Day Two hundred and sixty-four

Dinner: Brown rice penne mac and cheese (crockpot; Make it Fast, Cook it Slow), chicken spinach sausage, mixed vegetables, and blueberries.

Day Three hundred and sixty-two

Dinner: Brown rice penne mac and cheese (crockpot; recipe: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow), chicken sausage, steamed veggies, and blueberries.  Not a dinner of champions, but it was a crazy afternoon, so this'll do.

Day Three hundred and fifty-five

Dinner: Brown rice penne with homemade pesto with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella (this is seriously one of my favorite dinners), sliced chicken breast, and green beans.   When making the pasta, add the cheese and tomatoes into the pot when the pasta is very warm, it all marries and the flavors heightens. 

Per a request, here's the pesto recipe: In a food processor, combine 2 c. well-packed basil leaves and 1/4 c. chopped nuts (pine nuts or walnuts). Pulse till shredded, then add 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 c. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground pepper, and pulse again. Add 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, and pulse until smooth, pushing down as needed. If you’d like to freeze this in a jar for later use, don’t add the cheese until it’s been thawed and you’re ready to serve it.

Gluten-free cornbread (recipe: Gluten-free on a shoestring).  This was two days before Thanksgiving, so I was already in cooking mode.  I made a double batch of this- one for my daughter to bring to school for her Thanksgiving feast, and another to use in the stuffing for the turkey.

Day Three hundred and twenty-six

Lunch: Pizza muffins (with butternut squash mixed into the sauce) on gluten-free english muffins, baby spinach, and strawberries.

Dinner: Brown rice penne with chunks of chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.

Tomorrow's school lunch: Leftover chicken from dinner, cheese with gluten-free crackers, baby spinach, and orange slices.