The Simple Joy of Simple Foods!

“I am better off with vegetables at the bottom of my garden than with all the fairies of the Midsummer Night's Dream.” - Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) 'Lord, I Thank Thee'

My, my. . . June offers so many wonderful items from the garden! I do not have a "real" garden. I only have a tomato plant, a bell pepper, and cucumber; yet, I love to shop our farmers market and local grocers for nature's bounty. It is simply a joy to taste of the natural foods that God has provided for us.

Today I want to share with you that my boys love my Eggplant Parmesan. . .we just call is lasagna in our house to hide that fact that it is made from eggplant. I even assemble it lasagna style (picture below is dish 1/2 assembled). This meal is simply made of Eggplant, Italian Bread Crumbs, Spaghetti Sauce, Ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. I like to have whole green beans (canned) tossed with Lite Italian Salad dressing on the side. Tonight we wrapped it all up with strawberries and blackberries topped with Ready Whip! The great thing about this meal is that it feeds 6-8 people for under $3.00 a serving ( I have a little left over too)! Yes, my entire meal cost me about $17.50. . .simple goodness for a simple price. That is simple abundance!

This journey to simplify my life has me looking at every aspect of daily life even our meals. God designed wonderful foods for us to enjoy. Learning to enjoy these "simple" foods in a new way is fun. I am going to experiment with eggplant more and discover what other dishes I can sneak it in. . .wonder if they will figure it out. . .LOL!

Take a trip to your farmers market or the produce section of your local grocer and try a new fresh food. There are tons of recipes online for all those yummy foods you have been afraid to try. . .simple foods bringing abundant joy to our simply abundant lives. Bon appétit!!

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less (Click here to check out this great cookbook!)