An Easter Celebration!

Easter is my mom’s favorite holiday. She loves to bring out the decorations (we actually have an Easter tree, folks) and hide my brother and my basket in discreet places around the house. When I got in this morning around 10:00 I immediately went on the Easter basket hunt and was so excited at what I found!

I got a new lunch box, which is soo great since I’ve been using Ryan’s old lunchbox from the 80’s that randomly said “General Motors” on it. Who knows where it came from originally. My NEW lunchbox, which I’ll be using daily at work now, is from Pottery Barn and its a orange recyclable lunchbox with glass containers in it to pack fun stuff in. I also got a new recyclable pink water container since my old one is sort of ghetto and melted in the dishwasher. No candy in this basket—I got a gift card to Whole Foods and……….Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!!!!!! SO excited to start cookin’ from this baby. I’m pretty much Isa’s biggest fan after cooking so much from Veganomicon so I’m sure this cookbook won’t disappoint either.

My dad and I went to ABC to get some Bloody Mary mix—one of my favorite drinks. Because I used to be a cocktail waitress I know how to make a good one. I mixed us up some using my favorite Zing Zang bloody mary mix with jalepino stuffed olives and lime slices “Lunch” was at a weird time–1:30, so I was hungry and therefore, snacking, all morning long. I nibbled on Peanut Butter Puffins, olives and crackers with hummus (random mix, I know). I didn’t want to eat so much that I wouldn’t be hungry for lunch but around 11:30 my body was screaming for lunch!

Speaking of lunch….it was fabulous! My mom was so sweet and picked up some stuff from the deli section of my favorite health food store here for me while the rest of my family ate chicken kabobs. (I thought mine was prettier!). I had a vegan spanakopita that I thought would be filled with tofu, but instead it was wonderfully seasoned spinach and golden pine nuts enclosed in a flaky phyllo dough. I had never had spinach pie before and LOVED it and am so excited I can eat the other half tomorrow for lunch, packed in my new lunch box! I also had roasted veggies—sweet potato, bell pepper, mushrooms and red onions—and a chilled beet salad. No one eats beets anymore, where’s the love? I love ’em! We all sipped on lemonade with lunch and it was ice cold and delicious.

The hit of the meal was Dreena’s Coconut Cake with pink buttercream frosting!!! My dad took one bite and went crazy! In his words, “This is fantastic and the way of eating in the future without animal products….no one would ever know this is vegan!” He loved the cake so much that he made me cut him a slice to take on the plane tonight while he travels to Dallas for business. My mom and my brother decided to wait til later to have a slice because they were too full from lunch, but of course I had a small piece and loved it as well! It was so moist and light and I loved how it is reduced fat, also, because of the addition of applesauce instead of extra oil. A sweet success, for sure!

Now I’m officially stuffed. I feel like I’ve been eating all day, which is not a good thing, but it’s a holiday so it’s forgivable. I’m about to take Mikan on a long walk outside to enjoy the weather and then Ryan is coming over later on. I hope you all are having a great day and holiday!!!