Vegan Korean Beef + Cabbage Soup

 

    Hello anyone who still reads or subscribes! I'm turning the ownership of this blog over to Alisa Beth, darling 14 year-old of mine <3  Looking forward to seeing what she creates and comes up with in the kitchen as well as her lovely poems.  Here she is:

    Sunday's are days of rest right? Well if you're like me you like to do something. So from now on I'm going to be posting every other Sunday, or well I'll try to, but these ties are extremely loose. My plans might change after I've done this a little longer. I will not be entirely committed to this blog, but I will try to show some promise to it.  

     A little about me; I am a Vietnamese-American, I was adopted at the age of four. I am a young writer, and have self-published two anthologies. I will be posting two poems of the week, written by yours truly at the end of this post. Since I love both cooking and writing, this blog is a 2-for!  I am also a vegan, by my own choices. I have many allergies, which include nuts and gluten, so this blog will be solely committed to be free of many of my allergies. Which include, milk/dairy, wheat/gluten, eggs, shellfish, peanuts, and tree fish.

    The first recipe I will be sharing with you guys is a special Korean Cabbage soup, this was a hit in my family and I hope you guys will enjoy it as well! It was inspired by a blog called Korean Bapsang: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/all-recipes/

Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheez Rolls

Something pink for Valentines day for my vegan and gluten-free friends!!!
This reipe adapted from @rawcells cinnamon rolls on Instagram.  Follow Natasha for some great ideas for gf/vegan desserts!

vegan strawberry cream cheez rolls

gluten free, vegan, nut-free, yields 12 large rolls

Ingredients:

for the dough:

• 1 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 3/4 cup favorite GF AP flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic sugar of choice (I used organic, non-gmo cane sugar)
• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter or coconut oil (I use 1/2 earth balance and 1/2 coconut oil)
• 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice (I use Good Karma flax milk)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

for the filling:

• 4 oz vegan cream cheese or @coyo_is_coconuts plain yogurt (1 tub of coyo, 1/2 tub vegan cream cheese)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 pint strawberries, washed and chopped small
• 1 Tbsp organic cane sugar or sugar of choice

for the frosting:

• 2 containers of plain Coyo yogurt
• 3 drop Lemon Vitality essential oil (can sub 1 tsp lemon juice)
• 4 Tbsp of this homemade red food dye (also below)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil, melted

can use the pink cream cheez frosting for other things like gf bagels too, packed with probiotics and goodness ;)

Method:

for the dough:

• Whisk all dry ingredients together.
• Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the cold butter or coconut oil until small pea-sized pieces form.
• Add milk and ACV and knead until a dough forms.  Add flour if needed.
• Turn dough onto a large rectangular piece of parchment paper.  Place another piece of parchment over the dough and roll into a large rectangle, about 12" x 18", should be at least 1/4" thick all around.  Peel off top layer parchment and shape as needed.

for the filling:

• Blend the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice together with hand mixer or fork.
• Chop the strawberries and mix with the tbsp of sugar.
• Spread the cream cheese filling over the dough rectangle, leaving an inch along the bottom of the length of the 18" side, and then sprinkle the strawberries on evenly.
• Roll the 18" side towards you, using the parchment paper to help.  It might be too loose at this point to cut, if so, don't cut yet. 
• Refrigerate or freeze for 20-30 minutes while you make the frosting and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F during this time.

for the frosting:

• Beat all ingredients together with hand mixer.
• Refrigerate until ready to frost.
• Meanwhile, after the rolls are ready to cut, cut about 1 1/2" slices and place in a 9 x 13 greased glass baking dish.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 F.
• Let cool for 20 min and frost and enjoy!
• Can store these in the refrigerator for a few days as well.

they're even yum un-iced too!

easy natural red-food dye 

allergy-friendly for those who cannot have traditional red food dyes and colorings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped beet, for stronger color you can use more beets
• 3 Tbsp organic sugar

Method:

• Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Let cool, strain, and store in refrigerator until needed.

Chickpea Casserole

This meal has been a staple for 10 years in our fam.  My sister-in-law introduced us to the magic of chickpea casserole.  Do you ever have those low-energy nights where you just want to dump some stuff in a bowl and cook it?  This is that recipe.  We have it probably once a week in the rotation, and it is my gift to you tired and weary mamas!  An Easy Recipe where you probably have everything in your pantry already, friends!

basil vitality eo makes this extra flavor-full!

Chickpea casserole

serves 6-8 and best served with rice or noodles and a side salad
gluten-free, vegan, all the frees, actually ;)

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas
• 1 can diced organic tomatoes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1-2 drops basil vitality essential oil (added after cooking)
• (can substitute 1 tsp dried basil or several fresh basil leaves for the above)
• 2 packages gluten-free noodles or 1-2 cups rice prepared according to package directions

Method

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add all ingredients except the essential oil (if using dried or fresh herb, DO add at this phase) to a glass 9 x 13 baking pan and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 35-45 min, or until onions are soft.
• Let cool for 10 minutes and add the basil vitality essential oil (1-2 drops, no more) for added flavor.  
• Serve over rice or noodles and enjoy! 
  

Gluten & Dairy Replacements

Hey friends!  I've been meaning to do this post for a while now.  We've eaten gluten and dairy free for several years now and I know when you first start out this can be overwhelming!!  Many of you might be wanting to give up gluten or dairy for the New Year.  Eating plant-based can be a great way to cleanse and start fresh!

Here's a resource for you if you are trying to give up one or the other (also all these products are also egg-free if you have sensitivities to that too!).  These are our favorite products that many people who aren't GF/DF love too when they come over ;)

Austin is a great place where we have access to many health goods and gf/df/vegan grocery items.  If you don't live in Austin, then I've included Amazon links to all that I recommend for ease of buying!

Breakfast and baking Staples

GF/DF (and most are vegan and non-GMO!)

• Love Grown Foods, we particularly like the Strawberry Power O's and the three kid's cereal, these are gluten-free and vegan and bean based so low-glycemic and t.a.s.t.y
• Little Northern Bake-house, can be found at your local Sprouts and we love the Millet Chia Bread
• Young Living Pancake & Waffle Mix, we use that around here as an AP flour and it's my favorite flavor- not too strong gf, but uses healthy gf, non-gmo grains
• Katz Donuts- these do contain eggs, but are a tasty occasional treat around here for those of us who tolerate egg OK on occasion.
• King Arthur GF AP flour, this 3-pound size on Amazon is the best deal by far- only $3 more than the 1 pound-er!
• Neat Egg for egg replacement- I prefer using this to flax eggs in recipes 
• Enjoy Life for all allergen-free chocolate recipes.  They have dark chocolate morsels that I love for baking
• Domata seasoned flour for frying 
• Wholly Wholesome frozen GF pie crusts

Dairy Replacements

• Yogurt:  Forager (cashew based), Kite Hill (almond based and my personal fav), or Coyo (coconut based- but so much better than all the other coconut ones!)
• Butter: Earth Balance, the coconut spread is our favorite- this is found in most stores
• Milk:  We love Flax Milk from Good Karma and Calafia Farms for Almond Milk
• Cool Whip: So Delicious Cocowhip (found in freezer section of most stores)
• Sweetened Condensed and Evaporated Milk:  Natures Charm (sweetened cond. milk is so, so, so yum!  see my recent cookie pie recipe with this stuff!)
• Coffee Creamer: Calafia Farms- they also have wonderful coffee-flavored milk goods too! 
• Cheese: Treeline for soft, spreadable cheeses and dips (scallion flavor used in my gf/vegan lasagna recipe),  Follow Your Heart Mozzarella shreds, Kite Hill for cream cheese, sliced cheese: Chao Slices
• Ice Cream:  Coconut Bliss with gluten free + vegan ice cream cones too!

Dressings and Sauces

• Follow Your Heart Vegan Dressings like Cesar and Ranch
• Tessamae's line of Dressings
• Fabanase line of vegan mayo flavors- we love chipotle
• Just Mayo, great vegan mayo that can be found anywhere!
• Salsa, Guacamole, and Hummus are also all great choices everyday ;)

Snacks

• Do you miss sour cream and onion chips?  For these type items we love Earth Balance Brand.  (the cheese squares are not gluten-free thought- fyi!)
• Go Raw for snacking- seeds and dried goods are great for road trips!
• Snap Pea Crisps - these are affordable and a great on-the-go snack
• Glutino Pretzels, hard to find gf/df pretzels!
• For more snack ideas check out this post on my blog from last year.  These are all great for lunches too! 

Quick Meal Ideas

• Lundberg boxed rice meals
• Tamales (these are generally found locally, but almost always gf and can be found df and vegan too!)
• Ian's (not vegan, but the kids love chicken nuggets or fish sticks occasionally!) brand frozen- can be found at target even.  Bub's loves the turkey corn dog nuggets ;)
• GF noodles + DF tomato sauce (check your tomato sauce can for Milk, many store bought- even organic ones, contain milk as an ingredient!)
• Smart Flour pizza crusts + tomato sauce + df cheese (see above)

Tyranny of The Shoulds

It's a little pretty here, but an oh-so-ugly word!  I first heard this term in Grad School.  It's a term coined by Karen Horney, a psychiatrists from the early 20th century, and later developed by a dude named Albert Ellis, who used "should-ing" and other strong language around the topic.

The Tyranny of the Shoulds.  

These Shoulds can be fierce dictators, tyrannical voices ruling our thoughts and decisions, how we see and feel about ourselves.

As soon as I heard this, almost 5 years ago now, I decided I'm done with Should-ing....I will not use that word with myself or any other human.

And I actually stuck to it for a bit and didn't.  I also just replaced it with a bunch of need to/ must/ have to/ if I only/ if I just....It goes on and on from there.

Shoulds are sneaky that way.

Should is a powerful word.  It can be incredibly shaming and incredibly manipulative.  We use it when we want others to do what we want or what we think is best; we use it when we feel like we need to be better/ more worthy; we use it when we shame ourselves even!

In fact, I would argue that the Inner Should-ing is where it's at.  We love to tell ourselves all the things we should do to get happier, more healthy, be a better parent.

For me this means lying in bed at night and going over all the things I should do tomorrow to achieve all my dreams.  Or lying in bed going over the previous day and replaying how I could have handled several things better and what I should have done.

How many times a day do you say "I should have_____" or "If only I could____" or "I just need to_____" or "I've GOT to get better at_____"??

Sound familiar?  You say these things to yourself a lot.  I say them to Me a lot.  To give you an idea of a typical day inside my head, here is just a random example that would probably never happen ;)

• (Wake up, getting out of bed) I should be a better mom, more available to the kids.
• (1 hour into the day) I just need to learn how to listen better- this will help my kids know I love them.  I should sit and listen to each of them and their hopes and dreams.
• (5 minutes later) I've got to get better at time management, then I will have time to sit and listen to my kids.
• (later, after succeeding at 0 of my Shoulds) If I could just take a nap and check out for a while...then I will be better and then can be a better mom.
• (5 minutes post-nap) Ok, now I can be available to the kids, I'm gonna rock this...
• (5 minutes later) I should have been better at that mom thing; I freaking even had a nap!

I am should-ing/ must-ing/ if-only-ing all over myself.  And guess what?
The Should-ing prevents the desired outcome of the Should.

I'm so confident in this statement that I think it could be proven scientifically or through quantum mechanics or something!  It's so very true.  The more I live out of and give voice to my "Shoulds", the less and less I get done, the more cranky of a mother I become, the less energy I have to work, and the cycle continues and continues.

So here is my proposal:

Let's Call a Spade a Spade, or in this case, A Should a Should.  Let's speak these out loud to each other, lets catch our should-ing in the process!
My motto for me when I catch myself saying "I need to/have to/got to/ should_____" is this:  I do not have to do anything.  I am enough.  (I know you are thinking here, well you have to eat, breathe, feed the kids, blah blah, and yes, these things usually require doing.  However, I'm choosing to say I get to do these things that seem mandatory, like breathing, eating, and mothering.  And I get to do them from a place of fullness and enough-ness.  This perspective helps me.)

And here is what I want to say to you, dear friend:  You do not have to do anything.  You are OK exactly as you are.  You may not feel it or think it's true.  It is.  You are enough.  I recognize your enough-ness; I see it in you!!!

Are there things that will need doing?  Sure.  Do you have to do them from a place of Should-ing?  Absolutely not!  Why?  Because those shoulds do not come from you, dear friend.  Those shoulds come from a place that does not belong in our heads.  They are put there by some other person who is not us, or some other force that is not for us.

What would it look like to go through your day feeling no pressure or hidden shoulds, manipulations, or expectations (from yourself or others).  Can we even imagine a world like that?  I can, and I think it might be pretty spectacular!



If you are an oil-lover, guess what?  There is an oil for that(this!) too ;)  This resource has been a big help in my road to emotional wellness, and it suggests lemongrass right at the back of the head where I carry my stress.  I use this affirmation with it too: I am guided by (God/Flow/The Spirit).  For more info message me or visit here.

A Clean Home

If you have been following along, for a while, you know that I'm familiar with Sensory Issues...the kids and myself have them fo sho!  Here are the bottom line reasons why we have been working towards a Greener Home:

• According to the EPA, toxins are now higher inside the home than outside the home. (1)
• Kids (and grownups) with a trauma history tend to have a harder time lessening their toxic load (2); therefore, in a path towards more freedom, I want to lighten as much of that load as possible!
• Kids who struggle with sensory issues can get easily triggered by heavy solvents in many traditional cleaning products.  Therefore, I want to have my home have simple cleaning ing. throughout!
• As a sort-of Minimalist a greener home is a simpler home and it's another way we have freedom with less around here.

I've included this video that shows you how I searched the products that were in my home and now I have fewer products that I keep around (love having one bottle for all basic cleaning jobs!) and fewer things that trigger my family/ add to in-home toxicity!

We use Young Living in our home.  If you haven't gotten started with Young Living yet, we have a beautiful community, The Golden Drop Society, which is an online oily place for recipes, ideas, and support!  this is my page on how and why we use YL and love it- a great place to start!

Clean Home with Young Living from Eryn Jones on Vimeo.

Gluten Free Vegan Lasagna

Ahhh lasagna.  The freezer-to-oven version of this dish was a staple my first five years of marriage.  I was one of those with a freezer full of Stouffer's.  Loved popping those in the oven after we both worked all day.  However, not a dish that is very Gf/Df friendly!

Enter the age now where there are gluten-free noodle alternatives everywhere and lovely wonderful alternatives to cheese, even ricotta!  This gf/df/vegan friendly lasagna is super easy to whip up and takes 10 min prep time max!  So not freezer to oven quick, but almost just as fast....and it bakes faster too ;)

This dish is now a weekly staple that we love, love.  If you are a meat lover, you can also make this an omnivore meal very easily by adding 1 lb. high quality, browned, grass-fed beef to the tomato sauce and veggies before layering.

Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna

gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan-friendly
makes a 9 x 13 deep dish lasagna, serves 6-8 people easily 

Ingredients

• 2 packages gluten-free lasagna noodles, no boil kind
• 2 medium jars favorite organic tomato sauce (I use 1 1/2 25 oz. jars or two 16 oz. cans would also work)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 6 oz. package Tree Line Scallion Cashew Cheese
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk  
• 1 package/ bag shredded vegan mozzarella 

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stir the chopped onion and red pepper with the tomato sauce (feel free to add other veggies....if not for my kids I would add zucchini but they are not squash fans ;).
• Blend together the scallion cheese with the milk and half the vegan mozzarella shreds.
• In a 9 X 13 casserole dish, start the first layer, about a 1 cup of tomato mixture.
• Then layer the no-boil gf lasagna noodles on top of tomato layer.
• Next, spoon the cheese/milk mixture until just covering the noodles.
• Repeat this 3-4 times with the last layers being noodles, cheese mixture, sauce respectively.
• Then top the whole dish with all the remaining shreds of vegan mozz.
• Cover with aluminum foil (important to not over-crisp the noodles!) and bake for 35 minutes.
• Uncover and bake an additional 10 min.
• Remove from oven, cut, and eat!

Vegan Chocolate Caramel Cookie Pie

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Cookie Pie?  Yes please!!!  Also, meet my new best friend:

This stuff is crack.  If you have a Sprouts, a Whole Foods, or a local organic co-op you most likely can find it there.  It's a new product that came out just in time for this pie.  In my opinion it's just as good as sweetened condensed milk.....hello dairy-free caramels, Thai coffee, and more!!

Ok, moving on.  But seriously, dairy-free people rejoice ;)

This pie is a treat, my friends...as in a very rich, special-occasion-type, give-you-the-sugar-sweats-super-yummo treat!  I wouldn't recommend fixing this if you are on a low-sugar trend; however, you may remove the chocolate ganache layer for a less-rich dessert <3

chocolate caramel cookie pie

gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan friendly 
this pie has several easy layers- best stored in refrigerator for up to one week

Ingredients:

• 1 gluten-free frozen pie crust (I use Wholly Wholesome GF crust) 

(first layer)

• 3/4 cup GF AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup vegan butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate morsels) 

(second layer)

• 1 can Nature's Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk 
• 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter 
• 1/2 cup peanuts or macadamia nuts

(third layer)

• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk

(top layer)

• Coco-Whip 
• Extra ganache for decoration or vegan chocolate chips/ shavings

Method:

(first layer)

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Mix all dry ingredients together with fork, then add vanilla, butter.
• Mix until just combined with a fork and a cookie-dough forms, add in chocolate chips.
• Press into bottom of frozen pie crust and bake for 16 minutes.
• While this bakes, mix the second layer:

(second layer)

• Mix melted butter and can of sweetened condensed coconut milk.

  

  bubbly and crusty goodness

• When cookie layer is done baking, remove the pie and add the condensed milk layer over top the cookie layer.

• Sprinkle nuts, making sure they are covered by the caramel-condensed milk layer to prevent over-browning of the nuts.
• Bake at 350 for an additional 25-30 minutes. (it should look like the picture to the left when removed from oven:)
• Allow to set and cool for about 30 minutes while you make the third layer. 

 

 

(third layer)

• Over a double boiler or in a heat-safe bowl over simmering pot of water, heat chocolate and coconut milk until melted and stir to make ganache.
• Pour over set caramel layer and refrigerate until the chocolate is set.
• When chocolate ganache layer is set, top with cool whip and extra ganache and nuts or chocolate chips if desired.
• Refrigerate when not eating.  Can be eaten right away once chocolate is set!  

#yum

 

Freedom with Less

Where was I during July?  We moved...I had some medical stuff and eventually surgery...and we moved!!!  Did I mention we moved...again?  We got the notice mid-June that we *might* have to move, then our landlord told us it was for sure so we set out to find a new home.

This would be our fourth move in 14 months.  I was done!

At the time, we were living int 3700+ square feet.  It was easy to feel like we had space because our stuff did not fill it up.  However, we wanted to move closer into the city, and in the heart of South-Central Austin, that means living in less than 2,000 square feet.  Doable for sure, but not what we were used to.  I was nervous to give up all our space.  However, we had no choice so we decided to take this chance at moving to see if we could somehow swing a house we loved in our most desired, super-cute, funky Austin neighborhood.

We found this amazing, modern, small remodel in that same favorite neighborhood and decided to rent it.  The only thing holding me back was that it was 1630-ish square feet.  Less than HALF the size of our current home (granted our current home was too big, even for the 5 of us crazies).

So I did the math and thought, let's do this!  Let's cut everything by 50%!  Cut our clothes, dishes, furniture, cars....get rid of half of it.  The only thing was that we had about 2 weeks, I ended up in the hospital during that period, and we didn't know if we could make it.  David, though, was so excited at the possibility to have less stuff that he joined me in my enthusiasm for decluttering and did a ton of work!  He is also a Sensory Challenged Parent who apparently was oppressed by all our stuff.

Thankfully I didn't have my surgery until after we arrived and had a week our new home.  While I wouldn't wish surgery on anyone, it was a blessing of sorts to not have to make a lot of decisions about what we kept.  I gave my husband free reign over all the attic clutter (25++ boxes) and he narrowed them down to 5 boxes of keepsakes, mostly pictures.  He did all the goodwill runs, he did all the deciding, and honestly I thought I would hate giving up that control but it was a relief.  My inner pack-rat was screaming, "What if we need something later...What if something gets given away that I can make money off of.....What if something important to me gets lost??!!"

But my true self looooooved it!  And I truly remember only a handful of things in those 5-6 SUV full loads to goodwill.  No regrets.

So we did it.  With the help of friends we went down a ton square feet and possessions, but have gained a great walkable neighborhood, bike-able distance to David's work, a cute home that is our style, and Freedom with Less.

I've talked about how less and decluttering help me with my Sensory Challenges as well as my Kids, but I fully acknowledge that to make this jump to 50% less I had to be pushed.  Minimalism, for me, has been something I've been skirting around for a long time, something that seemed like it would bring me joy and freedom, but scary all the same.

But I jumped off the cliff (...or was pushed ;) and was set Free.  

Here are just a small bit of the many blessings Minimizing has brought me:

• I'm more productive.  I realize that I dreaded running an errand or doing work because I couldn't find anything I needed!  Mail run?...I don't remember where that blasted letter is I'm supposed to run to the mail boxes?!  School shopping?...I can't find that list the teacher sent home OR the school supplies I hoarded away in the Fall.  I mean, I could eventually find those things, but the process of finding them caused me so much stress and frustration.
• I feel soooo much calmer.  Look at all that negative space in that area above.  I still have decor and my style, but so much less of it makes for some soothing negative space.  Does that area get filled with kiddos doing karate kicks?  Sure ;)  But negative space can be calming to the eyes and the mind and I have found that I crave it!
• My house is actually clean.  Do you know how many times I cleaned 3700+ square feet by myself?  Twice I cleaned the whole house at one time.  Yes, that's twice in seven months!  I might have had the energy to clean a room here and there, but four bathrooms and all those bedrooms and all the hardwoods...overwhelms me right now to think about it.  We have lived here just a couple short weeks and I cleaned the whole house by myself yesterday and I wasn't winded afterwards :)  So much time saved cleaning everything!

What about you?  Have you recently minimized and felt like it gave you more mental/physical/emotional/some other kind of freedom?

And guess what???!!!!  I, along with a lifetime friend, have started a Podcast on Minimalism, Living Intentionally, and Freedom with Less!  We're two moms and if this whole minimalism thing interests you and you don't know where to start, give us a listen.  You can find us over at The Practical Minimalists site or in IG @thepracticalminimalists <3

Looking forward to sharing more with you about how we live with less and the joy that has come along with that!
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Allergen Friendly Austin, Texas

This is the second in a series of allergen-friendly spots in different U.S. cities.  Whether it's GF/CF, Vegan, Nut-free, there are some spots to love in some of America's great cities.  Check out Allergen Friendly New York City here.

Keep Austin Weird...and gluten-free ;)

Austin is Home

Austin, Texas is our current home, and perhaps, it's the best city in the world for our dietary lifestyle.  I absolutely love it here and you can find all sorts of local spots catering to different needs.  If you're on Instagram, you can search hashtags like #austinvegan and find thousands of vegan-friendly places and pics!

To my surprise, gluten-free dining out here has been a total dream!  I have dozens of places I love, but for now I will share my tops.  Maybe this post will become an "Allergen Friendly Austin 1.0".

Enjoying a book at Thai Fresh along with a Yummy Almond Milk Latte with a GF/ Vegan Carrot Whoopie Pie!

My Top Absolute Favorite Restaurant of All Time: Thai Fresh

I came to Austin only once before we moved here for good.  It was two years ago, and somehow I magically found this place.  I immediately called David and said, "What city on earth has a farm-to-table gluten-free Thai restaurant combined with a gluten-free, vegan friendly bakery, ice cream shop, and coffee house??  We are moving here someday."  I was joking, but as soon as we knew we were moving, I knew our first eat out adventure would be Thai Fresh.  The kids love the rich ice cream (I mean they have gluten-free/vegan waffle cones!!) and I love the charm.  And hat's off to Thai Fresh for recently trying something new to bridge the wage gap between the front and back of the house.  You can either sit down like a nice restaurant or grab something to go from the coffee/ice cream/ pastry area, but no need to tip as their food is priced to eliminate that.  They take care of their employees and it shows in the food and the service!
I recommend the Pad Thai with grass-fed beef or chicken, the drunken noodles, the coconut soup (all are gluten and dairy free), the gf/df/ef cinnamon roll bread, and most of the ice cream flavors (coconut base, not a tree nut), in a gf/df/ef waffle cone of course ;)

Burger Joints

Whether the chain-types like In-and-Out, or local chains like P.Terry's, Austin has some good burger options.  Our two favorite ones, however, are:

• Hat Creek, gluten-free buns are available and they also have paleo-friendly chicken nuggets for the kids (egg-free too!).  These restaurants (several throughout Austin) all have a fun playground for the kids.  This place is one of our top meet-up spots!
• Wholly Cow offers grass-fed burgers with GF buns and is super yum.  It's also in a convenience store so you can get some local kombucha and some yummy local snacks while you wait for your burger!
• Salt Lick BBQ- not a burger joint, but a meat-lovers delight!  All their BBQ sauces are gluten free- and if you don't get the bread with your meal (or dessert) your whole meal will be gluten free!  We usually eat outside and get the family style combo meal, which is all you can eat!  This was Braylen's face when we told him we were getting a giant plate of meat ;)  This boy loves meat!

Outdoors at Salt Lick Driftwood

Vegan and Gluten Free Austin

There are several places that offer Vegan/ GF goods from restaurants to bakeries.  Since we mainly eat GF/CF and some of us are egg-free, we love these types of places in Austin.  Better Bites Bakery is a bit outside the city but their items are sold in Whole Foods stores and local places.  Their bakery is worth a visit if you are in town.  I got all the kid's birthday cakes from them.  They are also nut-free (and top 8 free!) too so that works for our two with almond allergies!

Braylen's Birthday cake with Better-Bites Mostess Cupcakes!

And our favorite vegan restaurant is Counter Culture.  I highly recommend the BBQ Cauliflower pizza and the Mac-N-Cheeze.  This place has comfort food and raw, vegan dishes.  I like the raw pad Thai and David likes the more comfort dishes.  They also have really good dessert specials and juices and teas.

BBQ Cali Pizza with Raw Pad Thai at Counter Culture patio

Stuff and Space

Our Hope St. Home with Dream by Ashley Woodson Bailey 

If you know me, you would never think to call me "A Minimalist".  Because I'm so not.

I am the person who always takes home leftovers just in case, even though 79% of the time I forget about them.
I usually have at least 4 beverages scattered throughout the house at any given time: 1 tea mug, a large glass of water, a non-water drink, and the water I get when I can't find the first water.
My kids artwork is kept far too long because someday I might want to frame it (yes, I've even already taken a picture of it with my phone).
I have several projects going around the same time.  Always.
I still have notes from high school best friends and old boyfriends.  (yes, I am 33 and I have been married for 10 years!)

Our Hope St. Kitchen I designed with the help of good 'ole IKEA and a custom ETSY shop

So, I never thought I would fit into this Minimalist Paradigm.  In fact, I like keeping things just in case.  Every six months to a year, I actually can dig around and happen to find that one random item, like a single hole puncher or the tiny screw driver for the tiny toy batteries, and think, "Aha!  I knew I kept this for a reason."  And every six months or so I'm trying to find that hard-to-find random item and I can't (it's not anywhere!) so I go out and buy it instead- adding to all the stuff.

But lately, I've been feeling that something has changed within me...something is not the same...

I've talked a bit about my sensory challenges.  I talk a lot with moms and online about sensory issues/ sensitivities/ sensory rich activities for input/ etc.  We parents deal with all the sensory stuff too, just like our kids do.  One of my main issues is visual clutter, and that is why this post is filled with lovely simple photos of my spaces I have created in all our many homes to try to deal with the rest of the clutter in the home that oppressed me.

An inherited couch and smattering of other items we have inherited and bought in our Memphis Home.  The other side of this pictured room had a stack of boxes, I think :)

We have just found out some interesting news that we will have to move....again.  Our third move in 14 months, our family's fourth home in 14 months!!  Each move over the last year has been on-to-the-next-better thing.  I have loved all of our homes, but we accumulated So. Much. Stuff along the way.

When my mother passed away in 2013, we inherited all of her things.  Many items were my childhood things that she kept because she was a woman who kept things.  It was sweet to see what all she had kept and cherished of mine and other friends and family through the years.  Growing up, I thought that was what you were supposed to do: keep all the things.  All the reminders of the wedding showers for that friend of the family, all the party favors from birthdays, all the art projects, all the christmas cards, all the pictures, all the memories...right?  (Right about now I'm picturing my sister-in-law, Sarah [world class at only keeping the essentials], cringing!)
I'm wondering if memories can be stored, though, in my head.  I'm wondering if it might be time to let go of the last of the things I have been holding on to of my mother's things.  And if I'm being completely honest, the 15-20 boxes of her and my childhood things--I truly have no clue what is in them unless I go into the attic to find out!  If I can't remember what is in them, can't I let them go?!

When we moved to Memphis, we bought our home fully furnished.  We moved from 1600 square feet to 3300 square feet and we thought we needed things to fill the space.  Our previous homeowner had nice things, so we kept many of those things.  When we decided to move to Austin, though, we pared down a bit because we wanted to fit it all in one moving truck to save money.  We sold some and thought we were in a good spot with the amount of stuff we possessed.  

Our Austin home is 3700 square feet.  I thought when we got to Austin with just one truck's worth of stuff and even more space, we would feel even more at peace and relaxed...We had this great, aesthetically pleasing home, wouldn't we all be happiest here?

What happened was that we filled this home up in 6 short months with too much for my brain.  Half of it looks like the picture below, and half of it looks like a lot of places for tiny piles of clutter to hide.  Too many dishes (I own four different sets), too many craft supplies (and too many stickers to get stuck in my vacuum), too many stacks of paper (oh elementary school, you fill my life with way too much paper things).

The home we are leaving behind in a few short weeks on our next adventure!

We asked the kids what house they liked best (out of the three we have lived in the past year).  I thought they were going to say the one we are in now.  They didn't have to think and said, "The Hope St. house".  The 1600 square foot home in Marietta, GA, our smallest one so far.  I think they felt cozy there, they felt secure.  It was small, but we didn't have all the stuff we have now.  

Here in 3700 square feet they tend to just stick to the kitchen or their bedrooms anyways!  But the kitchen and the bedrooms are always so very crowded and cluttered with things, tiny things.  They don't even have very much in the way of toy sets, but after each playtime their rooms are so filled with trinket clutter, like they need to fill all the space with something.  It almost seems like more space invites them to fill it with something...too much space is unsettling and needs to be inhabited?  I gave away seven dress up purses for this very reason, always being filled with nicknacks, tiny things....sticky things.  We keep donating the kids' stuff and they keep finding more and more things to fill the space!

So what if it's not about just less stuff but more space, but what if it's about less stuff and LESS space?

These are the questions I'm pondering.  If you have downsized or headed towards minimalism in any form, I would love to hear from you!
Can mental clarity be better gained with less space?  The freedom from all the things?
What if less stuff means more mental space no matter the square feet?
What if the kids had less space AND less stuff to deal with?  Would that be better for their tiny burdened brains and my big burdened one?  
Less space and less stuff.  We don't know where we will be end of July, but we are thinking it might be somewhere with less of everything!  I'll keep you posted :)

Allergen Friendly New York City

In honor of Summer, I've decided to start a little series on great allergen-friendly spots in the cities we have lived in or visited. If you are a family who deals with food allergens and traveling to New York, Atlanta, Austin, Memphis, Nashville or San Diego this summer...this series is for you! Will post links as I add cities!

Allergen Friendly NEW YORK, NY

If I'm being honest, this city was not in my top 10 to visit, but when it came time that I needed some serious one-on-one time with my oldest, we took a trip here as it was her most coveted spot to see in all America.  She was not disappointed, and I ended up falling a little bit in love with NY City's charm.

New York is full of great places that offer dairy/egg-free, vegan, gluten free joints...it's easy to find places here to accommodate your dietary needs; however, finding them can be a bit challenging!  Here's a good starting point for your visit <3

Gluten-Free Bakeries

Erin McKenna's Bakery
This lovely little spot is also Vegan, Soy-free, and Refined Sugar-free as well.  So. Many. Different. Yummy baked goods!!  We enjoyed the oregano bagel with vegan butter- this was my fav, and I instagram-ed it.  But you also don't want to miss the apple churros, donuts, and cupcake options, which we also partook in.  It's a small storefront, but look for the cute teal and pink retro stuff in the window and you won't miss it.  We took the subway to Delancey St station, got out and walked two blocks West on Broome St.  There is also a little park in the median if you keep going a block and a half West on Broome.  We enjoyed our treats there and people watched.

Alisa in front of Erin McKenna's Bakery

Tu-Lu's Gluten Free Bakery
This place is not all-vegan, so there are some GF options that contain dairy or eggs, but we had super yummy Pumpkin loaf that was GF/CF, and had the best GF/Vegan glazed donuts here!  We actually ate two donuts each because they were so light and fluffy and we needed extra walking around energy ;)  Didn't take a picture here, but the vibe was sort of the same as Erin McKenna's- cute pink and white small store front on E 11th St near 4th Ave.  There wasn't a subway stop super close by, but we enjoyed seeing more of this area of the city.  There were some older, beautiful churches near here for a sight-seeing detour.
Hu Kitchen for Paleo Baked Goods
This place was where we split an amazing paleo meal.  Highly recommend the wild meatloaf and any of the veggie sides!  Also the chicken quinoa soup was amazing here.  We also had the best paleo (so naturally gluten and dairy free! but so many of their baked goods are also nut free here, which is refreshing for a paleo place and Alisa cannot have almonds!) carrot cake and pudding here.  Their paleo-friendly baked good and dessert section was extensive!

Gluten-Free Asian Food

We tried a couple places, but if you are staying in Midtown or near Central Park, Lili's 57 was super good!  They had a decent choice of sushi, Thai food, and traditional Chinese food.  We had dairy-free bubble tea and I enjoyed great GF drunken noodles from their GF specific menu.  Request one when you go in. The meal was light and not too heavy, but we definitely could have just shared one Bubble Tea as those were kind of on the sweet side.

Chelsea Market

This place had a ton of restaurants inside, plus super fun shopping, so this is a must!  Also, it's near The High Line, which we enjoyed touring despite the crowds on a Sat afternoon.  We at at Los Tacos No.1 and had some amazing tacos on corn tortillas.  (FYI: they don't do cheese on tacos, but the guacamole here does have dairy so we didn't get that, but they do have a sign warning you so we knew not to order it)

Rockin' Raw Restaurant

This place was a total last minute decision.  We has just seen Wicked and were going to stop somewhere close, but Alisa was really in the mood for a milk-shake and this place has 10 different vegan milkshake options!  So we headed downtown to this elegant place.  It only seats 22 people, but it's such a hidden gem!  Everything is gluten-free, soy-free, organic, vegan, and veggie packed!  They have a huge list of raw desserts and AMAZING jambalaya (it is warmed a bit).  Also would highly recommend the Buffalo Mushroom Poppers.  The vegan milks and milkshakes have a choice of almond or coconut bases, so if you can't do nuts, you can still get dessert or enjoy some hot chocolate.

Our waitress was the sweetest.  Only one server per shift so expect to sit and relax a bit!

Best Burger In New York!

Bareburger is an all Organic burger joint and has several locations in NYC.  We loved the decor inside too- super fun portraits of humans with farm animal heads and muted pastels.  I heart muted pastels ;)  Bareburger has plenty of options for healthy low-sugar drinks, gluten-free buns, and collard wraps for bun-less.  They have everything clearly marked on their extensive menu.  If we go back to NYC soon, I will definitely visit a Bareburger!

What is is like to be a Sensory-Challenged Parent?

It's so much easier to talk about the things our children deal with, right?  I can tell you about my kids' sensory areas; I know what restaurants to avoid because they can't handle the loudness or the smells; I know what gets them dis-regulated and I know what kinds of activities they seek out to regulate themselves because I watch them, observe and study them to help them the best I can.

But me?  What about Mom's sensory processing issues?  What gets me dis-regulated?

A few years ago, instead of just making it from one loud play date to the next messy craft time, I decided to take a look at my sensory profile and see what kinds of things I'm sensitive to.  I knew I didn't like certain things, but I didn't exactly know why.  One day, I took a Sensory Profile test at a training I went to, and it was eye opening!

If you were to do a search for "sensory processing 'anything'" you would find thousands of results for sites about children, but few for what adults go through.  Guess what?  We all have sensitivities, a Sensory Profile, so to speak.  We all have a small level to a large problem of some sensory stuff going on with ourselves.

I'm going to share with you some of things about me and my "Sensory Profile" as a parent...know that you are not alone if things bother you, if you can't deal, or if your environment makes you feel a little twitchy sometimes :)

Must Have Quiet...or Quiet-er

How do you handle crowds, loud restaurants, or concerts?  How about if several noises are going off at once- a car alarm, a dog barking, the timer on the oven, several people talking all while the TV is on.  If this sounds like your worst nightmare, then you are like me, a mom who is a bit auditory defensive.
My three children all love to sing.  They are precious when they sing all sorts of made up songs and have that cute falsetto thing that kids do when they are trying to sing pretty.  My heart loves it; however, my poor ears cannot take it.  At all.  My Mia will say to her brother this exact phrase...often, "Bubs, you know that hurts mom's ears and makes her feel crazy!"  That sweet Bubs cannot handle going more than a few minutes without an outburst of sound, singing, or nonsense noises for his own sensory reasons.  Oh my ears, though, when he does that, it feels like 100 needles stabbing me in my eardrum!  My head gets stuffy, my shoulders tense and I just want to escape.

How does this affect my Mom-Behavior?  I want to Shut. It. Down.  I want to do whatever it takes to make the noises stop.  I will try to parent the loudness out of them.  But, of course, that doesn't work...again, their own sensory issues are at play.  Sometimes my head hurts just trying to police all of them trying to talk to me at once.  I know they all need me; I know they all need attention.  But sometimes it feels like juggling too many spike-covered balls at once and I cannot deal.

Instead of trying to get better at the juggling, which I spent many days striving to do, I simply get what I need by stepping away.  I have also been known to plug my own ears with my fingers and steal my kids noise-reducing ear muffs! (It's not always mature, but it gets the job done.  Sometimes gives us all a good laugh!)

Need to Eliminate All The Clutter!

There is a reason that I spend thirty minutes deciding on the right hotel when going on vacation.  I don't do a lot of patterns, too many bright colors, and I cannot relax in a sea of floral prints.  I used to think I was too picky about aesthetics.  Then I realized, when I took the sensory profile, that I scored high for visual plane and vestibular sensitivities.

Now, for me, the whiter, the more peaceful; the simpler the better!  I finally get to live in a home where it's mostly light neutrals, muted accents, and spacious enough that our small amount of stuff makes it seem like clutter cannot happen.  But with three small people, and if I'm being honest, some messy adults :), papers are here, there, and everywhere, pencil shavings, wrappers, clothes in every room!, everyone's stuff all up on our bed, just so many little tiny things all over the place!!  I handle it well until I don't; then I go a bit cray cray.

When the house feels like it's closing in on me and I get overwhelmed by the clutter, it can hurt right behind my eyes and I have to go to a happy place when my kids bring home and unload their back packs full of papers and miscellaneous sticky things.  I don't do heights and I don't do over-loaded visual planes.  My ideal Instagram feed is a bunch of white squares with neutral things on them...sometimes just scrolling through IG gives me that pressure behind my eyes.  I love seeing peoples' stories and lovely pictures, but after a while it's too much visually.  I still use my finger every now and then when I read too.  Yes, I am 33.  These can be signs of a visual sensitivity- not visual impairment, like needing glasses- but a sensitivity with processing what you see.  The vestibular and propreoceptive senses, the ones that senses where you are in space and in motion, play into this as I sometimes feel like my cluttered home is an obstacle course I am bound to fail.. and many times do.

So when there are tiny things everywhere, like crumbs, or small pieces of paper (don't get me started on messy crafts with pipe cleaner bits and paint cups everywhere!), my brain kind of freaks out.  It's the most satisfying thing to vacuum for me.  I do it almost every day.  I may not do laundry but once a month, but I will vacuum!  Clutter for me, isn't just an annoyance, it hurts!  If I absolutely have to get work done I will throw a white blanket over four loads of un-put-away laundry on the couch so it's less visually stimulating!  If there are a lot of kid things in the floor I will shove them all in one pile so it feels like I can move around.  I have found ways to limit how this distracts me.

If the visual planes in my life are clear, bright, and un-cluttered, then my Mom-Behavior is great!  But my kids know that there are times when we all have to clean All The Things, and they are sort of used to it now.  We have made it a routine for the last few months to do this on Fridays before we have some sort of Shabbat and celebrate a Day of Rest on Saturday.  They still complain a bit, but they also now know that I'm a more pleasant Mom when it all gets clean and clear!

How about you?  Do you think you might have any sensory issues as a parent?  The Sensory Profile is a Clinical Assessment so there is nothing comparable available online.  However, I suggest reading Carol Kranowitz "The Out of Sync Child" link in my Resource Page under Sensory Ideas.  It has helpful questionnaires used for children, but also you can see for yourself some things you may have done as a child or put the questions into more adult terms.