Yesterday, the rain actually held off for most of the day which was nice. We got a lot of gardening done and hit up the nursery for some flowers.
I bought some Impatiens, Geraniums, and Bellflowers to plant in the front garden. Before this, mom and I did a lot of weeding and prepped the bed with some topsoil leftover from my veggie garden.
Things are shaping up around here! We almost seem like civilized home owners now. ;)
Check out the spinach…it’s shooting up! I didn’t expect it to grow so vertically!
Update: Many of you have said it has gone to seed and bolted. 
SAD! Do you think it’s done for the summer months?
The kale grows outward and it’s getting nice and full.
Yummy lettuce…
This romaine lettuce is the biggest one so far:
Sadly, I lost two lettuce so far…they just wilted up and died. No idea why!
The 2 Spanish Onions and 1 Red Onion continue to do well.
And the cucumbers in the back are spreading fast.
Eric has been working away at the deck as usual!
The rails are now all in and he is working on the top piece of the railing.
This morning, Eric said to me that he is losing motivation to finish the deck… words that no wife ever wants to hear! ;) I’m trying to help him when I can and bring him lots of beer. :) I think he is quite intimidated by the 3 staircases he has to figure out…I’m so impressed with what he’s done so far though. It will be nice to have it finished and then he can take a break with renos for a while.
After gardening, I made a huge batch of the Back on Track Salad…one of our favs!
I made a few modifications this time, using some black beans, fresh dill, more lemon juice, and red onion. It was awesome with the dill and extra kick of lemon!
I just love how versatile this salad is…you could adapt it so many ways and it’s always a crowd pleaser.
Eric picked up a Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf to go along with lunch. Sadly, it wasn’t vegan due to an egg wash!
I had a bowl of the Back on Track salad and an Ezekiel wrap with veggies, avocado, and hummus.
Unfortunately, my Aunt Jenn and family couldn’t make our dinner get together because Julia got sick with a bad stomach flu and was up all night. Poor girl! :(
We had a pretty low key night and relaxed with some beer and wine.
Eric BBQ’d chicken for him and my mom and I had a veggie burger. We had the Back on Track salad and Sautéed Crimini mushrooms with garlic and olive oil on the side. I picked up some mushrooms from a local mushroom farm and they were great. I really need to make Sautéed Crimini mushrooms more often…they are one of my favourite side dishes. I also loaded some onto my burger.
A delicious and filling meal!
For dessert we each had a Whole Wheat Vegan Chocolate Cupcake with Spiced Buttercream! My mom couldn’t believe they didn’t have any eggs because they are so light and fluffy. It’s magic!
By the way, they also froze very well. I froze them for 2 days and then let them sit on the counter to defrost for a couple hours. They were still fresh as can be. :)
Today, we’re heading out to do a little chandelier shopping (window-shopping?) and then I think my mom and I are going to bake. Sundays just don’t get any better… Enjoy your day!
Your salad spread looks delicious…and your photos are beautiful Angela :-)
Love your website! I recently just came across it and I love all the recipes you’ve come up with! I wanted to know if you have a yet discovered a favorite veggie burger? I’ve tried a few that haven’t been horrible, but nothing I LOVE.
I tend to like the Amy’s brand :)
You could always replace the stairs with a slide :)
Just got back from working in Thunder Bay, and got some of that nice weather you spoke of. Heading to home to check on my garden. I had a couple of lettuce plants shrivel up too, and the others kind of stalled and haven’t really grown. Your garden is looking good!
Your garden continues to make me yearn for one. :-)
I’ll bet you’re looking forward to some amazing parties out on that deck!
Your deck is looking so beautiful! I love it!
Your veggies garden is so adorable! I’m so jealous! I keep telling my boyfriend that we need to get a house, instead of our apartment, just so I can have a veggies garden! Maybe by next year?? :)
Isn’t Mom time so awesome!? My mom lives 12 hours away and I love it when she comes to visit. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
your pictures look amazing with the rounded edges. Go Eric!!!! It looks amazing so far, keep up the awesome work.
Very jealous about the garden! you have a probs have a bigger and greener thumb then me ;) I love cooking with my mum! well baking at least :) love this blog BTW. :) :)
Your veggies look great! I want to grow my own kale now!
You sure impress me. Just look at all that you get done. You go Angela!
I really want to make this Back on Track Salad. I love trying out your recipes when I need something new. They always turn out delicious! Good luck on the deck and garden!
The deck looks amazing so far!! Glad to see that your garden is flourishing :). Just wanted to let you know I just ate a green monster popsicle, yep you read that right! Soo good. Have you made them before?
I didn’t know til now that your husband ate meat. How often do ya’ll have split dinners where he eats his thing and you eat yours? Or do ya’ll almost always eat your vegan meals together? I can barely get mine to eat anything that isn’t chocked full of sodium and processed. Thought you might have some magic up your sleeve!
Definitely JUST finished making that salad about 30 seconds before reading this post! Love the black bean idea. I used chick peas, and am thinking of throwing some garlic scapes on top yummmm
That cupcake looks delicious. And now I’m craving cupcakes….
wow this salad looks incredible!!! thanks for sharing !!!!!!!
Did you add an orange pepper to the original salad recipe? Or maybe use half/half orange/red pepper?
Wow, that deck looks awesome! Your husband’s done a great job! I remember when my Dad decided to finish the basement; I can imagine when taking on such large tasks it can be easy to lose motivation.
So the freezing worked! Will keep in mind!