VEGAN LO MEIN & THAI SPRING ROLLS

eating healthy meals can be quite a struggle when you're on vacation. especially when there are thirteen different food critics giving their opinions for dinner. i will admit we didn't do much cooking during our texas visit, but we did manage to cook a couple of great meals. this was one of them. perfect for a warm texas evening. i love super quick dinners like this that can be easily altered to suit everyone's likes and dislikes. i usually end up making this when i'm trying to use up my veggies before they go bad. anything is good tossed with sauce and noodles. i apologize now for the spring roll addict you will soon become. i'm currently raising three little spring roll addicts. they request them at least once a week and love to help make them. they're great to toss in a picnic lunch too. happy eating!

spring roll disclaimer: if you have a toddler, there is a good chance they will sneak a spring roll behind your back, bust that thing open and string the rice noodles throughout your living room as if it were christmas tree tinsel. consider yourself warned.

VEGAN LO MEIN: original recipe here

Ingredients:

3/4 pound lo mein noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
sesame oil
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 cup julienne carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 big ass handful of cilantro - we're kind of obsessed with it around here

Instructions:

cook the lo mein noodles in boiling, salted water. don't overcook or they'll be mushy once you stir fry them later. set aside to cool. toss with a little sesame oil if they're sticking together.

mix the hoisin sauce and soy sauce together and set aside.

in a wok(as if we all own one or something) or a large, deep skillet heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil and saute the ginger, garlic, and scallions. again, don't let them get mushy, just cook until you can really smell them. add the carrots, celery, red onions, mushrooms and saute. add the bean sprouts at the very end.

in a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil and stir fry your noodles. once they have a little color and are heated again, add them to the veggies and toss with the hoisin soy sauce mix. sprinkle fresh cilantro on top and serve...or eat straight out of the bowl...with your hands.

THAI SPRING ROLLS:

Ingredients:

1 package spring roll wrappers
1 package bean-thread noodles or thin rice noodles - cook according to package instructions
1/2 cup bean sprouts
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh herbs - we used a mix of cilantro, basil and mint
1/4 cup carrots, grated
1 jar of peanut sauce - i'm usually to lazy to make it myself!

Instructions:

drop your spring roll wrappers into hot water, one at a time, for about 15 seconds. just long enough to make them soft. fill with noodles, veggies and herbs and roll together, folding the sides in as you go. don't be afraid to overfill, the wrapper will stick to itself and keep everything inside. dip in peanut sauce and eat or chill in the fridge until you're ready. and don't forget about the toddler disclaimer!

HOUSTON HAZE.

last weekend the mister and i headed to houston with a bunch of my family. an old friend was getting married, the astros and rangers were playing and the beach at galveston was calling our names. it promised to be a spectacular weekend. it kinda lied. while the weekend was abundant with laugh till you pee moments and world class photos to memorialize them, just about every event that took place had it's own little catastrophe to accompany it. friday night we watched the astros lose sorely to the rangers, whom they beat the following night and of course we didn't make it to that game. the next morning our excitement at diving into the ocean waves quickly dissipated as we discovered that baby blue crabs were spawning and climbing down our swimsuits to eat us alive. you would have thought we were being attacked by sharks by the way we were screaming. i'm sure we scarred some poor onlooker's children for life. we also thought it wasn't that sunny and maybe we would just bypass using sunblock that day. we were fools. just picture us ladies strolling into our friend's beautiful wedding, which was outdoors might i add, with our cherry colored skin. oh we were lookin real good. sunday involved walking about twenty plus blocks through the crap part, i'm not convinced there's a non crap part, of downtown houston only to discover that the restaurant we planned to eat at was closed on sundays. ninety-five degrees, hungry, dehydrated, twenty weeks pregnant. i complained like a toddler kicking and screaming on the floor. it was very unbecoming. we finally did eat at the original ninfa's and it was delicious and air conditioned. even though it's where i grew up, i am not a fan of houston and i think the feeling is mutual. it could have something to do with my flipping sam houston the bird on the way out of town. oops. here's to remembering the weekend's good moments and laying to rest the bad ones.

WHEN IN TEXAS...

you stay as close to the nearest body of water as possible.

you grin and bear it when you sit down on your leather car seats. 

you select your attire according to "what will cling to a sweaty back the least".

producing waste via bottled water is not not an option. 

you eat tex-mex food for one or more meals per day. 

sno cones are part of a balanced diet.

but mostly when in texas, life is a little more complete cause we're with the ones we love.

LITTLEST JONES: WEEK 19.

mama's wearing: swimsuit, la blanca. skirt, j.crew. sandals, target. sunnies, drugstore.

i guess i kinda skipped a couple of weeks here, but truth be told i was just not in the mood to do photos those weeks. we've been in texas since last monday and have enjoyed time at the pool, the lake and the beach. these photos were taken by my mom just before we left the lake a few days ago. it was so relaxing to lay by the water on this gorgeous day. thank you texas for the amazing weather.

as you can see the baby belly has exploded since week 16. the daily tex-mex, sno cones and other vacation binging haven't helped the situation either. i really need to get back to eating healthy and continuing my yoga routine....after vacation that is. six more days and we'll find out if baby is a girl or boy. the anticipation is driving us all crazy. we can't wait to know! the countdown continues.

MORNING IN MANITOU.

my favorite meal to eat out has always been breakfast. there's just something about pulling your hair up, tossing on a sweater with sneakers and heading out first thing in the morning for delicious food...prepared by someone else. i absolutely adore manitou springs. it's a tiny old town south of the springs, filled with crazy shops on main avenue, old hippies, penny arcades and more navaho turquoise jewelry and homemade fudge than you can imagine. not to mention it hosts adam's mountain cafe, which has the best breakfast in the state. their menu is all organic, locally produced foods and drinks. their avocado omelet and cream sherry potatoes always do a body good.

we stopped in here for breakfast last saturday with some of my siblings, my dad and stepmom. we waited forever to eat, but it was totally worth it. of course, we all made ourselves sick playing on a local playground afterwards and squealing like children. it too, was totally worth it. it was a good day.

A RIVER IN THE MOUNTAINS.

last week we drove up to decker, colorado to one of our favorite spots by the river. my sister was visiting from austin and my dad and his wife planned this fun day for us. it is such a peaceful place to spend the afternoon. we had a picnic, climbed on the giant boulders and ate a yummy picnic on the sand. in typical jones fashion, each of our littles stripped down to their undies and jumped in the river. the water was freezing cold, but they didn't seem to mind one bit. we listened to elvis and the beatles all afternoon, while charlie boogied down. poppy showed the kids how to start a fire with a magnifying glass and taught them to shoot a bb gun for the first time. they slept the entire drive home and told daddy very detailed stories about their day when we got home. adventures like these make me grateful to be homeschooling and not missing out on these fun times. we can't wait to go back again.

SUNNY DAYS.

oh how we have been waiting for a day like this. it was lovely to get some yard work done on saturday and let the kids run wild in the sprinkler. they obviously had a great time. there were a few episodes of water in the eyes, a two year old nudist and a few pink shoulders later on. but is was worth it. today we're lingering on this warm, sunny day as it is currently snowing outside...whaaat?! colorado weather is unpredictable to say the least. now mama has a sore throat and a sinus headache. yuck. one week from today we will be in sunny, humid texas and we. cannot. wait. my sister is arriving wednesday night from austin and we are crazy excited to see her. so tomorrow, today's gloom will be stricken from our memories and we will be basking in the sun once again. oh happy day.

one last note, mister jones got a special delivery last week and he is in heaven. here's the newest member of the jones family...