More on food, a whole food recipe, blah blah blah blah

There are some people who get tired of hearing about food ideas, news, fads, etc. I do not fit into that category, although if that describes you I understand your deletion of such posts and promise to have more pictures of my kids and sewing projects next week.

For everyone else, I am starting something new today. My hope is that these Friday posts will spur me on to stick to some of my stated nourishing dietary goals, and perhaps encourage others who need kitchen inspiration. But not run-of-the-mill four canned/boxed ingredients kitchen inspiration, and not full boar dairy free, wheat free, _________free inspiration, either (although we do some of that around here and if it happens to be allergy friendly, that's great). In the spirit of the Jamie Oliver's TED talk, suggesting every family have at least 10 healthful whole food meals on which we could depend (and know how to cook easily), I am starting the

FRIDAY WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW

Ta-da. You could call it the Friday Food Review for short, although that misses the main point. Maybe the Whole Food Review (but don't be confused with a review of Whole Foods, a store which my three stop-light town will probably never have).

Many people are trying to get back to a whole foods diet but it's hard to know where to start. I recently read a blog post by a woman who watched Food, Inc. and a few weeks later she declared March the month of eating no processed foods. What a goal...no dried pasta, no canned anything, nothing from a box. I think it's a good long-term goal, but something a lot easier to accomplish in the middle of summer bounty or after you've stocked your freezer with the fruits of your (or someone else's) garden. All that to say, while some people probably do need to overhaul their menu plans, most of us just want to move closer to the goal at a pace that will turn into a lifestyle, not a month-long project crowding out every other activity.

The truth is, we are all busy to different degrees. I don't have time to read all the blogs and magazines I'd like, and each of us are drawn to various content specific resources provide. If we combine our efforts we might find our options for healthful meals increased. Of course, no one will be coming to your house to actually make you a meal, but you have to start somewhere, right?

So, here are some guidelines:

• Email me your recipes or links by Thursday evening.
• Recipes must include whole food ingredients (that's not to say most of us don't eat meals unsuitable for this category, but I have no trouble finding non-whole food recipes)
• Avoid refined foods...white flour, white rice, white sugar, etc.
• Avoid recipes that are super time-consuming...an occasional labor-intensive meal is always a treat so don't shy away from those altogether, but the majority of meals should be weeknight meals.
• Non-recipes- meal ideas or food prep tips- are also welcome!

So to kick things off, here's a favorite simple meal we enjoyed earlier this week. (ETA: I'm sort of cheating because this is a recipe introduced to me by my sister- a comfort food I vividly remember eating at her house...)

Tomato Soup with Italian Grilled Cheese.
The link is for the soup, which has almost as many onions pureed as it does tomatoes, so it's not your typical sickly sweet tomato soup. It's dairy-free, but extremely creamy. As for the Italian Grilled Cheese, I make my own whole wheat (and when I use that term I mean 100% ww) Italian Bread. Fresh Mozzarella cheese at Sam's is about $8.50 for 2 lbs.- a great deal, especially since you can slice it thinly and make it last forever (also freezes well). You could substitute goat cheese as pictured above, but our meal is a little heartier. I make grilled cheese with these ingredients and I think I could eat this every week. Until I ran out, I used tomatoes from our garden instead of canned, which made the most delicious soup! My kids love it, and even my non-tomato-preferring husband enjoys this meal.
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It may be that I'm offering a lone little recipe each week. I do hope to hear from some of you because I often read of or talk to you about your kitchen adventures and wisdom. I've learned a lot from others already, and I'd like this to be a resource of good eating.

Bon Appetit!