It's been a busy month y'all. My apologies for not blogging for the last four weeks. I've been beyond busy. So let me start my blog return with an anniversary post of sorts.

Soon will mark a whole 6 months I've been dating Brandon. I tend to mention him more on here than I promised but we've spent most of the last 6 months together, growing as friends and learning to understand and love each other as partners.

I'm going to keep this post short because...let's be honest; sappy posts get boring quick and I also do like to keep the majority of my relationship off the internet.

These last 6 months have been wonderful. Not perfect; definitely a learning experience, but wonderful. If i would have known that me telling my sorority sister Kay that her "friend Brandon was cute" would have led to these 6 months of happiness, I would have paid attention to Brandon when we met before. lol

All jokes aside, its great to be with a handsome, intelligent, goofy and loving boyfriend who allows me to be silly (and joins in), serves as my #1 cheerleader, provides stability and rationality to my emotional tendencies, and is the perfectly polar opposite of me; which means our life never gets boring.

In all that you are and aren't, I love you brandon. 

Here's to 182.5 days of amazing, and hopefully a lifetime of days like this ahead. 

It's Texas Independence Day ya'll.

My state ain't perfect, but there is no place I would rather call home. So to celebrate Texas' independence, lets review five things that are totally and terrifically texan (excuse the corny alliteration)

1. Tacos

Sure, you can get tacos anywhere right? WRONG. Unless you've had an authentic taco from a somewhat sketchy food truck or a local Taqueria where almost no one speaks english, you haven't had a taco. Texans have perfected tacos as appropriate food for any time of the day. Breakfast? Taco with eggs potatoes, salsa and bacon or chorizo. Lunch? Steak, spanish rice, refried beans, monterrey jack cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo. Dinner? Pulled pork, cilantro rice, sliced avocado on a corn tortilla. Snack? You guessed it-a "small" taco. And don't even begin to argue with me that anything from Taco bell counts as mexican food. (unless you're a drunk or high college student)

Public Service Announcement:

Seriously, unless you have 1.38 in your savings to last you until payday Friday (we've all been there), respect yourself and find a Taqueria Arandas and get a real taco.

2. Mums

Fun fact: The combined weight of these mums is over 200 pounds (okay not a fact but a damn good estimate)

Remember mums in middle school and high school? The bigger the better. I didn't know this was a strictly texas tradition for the most part until i got into college. I always made my own-so that meant making a trip to hobby lobby for ribbon, flowers, pins, garters (for a mini mum), bears, bells and trinkets to show off my school pride. I swear my mum freshman year of high school was so heavy it permanently morphed one of my shirts out of shape. 

3. Whataburger

seeing a whataburger at night in a texan town makes me emotional

Forget the golden arches. Texans demand more from a burger than mystery sauce and freezer burnt patties. What orange and white beacon of light serves as the source of nourishment for drunk Texans at 2 am? Its Whataburger, the hero Texans need but don't deserve. The perfect patty melt, the delicious honey butter chicken biscuit. Hell, even their chicken tacos are amazing. The corpus christi import is among the best of fast food options ever. In-and-Out burger?! What’s that? Eww.

Honestly, if you work the whataburger night shift, you need a raise, a medal, a crown, and probably a hard drink. 

4. Dr. Pepper

"We don't have Dr. Pepper. Is Mr. Pibb ok?"

Is Monopoly money fine or do I need to pay with real cash? 

Let me tell you this-if you're at a restaurant and they don't have the texan nectar known as Dr. Pepper....leave. That's right, evacuate the premises because the food is probably trash anyway. No one quite knows whats in Dr. Pepper nor can they perfectly describe the flavor, but its second to sweet tea in the best complimenting beverage to any meal.

5. Rodeos (preferably Houston's Livestock Show and Rodeo)

ahhh...i can smell the funnel cakes and cow manure right now.

Its rodeo season! That's right-Houston is home to the world's largest livestock show and rodeo and whenever late february rolls around Houstonians celebrate the good music, good rodeo show and even better food that invades the bayou city for the next 5 weeks. Its almost a crime that lent falls during rodeo season-where else can I get a huge turkey leg, fried snickers, a strawberry glazed funnel cake and throw it all up after I get off one of the super sketchy portable roller coasters at the rodeo carnival?! 

We even celebrate the start of the rodeo with a BBQ cook off and go texan day. I remember going to Cavenders the week before go texan day with my mom to get cute pink cowboy boots with fringe on them. They were my favorite.

Honorable Mentions

The word "y'all"

High school football

Chopped and Screwed music

Blue Bell Ice Cream
Shipley's

What are some things that are unforgivably Texan about your or your friends and family? Leave some more "Honorable Mentions" in the comments.

Update: being a pescatarian hasn't killed me yet and I'm somewhat shocked.

In fact, I'm considering continuing this lifestyle past the lent season. Excluding meat (for the exception of seafood) has made me feel better, lighter, and cleared my skin. Honestly, it hasn't been nearly as hard as I expected it to be. However, the red meat-loving texan in me is still strong, and with rodeo season kicking off today, I feel the urge to limit my pescatarian journey to a weekday lifestyle. 

That being said, my new eating habits have made me branch out to new restaurants in the city. I've driven down Almeda more times than I can count (I used to work on the street at a local radio station) and I've noticed the influx of new restaurant spaces. Located on the corner of Almeda and Wheeler Avenue, a small raw and vegan eatery has been holding down the space for a few years and I've wanted to try it out. I took a half-day off work for business and ended up in the area so I stopped in for a late lunch.

Green Seed Vegan + Elixir Bar offers Houstonians filling meals made with fresh ingredients and fresh pressed raw juices and clean smoothies to enjoy. They also offer desserts like vegan brownies to satisfy any plant lover's sweet tooth.

My meal:

The menu has a lot of options, but the dirty burque stood out to me. This was a flavorful combination of a buckwheat patty, green chiles, avocado, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, mustard and mayo. Im also avoiding bread so I got my sandwich in a collard wrap instead of on a bun. The $1 up charge was worth having the option. Surprisingly, the buckwheat patty was a delicious meat substitute. The collards had an "earthy" taste that took some getting used to but it wasn't too overpowering. With the upgrade, and a side of DELICIOUS sweet potato fries, my meal totaled out at $10. Not bad.

After reading the yelp reviews, I knew I couldn't stop by without enjoying one of their raw juices. I ordered two flavors; Pina Verde for myself and Green Zing to give Brandon later to try. Pina Verde is an AMAZING blend of mint, pineapple, wheatgrass and apple juices. Im no stranger to wheatgrass so I expected it to be the standout flavor in the blend but it was actually the refreshing mint that made this some of the best juice I've ever had in my life. Within two sips, I already made the decision to buy another bottle. 

When I left, I dropped off the green zing juice with brandon. The ginger added a "spicy" kick to the juice that neither of us really like but I'm sure other people would enjoy. Their fresh pressed "innerg" juices run $6, which is a little steep for me to incorporate into my daily health habits, but I definitely will be back to buy a bulk order of pina verde.

The little details you care about:

The service:

I think the staff could tell I'd never been there before, and they were extremely accommodating. They answered all of my questions with ease, brought out my food in a timely manner, although the late lunch/early dinner crowd was filling the place.

The building:

The building is low-lit and small, but the design and bright pops of green add to the buildings "cute factor"

Parking:

Okay, parking isn't the best. I found a spot with ease, but it was also 3:30pm on a Wednesday. I assume the Saturday crowd is a lot busier. The lot is small so parking is limited to about 10 spots, but the quality of the food is worth the "hassle" of finding a spot. 

                                                Overall:

I'll be back here to try their veggie burger (voted best in Houston by the Houston Press) even if I decide to start eating more red meat than a caveman again. And next time, I'll bring friends and family. Trust me, if you or someone you know doubt that vegan food can be good AND filling, take a trip to 3rd ward for some green seed vegan and turn them into believers. 

Warning: There is 96.7% chance you will run into a hipster with a vintage camera wearing an old band shirt eating here during your lunch or dinner. But that shouldn't stop you from visiting :)

Visit their website at www.greenseedvegan.com and stop by the restaurant located at 4320 Almeda Rd from 11am-8pm Monday-Saturday to grab some grub!