Power Pasta

Satchel has entered the picky stage of toddlerhood. He'll eat fruit, cheese and pasta and these for certain, but anything that does not have sauce or cheese on it is now questionable.

I ran out of yogurt for his mac n' cheese so I decided to substitue 1/2 c of silken tofu instead. I blended it smooth in a bowl with the cheese first before adding it to the pasta. Adding tofu rather than milk increases the protein...here's the skinny:

• Organic plain yogurt = 2.18 G protein per 1/2 c serving (but creamier than milk)
  
• Organic whole milk = 3 G protien per 1/2 c serving
• Mori Nu Silken Tofu = 4G protein per 1/2 cup and creamier than yogurt
  

I've been trying to figure out a way to pump up the protein in a typical pasta dish, so last night I tried adding a carton of Mori Nu soft silken tofu to our tomato sauce and blended it smooth. The results were like that of a velvety "pink" sauce. Delicious! It would make a great base for a vegetarian vodka sauce too. It reminded me a little of Raos marinara back in NYC. You can buy their jarred marinara, but it's a pricey...10 bucks for a 24 oz jar! The tofu blends well with strong, thick purees. I've tried it with jarred sauce when I was too tuckered to make fresh and it made the jarred sauce much more palatable. It would not work well with light summer marinara fresca.

Satchel's new favorite treat: These organic mini peanut butter sandwich crackers from Late July.

Mama's favoite treat: peanut butter m & m's. Unlike Reese's Pieces, PB m & m's have BOTH peanut butter AND chocolate inside...and they're tiny so you can pop a few in your mouth and let 'em melt. (And the tot will never know that you're eating junk)

This gem arrived today...a holiday gift from Satchel's "spirit brother", Miles Lighthorse. I just love this highly imaginiative story and it's sure to spark some giggles! Thank you, MLC!

"Pete's father starts kneading the dough. Next, some oil is generously applied. (Its really water.) And then some tomatoes. (They're really checkers.) When the dough gets tickled, it laughs like crazy."