Jumpstart: Thumbs up, thumbs down!

Photos by Jana

Well, it has been a busy weekend! This week looks like it will be packed too; we're heading to Ohio for our grandson's (Noah) birthday. When life gets busy, I have found that it is much easier if you have a plan! Flying in late from work and trying to decide what to fix usually ends in fast food!

I tried some new recipes on Saturday; some were good, and some not so good. I posted links the other day to these recipes. Here's the rundown:
Mexican rice - we liked it
Homemade Refried beans - I had cooked some dried beans earlier, so making this recipe was quick and easy.
Pumpkin muffins with a streusel topping - very good and gluten free
Pumpkin black bean soup - mixed reviews! When eating, dollop with sour cream and sunflower seeds. Bill liked it, I didn't. I was surprised at the number of recipes online for this recipe. The reviews went on and on. What a bomb - in my humble opinion.
I also made up a batch of all purpose gluten free flour and gluten free pancake mix. The best mix is from Silvana. I love her book, Cooking for Isaiah!
I made enough of each recipe so we could have a meal and then froze the rest. Then, I made Bill some rice krispie treats. It was nice to have a quick treat.

Steamed veggies

Tonight, I made a quick veggie lasagna. Basically, it's a white sauce with cheese, lasagna noodles and veggies. I was so sure we would like it that I made enough for the freezer. Drum roll please......we loved it. As with all lasagna recipes, I'm convinced they are even better the next day. Flavors blend. I was in a hurry tonight so I just grabbed a bag of cauliflower/carrots/broccoli and and steamed it. I didn't cut the veggies in small pieces, we really didn't care.You can use almost any veggies you have on hand.