Don’t Roll your Eyes at me! (The story of how I was just Mom-shamed)!

So just a quick background for those of you who haven’t read my previous threads…

I lost about 70 pounds a few years ago (yay)! I went from drinking and eating way too much to running a full marathon. I watched Doctor Oz religiously every day and learned about how to literally treat my body like a temple. I’ve grown to absolutely love nutrition and health (I may even want to go back to school for it… but that’s for a later post). It’s a true passion of mine.

So in the midst of this adventure, I naturally started to steer myself toward organic foods, natural cleaning products, and natural makeups/cosmetics. In my opinion, I think cutting out these chemicals as much as possible in the things that we consume/apply every day will hopefully add up and make us feel better and avoid disease in the long run.

Side note: Please purchase this book if you are also interested in healthy living and how the small things add up in the end. It features my favorite guy and is truly a life saver 😎

Anyway, now like I said, I love healthy living, but I’m also a proud consumer of potatoes and beer 🍻 🥔. I love my wine and eating out with my friends. It’s not like I have to eat healthy all the time.

However…

When I go to the supermarket, I definitely try to get as many things all natural and organic as I can.

Yes, I could save money on less expensive items- I know that and I will switch if I financially need to. Yes, I know that the whole organic thing could be a scam and over exaggeration. I also am aware that you can eat healthy, avoid chemicals, the whole 9 yards and die anyway…

But It’s what I like and enjoy.

Anyway, to my point.

I had just put all my items on the conveyor belt at the supermarket the other day (yes, the majority were healthy) and a mom of four adorable girls behind me starts rolling her eyes and sighing while staring right at my 15 month old daughter in the front of the cart.

She looks directly at my daughter and in a “mocking voice” speaks right to her as if I wasn’t there and says, “Oh, you have one of those healthy, good moms who actually cares about her kids. One of those moms who thinks buying organic foods will buy your love”.

Like, I don’t even know what that means.

She giggled at the end of the sentence and winked as if that was to excuse her rude behavior.

I’m not sitting there rolling my eyes about the coke and doughnuts she bought her kids. (Just kinda jealous about the Coke).

My whole point is: STOP THE SHAMING.

In every way.

We are all going to make different decisions. Enjoy different things. Do things in completely opposite ways.

But can we please start appreciating these differences?

Accept and appreciate the differences OR mind your own beeswax 😘😃

My “Almost Tuscan” homemade Arrabiata Sauce

My vegetable garden is certainly bountiful this year! I’m picking about 15 tomatoes a day! So obviously I need to do something with all the said tomatoes… 🍅

After visiting Tuscany two years ago and getting private cooking lessons with Italian chefs, I figured I would try their Arrabiata recipe at home. What a win! 🌶

So I’m here to share the wealth with everyone.

The Tomatoes 

Of course, if you have homegrown tomatoes, that would be best, but no worries if not. Go to the store and purchase fresh Roma (plum) tomatoes or you can even buy them in a can!

The Spice

The heat is what gives the arrabiata sauce it’s personality. After all, arrabita literally means “angry”. If you want to be as authentic as possible, purchase Italian Calabrian peppers. These may be hard to find so if worst comes to worse, you can just use crushed red pepper (I also love adding cherry peppers-they are my favorite)!

Keep in mind, if spicy food is not your thing, you can leave the peppers out and just make a regular marinara sauce that will be equally as amazing!

The Rest

Make sure you also have garlic (fresh is best), sea salt, sugar, red wine, basil, and rosemary. Again, fresh is best when it comes to the herbs, but you can use dried basil and rosemary if you don’t have any fresh available!

Get ready to cook

Step 1- Cut/ purée the tomatoes 

First, you are going to want to crush or purée the tomatoes. If you want a chunkier sauce, you can keep the skin on and cut/crush them into little chunks. If you want a smoother sauce, you can skin them and/or purée them using a food processor.

Step 2- Sauté the peppers and garlic

Next, put a thin layer of olive oil at the bottom of your pot and sauté the peppers, garlic and some sea salt for about 5 minutes. (Keep in mind, I use low heat the entire time because cooking sauce is an art and takes time haha. Feel free to cook on medium if you are in a rush)!

Step 3- Add the tomatoes, spices, and cook!

Pour the tomatoes into the pot and add a cup of red wine, a tablespoon of sugar (to cut the acidity of the tomatoes), more salt, basil, and some rosemary. You can also add in black pepper, onion, and oregano to taste if that’s what you like, but keep in mind, the chefs didn’t use those ingredients. I like to let the sauce cook for hours in order to allow all the herbs and flavors to mix together. Again, if you don’t have that much time, turn up the heat a bit- it will still come out amazing!

And there you have it.. the “Almost Tuscan” Arrabiata sauce by Amanda… 🍝

Mangia!

Also, for more awesome Italian recipes, this cookbook is amazing!