Broccoli and Mushroom Rotini
Every other month or so we forget to go grocery shopping. The weekend starts, it ends and before we know it’s Tuesday. It’s around this time that we starting going, hey… did we go to the grocery store this week? Um. Oops.
But you know what? This admittedly bad habit has let to some amazing dinners. Because when else are you forced to really look at what’s in the freezer/pantry and make something delicious? It’s a great way to make sure you don’t waste food.
This this easy broccoli and mushroom pasta is the result of one of those no-grocery weeks. It was Wednesday evening, we still hadn’t had a chance to hit the grocery store, and it was too late to ask the hubs to pick up ingredients on the way home. So I started looking around to see what our dinner options were. We had rotini. We had frozen broccoli. We had baby bella mushrooms. Add milk and Parmesan cheese to the mix and I had the beginnings of a tasty meal.
A couple minutes of iPhone searching led to this recipe on Epicurious.com, which I modified according to what we had on hand and our own preferences. We all loved it – I was surprised by how well all the flavors went together, with the mushrooms lending a hearty dimension to the dish that is really satisfying. I do believe this was the first time we got the munchkin to eat mushrooms that, well, looked like mushrooms too. He calls this “Broccoli tree pasta.” :)
Start to finish this dish takes about 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Keep Them Busy, Make Them Think
Dinner can be a challenge when you have a toddler to entertain while cooking. Here are 3 easy activities that have been keeping the munchkin happy and busy. All of them require a thinking cap.
Winter Fun with Sidewalk Chalk
Yesterday the munchkin spotted his summer sidewalk chalk. ‘Want do chalk! Outside!’ he pleaded. And no it didn’t matter to him that it was 20F outside. Solution? Wet construction paper.
DIY Toddler Treasure Box
Today was cold and snowy, but not the fluffy kind of snow that’s good for playing or snowman making. So instead of heading outdoors we spent our day making a toddler treasure box. :)
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili
My parents gave us a slow cooker for the holidays and I think I’m in love. Because not only is the food delicious, but dinnertime is a whole lot easier.
Good Idea: Painting with Toy Cars
Yesterday the munchkin and I made a set of paintings for my husband’s office using multi-colored canvases, paint and a toy dump truck.
Grand Marnier Hot Chocolate (For Grown Ups)
It’s starting to feel like winter here in Vermont. My weather app says it feels like -3F outside and there’s a howling wind rapping on the windows. Brrr! Is there any better time for Grand Marnier spiked hot chocolate?
