It’s a Happy Mother’s Day

Let me start out by expressing my heartfelt appreciation to all the mothers who work tirelessly and sacrifice so much for their children. They are the foundation on which families are built. It is by their labor we all exist and they do it willingly while enduring long days and sleepless nights. It is often a thankless job, a never ending drudge. So today I honor all mothers, but especially the two moms that are the most dear to me, my own mom and the mother of my children. The unselfishness of these two mothers cannot be overstated. I love them both. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.

The past few days has been rather busy as we prepare to pull up stakes and leave the place we’ve called home the past seven weeks. Thousand Trails has been good to us. They’ve extended our stay twice allowing us to hunker down. But now that Texas has opened back up we will not be extended any longer. So we leave with mixed feelings. Sometimes we think it would be good to stay a little longer but on the other hand we feel it’s time to start moving again. It’s been a wonderful place and we’ve enjoyed our stay. We are going to miss the hikes through the cedar trees and cactus canyon. We will miss the friendly deer. Most of all we will miss the sunsets across the lake.

We went into town and stocked up on groceries. We filled up the fuel tank. We checked the tire pressures. We washed the dirt off the truck. We did the laundry. We packed away the nonessentials and we mapped our next route. The morning of our upcoming travel day should be a quick hitch and go.

Planning takes a lot of time and effort. It takes hours of research finding campgrounds, reading reviews and making phone calls. The virus has made it even more difficult with many places being closed. We are no longer going to Big Bend National Park. Our reservations in that area were canceled. Barring any more unexpected cancelations, we now have a plan for the next few weeks. We are going to Arizona. 

The days are getting warmer. We went to the lake one last time and put our chairs in the water so we could cool our feet. We watched the power boats speed past presumably racing to the next great fishing hole. A guy in an inflatable kayak paddle by. We asked how he liked his kayak and he gave a mixed review. It doesn’t glide through the water as easily as a more ridged boat but it is easily stowed and transported. He also said there was concern about puncturing a hole with his fishing lure.

Cinco de Mayo was this week. Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Hundreds of towns and cities across the U.S. have festivities on that day. People love to dance to the sounds of Mexican music, dine on Mexican food and drink margaritas. A common misconception, however, is that Cinco de Mayo is independence day in Mexico when in fact Mexico celebrates their independence on September 16. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla where the Mexican army defeated the French occupying forces in 1862. It is typically only celebrated in the state of Puebla as it is not a federal holiday and for most Mexicans it is a day like any other.

We did celebrate Cinco de Mayo by having sweet potato tacos and drinking a Mexican beer. Sweet potato tacos are whole food plant based. They are so yummy and one of my favorite meals. I shall share the recipe below. 

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Sweet Potato Tacos

Ingredients:

1 baked sweet potato peeled and cut into wedges. (Don’t over cook so not to be mushy)

Black bean salsa (recipe below)

1 diced ripe tomato

1 cup lightly chopped fresh spinach

1 small can of sliced black olives

Your favorite picante sauce or salsa

Hot sauce (optional)

diced jalapeños (also optional) 

Nutritional yeast 

Taco shells – hard or soft and either corn or whole wheat

* make this your own recipe by adding your favorite WFPB ingredient

Directions:

In place of a meat, start by putting a sweet potato wedge in a taco shell.  Then add additional ingredients to your liking. To add a cheesy flavor top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. 

ENJOY! 

Spicy Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 10oz can of Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained

1/2 cup whole kernel corn, frozen or canned

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/8 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 T fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp cumin

Directions:

Stir together all ingredients except for the cilantro in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Garnish with the cilantro.

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I hope you try the recipe. Please let me know in the comments below if you do. So until next time….Stay safe.