Broccoli, Mushroom & Onion Pizza on Pizza Night, Black Bean & Corn Salad, & School Lunches

Good evening! 

Here I am, blogging from my phone. 

It's the end of the school year, and we've been busy!  We have picnics & field trips, field days & cookouts, and it seems like everything is happening all at once. It's keeping me busy! 

With summer approaching, and my babies being out of school, I'll only be updating the blog a couple of times a week. After all, they won't be babies for long, so I'm going to enjoy this time while I can. We will be spending lazy days building sand castles, frolicking in the waves, and having beachfront fires on the shores of Lake Erie. We will be grilling veggies, exploring nature, and visiting the park. I'm guessing you'll be on the computer less, too!  So, hang in there through summer, and once my babies (not really babies!) are back in school, I will post with more frequency. For now though, you can expect a couple of updates a week.  I will still have much to share with all of you, so I will be posting small updates on Water Lemon Kale's Facebook page, including pics, so like us to stay in the loop! 

That being said, here are some recent lunches...

Sandwich on organic multi grain bread (cheese, organic spinach, homemade organic hummus, & a baggie of organic grape tomatoes to put on it), plain organic yogurt w/ a drizzle of raw honey & a baggie of homemade organic granola to mix in, & 1/2 an organic orange. 

Organic banana, 1/2 an organic orange, cheese skewers, & pb n j cracker sandwiches (Ak Mak crackers, organic pb, & organic jelly).

Field trip! Bottle of water ( I hate doing this, but no glass bottles are allowed), a Stretch Island fruit strip, a Lara Bar, an organic apple, & 1/2 a veggie sandwich (organic multi grain bread, organic green leaf lettuce, local cucumber, cheese, & homemade organic hummus).

Sandwich (same as above), a sliced organic Roma tomato, & organic Black Bean and Corn salad w/ organic tortilla

chips (I use this dish as more of a salsa type dish. I got this from 100 Days of Real Food. It is super simple, so I will give you a quick run down...black beans & corn (I use organic dried beans & frozen organic corn. I also shred organic carrot in, at times.). Tomatoes (any will do), onion, and a dressing of oil, cilantro, garlic, & vinegar (very similar to my homemade dressing!). Mix it all up & enjoy! It is perfect for those hot summer days, and is delicious on tortilla chips, or just eaten with a spoon! 

*I apologize for not posting a link or the actual recipe...when I tried that earlier, the draft didn't save and I lost it all.*

We also made these recently...Veggie Pancakes (from 100 Days of Real Food)

I'm not a big fan of fried food, but sometimes, well, you just want what you want. You know? So, I made these babies. The kids loved them, and so did I! These are from 100 Days of Real Food. Apologies again for not posting the link. I will try to come back and edit these posts to include the recipe links. Lisa does have a great recipe index, though, if you haven't already checked it out...these guys are in there! 

Finally, it's Friday, so that means Pizza Night! I tried something a bit different tonight...

Broccoli, mushroom, & onion, w/ a roasted garlic sauce! Yum! This has both provolone & sharp cheddar, on a Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat crust. The garlic sauce is made by roasting the garlic, and simply blending with some oil. 

I lightly sautéed the onion, broccoli, & mushrooms, before topping the crust with them. 

                   Like I said...YUM! 

               Have a great weekend! 

                                :)

Eat Whatever Food Experiment & Today's School Lunches

Good evening! I hope everyone had a great long weekend. 

Sorry for the late, oddly formatted post, but today was a busy day, & I'm blogging from my phone. :) 

Here is what my kiddos took for lunch today...

Funny story, this...my brother-in-law got a Groupon deal for NO-OODLES...zero guilt, zero fat, etc. The only "zero" that I care about is zero chemicals, and these were that, so we took some home (water, yam flour, & lime juice). Did I mention that he bought 2 cases...120 bags?!? 

So, what you see here are those noodles, cooked until no longer a squid-like consistency, with kale and the left over black bean salad that I had made for our Memorial Day cookout. They also had fruit salad (apples, pineapple & grapes), cheese cubes, and organic grape tomatoes (1st gr)/organic carrot sticks w/organic pb (K). 

It was a wet & chilly Memorial Day here, but we still enjoyed our time together. It was a time full of grocery shopping, outlet shopping, & family. 

At one point this weekend we took a day to go clothes shopping. The weight I've lost from our whole food lifestyle left me with a closet full of clothes were too big, so I sold nearly everything in the yard sale we had last week. I needed a few things! This was the first time, in a long time, that I didn't bring food with us. We are what was there, and then some. It was an experiment of sorts...would the kids crave real food after this? Would they think this "desirable" food tasted better than the diet we've been eating? 

We had Pizza Villa for lunch, w/ salads. It was the lesser of the evils. We also had Rocky Mountain Chocolate Co. White Chocolate Bark, & a small donut. We drank water. 

I learned a few things...

1. I can't eat sweets like that without being grossed out. They are just WAY too sweet! My oldest agreed. My husband asked me if I thought that it was good...I told him what I thought. So, I only had a teeny piece of bark. 

2. The kids were excited to have these treats, but that's to be expected. They were satisfied with the small amounts that they had, and didn't ask for more (except for my 1st grader who cries about everything, it seems). Honestly, they would have been just as excited over a fruit cup! 

3. They prefer our homemade pizza, to any other. 

4. These chemicals really do effect you. We were all tired, had headaches, and just felt crummy. My husband regretted it, and said we won't be doing that again anytime soon! I didn't eat as much as everyone else, so didn't feel quite as awful.  ;)

5. They couldn't wait for a home cooked meal! They were craving fresh foods...real foods. By the time we got home, they couldn't wait to eat organic pasta w/organic zucchini, and fresh salad w/ my homemade dressing. They also had green drink with dinner.  

Here are our salads...

         Yep, even the baby likes salad! 

Yum! Smell that freshness!!  It's so good! 

I'm pretty confident that with the food lifestyle that we've chosen, our children may not always choose the healthiest option all of the time, but they will choose it much more often. 

See, this one chose a green coconut! Haha! 

Ok, have a great evening everyone!

:)

This isn't "My Way or the Highway" & School Lunches

Good Morning!

It's been a couple of days since I've been on, since I was feeling just a bit under the weather.  My body just needed lots of rest after the insanity of last week...I'm feeling much better now!

So, here is what my kiddos have taken for lunch the last few days...

 

Organic pasta w/ organic marinara, 1/2 an organic orange, & salad w/ my homemade dressing (organic green leaf lettuce & organic spinach, organic Roma tomato, fresh shredded cheese)

"Egg salad" (Not your traditional egg salad, huh?  I've not found a whole food alternative to mayo, so I've just cut it out all together.  This is just a fried organic egg, organic spinach, & organic tomato.), cheese skewer, stir fry veggies, & 1/2 an organic orange.

Taco salad (homemade organic black beans w/ shredded organic carrot, organic tomato, organic spinach, and fresh shredded cheese), organic tortilla strips, frozen edamame (will be thawed by lunch), & steamed brown rice.

Don't these make you hungry?  

I've heard from so many people how great the kid's lunches look!  It's not that difficult, really.  Once I had completely changed my thinking with regards to what makes something "lunch", it was so easy!  I realized that lunch doesn't have to be microwave meals, or sandwiches, fruit snacks, granola bars and packaged chips.  "Lunch", is whatever you eat at lunch time! Sure, you can find acceptable options for all of those things, but it's those convenience foods that make your grocery bill jump. I use mainly leftovers for their lunches, and they love it.  And, it feels good knowing that they are eating the very best that they can.

I've been reading and hearing a lot lately about people having the feeling of being judged by some who follow the whole food lifestyle.  I don't adhere to a "my way or the highway" approach.  I will meet you wherever you're at in your journey.  I do this to inform and inspire, not judge.  :) I truly believe in baby steps, and then once you see the effects, I'm certain that you will continue to take new baby steps.  

I encourage you to do your homework, do your research, and figure out what matters the most to you.  Where is it that you need to start?  Maybe this decision is motivated by wanting see if you can help your children with behavior issues, so you choose to start with artificial colors and flavors.  Perhaps it is cutting out diet beverages/foods to cut out aspartame.  Maybe it is motivated by your other health risks and issues.  Or, maybe you just start with the thing that is the easiest for you to understand...for me, that was anything labeled artificial.  

When you are cutting out, start adding in.  Replace the bad with the good.  Add in the fruits and veggies.  To my mind, conventional is better than none.  As you cut out the processed foods, and the expense of them, you may find that those dollars can be spent on organics.   You don't need to start where I did, or where anyone else has.  This is your journey, no one else's.  You need to figure out what works for you, and the baby steps that you should take to meet your goal, whatever that is.  

For my family, my goal was a chemical free, whole food diet.  In that process, my husband and I chose to go vegetarian for health reasons, but the children still eat meat.  I don't make it at home, but do buy it for cook outs for them, and only grass-fed, antibiotic/hormone free.  During this process we also wanted to cut out GMOs, and are now virtually GMO free.  I don't purchase anything that's been genetically modified for here at home, but it is difficult when we are out.  Same goes for organics...here at home, virtually everything is organic, but that isn't always the case when not at home.  I just do the very best that I can, with what I've got.  I'm often very frustrated by my available options, but I try not to get upset with myself over it.  Our food lifestyle is amazing, and a bit here and there isn't going to negate all of that.  In fact, we indulge in a treat once a week, no questions asked.  I want my children making the very best choices, but not beating themselves up over it.  We have a healthy balance going on.  I'm so proud of them! 

Have a great weekend!  See you on Tuesday!!  

:)

What's For Dinner? & Today's School Lunches

I want to begin by saying that my prayers go out to Moore, Oklahoma.  In my heart and in my mind, I can all too well imagine the panic and terror of having my children trapped in their school, or anywhere away from me, at a time like that.  I empathize with those parents who are still standing there, never leaving, waiting for their child's name to be called.  My heart is breaking for all of you.  I am so sorry for those of you who have lost loved ones.  I am so sorry for those whose loved ones have not yet been found.  I am praying for you as you wait, as you search, as you hope, and as you reunite.  

It was bittersweet as I walked my babies to school this morning. It was hard to let them go when all I wanted to do was hold them tight, but let them go I did, and here is what they took for lunch...

This is a pizza "lunchable"...Homemade whole wheat flat bread cut into wedges, 2 frozen organic pizza sauce cubes which will be thawed by lunch (I freeze these in a mini muffin tin), fresh shredded mozzarella, & 1/2 an organic pear.

What's For Dinner?

I'm not sure how others do this, but I've settled into a pretty comfortable pattern around here.  I pick from a small pool of meals, making many of them every week. To be honest, it is a wonder to me that my family doesn't complain of having the same meals over and over, but I guess it's enough variety for them...for now.  Every once in a while I do throw a new meal in, mixing things up a bit.  

These are the meals that I choose from, and what I need on hand to make each one...

-Black Bean Tacos (dried organic black beans, homemade tortillas, lettuce, tomato, plain organic yogurt, bell peppers, & fresh cheese) I usually pair this with a simple organic cilantro lime brown rice.

-Falafel (falafel patties, tzatziki or toum, & homemade flatbreads, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, onion)  I typically pair this with a veggie, or a veggie & baked potato. 

-Pasta...we have this twice a week, usually.  Wednesday is pasta w/marinara (organic pasta, organic marinara, fresh loaf of bread from Great Harvest, & salad) & Saturday is pasta w/ a drizzle of oil, fresh zucchini, and freshly grated aged cheese.

-Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup (bag of soup mix, fresh organic tomatoes, organic garlic) & fresh organic sourdough from Whole Foods.

-Spanish Tortilla (potatoes, spinach, herbs, eggs, cheese)  I serve this with a salad & fresh bread.  

-Pizza...lately the kids have been loving Mushroom Kale Pizza, but here is another pizza link. I buy 2 GH whole wheat pizza doughs every week, and the toppings.  For Mushroom Kale, I need mushrooms, kale, garlic, cheese, and nonGMO canola.  I may also use spinach, onion, & sauce.  I serve this with a fresh salad.  

-Fried eggs, always served on a bed of fresh organic spinach, and either on organic or GH toast or with a baked potato.

Keeping the necessary ingredients on hand to be able to make the above meals, means that I have a pretty versatile number of meals on hand.

I also throw in meals like Beans & Cornbread, Potato Soup (no dairy), Vegetable Soup, Grilled Portabellas, & Kale Ratatouille.  I will also 
top a baked potato with leftover 13 bean soup, and serve it with a salad and veggies.  

I always stock organic dried beans, all varieties, and organic rice and quinoa. 

I replace these things as needed, usually buying a little in bulk every week, so that I don't run out.  I do the same for organic steel cut oats, raw honey, and granola ingredients. 

It makes my grocery planning pretty simple.  Of course, there are so many other things that I always stock, as this isn't a complete list, but just meant to give an idea.  This works really well for us, and the kids usually say "Yay!  I love this meal!" to whatever it is I'm making.  They've not once complained that it was "THIS AGAIN", and they usually pig out.  :)

In case you're wondering, tonight is Black Bean Tacos.   

Have a great day! 

  

Maple Mocha, The Green Goblin, & School Lunches

Good Morning! 

It's good to be back, but boy am I tired.  Yard sales are too much work, and this one kicked all of our butts!  I was so tired, in fact, that after the sale was over I laid down on the couch to take a nap.  I couldn't rest too long though, because we still had to do our grocery shopping...an hour there, hour back, and it was already evening.  

So, I got up and began making myself a Maple Mocha (recipe to follow). I was going through the motions, and then I heard the Keurig brewing, but something sounded not quite right.  I looked over, and...no cup.   That's right, I was brewing my coffee into nothing!  Awesome, huh?  That's a first for me, and a fine example of how tired I was!  

MAPLE MOCHA

This drink is inspired by Lisa's, over at 100 Days of Real Food. 

A Maple Mocha is coffee, dark chocolate, milk, & maple syrup. To make mine, I brew a strong cup of Newman's Own organic coffee in the Keurig.  I heat about 3/4 cup of Hartzler's whole milk on the stove top, add 1/2 of a dark chocolate baking square (SQUARE, not bar!), a couple TBSP of pure maple syrup, and the organic coffee that I brewed.  I have a small whip that I got from Pampered Chef, and I just love it...so, whip constantly until heated through.  I then pour all of this deliciousness into my Tervis mug, that I also love!  :)  This is a treat for me, and I only have one a week.  Give it try!  

**I tried using the cocoa powder like Lisa does, but it always gave it a powdery taste that I didn't care for.  The baking chocolate is perfect, though.  It comes out nice and smooth every time! 

Lunches...oh, lunches.  I'm so glad that the school year is nearly over!  The kids are slowly destroying their lunch supplies, but I'm not buying more when school is nearly out, so we are dealing with it.  

Now for those lunch pics I promised...

A thermos of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup, organic Seven Stars Farms Maple yogurt w/ a drizzle of honey & homemade organic granola to mix in, organic tortilla strips, and organic orange slices.  

**All of these baggies don't sit very well with my zero waste efforts, but with the loss of a few lunch containers, it's the best I can do right now.  I do wash these, dry them completely, and reuse them.**

A thermos of organic ziti w/organic sauce, a slice of Great Harvest Cheddar Garlic bread, and an organic apple.  

**It may not look like much, but the thermos holds 15.5 ozs.**

A thermos of 13 bean soup, cheese cubes, a packet of organic carrot sticks & organic peanut butter, & lightly steamed organic broccoli.

We are clearing out everything around here, so we have found a lot of junk.  I have this awful habit of hanging onto things that I would like to use "some day", but then I put them somewhere (never to be thought of again), and don't use them.  Well, last night I found packets of powdered dye from a tie dye kit.  I wasn't the only one that found them, though!

I'm calling him the Green Goblin. :) It's actually much darker than the picture is!  It is all down his chest, and both hands are dyed green.  Thankfully, his teeth are white, again!  Oh, the joys of motherhood...and I really do mean that.  :)  After our initial shock, we all got a good laugh out of this one! 

Have a great day!

:)

I'm Still Here (Just Super Busy) & Today's School Lunches

Good Evening! 

I didn't fall off the face of the Earth, I promise.  This post is just a quickie to prove that.  ;)

Lawn Sale is coming up this Saturday, and it is keeping me VERY busy.  Too busy to blog, as a matter of fact.  The Library Lawn Sale is an annual event in our community...it's sort of like our festival, but with no rides.  There are fundraisers, yard sales, vendors, etc, and people come out in droves.  It is the perfect day to have a yard sale of our own, since we are so close to the center of town, where this all happens.  As anyone knows who has had a yard sale, it is exhausting work!  Oh, the stuff we accumulate! So, my oldest daughter and I have been busily going through everything in the house.  There is another reason for all of this, but I'm not ready to reveal that one.  ;)  Shhh...

So, it will be like this all week.  On Monday, I will post the rest of the lunches that my kiddos had for the week.  Here is what they had yesterday & today...

Organic Kale Ratatouille over organic quinoa, a slice of Mediterra Farm Loaf, organic carrot sticks & homemade dressing to dip them in, & an organic apple.

Veggie wrap (Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Handmade tortilla, organic spinach, organic tomato, organic cucumber, & smoked fresh mozzarella), plain organic yogurt w/ homemade berry sauce & a drizzle of honey, & homemade organic granola to swirl in. They also got an organic banana.

Have a great week everyone!  I'll see you all on Monday!  

I do hope you'll forgive my absence...

Mother's Day (Fishing on a Goat), Homemade Flour Tortillas, & Rainbow Day!

Good Morning!

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I hope all of the moms out there had a lovely day!  Mother's Day is always a mixed bag for me...there are so many emotions and feelings.  Being the mother of 4 isn't easy, but then neither is being the mother of one, two, or three.  As exhausting as every day is, at the end of it, I thank God for that additional day that I was given.  I'm very blessed.  :)

Every year, as Mother's Day approaches, "What do you want to do?" becomes the biggest question.  It is important for me to do something special with my family on Mother's Day.  My kids made a list of ideas for my special day.  Though we couldn't do them all (like fishing on a GOAT), we managed to do a few.  :)

  Here is what my Mother's Day looked like:

Saturday...A wonderful lunch at Mustard Seed

Upstairs from the grocery, there is a beautiful full service restaurant & bar.

Where the kids enjoyed ice cold coconut milk, grass-fed & antibiotic/hormone free burgers, & fruit.  

and we enjoyed this delicious portobello sandwich, called The Highlander, with slaw.

It was a lovely meal, one that the whole family enjoyed!  

After lunch, it was off to....the Hartzler Family Dairy Ice Cream Shoppe!  This was no small trip, mind you, since Hartzler's is about 2 hours away from home!  Crazy!  It was Mother's Day, though, and knowing how much I love Hartzler's my husband thought this was just the thing. 

There are plenty of tables outside, and a swing set for the kiddos on those warm summer days!

Strawberry, YUM!

Checkers, using the caps from the milk bottles!  Genius!

Clearly enjoying that ice cream!

His flavor...Monkey Business!  

 After our very indulgent (not chemical free) treat, we went to the movies.  :)  We had a great day together, but were exhausted by the end of it!  

Sunday...for the other mothers in our lives, & a vase of lilacs, homemade cards, and a pair of Nike Comfort flip flops for me.  :) 

We had a birthday or two to celebrate, and a few mothers/grandmothers/great-grandmothers to honor.  The whole family got together to celebrate Granny's 80th birthday.

Since the menu at the birthday party was Mexican, I knew that it wouldn't be too difficult for us to adhere to our food lifestyle.  Since the main dish was tacos, my biggest issue was going to be the tortillas.  So, I decided to make my own.  

I used the recipe from Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food, but made a few changes.  Lisa's recipe is below.  

The changes that I made are as follows:  

-I used 1/2 unbleached all purpose & 1/2 whole wheat flour. (Using this mix, I needed less water)

-I used nonGMO canola oil, and I think I could get away with using less oil next time.

-I rolled mine into a log shape, but since I wanted these for soft tacos, I wanted my tortillas to be smaller.  I cut my log into 24 pieces. 

-I didn't flatten them and let them sit.  I don't  think it would have made much of a difference, perhaps because I used my tortilla press, instead of rolling them out.  I placed each ball on the tortilla press, rotating after each press, until they were the size and thickness that I wanted.  There was no need to oil the press, or cover it in plastic wrap.

These were delicious, and we topped them with homemade refried beans, tomato, lettuce, cheese, & sour cream.  

Whole-Wheat Tortillas

SERVES: 12 TORTILLAS

 

ADAPTED FROM ANSON MILLS

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
• ½ cup oil (I used avocado oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water (heat in the microwave for 1 min)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil and salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. If your hand-held mixer comes with dough hooks those can be used as well.
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle (measure against your recipe if printed on a 8.5X11 sheet of paper). Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil (or ghee) and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

I bet you thought I forgot to post today's school lunches.  I didn't forget the lunches, but I did forget the pic.  It was a crazy morning with so many things going on, so I completely forgot about it!  It's Spirit Week (which requires a donation to participate) & Book Fair, which added to my already packed morning.  I did take a pic of this, though...today is Rainbow Day!

She was supposed to wear as many colors as possible...orange capris w/printed leggings underneath, striped knee socks, pink shoes, red camisole (can't see w/vest buttoned up), blue cardigan, green vest, yellow ribbon around wrist, and a flower in her ponytail.  Mission accomplished!  

Though there is no pic, here is what my kiddos took for lunch today...

1/2 sandwich (GH honey whole wheat, lettuce, tomato, homemade organic hummus, & organic cucumber), organic veggie crackers, organic carrot sticks w/ organic pb n j, grapes, and a Greek yogurt tube.

Have a great day! 

:)

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me.  They have clung to me all my life.  ~Abraham Lincoln

   

What's In Your Panini? & Today's School Lunches

Good Morning!

What a morning so far...I walked the kids to school (a brisk mile pushing a 2 year old in a stroller), got my van fixed, and have to take my kindergartner her tennis shoes, because she forgot it was gym day.  Oh, and I have to have the van packed up with my reusable grocery bags, bulk bags, jars, etc, because we are doing our grocery shopping a day early.  Oh yeah, the dog ran away, too.  I got her back...eventually.  Guess what that bad dog is doing?  Uh huh...napping.  It seems so unfair.

I've only been awake for 4 1/2 hours, and I'm exhausted.  I don't get to nap.

Well, here is what my kiddos took for lunch today...

This is my 1st grader's lunch.  He has a field trip today, so everything has to be disposable.  :(  I'm not a fan.  I need to figure out something that fits my zero waste journey.  It is a journey, though, and I'm just getting started.  I'm learning more all the time, and I'm making new changes every week...baby steps. :)

He has an all natural PB packet & organic carrot sticks, a banana, an organic fruit wrap, & a sandwich [organic multiseed bread, organic spinach, tomato slices, & fried organic egg (over hard, no runny yolk at all)].  He also got a small bottle of water.

I thought of this sandwich idea yesterday.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and I had a lot of eggs in the fridge.  So, I made us these paninis for yesterday's at home lunch.

This picture makes me so hungry!  This is a panini w/ fried organic egg (over hard), fresh organic spinach, and just a bit of WF sharp cheddar, all on GH Asiago Pesto loaf.  I paired it with fresh veggie sticks (organic cucumber & carrot).  It was delicious!

I love making paninis, and will make them out of most anything.  I like paninis with organic squash, onion, organic spinach, & cheese.  I like them with spinach, onion, & mushroom.  I like "pizza margherita" paninis...fresh tomato, spinach, & mozzarella, with Italian seasoning sprinkled on top.  YUM!  My oldest makes "panini-butter & jelly", using my homemade berry sauce.  She sometimes adds apple or banana slices.  :)

This is a pizza panini...

Organic pizza sauce, red onion, mozzarella, and fresh organic spinach. 

I use it as a grill at times, too, like when I make Capellini w/ organic zucchini & grated aged cheese.

What's your favorite panini?  

:)

Have a great day!