just in time... impromptu cooking in the hood

ok play this right now!!!!

it'll totally add to your reading pleasure:)  my absolute fav song EVER...i've been known to dance around in my kitchen to it.  believe it.

i just made it.  met the deadline....phew.  the november jamie oliver food ambassador goal was to teach friends and family a traditional dish from scratch...

it's nov 30th and i thought that i had to inspire someone else other than myself to do the teaching...hahahaha, ooops.  i figured i'd go all in for dec... yet another problem i have with reading:)

so the night started with me just planning & making dinner...and then a neighbor kiddo came over...and  then her big sister and poof!  we had ourselves an impromptu kid cooking class!  yea baby!!!

i had two sweet dumpling squashes that i had to use and i found this recipe on the internet

baked sweet dumpling squash

notes:

substituted butter for earth's best buttery spread (soy free).

otherwise, we followed the recipe to a "T".  

we had so much fun...i'm literally officially in love with teaching kids how to cook.

why oh why have i never "cooked" with my kids?  

all i did was ask, wanna cook with me?

this is my first official playdate crash.

and it was a HOOT!!!!

gotta get those darn seeds and pulp out!

yea, this isn't in the recipe but she wanted to know, "what the heck is sucanat!?!!??"

 big sister piercing the squash halves.

yup, she even came over with a cute and a muffin t-shirt...hilarious...the universe came a callin...

i love you allen...you know you are:)

where is 1 tablespoon?

shoveling the earth balance buttery spread into the squashies.

teaching the proper way to measure...i just learned that myself:)

go ahead, dump it!

concentration, concentration....

even t-bone got into it!  pouring the maple syrup action!!!

and mac got up from his illustration work to do a little pourage too!!!!!

last one!

the following pics are for the rest of tonight's dinner and didn't finish with all the kids, but i had to share...

...learning how to juice a lemon:)

come on, you gotta get your core into it baby!!!!

now that's what i'm talking about!!!

"this is fun mom."

'nuff said.

ahhhhh, when can we do this again!?!?

the finished product, tah DAH!

thanks for playing along!

ps

everyone absolutely loved the squash.

abbie update - day 84

hot diggity diz-nog

i feel like dancing!

80 days ago, abbie was a full grade level behind in reading (A-) and not reading at all in spanish.

hot off the presses from abbie's teacher:

"We are reading a level E in English now and soon to be B in Spanish"

sweet fancy moses people!!!

have a fabuloso weekend and eat some really good food,

the mullies loves ya.

can't read directions...gluten & dairy free homemade nuggets & au gratin potatoes

seriously?

i cannot read directions....very well.

what is my problem?

i always seem to skip over an important part or get distracted or something goes awry.  luckily this goof up didn't cost me the entire dinner.

are you ready for literally the BEST chicken nuggets EVER (and i screwed up the recipe even!!)?  

i had written these suckers off until i found this post last night.  

if you have a food processor, it's a must try.

the best gluten & dairy free chicken nuggets ever

notes:

healthier oil tip: use GMO canola oil or organic coconut oil to fry em up.

be careful not to let the oil get too hot!  i kept the burner on medium.

so what did i do to screw up?  i processed EVERYTHING together...didn't take out the potato chips and set them aside.  dumb dumb dumb dumb.  so, i improvised: used some gluten free bread crumbs to crust them with some s&p and they were still ahhhhhhhhhhhmazing.

crisis averted!!!  and i can't wait to see what they taste like when i actually make them correctly!

i also made 

gluten and dairy free mixed 2-potato gratin 

find the original recipe inspo here

1 onion sliced (i ran out so i just sprinkled dried onions on the layers and put about 1/4 c in the sauce)

saute in evoo or coconut oil until soft...

2-3 sweet potatoes

3 regular potatoes

slice em as thin as you can...

1 1/4 c coconut milk (i use trader joe's light coconut milk)

2 t arrowroot or potato starch

1 T earth's balance vegan buttery sticks (or from the tub)

pinch of nutmeg to taste

s&p

put in a small saucepan & melt it all together until bubbly...

grease your baking dish with evoo or coconut oil.  alternate layering potatoes and onions...have fun with the two potato colors!  finish with a layer of onions.  pour liquid over top, cover and bake for 30 min at 375 degree convection (or 400 degrees regular).  uncover,  sprinkle with your choice of diary free cheese and bake for an additional 20-25 min until browned and bubbly.

 i just bought that vegan, GMO free parm and it was really good!  

before and after

the hubby scarfing some nuggets down before basketball practice:)  

he was thoroughly impressed...score!!!

i had none left.

ps

here is the coconut oil that the babycakes author recommends...and i just got it!!  

it truly doesn't smell like coconut...which i never really minded... 

it will be nice to cook without the aroma:)

find it here

meal planning - bring on the theme nights!

i am super excited about this one.  thanks to my hot mama sister katie for getting my wheels turning!

the most common issue with this clean eating & more cooking thang is that there is only so much time in the day especially if you are a working parent.  you're not getting home until after 5pm...your time is restricted, your freakin tired but you have to get dinner on the table!  whether you stay at home or work, planning, cooking and juggling the schedule is an issue for all of us, so i am on a mission to try and figure out a way we can all start eating real food without making ourselves even more stressed out!!!

starting themed dinner nights will be easier to plan, to shop for & hopefully crazy fun for the kids to look forward to!  in my pipe dreams, i'd really like to get the kids more involved with cooking too...maybe this will get them excited about being a part of it all!!

here are some of the ideas we came up with:

taco tuesdays
meatless mondays
make your own pizza night
german night
slow cooker night
soup night
breakfast for dinner night
italian/pasta night
hong kong night
make your own salad night
hawaiian luau night

i mean, you could really have fun with this one.  depending on your family's food tastes...the sky is the limit, right!?

here are some great links to some pretty sweet blogs...get your creative juicies flowing!!

family theme night dinner ideas

weekly menu theme ideas

theme nights and monthly food planning

my plan is to sit down with the family tonight and pick out the top 5 to 7 theme nights we'd like to try out for a while.  gotta leave room for a few leftover nights and i think if we spread the theme nights out between two weeks that will be a good starting point for us.

to the mullies we go...

wishful thinking about gluten

don't hit play just yet...

this song is from one of my favorite movies e.v.e.r.

i heard it on the way to pick up my youngest from preschool.  ahh pretty woman.  i wasn't married, no kids, fantasizing about getting picked up by a really really rich dude...not so much about being a hooker though...

and of course i thought of the mullies and what i most want to share with any parents who are thinking about trying this route or who are in progress with a food change to help their kiddos.  

i am a wishful thinker.  i go for things.  i mean, really go for it.  why not?  what is there to lose if it works?  whatever it has been in my life... i go ballz out baby.  because if you go 1/2 way, guess what?  it just doesn't pan out.  

ever.

but this whole food change?  worrying about your child...talk about a hole in my heart for so many reasons:  fear, change, judgement, indecision, difficulty...it's her whole life!  and ours as a family!!

gluten is a big trigger for abbie.  the day after t-day was a total mess.  she settled down this past saturday morning and then we gave her a pb&j on ezekial's sprouted grain bread and boy oh boy did she put on a hyper show for us in the afternoon.  sob!!!  and a happy dance!!!! that's reality my friends.  this little experiment does have a happy ending but the change is hard to swallow sometimes...no pun intended.  

gluten and the link to ADHD

i would never have known or believed it if i didn't give it 100%.  she doesn't have celiac, she can eat gluten with no outward digestive issues (no stomach cramps, bad poops, etc) but holy mollies in my hollies does it effect her energy level and attention span.  

i guess i know what to give her if she ever needs to win a race though...

we're almost at 3 months and i'm still learning everyday with her.  i just started a food diary and i'll be keeping that up for quite awhile to continue figuring out if other food triggers exist.

i am very happy with the way we did this diet.  eliminating everything for a month to see improvement. 

check.  we added back some gluten in month 2 and bam, we know it's one of the culprits by month 3.  

i will not experiment with the preservatives or food colors, i just think those guys are nasty.  i will probably move into fruits and veggies next to see if any have a noticeable effect on her attention span and hyperactivity.

i have a memory etched in my head of a very emotional michael jordan clutching his championship trophy while in the fetal position on the basketball court.  

i'm stuck in the 90s today:)

i am so happy i did the work to get here, the learning curve was pretty steep and i got frustrated.  

i almost gave up a few times...thankfully this little diary thing kept me going.  i knew it would hold my arse to the fire.  

farewell my gluten friend

i'll get over you (gluten and all that other crap) because i'm the queen of wishful thinking.  i refuse to give into my blues...that's not how it's going to be.  i'll pretend my ship's not sinking.

i deny the tears in my eyes because i don't wanna let you see.  i'll get over you i know i will.  i'll pretend my ship's not sinking cuz i'm the queen of wishful thinking

if i don't listen to the talk on the town...

i'm over you 

i didn't just wish - i made a move

my ship's floating not sinking

i am the queen of wishful thinking

now laugh your ass off watching this super cool video.

to all my hot mamas, papas & foodies out there,

play it baby!

xo

got turkey leftovers?

 oh baby baby baby...this one is for the books.  

i have nailed the substitutions for the famous casserole to be gluten free & diary free!!!!

total family approved:)

turkey noodle casserole inspo here

the mullies gluten & diary free casserole
adapted from thekitchn.com
(feel free to substitute any meat or veggie to make it vegan or whatever floats your boat!!!!)

8 oz brown rice noodles (i like tinkayada brand)
cook the noodles and drain 'em...

3 T evoo or coconut oil
1 organic onion, chopped
2 organic carrots, chopped (i had a orange and a purple one!!! approx 1/2 c)
2 organic celery stalked, chopped (approx 1/2 c)
3 organic garlic cloves, minced
saute the veggies in the oil until soft, add garlic last for a minute...

2 T gluten free all purpose flour (or whatever flour you want)
add the flour & mix until rawness cooks off, 2-3 min...

1.5 c organic rice milk + 3 T trader joe's light coconut milk (total together to make 1.5 c)
slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until blended and thicker...

3/4 c vegenaise
1/2 log herbed goat cheese
stir in vegenaise and goat cheese until blended...

pinches or cayenne pepper & nutmeg to taste
add the spices in to your liking...

2 c cooked leftover turkey (or whatever meat/veggie substitution you'd like)
mix in the turkey...

sea salt & pepper to taste

put the noodles in your baking dish (i used a 9x13 in clear pyrex dish) and pour the creamy goodness over the top, mix it up a little and bake @ 350 degree for 25-10 minutes or until bubbly.

the key substitutes were the vegenaise for the sour cream and the herbed goat cheese for the cream cheese.  holy mackerel...it's good, so good, for the first time i'm not bitter about not being able to cook with the stuff i have loved & used for years.


ps
goat cheese still has casein in it, so if you're needing to really to ditch that and can do soy, go for the tofutti brand cream cheese...a darn good one...or just delete the "cream cheese" completely, i'm sure you'll still dig your clean dish.

hot mamas - meg - the best egg replacer

if you are dealing with an egg allergy (one of many allergies that meg deals with in her young family) or if you are vegan, this little box is your taste of heaven.

there is nothing better on the market.  

thanks for the tip hot mama!  

day 77 - abbie update

Abbie was a rock star at school for a while, a full 2 weeks...then i made the decision to let some sugar and gluten back into the picture when we left for a weekend getaway.  and....ugh, we've had a bit of a set back.  nothing like what we saw from her in the beginning of the year (thank heavens), but she is not holding her attention like she was when her diet was totally "clean".  her reading teacher, classroom teacher and i have been in constant contact which is a MUST if you decide to do a diet change.  it's a bit of a science experiment, that's for sure.  i am really looking forward to the next few weeks of school to see if i can get her back again.  i know i can, and i am very interested in how many days it takes to go "clean".  

starting monday, here's the plan:  the only gluten will be from spelt flour and i'm going to cut way back on school morning sugar and high salicylate fruits:  no oj or maple syrup to start the day.  i am going to give this two weeks.  if she is still not back to where we got her, bye bye gluten.

thanksgiving was great, talk about impossible to monitor food intake...so i just let it slide.  just a bit.  it's so hard!!  you feel so guilty not letting her have the chocolate, the pretzels, the sugar, the gluten...abbie was so good, she'd ask and i'd cave...ok, just one:)  and everyone is listening to you, many not aware of what's going on and i am so conscious of the crazy food mom label.  isn't that lame!?  i'm typing this so embarrassed...here i am trying to lead the charge and i had a weak moment...a few of them.  well, we're back on track.  as a blogger, this is one of those "things i'm afraid to tell you".  not gonna hide anything here if i'm really going to help anyone, including myself... this is real life, i'm not gonna blow smoke up the hoo-ha and pretend i'm some perfect genius mom at this:)  i'm sure it won't be the last time i flake, get weak in the knees and whine, "why can't we just be NORMAL!!!!???"  what i have to hope for is that when we do have these slip ups, abbie will start to recognize how the food effects her the days after...case in point, yesterday.

we put up our tree and xmas exploded in our house.  so of course, there was a ton of excitement.  boxes, ornaments, lights, talking stuffed animals aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!   at first, chris and i figured it was normal, the kids were so happy to be helping and hellooowwwww...it's a lot of stimuli.  well, abbie was like a caged animal.  bouncing up and down, over the couch, off the couch, running around...non stop.  mac was a little OC too.  i kept looking at chris giving him the googly eyes and his first five responses were, "oh please, give them a break, they're excited to put the tree up, it's not the food!".  well this amped up, saturday night live hypoglycemic crazy train activity (remember that mike myers bit? hahahaha...)  it kept up for over 5 hours...so he eventually agreed, "yup, the kids are a bit crazy".  

i talked to abbie about how she was feeling yesterday a few times.  we talked about the kinds of food we ate, how she was feeling...i asked her if she was at school, what would her teacher say?  she actually said, "i would have lost 5 barbies" (we have a barbie point system set up for behavior monitoring) i think she really got it, which was very surprising.  she's only 6 and it's certainly possible i was leading the witness...but you know what, if i don't point out the food link, how will she do it on her own at this age?  

abbie just sat down next to me and i asked, "how do you feel today versus yesterday?"  

her quick response: "i was a little wound up yesterday".  

ho ho ho ho

i have received a few questions on what exactly we have done with abbie's diet.  

here is quick outline and a great link to check out:

1. no processed food or junk food:  we have cut out all artificial additives, preservatives, artificial colors and artificial flavors.  i didn't realize "natural flavor" = artificial flavor in 99% of the cases...since i don't know what that means, we just don't give the stuff to her.

2. no dairy: we do almond milk, organic rice milk & coconut milk (watch for carrageen in all of them) plus probiotics to keep the gut bacteria healthy.

3. no soft drinks or fruit juices.  the fruit juice thing is new for us...going to cut out oj in the morning before school days.

4. drastically reduce refined sugar consumption: i try to use only organic sugar, honey, stevia, agave or maple sugar when needed.  this also will go down to as little as possible on school mornings.

5. stick with organic, nitrate free meats and poultry.  avoid processed meats and poultry. 

6. snacks are as healthy as I can get...low in sugar, high in nutrition!  kind bars are one of my favorites along with fruits, veggies with a healthy dip, popcorn....

7.  gluten free - I really really really was hoping we would not need to do this, but I'm giving it another go to see if this is a factor with Abbie.

8.  vitamins:  animal parade gold multi-vitamin & mineral supplement.

9.  always bring food, wherever you go.  i know i will insult people, especially family.  i hate that.  this is still smoke and mirrors to a few and i feel so horrible about hurting feelings of wonderful, loving, good-intentioned individuals... but this is not about them.  their food is perfectly ok, just not for abbie.  and i just can't worry about whether her change in school behavior & attention is believed or not.  

the link below outlines the above list in even more detail.  

The Best ADHD Child Diet

hot mamas - super soup and oatmeal

 another hot mama in the mullies!

christina has rocked my culinary world for quite a while now.  

her girls are so freakin cute and her hubby kurt cooks like an iron chef too...maybe he'll be the first hot papa to post someday:)  no pressure dude.

i am literally serving her oatmeal recipe as this posts...mac gobbled it up, abbie and tommy are suspicious.  not surprised at all:)

***

"As a full-time working mom it is hard to get dinner on the table at a decent hour, thank goodness I have a wonderful husband who does a lot of the cooking!  In the fall and winter we love soups because they can be very quick, affordable and yummy.  The other day I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a roasted chicken.  I love grocery store roasted chicken, it is easily a once a week convenience for us.  At Marianos, they use Bell Evans chickens for their roasted chicken.  It's not organic, but it might as well be, great brand, love their chicken.  We do a multitude of things with them, one of which is soup.

I have also recently started getting a weekly fruit and vege box (thanks Linds!) and had a bunch of carrots, celery, and zucchini to use.  So easy! 

Chicken and Veggie-Bean Soup 

chop: 3 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 onion and 1 zucchini

smash: 3 cloves of garlic (to remove skin)

Add olive oil to bottom of pan, add all veggies to cook a bit.

While that is cooking I pick apart the chicken, cut into bite size pieces.

Add 2 containers of organic chicken stock & chopped chicken.

Bring to a boil, add 1 can organic beans.  I usually use white beans (butter or cannelini is what I use but really any bean would work).

Add some chopped herbs, whatever you have on hand.  I used some flat leaf parsley from the garden.

Kids loved it, were slurping up the last bit of broth!  Took about 30 minutes total, not too bad!  We had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.  You can use any veggie, even leafy greens work in soup too, maybe I'll do that next..."

Oatmeal with Sunbutter, Chippies and Bananas

"When the weather is like this I love oatmeal for breakfast.  Not instant that is mushy and goopy, but real oatmeal!  I love the John McCann's brand, it has 1 ingredient, that's right ONLY 1, when do you ever see something with only 1 ingredient?! 100%whole grain Irish oats, that is it.  Be forewarned, this is not quick to cook, about 45 minutes, but there is an overnight way to do it if you plan ahead just read the label.  I like the time to drink my coffee and read the Sunday paper."

"I followed the directions for the stovetop, used water and nothing else.  When it was done, I put about a cup in my kid's bowls, topped with a tablespoon of sunflower butter, a sprinkling of choco chips, and half a banana.  I let the kids stir it up, all part of the fun ya know...  They loved it and so did I!!  Now if I could get my act together and use the overnight recipe my life would be even better!"

***

thank you so much for the real food inspo christina!

you rock the hizouse and i can't wait for some more real food recipies:)

to the mullies we goooooooooooooo!!!!

go team turtle

man oh man oh man

yet another crazy awesome link from 100 days that i MUST INCREASE MY BUST and pass along.

this dude's blog is ahhhhhhmazing.

...don't hate me for giving you an article on our beloved oreo's...

i can hear the slaps now...

big food loves birthdays

here's my favorite quote from the lips of bruce bradley, taken from his must read Q&A here:

"Finally, I think we can’t underestimate the challenge of how we welcome people to the real food movement. As a single parent who works a full-time job, I know the struggle of juggling an overwhelming number of balls. Accepting people where they are on their journey, kindly helping them along the way, and not judging them if they shop at the wrong place or still have some “bad” habits will be essential in growing the movement. The more hurdles we put in place, the more daunting joining the movement will become."

oh can you hear my long exhale?! 

yes yes yeeeeeessssssssss!!

i have so wanted to write about this since i started, but have not known where to start.  i anticipated and have felt others ever so slightly pull away from me as i would tell them about our little food "experiment"...i knew how crazy i would look.  i knew how threatening it would sound.  hello, less than 3 months ago, i made FUN and was very threatened myself by the "crazy food people" who talked about GMO's and processed food and blahditty blah blah...

my biggest fear is that my friends and relatives who have watched and listened to me during my super-light-speed food journey will feel that i am judging them, scolding them for not jumping off the highway with me.   

NEVER

i hope i will never lose the perspective of where i was over 70 days ago.  

i don't think, WAIT....i KNOW that i would never have done this if there hadn't been that moment of sheer panic with abbie and her ADHD symptoms at school.  

i honestly wonder if i would have ever have joined this whole real food thing...maybe not.  

i was pretty darn happy and so were my kids with the food we were eating.

that is why i'll continue to blog, share sites, have fun with my hot mamas and spread the real food love for anyone who might want to join the party.

slow and steady finishes the race.

there are runners in the front, the middle and at the back of the pack.

it doesn't matter what pace you set, 

you've got a spot on the team.

ADHD and our guts

here are some great links that discuss how food allergens can be the cause ADHD symptoms in individuals and how we can reverse this by changing our diet.  

confirmed research link between ADHD and food

ADHD and the importance of gut health

gut and psychology syndrome (GAPS)

a must have list for your next grocery trip

happy monday...a few links for you:

the 125 best foods

i don't care if you are a man or woman...this list comes from menshealth 2012 and it's pretty awesome.  

my daddio just brought it over for me.  he's gonna make a copy for my purse...i'm so lucky:)

here's the dish:

they looked for foods that topped the list with protein and fiber...eliminated products containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soy lecithin & high fructose corn syrup, organic foods got preference over nonorganic, and they conducted blind taste tests with products of similar nutritional value amongst their staff.

the food babe talks GMO's, obesity and real food with birke baehr

hollah

shopping just got a little easier.

grandma on the farm's waffles...tweaked

 get ready for the best waffle recipe ever.  

perfectly tweaked:)

this recipe inspo comes from my grandma who lived out in pecatonica, il - total awesome farm country.

whenever we would visit, she would would make us meals completely from scratch.  i aspire to cook like her one day.

one of the biggest food change freak out moments was over these coveted waffles.  how could i adapt the recipe to fit our new food fetishes and continue our waffle tradition!?  

these are a weekend mullies staple.

i couldn't wait to try out my brand spanking new waffle maker.  the non-stick finish on my old one started coming off.  super gross.

crap.

the first waffle on a new belgium griddle...always gets stuck, doesn't it!  i even told myself, "don't forget the non-stick spray"...and still freaking forgot.  

ah, much better.

mullies on the farm sprouted spelt waffles

with adaptations to suit your food fancy

2 c sprouted organic spelt flour (need gluten free?  substitute bob's red mill gluten free all purpose flour)

3 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 - 1 tsp salt

1 3/4 c organic rice milk + 3 T coconut milk combined (or organic dairy)

2 eggs (whites separated)   OR  1/2 c applesauce + 1 tsp baking powder mixed

1/2 c earth balance vegan buttery sticks melted (you can also use the buttery spread or organic butter)

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

makes 6-8 waffles depending on size of waffle maker.

note: if you use real eggs, whip up the egg whites separately and fold into batter right before pouring into the waffle maker.  do not over mix - you should still see the fluffy egg whites throughout the batter.

mix all ingredients in order (notice the melted earth balance is last so it doesn't get clumpy).

make a double batch!  freeze the leftovers and use them throughout the week - pop em into the toaster.

BADDA-BAM!

get ready for the lightest, fluffiest most-crazy-good waffles ever.  

thanks for the inspo grandma:)  

loves you.

ps

here is the company that make the organic sprouted spelt flour.  i bought mine on amazon.  before you lose your panties at the price, here is how i have rationalized the increased cost: i checked out the prices of peapod's organic boxed waffles.  for a count of 6 waffles i will pay $2.29 (the cheapest one).  one box would feed mac and abbie only!  so, i would need at least 2 boxes for 1 breakfast $2.29x2=$4.58.   following me yet?  i stuffed my family of 5 and only used two cups of my sprouted flour.  i had one leftover waffle.  my 2lb bag cost $7.67 and i have enough to make at least 2.5 more batches.

i'll add $2 for the other ingredients (i don't have the time to calculate all that out!!!)

that is 3 mornings of breakfast plus leftovers.  

3 breakfasts of boxed organic waffles = $13.74  

3 breakfasts of homemade organic waffles = $9.67 

so yes, this flour is more expensive than all purpose white flour, but not nearly as much as buying organic (albeit more processed) boxed waffles...

not to mention they taste like doo doo compared to mine.

making my own food will ALWAYS be cleaner, better tasting and cheaper than buying the box and that's how i will save more mullah going organic.

in regards to that whole "time" thing...i'm looking into that sweet new cloning machine on the market.

there really is nothing better than the homemade waffle smell in my house on a weekend morning...

and bacon...bacon always makes it better.

hot mamas dinner with polenta

another fabuloso hot mama dinner post from my amazing friend meg!

gluten free ingredient spotlight:

polenta

"Here is the meal that everyone in my family was able to eat (with exception for the green beans, no-no for Shannie).  I put the corn/rice noodles on the skillet since after boiling them they tend to be a bit mushy.  I put organic polenta slices on the skillet with EVOO (I cut them into potato chip slices).  The polenta was a topping for the green beans, just for something different.  I used the Nature's Best "butter" on the noodles.  Ryan devoured it, Sean liked everything but the polenta, and Shannie picked at all of it as usual.  But it was just fun to have one meal that we could all eat.  I made extra polenta for me, yummy!"

meg, you totally inspired last night's dinner for us!  

of course, i forgot to take pictures, sorry.

but i made some polenta lasagna...and here's a link to get your creative juices flowing.  

pesto polenta lasagna

all i did was layer sauce, thin slices of polenta, squash, and ONE layer of greens (i had collard greens, but you can use spinach, kale etc...make sure to rough chop it).  don't skimp on the sauce!!  i sprinkled some parmigiano reggiano on top and that was it!  seriously, this is a dish where you can really get rid of some lingering veggies you need to eat before they go bad.  

thank you my hot mama friend!   

ps

next time i buy i, will be looking for non-gmo & organic...

if it even exists out there:)  we might have to settle for just organic.