Baked Ziti, Gluten-Free

Back to school. I have been longing for this day for weeks. I was dying for a good routine, kids busy all day with mind enhancing activities, and my personal life getting back on track. I guess I set my standards too high, cause so far this week has been a spiritual let down. Nothing bad happened, in fact, it has been all good. Kids love going to school, love their teachers and friends, no tears, no clothing or hair meltdowns. The let down is all me. I am not good with transition and never have been. My mom said I cried every Sunday night. The simple transition from weekend to week was even hard for me. In the eight years since I have been a mother I always have a hard time during the 2 week winter break, the beginning of summer, and the beginning of school.

Anyways, I needed some comfort food this week. I need a good old fashion pig out night and a dinner no one would whine about. I needed an easy, yummy, kid friendly dish. BAKED ZITI. I pulled it together at the last minute with whatever was left in the fridge.

First, I sauteed ground white turkey meat. Then threw it in the crock pot.
Second, I sauteed a bag of broccoli slaw in some olive oil. Then threw it in the crock pot.
Third, I added a jar of Mario Batali sauce to the crock pot with salt and pepper.

I let that cook for 3 hours. Then I made Jovial Gluten Free Pasta. I added pasta, sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese in a lasagna pan and baked at 350 for 15 minutes. Voila! Gluten-Free Baked Ziti. It totally hit the spot. The whole family liked it and in case you are wondering, the kids did not notice the broccoli slaw. In the 3 hours it disappeared into the sauce.

My side dish was a simple salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and mini fresh mozzarella balls with a balsamic, olive oil, and dijon dressing.

What I thought would be high fives and jumping for joy turned out to be an unexpected case of the back-to-school-blues. Nothing a few days and a good baked ziti won't fix.

Summer Traveling, Everything-Free Style

It has been a while since my last post. I spent a summer traveling, working, driving, coordinating, planning, packing, unpacking, and EATING!

My trip to New York City was without children. So without having to worry about eggs, nuts, or sesame, I was on a Gluten-Free mission. First, we first went to Risotteria (http://www.risotteria.com/), which has GF bread sticks, risotto, meatballs, pizza, paninis, and gluten-free dessert. Everything was great and even greater was not having "food anxiety". 

Next, on the way to my friend's Brooklyn wedding we headed to Park Slope where my cousin Shuna bakes for Brooklyn Larder (http://www.bklynlarder.com/). There I got to try a GF Pistachio Cake, Almond Cheesecake Crust crumbles, and an assortment of dinner foods. You can order her Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (which I posted about) and many other things on their website. Needless to say, when I went to put on the dress for the wedding I could not breathe. 

Thanks to my cousin Jesse and his GF friend Sami, I found the MOST delicious raviolis I ever had in my life. Bistango (http://bistangonyc.com/) was a dream come true. I actually almost never made it there. As we were getting ready to leave our apartment for the airport, I got an email that our flight was cancelled. We rescheduled later in the day and booked it to Bistango. I sat down and a plate of GF bread and oil was served. It was so good I had to double check that it was really missing the gluten. Then we ordered the Spinach & Ricotta Raviolis with Pesto Sauce and Sundried Tomato & Goat Cheese Raviolis with Marinara Sauce. Both were perfect. 

My last trip was a 2 week road trip to North Carolina. On the trip I discovered the app called Find Me GF. You plug in an address or city and a list of GF friendly places come up. I only wish I found the app sooner. It made roadtripping with allergies much easier. Even though the kids are not gluten-free, a place that is gluten allergy conscious is usually conscious of all allergies. One of those places I found was a bakery in Jacksonville, Sweet Theory (https://www.facebook.com/SweetRevolutionBakingCo). I am coming off a cupcake high at the moment. All of their cupcakes are Gluten-Free, Egg-free, Dairy-Free & Nut-free (they only use coconut oil) and their other desserts are all Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, and Nut-free.  I got the kids donuts and cinnamon rolls, things they never get to eat, and I got us all a dozen of their Everything-Free Cupcakes. We spent all weekend testing the different desserts and I swear to God every single one was perfection! I am dying right now after eating (sharing with the fam) banana, carrot, and chocolate chip cupcakes. Earlier we had vanilla lavender and chocolate brownie cupcakes. I just have to call and see if they mail their desserts. If not, I will have to make a trip up there more often.

Another place I found on the Find Me GF app is Zoes Kitchen (http://zoeskitchen.com/). They are a fast food, mediterranean style restaurant with locations all over the country...not in South Florida, yet! Their food is fresh and simple. They label Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Vegan dishes which makes a lot of lives easier. They cater too! Their kids menu is great, offering "chicken fingers" which are actually grilled chicken strips with a side of fruit. 

So here I am full, tired, and looking at piles of laundry. School starts in a week, back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off, toys and clothes busting out of the rooms, and I truely think it was one of my favorite summers since the kids were born.