Love Bytes : Lessons, Learnings and Tribulations

I always hug K2 before school  and tell him - I love you! and he tells me - Love you too Ma!

Sometimes I wonder if we understand the depth of feelings and emotions a mother feels when she says those words to her offspring...a yoga teacher Nicole once said Love is about Kindness, Respect and Empathy...and to learn how to love others we need to learn to love ourselves. I find the negatives in myself first vs. the positives...maybe it is the Indian way of socialization, but slowly I have started reversing that cycle and the focus is on the positives. Nicole gave us a homework : jot down one thing that you love about yourself daily.

Today, I love the fact that I care enough to want to feed my son a healthy, local and a balanced meal. To some mothers who are kitchen goddesses this may be something very basic and rudimentary...however for a woman who learnt to cook just a dozen years back, this is a journey in experiments - some huge successes others abysmal failures...so to K2, who brings out the creative chef in me - I dedicate this  recipe that I call : Peas of Mind Pizza

You need for the pizza dough :

1. 1 1/2  Cups Sprouted Organic Whole Grain, Stone Ground Wheat Flour (Arrowhead Mills)
2. 1 packet yeast ( I used the fast rising yeast packet from Trader Joe's)
3. 1 Cup homemade Pasta Sauce (recipe here)
4. 2 tbsps Local Honey
5. 2 tbsp EVOO
6. 1/2 Cup Ragi (don't know what it is, then Read here...don't want to use it, no worries, go with the wheat flour)

I used the Pizza Dough cycle on my bread maker (Cuisine Art) and let the dough rest two hours. Take out the proofed up dough, Flour and knead...roll the dough out. I cut the dough into heart and round shapes using cookie cutters.I par baked on 450 degrees F for about 7 minutes and then froze the pizza base.

To Assemble :

1. 1 cup pasta sauce ( recipe above)
2. Mix of Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar
3. Shredded Carrots, Mushrooms or Salami  if you so desire

Assemble on the pizza tray and broil in the oven or toaster oven till done.

My pasta/pizza sauce really do double/triple duty as  pasta sauce, instead of water  I use this pasta sauce in my pizza dough (thanks to this company for teaching me how) and as the pizza sauce...when I am lost for ideas I will add a little bit of vegetable/chicken stock and heat up the sauce and give it to K2 with a slice of toast ( think soup). K2's dinner tonight was the pizza with a Beckmanns Cookie from the Farmer's Market : Almond Orange Sunrise and a Go-Gurt.

In our Zumba class today, the teacher ended the class with a favorite song of mine by Whitney Houston (RIP you poor soul !!!)

Hope your Valentine's Day is Healthy and Happy and love brings with it kindness, respect and empathy into your lives...