Happy Egg Day! Sharing a Natural Method to Dye Your Easter Eggs.

Dying eggs is like a little art project that pack member Natalia really enjoys, as it reminds her of her childhood days back in Romania.  Some of our friends have asked about this egg dying method for a while now, so we thought of sharing it on our blog. 

No Knead Bread

We've made our fair share of breads before, but this has to be the best recipe by far and has become a staple in our home!  It is super easy to make with only 4 ingredients and no kneading.  There is nothing better than homemade bread, especially hot out of the oven.

Love Day

It was a great Valentine's Day weekend in the SF Pack-land.  After a long week for all the pack members, including pack member Jordi who has been having a hard time adjusting to our busy schedules, we took the weekend off to relax.  The human pack started Valentine's Day Evening with a BYOW (bring your own wine) painting class at the Yi Yan Art Academy in San Francisco.  This is the second time we attended Yi's class and we love it!  Yi is upbeat and fun and she explains each step of the painting process really well.  It's easy to keep up, even for those of us who are not art experts.  We painted Van Gogh's Almond Tree and enjoyed wine, snacks, music, and the company of our good friends Kevin and Colette. 

 {All apron-ed out}

Vegan and Gluten Free Biscuits

The pack ventured into the gluten free world of baking.  We made apple buckwheat & oat biscuits that are not only healthy, but also surprisingly delicious and moist, with hints of apple and coconut flavors.  These biscuits are the perfect snack to pack with you for school and work.  Buckwheat is a great source of fiber and protein and will give you lots of energy.  The batch we made lasted almost a week.  The biscuits taste good plain or paired with jam or berry reduction.

{Biscuits with homemade blueberry reduction}

Paradise Trip

The human pack took a short trip to Hawaii's island of Kaua'i in January to enjoy some sunshine and relax.  Kaua'i is so pretty and lush!  You can see from the pictures below how green it is.  We enjoyed hiking, golf, the beach, and some good food.  Pack member Jordi stayed behind and enjoyed play dates and evening strolls every day at the dog hotel.

{Hiking the 8 miles round trip Hanakapiai Falls trail, covered in mud}

Meringue Cookies

We made ice cream for New Years Eve and had a couple egg whites left over.  I don't like throwing away food, so I decided to whip up some meringue cookies, which are pretty much egg whites + sugar.  I used two recipes as guidance (this & this) and this is the end result:

Favorite Snack #2

... is crunchy and spicy chickpeas, a Romanian recipe my mom shared with me.  This snack has become a staple in our home, especially when we have guests over.  It's healthy and quick to make.   The batch I made today was devoured in 10 minutes, so next time I'll plan on making 2 batches. 

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas that is drained, rinsed, and dried really well with a paper towel

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon garlic powder (you can use fresh garlic, you just have to grate it)

Spicy pepper - I used 1 Serrano pepper that I grated (jalapeño is also a good option)

Salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice