Three Squash Pasta, and Eating My Words

Yikes! I was without internet service for days…

My wireless modem went positively batty on me. It might have been something to do with the piece that fell out onto the floor… 😯

Since blogging was out of the question, you might think I’d take that extra time to whip up some mindblowing food to share with all of you. Umm, and you might be wrong.

Instead, I focused on some much-needed, deeeeelicious mommy/baby time, and settled on a simple pasta night for dinner. (And I loved every sweet second of it!)

Pasta night used to mean a pile of gluey white rigatoni and a jar of Prego. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but my/our tastes have changed with time, and, while pasta night is still just as easy as ever, it is more nutritious than ever, too…

This week’s pasta night was inspired by this guy:

How could you not, right?  It’s a beautiful jar of sauce (and it just begged to be paired with the crazy abundance flowing from our garden right now…)

So, instead of giving you a recipe, because this is not a recipe, I’ll just give you the layer-by-layer lowdown.

First, we started with Eden Organic Kamut & Quinoa Twisted Pair Pasta (Have I mentioned that I totally heart Eden?)

On top of the pasta:

• Dave’s Gourmet Butternut Squash Sauce
• fresh steamed spaghetti squash
• a little more sauce
• sauteed yellow summer squash, onion, garlic, and kale (all from the backyard)
• toasted almonds
• a sprinkle of sea salt

This was phenomenal. I am totally in love with Dave, whoever he is, and his crazy good sauce. My favorite part of this meal was the sea salted kale set against the sweetness of the butternut. Yommy!

Prego, who?

And I even got to share a little with my boy. At 9 months, he still doesn’t get much beyond pureed organic fruits and veggies, but I did let him taste the sauce. He made a face like I had given him a lemon, which usually means he wants more. Funny kid.

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OK, so here’s the part where I eat my words. I’ve often said that I just don’t like snack bars, energy bars, nutrition bars, whatever you want to call them. I have always felt like grabbing something on the go and eating it without a second thought (especially something as high-calorie as most of these bars) is the opposite of mindful eating, and the opposite of the way I try to experience my food. 

That said, I am having a little trouble figuring out a good eating pattern while working long days and breastfeeding my boy, which really affects my appetite. 3 pm is killing me, and ignoring hunger could jeopardize my supply.

I could use a portable, healthy snack that takes no prep time, and I’m thinking maybe some kind of nutrition bar might be the answer. I know I’m talking to the right crowd. Can y’all recommend your favorites? It has to be natural, nutritious, and if it satisfies my sweet tooth, well, that’s just a bonus. 🙂

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my CSN Giveaway! Who doesn’t need fifty bucks?