I think every parent has those days where you really CBF cooking... to the point that you're not even phased if you don't eat yourself. But then you remember that you have little humans that rely on you, and you can't just Not Adult... so you get your bum off the couch and make something simple. Maybe Toast. Maybe Eggs. Maybe even a bowl of cereal...perhaps you even opt for the greasiest and just do a take away night! After all... kids don't really mind do they? But for the rest of the night you feel a little bit guilty inside that you haven't fed them something as nutritious as what you probably could have.
Well I don't know about you, but I felt like this A LOT when I was pregnant with the twins and I still had to feed my 2 year old... and I'd been working all day. Because we follow an anti inflammatory lifestyle here, and we have many intolerances/don't keep junk food in the house and I refuse to give my family nasty cheap food - our take away is usually grill'd burgers. And believe me when I say - Holy shit that gets expensive! $50 minimum on takeaway to feed three of us... and because I could barely walk from being pregnant with twins, sadly this happened around 2-3 times a week. Bye Bye Money. I was like Beyonce throwing money at Maids... but I was throwing money at the waiters at Grill'd and making them feed me.
So if you're a mum... a dad... a grand parent.. or a special person... and just want to SIT DOWN... may I suggest that you try this 10 minute pasta! Truth is, it only takes 10 minutes because that's how long the pasta takes to cook. The sauce itself is literally done in 5 minutes! You don't even have to chop anything. All you need is a blender or food processor... and a saucepan for the pasta of choice.
We use Orgran Gluten Free Pasta for our son, Seth. It's made from Rice and Corn (I know not anti inflammatory however it does the job as a once off every now and then) and it comes in fun shapes! The pic above is their 'Out Back' animals pasta and Seth loves going through and looking at the Koala's and Kangaroos. So it's super fun for the tots! Not to mention, they also include spinach and other veggies in the pasta to make it fun colours. The sauce is also considered raw which is great because it means the nutrients in the vegetables are still intact and therefore packs a great nutritional punch.
We don't eat dairy in this house, and the substitute I LOVE when it comes to cheese on pasta is Nutritional Yeast! It has the most wonderfully cheesy flavour but is packed with Protein and B Vitamins! I highly recommend it. Little mate thinks it's cheese ( the poor love haha) so he always asks for it on his meals. It really does contain great nutritional value and it's quite well priced! I usually use the Bragg's Nutritional Yeast, however Wholefood Merchants were out of Bragg's this fortnight so I am trying the Lotus brand... tastes the same and was a bit cheaper which is a win!
So here you go. Some relief for parents EVERYWHERE! It doesn't look the prettiest.. but hey it's gunna come out looking much worse... amirite?
As usual, let me know how you go if you give it a try and let me know what your little ones think! It really packs a punch of flavour and hey - why not even mix it through some Quinoa pasta for an easy meal for yourself?
Recipe
Serves - 2 -
Time 10 Minutes
What you need:
Blender/NutriBullet/Food processor
1 Organic Tomato
1 Clove Garlic
1 Handful Spinach Leaves
1 Teaspoon Tomato Paste
1/6 of an Onion (literally just a couple of Rings)
1/2 Teaspoon Italian Herbs (Oregano or Basil will work too)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Nutritional Yeast
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Animal Pasta (=2 Serves for small People)
What to do:
Put a saucepan of Water on and cook Pasta as per your Pasta packet instructions.
While the water is boiling, in your blender add your Tomato, Spinach, Garlic, Onion, Herbs, Tomato Paste and tablespoon of Olive Oil and a pinch of Salt & Pepper. Blend until all combined.
Once the pasta is cooked, scoop 1/2 cup of the Pasta water out and keep it in a cup to the side and then drain the Pasta.
Once the Pasta is drained, add it back to the Pot and pour the Sauce from the blender over the pasta. Mix well and then add the half a cup of pasta water. This will thin the sauce out and ensure it evenly covers the pasta.
Serve into the bowls and top with Nutritional Yeast and Voila!
I told you it was simple, didn't I? xx
