is grocery shopping really one of your favorite activities ever?

And more importantly, are you going to write this whole post using questions?”

Yes.  And unfortunately for you, it’s fun, so yes. (I hear your finger on your mouse, clicking away from Peas & Thank You forever…)

“Don’t your kids get bored in the car?”

No, they manage to keep themselves entertained.

Is Lulu thinking, “Ew!  What is she doing?!”

No.  She’s thinking, “Where are my shades?”

“So what’s your favorite store?”

“But what about dinner?”

Salad/hot bar for me, pizza for the girls, veggie burger for Pea Daddy.

“Great, but where’s Lulu?”

Just snagging fries when Pea Daddy is distracted.

“You can’t possibly do all your shopping at Whole Foods?  Do you crap diamonds?”

No, I also go to Trader Joe’s.  And I’m above talking about my bowel movements on my blog. Geez, can you be any tackier?

“Does the family go with you?  And do the girls still assault people with those vile little carts?”

Nope.  They’ve got more important things to do.

“So what’s so fun about grocery shopping?”

Grocery bag Tetris.

The goal: get $100 worth of groceries in one bag.

Tonight, I won.

“But what did you buy?”

You asked for it.

• almond milk
• whole wheat spaghetti
• Clif bars
• cocoa powder
• organic squeeze yogurt
• dill pickles
• organic ketchup
• organic PB crackers
• soy creamer
• natural bbq sauce
• Kashi crunch
• Kashi Go Lean
• Triple Berry O’s
• maple syrup/agave blend
• organic chocolate syrup
• organic strawberry jam
• Tres Pinos red wine
• organic raisins
• organic tofu
• baked organic tofu
• natural dish soap
• Vanilla Cinnamon black tea
• broccoli slaw
• broccoli florets
• bunch of broccoli
• red, orange and green peppers
• chocolate chips
• brussels sprouts
• organic grapes
• organic spinach
• organic spring mix
• organic apples
• organic pears
• bananas
• root beer

“Was your ride home as exciting as your ride up?”  No.  It was much more mellow.

And somebody had to be carried to her bed…

even though I’m 99% certain she was still awake.

“So that’s it?  Can’t you think of a better way to spend your Friday night?”

Actually, no, I can’t.

But thanks for asking.

you are in exactly the right place.

I haven’t seen it yet, so go ahead and tell me what you thought.  You’d be doing me a favor since I am quite picky about spending $21.50 and two hours of my life with my butt crammed into a seat that hundreds of other strangers have sat in and listening to other people shovel, snarf and crunch through their troughs of popcorn.  So, Lost Internet Searcher, take your new role as personal movie critic seriously.  My next date night might just depend on it.

Our weekend date night was not spent at the movie theater, but somewheres far more romantic.  That’s right, “somewheres.”

Wined and dined.

It’s not that I don’t want to go out to a romantic dinner, a show, or an establishment that doesn’t take coupons, barter in dirty, stinky soda cans, or provide plastic flatware with my overpriced pound of salad.  It’s just that I would rather rip up a voucher for free Special K protein shakes, sort through half-full, week old Milwaukee’s Best cans, and poke my own eyes out with a plastic spork than take my kids’ grocery shopping for a week’s worth of groceries on my own.

The #1 offender of solo parent shopping trips?  Carts.  Creepy mutant Trader Joe’s chalk drawing troll, will you elaborate?

Whoever invented the tiny grocery carts should have a box of Joe’s O’s crammed in a place where even Trader Darwin can’t find it.  Why, when I already have a cart that I am frantically trying to fill with one of the 47 items on my list, would I want to be responsible for a second tiny cart (that Gigi is trying to stuff full with an entire case of Chocolate Brownie Z Bars) AND a third tiny cart (that Lulu has crashed into the end base of Cats Cookies, liberating feline graham crackers and obstructing already narrow aisles)?  Why, Trader Joe’s, why?!  Walking in front of the power hungry drivers in open-backed shoes is akin to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, and I have the missing skin on my ankles to prove it.

The other thorn in my toddler-carrying side: free bakery cookies.

Yes, I did know that you will give my child a free cookie because that is all I have heard out of Gigi’s mouth from the second I stepped foot in the store.  I haven’t even wrestled a shopping cart away from its conjoined brothers and sisters (never mind the two mini-carts we are now responsible for) before she has taken off to claim her cookie.

I think “gladly” give a free cookie is a bit of a misnomer too, as you frequently show nothing but exasperation at having to stop frosting the pinnacle of all your life’s artistic works, a Sponge Bob Square Pants FD&C Yellow No. 5 saturated cake creation that will be used to commemorate an innocent child’s 7th year of life, to hand my child her complimentary “treat.”

Even the word “cookie” is liberal. What you offer is either an outdated chocolate chip number that will allow the girls’ dentist to buy a timeshare via multiple crown replacements or an obvious holiday cookie overstock, as in the green and white sprinkled shamrock offered in the middle of April.  It’s a life lesson:  you get what you pay for, kids.

Before you feel sorry for Gigi and Lulu for missing out on the Running of the Mini Carts and bakery markdowns disguised as generous gifts, take a gander at Date Morning and Date Afternoon.

Mini carts (that only manage to capsize the cat’s food AND water dish),

plus shopping (No shirt? No shoes? No problem!),

and free cookies.

White Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Yields 18 large cookies

• 1/2 c. almond butter
• 1/4 c. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 c. non-dairy milk
• 1 t. almond extract
• 3/4 c. organic brown sugar
• 3/4 c. organic sugar or NuNaturals Stevia baking blend
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 c. oats
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. salt (use less if your nut butter is salted)
• 1/2 c. dried cherries
• 1/2 c. all natural white chocolate chips (i.e. Sunspire brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream almond butter, vegan margarine, applesauce, non-dairy milk, almond extract and sugars together.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time, until mixture is well combined.

Fold in white chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop dough by large spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove cookies to a rack for cooling.

Devour.

These are disappearing so fast, I might need to go to the store for ingredients for another batch.

I won’t be going before the next Date Night, though.  I’d rather eat free cookies off the movie theater floor.

• 3 handfuls of spinach
• almond milk
• ice
• frozen strawberries
• frozen pineapple
• stevia
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• cinnamon
• Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Granola

A little trick I’ve been using is to blend my spinach with the almond milk before adding anything else.  That way, the spinach gets blended up really quickly and I don’t have to stand there with my abused plastic spatula plunging into the blades until The Biggest Loser contestants get skinny.

I couldn’t resist going back for more granola halfway through the bowl.  I’m starting to realize that my smoothies in a bowl are really just turning into bowls of cereal with green “milk,” which is far tastier than the blue skim milk that I used to drink.

I couldn’t resist using Lulu’s morning activity as an excuse to watch my favorite SNL skit of all time.

“D*#k in a Box?” meet Foot in a Jar.

Step 1: Open the jar.

Step 2: Put your foot in that jar.

Step 3: Make her open the jar.

And that’s how you do it.

A normal mother quickly runs to make sure her foot isn’t stuck.  I run for my camera and immediately worry that my next batch of Oats in Jar will taste like feet.

I couldn’t resist asking Gigi what on Earth was going on in this scenario.

In a highly exasperated tone, I was informed that they have formed a search party for the miniature My Little Ponies that have been missing since Sunday.  Susan, did you take them home with you?!?  I am about to feature them on the side of a milk carton green smoothie.

I didn’t even try to resist meeting Kalin at Whole Foods for lunch.

• field greens
• spinach
• carrots
• beet salad
• quinoa tabbouleh
• roasted butternut squash
• chili tofu
• bell peppers
• hummus
• felafel
• kale

Meanwhile, I tortured the girls by feeding them Whole Foods cheese pizza and $3.47 worth of fresh fruit from the salad bar.  Geesh.

Please resist telling me that this was not the healthiest of lunches.  It was a treat, and we could do far, far worse.

We did a little window shopping (naturally feather boas and butterfly wings were involved),

and though I can resist buying them more stripper accessories that they don’t need, I can’t say “no” to books.

Can you guess who each book belongs to?  That’s a rhetorical question.

The girls requested “Build Your Own Pizza” for dinner, and though I initially resisted in an attempt to diversify their diet for the day, I gave in.

Dad’s whole wheat pita had pizza sauce, Tofurky Italian Sausage, organic mozzarella and olives, the girls’ had sauce, organic mozzarella and pineapple and my Ezekiel pita had sauce, mushrooms, spinach, basil, olives and eggplant.

It should have been called, “Mom Builds Your Pizza While You Color in the Living Room with Your Smokin’ Hot Dad.”

I resisted the urge to put a picture of Pea Daddy up here.  I said I didn’t want to embarrass him.  He said, “That hasn’t stopped you before.”  I deserved that after the bunny ears shot.

After fifteen minutes in a 425 degree oven, we didn’t resist the urge to eat my creations.

with a salad of spinach, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, pecans, cranberries, sesame sticks and Annie’s Honey Mustard Dressing.

I’d love to stay and chat, but the girls are off to bed and the prospect of watching a championship football game on the couch with Daddy sounds pretty good.  In fact, it’s downright irresistible.

Everything went just fine this morning and other than a Harley riding, overly-friendly male nurse who asked my sign and what I like to do for fun, the whole thing was relatively painless.  I’m just a little sedated and on ice.  My personal caretakers/babysitters had to go to work, though, which meant that about a half an hour after I got home, Drugged Mommy (aka Courtney Love) was left to deal with the munchkins.

It went fine until I realized that only someone with a uterus (which unfortunately excludes both my mom and husband) knows that a Princess sippy lid does NOT fit on a Dora sippy cup.

I’m pretty sure hand laundering upholstery was not on my discharge instructions.

The girls did their part to help me heal.  Lulu turned on a Max & Ruby Thanksgiving Special.  The writers definitely have a different definition of “special” than I do: as in, “he’s not stupid, he’s ‘special.’”

Ever the hostess, Lulu offered some soggy pretzels that she tried to suck all the salt off of.  File this one away for your parenting future: NEVER accept soggy food from a toddler.  It means one of two things, and trust me, you don’t want a part of either.

Gigi organized another fashion show, and gave me a front row seat.  I felt like Paris Hilton at Fashion Week, only less impaired and less “special” (see Max & Ruby definition).

Gigi allowed me to participate from the couch with a stylish, animal-free, metallic belt.

I wasn’t off base in characterizing this accessory as having a “retro feel.”  It was a part of last year’s Wonder Woman costume.

The most scandalous part of the show was when a second model showed up to the after party wearing the first model’s hat.

The nerve!

I was halfway through my second bag of ice when Gigi asked, “Is company coming over for dinner?”  Either she has very high expectations for me or low standards for company.

As far as my nutritious meals for the day, I haven’t really been able to eat, and in my post-op “munchies” state, I made Pea Daddy buy me a regrettable snack.

It has an ingredient list longer than my left arm and at least one of them is not vegan.

In my new definition of “vegan,” I exclude Starbucks seasonal syrups, all Costco or Whole Foods samples and any ingredient following the words “This product contains 2% or less of the following:“  Less than 2% didn’t count in the 2000 Presidential Election, why should it count to me?

I won’t leave you without a lack of inspiration, though, or without an explanation for this post title (as if it doesn’t stand alone).  Knowing I would have a less than comfortable day today, I wanted to replicate one of my favorite places in the world yesterday.  That place, my friends:

We did a great job of replicating my heaven on earth.

Vegan cookies

Samples that you don’t give two hoots about the nutritional information (see definition of “vegan” above)

I love you enough to dig through the whole bag of Newman’s Own Organic Alphabet Cookies to find a “W” and an “F.”

Samples that you choose to overlook their questionable sanitary conditions.

Overpriced goodies that may or may not be worth every penny.

I do not love you enough to come up with a better price tag substitute than masking tape and a Sharpie.  Sorry, I have my limits.

There was the loitering riff raff, including a starving artist:

and a curbside prophet.

She was reading from the book of “God Made Us,” otherwise known as “Genesis.”

The clientèle was comprised of elitist shoppers, with their fancy cars in the parking lot and their designer clothes,

but they weren’t too good for free samples.

And then, the WHOLE reason to go to Whole Foods in the first place:  HOT BAR.

I wanted to recreate the Whole Foods Hot Bar at home, not only for myself, as a pre-op comfort food meal, but also for Daddy, who has yet to fully understand why I would ever spend $9.82 on a salad.

Along with the usual salad fixings, I prepared:

Pan Fried Tofu, marinated in organic Citrus Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Curried Red Lentil Salad, comprised of leftover red lentils, curry powder, salt, stevia, roasted almonds and dried cranberries.

Steamed kabocha, with salt and pepper.

and Morningstar Chik’n Nuggets.

My finished product:

• spinach
• romaine
• carrots
• broccoli
• pickles
• cucumbers
• Pan Fried Tofu
• kabocha
• Curried Lentil Salad
• a Chick’n Nugget
• organic barbecue sauce
• Sabra Spinach and Artichoke Hummus
• Trader Joe’s Smooth and Creamy Red Pepper Hummus
• Sesame Sticks (which are a Whole Foods Hot Bar MUST)

This could have been my last meal and I would have died happy.  It was like a big vegan Thanksgiving in my bowl.

I put Daddy’s in front of him and prayed.

His reaction, “I don’t know what’s in here, but it’s good.”

I’ll take it.

And now it’s time for me to head off to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, clicking my heels and saying, “There’s no place like Whole Foods, there’s no place like Whole Foods, there’s no place like Whole Foods!”

Don’t get me wrong, her pies were epic.  I remember her trying to teach me how to roll out her handmade crusts without having the dough lose it’s tender, flaky consistency.  Though I’m sure I don’t do her justice in the least, I took over the pie making duties after we lost her in 2004 to lung cancer.  I found out I was pregnant with Gigi just a few weeks after she died.

She wasn’t just a brilliant cook, she was opinionated, talkative and sharp-witted.  I remember one day in the hospital in her last few days, she turned to me and said, “Sissy, I wish you weren’t so hard on yourself.”  She turned and pointed to my uncle, who was in his mid-forties and had a bit of a belly lapping over the waist of his jeans.  “Look at your uncle!  I still love him!”

She wouldn’t just give you her unsolicited opinion, though.  She’d give you the shirt off her back, or the blanket off her couch.

I used to cuddle up in this throw every time I went to her house.  It’s warm and fuzzy, and I’ve always loved it.  I remember one evening, long before she got sick, she just said, “Sissy, take it home with you.  It’s yours.”  I use that blanket every evening now as I sit on our couch, and I think of her.

I woke up this morning with a touch of Lulu’s cold, so I spent much of the morning snuggled in my blanket, enjoying the view.

Daddy read Strawberry Shortcake to his girls.  Now that’s love.  Especially because that book has about 4,000 unnecessary words.  It’s “very berry” long.

I watched Lulu and Gigi put together this monstrosity.

I’m thinking maybe it was a makeshift pulpit, because that’s a Bible Gigi’s reading there.  It’s a pretty laidback congregation, if you can attend services in blankies and lay in the aisles.  Preach on, Gigi.

I eventually dragged myself off the couch and made a warm and fuzzy Sunday breakfast.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Makes 4 large pancakes

• 2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1 t. stevia
• 3/4 c. almond or soy milk
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 1 small apple, peeled and chopped

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, stevia and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, almond or soy milk and vanilla.  Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until just combined.  Fold in chopped apples and let batter rest.

Place a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat.  Pour batter into pan to form pancakes.  Let cakes cook on one side for several minutes, until bubbles start to form and pancakes are golden brown.  Flip pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

After breakfast, I had the privilege of going to my first parent teacher conference ever.  I was relieved to know that Gigi’s teachers adore her.  I was also happy to admire some of Gigi’s schoolwork, like this family tree:

There’s Mommy.

There’s Dad.

There was also room for Lulu.

I believe those two dots above the eyes are her ponytails.

But there was one more family member who Gigi would have been remiss not to mention.

Who could forget “Magic the Unicorn?”

Miss Julie said that Gigi insists that the class prays for unicorns.  Daily.

We also discussed what Gigi is thankful for.

I almost cried with joy when I saw Lulu made the list.  I definitely cried with joy when I saw Gigi’s first school picture.

After Gigi’s glowing review, we took the girls for a treat.

I also had something warm and fuzzy.

I had a soy misto with 1 1/2 pumps of gingerbread syrup.  I’m keeping the festive holiday cup and washing it out to put my coffee in every day from now until Christmas.  I fully expect to be walking down the street on a “non-shower” day in the rotation and have somebody drop some change in my ratty old cup.  I’m keeping the change too.

After yesterday’s housebound horror, I was equally excited to get a date night tonight.  We went and saw a very warm and fuzzy movie, The Blind Side.

I LOVED it.

After dinner, the Whole Foods salad/hot bar made me feel all warm and fuzzy all over again.

This thing was a hotter mess than Adam Lambert’s AMA performance, and though I did gasp several times, there was no tongue involved here.

• spinach
• broccoli
• beets
• chili tofu
• maple carrots
• sesame kale
• pineapple
• falafel
• hummus
• roasted butternut squash
• sesame sticks

Pretty much the perfect ending to a great day.  Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a warm and fuzzy blanket with my name on it.

First, I had breakfast with a witch.

Yup, Day 3 with the costume, and she had it on at the crack of dawn.  I took a second picture and she gave me a look that said, “Oh great, I see we are doing this ‘take pictures of me every five minutes thing’ again.”

I had a Honeycrisp apple with cinnamon and pumpkin spice granola on top, and a small pour of Kashi Go Lean underneath.

I stuck it all in the microwave for a minute and pretended I was eating apple crisp for breakfast.  Heavenly.

Then I went and trudged on the treadmill for a half an hour and realized that watching the Food Network doesn’t have nearly the same appeal for me since I went vegan.  I couldn’t even fake appreciation for The Barefoot Contessa’s Lobster Mac and Cheese.  Instead I started dreaming up how to make something “similar” (aka not a thing like it) with nutritional yeast and tempeh.

We got cleaned up and headed off to church.  Since the girls were healthy this week, we let them play in the nursery during the service.  I’m sure it was divine intervention that Lulu had a MAJOR diaper blowout while she was in someone else’s care.  Thank you, Lord.

After church, we stopped by Great Harvest on the way home and we each enjoyed a slice of whole wheat cinnamon chip bread.

I have a  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy when it comes to the veganability of some food items.  I’m going to pretend that’s a word, just like I’m going to pretend that cinnamon chips and Starbucks’ pumpkin spice syrup are both dairy free.

We followed our bread by lunch, naturally.

Oooh, ooh, guess what I had!!!!

• spinach
• cabbage
• carrots
• broccoli
• pickles
• cucumber
• tahini dressing
• chopped almonds

This evening Daddy and I made plans to go see a movie, so after getting a few things done around the house, we packed the girls up and headed out.  Before we left I made a cup of pumpkin spice coffee and used some Mimic Cream that I picked up the other day.

This was fantastic, super creamy and rich!

Unfortunately, we had another bathroom mishap on the way to my parents’ house, because for some reason Lulu crowing, “Cars are SILLY, cars are SILLY!” is enough to make Gigi wet her pants.  And her car seat.  To Lulu’s credit, it was funnier than “Couples Retreat,” so she might be onto something.  So I handed off my urine soaked child and her urine soaked carseat to my parents and said, “See ya!”  I’m getting off easy today.

Tonight, we saw” Paranormal Activity.”  Oh. My. Hell.  This was SCARY!  It wasn’t gory or a classic horror movie by any stretch, but it is  just really ingenious.  It amazed me that the director made it for $5,000 and shot it in his own house, and here it’s gone on to make tens of millions of dollars.

After the movie, we were starving, so we hit up Whole Foods.  SALAD BAR!!!!

• spinach
• carrots
• cucumber
• 3 pieces kung pao tofu
• 2 falafel
• hummus
• spinach pineapple salad
• zucchini
• marinated mushrooms
• sauteed vegetables
• Bragg’s amino acids
• sesame sticks

Every time it costs $8.50, and every time I love it.

We picked up the girls and magically Gigi’s clothes and carseat had been washed and the girls were ready for bed.  I could get used to this.

Now, as I’m typing this, I’m realizing in a rather depressing way that I have already got a Halloween costume too.

Wow.