Food.

I'm going to update the blog with some recipes and choices that we make in hopes of inspiring someone else to make some small changes in their own diets.

When I cook, I rarely use a recipe. I have always made up soups, pasta, pizzas; really just anything that I can use what I have and get a delicious outcome. One of my favorite new dishes is a ziti that I whipped up one day a few weeks ago. It goes something like this.

2 tbsp EVOO

1 small yellow onion small diced

1 package of cremini mushrooms, washed and chunky diced

2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 can of no salt added sliced carrots

1/2 can of sweet peas

1 cup cottage cheese

Marinara sauce of your choice, I think mine was 24 oz.

1 cup shredded cheese of your choice

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup 2% milk

16 oz organic brown rice pasta, cooked just shy of al dente

Cook pasta to just shy of al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add in onions and cook until translucent. Add in mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in garlic, carrots, and peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add Marinara sauce, cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and stir. Heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. If sauce is thick add in 1/2 of milk to make more creamy. Stir pasta in with sauce and mix well. pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes.

Here's what it looked like the first time I made it...on a crappy camera phone.

I'm terrible at writing recipes, so hopefully this works well if you decide to try it! It's absolutely delicious. You can add any vegetables that you have to make it more nutritious and to use up what you have in your refrigerator.

I found some new crackers that I'm in love with. Kavli crispbreads are a whole grain cracker with 2 grams of fiber per serving, no cholesterol, no fat or GMO's, and very low in calories. I got the garlic flavor. Today for lunch I topped one with a slice of cheddar cheese and melted the cheese in the oven. The kids loved it and so did I! I served it alongside TJ's pesto tortellini tossed with EVOO and a little sea salt. They love pasta! It was a delicious lunch.

Another product that we have come to LOVE is Trader Joe's (can you tell I love that store??) Organic Vanana yogurt. It is the kids new favorite! It tastes like a banana pudding with a little cheesecake tartness. It's worth a go!

Yet Again...

I've failed at keeping up with my blog. However, if you had just a peek of my life for the last year, you wouldn't blame me! It's like I've been turned upside down and shaken and everything I knew fell away from me. Dramatic? Yes. Accurate? Yes. Reading back through my old blog posts reminds me of my journey to get to where I am. With every trial comes a lesson, and with every lesson I gain more wisdom from the Lord.

Moving on to a different subject...I'm so proud of my family for making such a positive change in our eating habits. We have added in so many new foods to our diet and it's exciting! I have tried out many new recipes and they've (almost) all been a hit. I'll post some of the recipes here so you can try them if you'd like. My favorite thing to do is use what I have to make up pastas and pizzas. It's become my trademark. So, I make it my goal to get those written down so that others can utilize them.