So over dinner...

I hate to start off negative, but I am so over dinner time drama.  I get excited to try a new recipe, work hard at making it just right and then no one (besides me) enjoys it.  Here is the dilemma- Chad and I like a lot of flavor, spices, etc. but the girls do not.  Chad does not like "sweet" tasting things, ie sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc, but the girls and I love a sweet flavor. Or I find a dinner that the girls do like, I fix it again, and their taste has changed so they no longer will eat it.  Usually I can motivate through this in my excitement to try new recipes, but last week I threw in the towel.

Tuesday night I came home from work and had no desire to cook.  I walked down to Trader Joes and picked up regular pasta (not gluten free) and regular marinara sauce.  The problem with cooking regular pasta in our house is that gluten can be left behind in the pot.  Gluten is very sticky, so it requires a lot more scrubbing and cleaning of everything it touches so that no cross contamination happens.  But I bucked up and decided the extra cleaning was worth an easy dinner.  I told everyone I did not want to hear any whining about dinner, that they were getting pasta (with gluten) and red sauce.  The dinner took as long as it takes to boil pasta and everyone ATE without complaint.  Yes, that means I had to fix another meal for myself, but so be it.  Everyone was happy.

Wednesday I was looking at recipes and then got my friendly, daily email from Metrofresh.  They usually have at least one vegan / gluten free option, but this day they had 2 soups and 3 sides that were vegan / gluten free.  I felt obligated to support them.  So, the girls and I walked down to Metrofresh and I let them each pick out their dinner.  I brought a big bag of food home.  Everyone was happy.

Thursday- black beans, rice, frozen roasted peppers from TJs and tortillas.  Oh, and I broke down, I made a new recipe.  But this time it was a HIT.  Low Fat Vegan Nacho Cheese from the Happy Herbivore.
It was OUTSTANDING, so yummy.  I drizzled it over my bowl of black beans, rice and peppers.  Both girls enjoyed it and Chad said it was not bad.  I think I would just call it Mexican sauce or something, because "cheese" will throw you.  It did not taste like cheese to me, but it did taste delicious.  Try out that recipe!

Making a successful recipe got me back into the groove of cooking again.  Sorry girls, no take out next week.