Belly and Party

Man, I don't know what it is about me being pregnant and not blogging. I just can't seem to find the will to do it! I will think about something I want to blog about, but then never do it. I'm going to try to do better.

So...I'll start with my most recent belly pic. Here I am at 29 weeks(I'm 30 weeks as of Sat).

I can't imagine getting much bigger, but I will!
Chloe is a strong little baby. She even hurts me from time to time while jumping around in there...hehe! I really can't wait to meet her, but 2 months seems so soon. I'm not ready for this pregnancy to be over, then again...ask me again in a month and a half...ha!
Things are going really well. My only complaints are major acid reflux and back pain. Actually, my back hasn't been hurting quite as much as it was before...I hope it stays this way.

Last Saturday(the 8th) was my little boys 3rd birthday!! 3! Can you believe it? My baby is 3. We had his party outside at a park and it was pouring rain and thundering, but eventually stopped raining and the kids were able to play. I'm so thankful that my awesome friends and family didn't cancel due to weather..not one of them! :) Fun was had by all! I was so proud of our cake. Josh baked it(with some help) and I decorated it. This was my 1st attempt and decorating a cake in this fashion. I really like how it turned out! We used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and just made it into a whole cake. It was so yummy!
Here are some pictures from the party.

Party Party

Kieran's party was a blast! So many people showed up, loved our VEGAN cake and had lots of fun! K loved having the birthday song sung to him and people clapping. He smiled so big!! He got so many great presents and opened every single one without getting distracted or bored. :) He had lots of fun! The only time he got upset was when big bro, Nevin went up the rock climbing wall. For some reason it just really freaked him out. He was so worried about Nevin and cried. Nevin comforted and hugged him. It was sad , but also so sweet to see how much they love each other. They certainly do have a strong bond. Makes me teary just thinking about it. I'm such a sap! It was great being surrounded by such wonderful friends and family. Well, without further ado...party pics!

Vegan Cup Cake Recipe

This is the recipe that I used for Kieran's birthday cupcakes and Nevin's birthday cake.

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 scant cups soy milk(plain or vanilla)
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 1/8 cups sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
1/2 cup oil (they suggest canola but I used olive oil and it was fine)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 22 muffin cups with non-stick spray or line with paper cupcake liners and spray the liners with non-stick spray(I just rubbed olive oil on the inside of paper liners..worked fine!). Set aside.

Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soy milk to equal 1/12 cups. Stir well and set aside( the mixture will curdle).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together the soy milk mixture, canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth using a hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. -- ( I did not use a mixer...only a spoon ...worked just fine!)

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester (or in my case a fork lol) inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 15 min., then remove cupcakes from pan and place on a wire rack (we don't have one so we didn't do this). Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.

Chocolate Vegan Butter cream Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup non hydrogenated margarine (we used Earth Balance brand)
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons rice milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium mixing bowl. Add margarine, rice milk, and vanilla, and beat well using a hand held mixer (again I just used a spoon ) until the frosting is smooth.

This frosting is the best stuff ever! I could have had this alone by the spoonful! Yum!

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Makes 22 cupcakes.

Oh, and I also have a recipe for pineapple frosting. I'll post that later if anyone wants it. It's so good! Josh made me the cake with this frosting for my birthday. :)

Birthday Party Extraordinaire

We finally had Nevin's birthday party...a month late. But it was well worth the wait! We had it at our local recreation center that has an awesome pool! It was soo fun! The water slide was a blast. Nevin and his friends had such a great time! Kieran wasn't sure what to think of so much water but he warmed up to it. We can't wait to go back! So without further adieu...here are the pictures. Notice the cool, made from scratch cake? It's totally vegan...shhh! :)







P.S. I got the recipe for the cake from The Vegan Lunch Box cook book. I love that book!