We decided to try this popular restaurant featured in the show "Portlandia." It was a very cold, but sunny Saturday. It is in the trendy Hawthorne district of Portland where there is even an eclectic Goodwill that sells highly-priced, named brand stuff. Cool stuff, but I like the hunt. Maybe I should open a store like this myself?
Anyway, the "Waffle Window" had sweet and savory waffles. We enjoyed both. Yum!
The funny part about this trip is that because it was so cold outside, the neighboring restaurant lets "Waffle Window" customers share some of their tables. Here we are a "large" family (typical Portland people have no kids and a dog) pushing a stroller inside a tiny restaurant. Oh man did we get stares! They acted like we were infecting them with some disease. Maybe we were just too normal? A husband with no gauges in his ears AND a wife with no tattoos on the back of her neck and their TWO children. A girl who actually likes PINK and a baby boy who doesn't have a HAIRCUT to make him look like a girl. Come to find out later, Paul had a large wad of chocolate smeared on the seat of his pants. I would be staring and acting disgusted as well! It was a good laugh.
I've been trying out different ways to prepare vegetables. I have not been into traditional salads lately, yet I still want to keep my family pumped up with vitamins and minerals. My creations have all turned out far better than they look! And I think they look pretty! Seriously, vegetables are delicious. It's the shopping and preparation of vegetables that take the fun out of it. I'm really just posting these pictures as a reminder for myself of different recipe ideas. Pictures = memory in my brain.
I was hooked for a few days on this colorful plate of greens and squash and a surprising splash of apple cider vinegar. Reina prefers her squash with marinara and cheese.
Paul and Reina do not like beets so I enjoyed this one all to myself. It's a Russian beet and potato slaw salad that a Russian Zumba friend of mine makes. She just told me what she puts in it...not sure if I followed the recipe exactly but delish!
This soup has SO much good stuff in it. I had way too many yams on hand (discovered Baelor doesn't care for them alone), an onion that needed to be used and lentils sitting around. Wow, amazing! It tasted like it came from an Indian restaurant. We all loved this one and will keep this one tucked in my brain.
Everyone loved this twist on brussel sprouts. So good in coconut oil and a splash of chicken stock.
Good fats in these fish tacos that included Kokane salmon caught by Paul and the guys from last summer, and simple fresh veggies including avocado, cabbage, tomatoes and onion. A dollop of jalopeno tartar sauce and lime juice gave a nice bite to them.
We've been using our Vitamix blender (sooo worth the expense) almost daily. We've recently experimented past the smoothies and have made soups like this tomato and lentil soup. This was leftover veggies and stewed tomatoes that were sitting in the refrigerator. I don't like to waste my produce so I try to create some sort of dish out of them. They usually turn out quite tasty. I like to add cheese to everything...yes, even goat cheese.
Baelor enjoys his veggies finger-sized, especially broccoli and brussel sprouts, or pureed with fruits to sweeten it up. His GO-TO food is Mummi's cabbage soup. He eats it almost daily.
This post makes it appear that I eat and feed my family right all the time. Yes, I am good about the veggies, but another weekly staple for us has been Taco Bell. Why do I like something that I know is completely cheap and junk? Who knows, but for now it's making us happy.
When it's cold and wet outside, you have to resort to indoor activities. We decided to take Reina bowling for the first time. I think she was most excited in the anticipation of going and picking up the ball off the ball receiver than the actual bowling. Even with the bumpers up she was frustrated that not every pin fell over every time. It was a good experience for Reina to practice something she wasn't that good at. We are trying to work on her being a "good sport" as she is easy to pout if she doesn't win or can't do it just right. We will wait a couple more years until she can physically throw it down the lane. Baelor kept us nervous around the ball receiver. Yikes!
Baelor really wanted to pick the balls up...couldn't figure out why he could not. He resorted to rolling them back and forth the ball receiver and tripping over the edge.
We are very happy to report that we are healthy this time of the year. Too many people have had major colds or a nasty flu. We are hoping only minor coughs and sniffles will enter our home these next few months!
