I went to bed way too late last night, which made my 7 am alarm extra annoying. At least I got most of my stuff packed up so the AM went by easy breezy.
The night before I had made an oat bake but using silken tofu as a (vegan) egg alternative. I also threw in some green apple chunks for good measure, but the almond extract is really what makes these bakes exceptional.
I nuked it in the microwave for a few minutes and then let it cool in the fridge overnight.
The next morning I had this lovely guy waiting for me.
I flipped it on it’s a$$ and wrapped it in tin foil for the road.
The rest of the apples got packed up for my I-5 road trip plus more goodies.
Carrots, nuts, dried fruit, bars…all the typical snack foods that are perfect for eating while driving.
I got the car loaded up, filled my coffee and water bottle, got my car consul perfectly arranged (gum x3, sunnies, iPod and phone), and off I went!
Thanks to Jillian Michaels’ podcasts and Adele and Glee cds the ride went by fairly quickly.
Home!
I was literally home for under 5 minutes before I turned right back around to head out…because my sister and mom and I were going to our second viewing of HP.
It’s her birthday so she gets to pick the movie – even if all 3 of us already saw it. She represented with the shirt 
I took a roll with me. I am IN LOVE with Vital Vittles.
In a funny twist of fate, the movie theatre was packed when we got there and we couldn’t even find three seats together. Boo! Unwilling to sit in random seats between strangers we ditched Harry Potter and went to the theatre next door for Friends with Benefits. As a Justin Timberlake lover fan, I’m biased, but we all really liked it. Cute and fun with laugh out loud dialogue at times.
Post movie my mom showed me her garden’s new raised beds.
Eggplant.
Serrano peppers.
Bell peppers.
Sage, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, etc.
Sweet potatoes, string beans & strawberries.
And greens, greens, greens!
Chard, romaine, mustard greens, mesclun, etc.
I picked some tomatoes for dinner.
Whenever we have family dinners for birthdays, the person celebrating gets to pick the meal. Tonight Marie chose a family fave…
Taco night!
The rest of the family had chicken, but I made chickpeas.
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- dash of salt
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
Microwave together for 2 minutes and voila! The simplest (and cheapest) taco “meat” you’ll ever make.
Collect other toppings and then start layering.
My dad has two jobs that nobody else can do on taco night. The first is frying the corn tortillas (I had soft tacos because my GI system doesn’t exactly love fried food), the second is making the refried beans. Not sure what he does, but they are always good.
I used the shot glass to hold the tortillas in place (it also had a squirt of lime juice to add on top the tacos at the end). Refried beans make a perfect taco base – acting as glue holding in the rest of the ingredients.
Then chickpeas, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and lime juice.
And wine.
And that, folks, is how it’s done.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad you got home quickly and safely!
I saw Friends With Benefits yesterday and loved it!
I love all your snacky foods! you are so organized.
Mmmm, tacos. I think I know what is for supper tonight…
wow you’re back already!!! have a wonderful time. your sis is so adorable.
I want raised beds just like that when I have a house. I can’t wait to garden!
I need to try chickpea tacos. I love chickpeas way too much.
Love the garden!
Such beautiful produce
yum! your tacos are making my mouth water!
I’m in love with your recipes!
such an amazing stumble upon, thanks for the ideas.
Glad you had a safe trip!! It always feels nice to be home.
AAH! the garden looks so good!
Yum to tacos and garden fresh tomatoes! I picked some from our garden in the backyard and they were so sweet and delicious! Happy Bday to your sister- love the shirt and enthusiasm!
what a beautiful raised bed veggie patch
I would love one like that…when im grown up and have a house of my own! 
your food packing skills are like none other, so impressive…as are your oat bake making skills. that looks so yum and dense and stodgy and wholesome…perfection, lol!
happy birthday to your sister, enjoy the rest of your weekend! xyx
Love your mom’s gardens! My mom has the best garden, I always get so jealous. And thanks for the chickpea taco meat recipe. Looks like that’ll make a nice quick dinner!
Next time try bananas in your oatmeal bake. When heated for a minute or two they become soft and sweet. Also I have been roasting and mashing sweet potatoes and putting them in my oatmeal lately. If I add these then I don’t need to add brown sugar or honey
im a big fan of banana bakes, but since i was heading home i was using up ingredients around the apt…hence the tofu instead of bananas. sweet potatoes sounds pretty awesome though – thanks for the tip!
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