Try Something New

I kind of always had a crush on Jamie Oliver....I loved his Naked Chef show from years ago and I am happy to see he has made it big and is trying to make a difference too! SO, in the spirit of the Food Revolution, I decided to cook three vegetables last week that I had not prepared before.....eaten, yes, but cooked, no.


#1 Eggplant Parmesan
I used THIS recipe and found it perfect! Justin said next time to just fry them and then we could dip them in whatever, thus removing the gobs of cheese from the meal. He has a point....but man do I love cheese! And YAY for a vegetarian meal! This with a big green salad was PERFECT, and Paige loved that she could help me make it. River couldn't eat enough of it, so I give it an A+ !!!


#2 Roasted Butternut Squash
The only hard part about this veggie is peeling it...and I don't have a vegetable peeler (as my sister Noelle can remember) so doing the peeling with a paring knife was not only dangerous but time consuming....SO before I do this again, I need to get a veggie peeler and I can move on with my life. I used THIS recipe and found it PERFECT as well! River ate all of his and asked for more before he even touched his BBQ chicken (which is crazy for him) and we had no leftovers! It was just sweet enough, but the lemon and thyme and yumminess from it being roasted was so delicious! Another A+!!!


#3 Collard Greens
I kind of chickened out and just put these in a veggie soup during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, but they totally beefed up the nutritional value, and made the soup much more filling and hearty. If anyone has a good collard greens recipe, shoot it my way. There was a "Southern" recipe on the bag that I may have to try, but it involves boiling a ham hock or some other pig part...and I have never done that either. I suppose Paula Dean may have the answer to my collard needs....I love that lady!

SOOOOOO, I encourage all you out there, if there is a veggie you don't know as you cruise the produce section with your children....pick it up and head to google to find a way to cook it! Last week was a lot more exciting at dinner time, and I wouldn't have minded Jamie Oliver showing up at our door to give us a "I tried something new!!!" sticker!

Hope you all have a great week....

P.S. We replaced the Van with a 2005 Toyota Tundra....I am relieved and feel very blessed that the van is no longer a headache of mine, and that we now have TWO reliable vehicles. xo

Not our actual truck....ours is white....I haven't taken pictures of it, nor do I think I will....that seems like a guy thing to do!