Simple Gratitude is...

• a warm meal and a full belly
• a hug and an apology from K2 after a full blown tantrum ;-)
•  K1 coming home after a LONG business trip
• 2 Advils to take the edge off the pain
• a What the Hell...I am still going to  Zumba class!
• a wonderful poster "all about clouds" from K2

This week has been tough...I have  a "crick in the neck" and yes, it is worse than it sounds. Went to a doctor, am on heavy duty pain killers, traction and of course even did the Chiropractor thing again...but seriously what is stress & lack of sleep induced will run it's course. My doctor  nailed it when she said  - Sweetie, you have been through way too much, you can try to hold it all together but will break down at some point...just let it go!

I finally slept 6 hours last night and it felt good...also R lovingly made me a bowl of typical Odia Kosha Mangsho which I  relished yesterday...it took me back to those uncomplicated days when I was young and it was a Sunday and Bapa donned the apron to make the above mentioned dish. P another friend of mine who just started her own home catering business House of Lakshmi brought me an authentic south indian office lunch which had me swooning with the taste of the food. It was a homely meal with 2 Phulkas (Chapatis) which were soft and delicious, curd rice, masala bhaat with cabbage, the MOST amazing sprouts salad and how can I forget....Mor Kolambzhu. I am hooked to her food now and have been raving about it to my other friend P who I met for an oh!so short while today. Here is a visual view of how the food would look if it were on a thali...

There is simple gratitude in my heart for these warm friends who brightened up my days with these kind gestures. I am also grateful that today is my last day alone without K1 and he is back from a ten day business trip...so true is the saying Distance makes the heart grow fonder...

To assuage my guilt for all the wonderful food I wasn't able to share with K2, I made for him his favorite food - Cheese Pizza. My fool-proof recipe ( this is a 5 ingredient recipe so all the freebies in blue)-

You need for the pizza dough & Pizza Sauce

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 Pizza Sauce (  4 cloves of  Garlic, 6 Tomatoes - sweated down to a pulp in one tsp Olive Oil, Salt and a pinch of sugar then pureed...this yields 2 cups of the tomato sauce) -- (P.S - I have been known to sneak  cauliflower, broccolli, beans and carrots into my pizza sauce....)
4. 2 tbsp EVOO

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 usually freeze the pizza base for use.

To Assemble :

1. 1 cup pizza sauce 
2. Grated Mozzarella Cheese

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

This kid-friendly 5-Ingredient Fix Recipe goes to Pavani at Cook's Hideout , an idea conceptualized by Valli at Spice your life. Need I say K2 - polished his plate clean.