FoodFash

FoodFash is a food and travel blog based in Austin, TX.

Day Trip From Austin – Austin Zoo

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While technically the Austin Zoo is within city limits, at 25 minutes from home it’s kind of a trek. A trek that we think is totally worth it a few times per year.

The Austin Zoo is a rescue zoo and houses over 300 animals. That means, these animals aren’t being held captive purely for your enjoyment; rather, they are being cared for after injury, abandonment, and other similar scenarios. The zoo also places a large emphasis on education, so the live demonstrations have always been informative while being entertaining {we love when they feed the bears!}.

We’ve always arrived around 10am and have never experienced lines or over-crowding. And while the zoo is relatively shaded {hooray!}, 10am has also been a weather sweet spot whenever we’ve attended. You can cruise through the zoo between one and two hours, which is the perfect amount of time for both children and adults with short attention spans. And leaving the zoo around noon sets you up for the perfect lunch spot around the corner {more on that below}.

Ticket prices are super affordable at $11/adult and $8/child. And there seems to always be a Groupon with a sizable discount available.

And back to that perfect lunch spot – Stanley’s Farmhouse Pizza {and Jester King Brewery if you’re a beer drinker} are close to 10 minutes away. Their pizza is ridiculously, and consistently, delicious. And the ambiance is everything you’d want after a trip to the zoo: casual, cozy, relaxing.

And if you’re traveling with kiddos, the giant sand box adjacent to the dining tables is the best thing. We love that Haven has the chance to get sweaty and dirty and feel like she has a little freedom while we’re a stone’s throw away.

But even if you don’t have children, I highly recommend a day of zoo and ‘za. It’s so nice to spend a day outside with lions, tigers, bears, and pizza!

What to bring?

  • Comfy kid clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. A change of clothes may even be a good call, although we’ve never thought that far ahead.
  • Water bottle. There are water fountains at the zoo and water jugs at Stanley’s. Stanley’s provides plastic cups, but after a morning at the zoo and playing in the dirt, we are in constant need of refills.
  • Sunscreen. Regardless of the time of year, sunscreen is probably a good idea.
  • A fun playlist. Fresh out of tunes? Click here for one of my go-to lists!

Click here for more day trip ideas from Austin, TX!

 

Day Trip From Austin – Kingsland, TX

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While it’s easy to get caught up in all Austin has to offer, it’s also important to make time for exploring the rest of Texas. And because we don’t have an infinite amount of time {and I’m guessing that you don’t either}, we’ve made a commitment to get out there and experience things together. Even if it’s just a day trip. Because, most likely, there’s only time for a day trip.

The formula for our day trips are a pretty simple: within a few hours from Austin, must include nature, must include food. Kingsland made for a pretty perfect day trip from Austin because it was only an hour drive, is the home of Longhorn Cavern State Park, and also has a restaurant that is in the house from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I wasn’t expecting much from Grand Central Cafe because, from a distance, it seemed like it was going to be super touristy. But other than a few themed cocktails on the bar menu and some movie memorabilia scattered about, it felt like a cozy local spot. The menu was giant and included your typical American staples: burgers, sandwiches, salads. I ordered the chicken fried chicken and Kody ordered the reuben. And we both Leatherface lemonaded it up because… When in Rome.

And while nothing on the menu blew my mind, that wasn’t why we were there nor was that the expectation. But everything about our time at Grand Central Cafe was pleasant. The green beans that were served with the chicken fried chicken brought back happy memories of when my great grandmother would spend winters with us in Florida {big positive!}. And I can’t recall a time in Austin where a boozy lunch for two was under $35.

After lunch, we traveled about ten minutes down the road to Longhorn Cavern Sate Park. We both looked at pictures earlier in the week, but the park was immediately cooler than we were expecting. There were a few buildings/structures to gaze at before entering the cave. And the entrance to the cave itself was pretty grand.

There were quite a bit of stairs that led to the cave entrance. And sink holes created tunnels of light that illuminated rock, while allowing greens to grow. Per the website, we intended to do a self-guided tour. But when we arrived at the entrance we were greeted with a locked gate.

So heads up, the only way to enter the cave is through a guided tour which costs $16 per adult and about 90 minutes of your time. Both important things to note before making the trip.

But it was apparent as the tour began that the caves would be difficult to navigate on your own. Not only was it very dark and sometimes slippery, but there were a ton of details that we would have missed had we walked around solo.

All said and done, we were away from home for about five hours and spent under $75 – a total win in my book! Regarding kids, Kody and I both agreed that this tour might be a little long for Haven {age 4}, but we still could have managed had she been there.

What to bring?

  • Closed toed shoes that have a decent grip. We wore Vans and Converse and were totally fine, but I was so thankful I didn’t wear boots.
  • Layers, especially in cooler temps. The cave was much warmer than we expected.
  • Water bottle. The tour is between 60 and 90 minutes with no access to water. There’s a gift shop, but a reusable water bottle is the way to go!
  • A fun playlist. Fresh out of tunes? Click here for one of my go-to lists!

Tyson Chicken Tenders with Homemade Sauces

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

Last May, when my boyfriend and I moved in together, I gained two new roommates: my boyfriend and his three year old daughter. And while not much has changed in our kitchen since the move {she’s less picky than we are!}, there have been a few noticeable differences.

The most obvious difference is the need to accommodate all three of our taste buds. Daily, I could eat salmon and broccoli, my boyfriend could eat tacos, and the little one could eat pea mac and cheese. And because it’s super easy to get burned out on each other’s preferences, we have our go-to meet-in-the-middle dishes: spaghetti, pizza, and chicken.

Now that I’m responsible for purchasing groceries for a tiny, growing human, I am extra concerned about what types of products I bring home. While grocery shopping at H-E-B, I shop mostly around the grocery store perimeter, buying largely from the produce department and butcher department. But, like everyone, I don’t always have time to cook a meal from scratch. And that is where freezer items come in extra handy.

Knowing that Tyson® crispy chicken strips and Tyson chicken nuggets are made from 100% natural* ingredients (*no artificial ingredients, minimally processed) and no antibiotics ever makes them a super easy choice for busy nights. When paired with a frozen green veggie and some homemade sauces, it’s a guaranteed agreed upon meal.

The people who make Tyson chicken products have had a strong heritage of raising chicken since 1935.  Check out this video to learn more!

It’s also worth noting how frequently I’ve seen “no added XYZ” on other product packaging lately. That type of messaging is confusing and leads me to believe the brand is trying to skirt around certain ingredients. With that said, I REALLY appreciate that Tyson chicken has clear “NO ANTIOBIOTICS EVER” messaging on specially marked product packaging. In addition to Tyson crispy chicken strips, Tyson also makes nuggets, Any’tizers® snacks, and drumsticks that are raised with no antibiotics ever and made with 100% all natural ingredients. Please check for specially marked packages indicating 100% all natural ingredients and no antibiotics ever.

And since Tyson crispy chicken trips are made with 100% natural* ingredients and no antibiotics ever, it only makes sense to pair them with sauces that are also free from artificial ingredients. The little one loves barbeque, my boyfriend loves sweet and sour, and I love honey mustard. I already have a go-to homemade cherry barbeque sauce and honey mustard sauce recipes, but I wanted to develop a sweet and sour sauce that was made with real fruit {not juice} and had a super small ingredient list. We were all incredibly pleased with the sweet and sour sauce recipe below and I can’t wait to add it to our regular line up of Tyson chicken strip sauces!

Easy, Complete Side Dishes

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This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.

I can’t seem to find the time for intricate side dishes lately. Whenever we cook at home, it is pretty much guaranteed that we’ll serve a protein with a sautéed green veggie. Sometimes I’ll go above and beyond with mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. But I seriously can’t imagine preparing a protein and TWO lovely veggie sides {especially on a weeknight}. Which is why I was so excited to try Alexia’s complete side dishes.

Alexia used to be my go-to brand for dinner rolls {bring them back, please!}. And they’re the only brand of sweet potato fries on my radar. So when I saw they started making complete side dishes that are VERY similar to what I’d make at home, I couldn’t wait to try them!

Other than the flavor profiles being very similar to what I would cook, I appreciate that Alexia products are non-GMO, gluten free, and contain organic dairy ingredients. And, since we try to steer clear of the microwave, I liked that a handful of the complete side dishes have reasonable stovetop cook times. But for those who depend on the microwave, all of the side dishes cook in less than 10 minutes.

The two side dishes that we sampled were the cauliflower risotto with parmesan and sea salt and mashed butternut squash with butter and brown sugar. And, served along side homemade pork tenderloin, they made for quite a special Sunday supper. So special, that we brought everything outside and dined al fresco to celebrate the slow-approaching Texas fall weather.

The mashed butternut squash was the family favorite. I let Haven sample a spoonful before I plated our meal and she couldn’t stop asking “when is it going to be time for squash?”. Even while we were taking pictures, she couldn’t keep her hands off that squash! And I really enjoyed the cauliflower risotto because it’s so creative. There are plenty of frozen cauliflower rice options available, but then you’re left to find and make a recipe on your own. Alexia complete side dishes are just that – complete. And because they’re complete, you can put all your focus into a delicious main dish.

And that brings me to our pork tenderloin! I used this FoodFash recipe for the brined and seared pork tenderloin within this post. And then I sliced the pork and served it on a bed of sautéed onions and mushrooms. And together, with the cauliflower risotto and mashed butternut squash, it made for a delicious veggie-filled meal!

Alexia complete side dishes can be found at Giant Eagle, Kroger, Meijer and other fine grocers. In Austin, I’ve purchased Alexia products at Whole Foods and Central Market.

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.