Sarabeth and her adoring tulip fans. ‘Ahhh we love you Sarabeth’.

Oof da (yeahhh that's Norwegian) my fellow peeps! This week has been innnteeennsse (pronounced intense with an emphasis). That schedule/ routine I was so hung up on last week… yeahhh that's gone out the window with the nice weather. Hubsters had this week off work and let me tell you, there's is no rest for the weary. Sun up to sun down, your girl has been doing physical labor (all for the gram, of course- I kid).

Starting off, Sarabeth has a window!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!! Well.. a bigger window. She also has a roof and one panel of plastic siding. She looks like a florist's dream (my dream, it's mine, over here! *waves hand in air frantically*). Painting was supposed to happen today but hey, I work for myself and myself had to deliver tulip bouquets around Winterset. So there.

Tulips (we planted 5000+) have started blooming on our little acreage and they enjoy cool mornings where the sunlight gently laps at their petals. Once Mr Sun is fully out, it's like the tulips are all two years old and keep having blowouts (literally petals blown wide open). It looks gorgeous but man, the sweet spot for pulling them is when the buds haven't started opening.

To add to the two year old temper tantrum tulips, one bed (of three) we made for the little darlings is in a low spot- suuuper large amount of rain earlier this year. The soil is compacted, with no amendments - peat, bone meal, etc (I know, I know, bad Kelli, what kind of flower Farmer are you? A relative newb, that's what). The end result: the tulips are a pain in the a$# to pull without breaking the bulb off. In hindsight (20/20 kids) we should've amended the soil last fall BEFORE planting, imagine that. End rant. My life in three words this week: outdoors, tulips, long (days). Ok four words. Same difference. Does it really make a difference at this point?

Besides the tulip pulling and bouquet making madness that starts roughly between 6:30 and 7:30 morning, I've been edging and weeding my flower beds (yay more manual labor). They may or may not have slightly increased in size (...oops), but now Clint doesn't have to mow as much. That's a good thing right?

Basically I take an edger (it looks like a flat half circle attached to a stick) and cut the sod, then take a spade/shovel and dig the sod out. After, I mound the dirt up so those nasty little weeds have a horrible rotten time coming back into my beds. It takes a ridiculous amount of time to do. But it looks soooooo good when it's done.

After and before. I spray paint the outline of the bed so it flows well when I take the sod out. Pre-remulched and papered of course.

Cue food pictures. All four of them. I kid you not. Sorry not sorry.

With all this yard work going on, I've cooked supper….twice. Clint's grilled (beyond meat burgers, yes they're vegan, yes I'm aware they're processed, I'm still not eating meat), and we've eaten many many leftovers. Thaank you The Vegan8 leftovers (terriyaki patties and ultimate bbq bean ball sammies), I survived this week on you.

This, ladies and gents, is a terriyaki patty from The Vegan8 cookbook. If you go to thevegan8.com, she has an entire archive of recipes. Worth it. You're welcome.

Little sumpin sumpin beyond burger and frenchy fries.

Wraps have been a tried and true quick lunch friend. Tortilla, hummus or sauce, patty, cukes or peppers, spinach. Roll it up and nom nom with some carrots and a couple dates with crunchy peanut butter.

Speaking of peanut butter(you like that blatantly obvious transition?), I have been obsessed with my Magic Bullet (it's an baby blender you dirty-minded people). One banana, cocoa powder, crushed ice, maybe a little maple syrup if I'm feeling extra, and peanut butter. Blend it up and boom! Chocolate peanut butter banana nice cream (because there's no dairy and it's whole food plant based). It is deeeelicious and easy.

Ultimate BBQ bean balls from the Vegan8. The four food pictures shown have literally fed me all week. Tulips > tacos this week.

Basically everything this week (all three things I've made) has been fast and/or easy. Instead of telling you to buy The Vegan8's cookbook to look up the recipes I made (which you still should), you're going to receive throwbacks to pre blog recipes. Do it to it. You will profit from my lack of kitchen-ness labors (said no fortune cookie ever). Enjoy.

Case in point. Lazy vegan. Quick meal. From the frozen section at Trader Joe’s.

Up first: brownies from Beaming Baker. Who doesn't love chocolate? And chocolate in chocolate wrapped in gooey awesomeness…forget about it. I'm there. I asked Clint if he had any pictures of these suckers (which I don't) and his reply?

‘You mean the brownies where we eat the entire pan in one sitting?’

I usually double this recipe and double the bake time. I'm sure I could figure it out to where I can increase the heat and decrease the time, but I am way too lazy for that nonsense. Hubs likes them, I like them. No need to fix something that's not broken.

https://beamingbaker.com/best-vegan-brownies/

Second: how I cook my chickpeas from Healthy Nibbles and Bits. I prefer dried chickpeas. I can control what goes in with them ie salt and extra nonsense. Slow cooker, add chickpeas, and ignore (my type of cooking). Fresh Thyme and Whole Foods sell dried chickpeas (or garbanzo beans if you're feeling fancy). Chickpeas make anything. Hummus, burgers, wraps, bars, annnyyyyythhiiiiinnngggg (within reason). Save your tin cans, buy in bulk.

https://healthynibblesandbits.com/how-to-cook-chickpeas-3-ways/

Dried chickpeas. Like canned chickpeas but less water. Obviously.

I hate banana bread...said no one. I loooove banana bread. I grew up on banana bread and scotcheroos (rice krispies, peanut butter, corn syrup, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips.. google them). Staples in my house I tell you what. THIS banana bread from Kale and Caramel is elevated, next level, delicious awesomeness in one loaf. And I didn't even find it first. My mom did. So you should probably make some too. Mother knows best.

https://www.kaleandcaramel.com/food/next-level-poppyseed-banana-bread-vegan/

Photo cred to the best mom in the entire world. I totally have half a loaf of this in my fridge that she brought over. ..while maintaining proper quarantine distance, of course.

If none of these recipes pique your interest, try Insta or Pinterest. My favorite vegan peeps: The Curious Chickpea, The Vegan8, Thug Kitchen, Bianca Zapatka, Ela Vegan, Vegan Richa, and about a zillion others. Hopefully it rains this week so I can go back to cooking and spamming y'all with food pictures (although I haven't heard negative Nancys about the tulip pics.. just saying).

Tulips Not Tacos..Sorry Yo

Cedar Shake Farm