what's for dinner? how about bratwurst with roasted sweet potatoes & fennel

Here's a meal idea for you!  I don't need to work this up like it's a fancy recipe, it is so simple, I'll just give you some photos and put the idea in your head.  (Go, buy some fennel, give it a try!)

This whole meal came from Trader Joes and took about 30 minutes to get on the table.  I sauteed the bratwurst and mushrooms together, and roasted the sweet potatoes and fennel together (just a little olive oil, salt & pepper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes). 

I threw the scraps from the fennel into a small pot of water and brought it to a boil to make a really simple broth, which I will use in a soup later this week, but also used about 1/2 cup as cooking liquid for the sausages.  It brought the fennel flavor through the whole dish and really unified everything.  The rest of the broth went into a jar in my fridge, and I'll come up with some kind of soup to make out of it.  Living on one income, you really have to find ways to be frugal (or cheap, let's just say it) and one of those ways is to simply not waste.  Why spend a few dollars on vegetable stock or meat stock at the store when I can make it myself out of scraps from the meal I'm serving now?  And then I can control the amount of fat and sodium in it, as well as the types of ingredients they're made from.  On a side note, there are canned stocks/broths on the shelves that contain dairy, so if you're on a dairy-free diet, beware!  Always read the ingredient labels.

Look at that fennel!  It was just as tasty as it looks. 

Can I just have a moment to encourage the moms out there?  Kids aren't very adventurous when it comes to food, and I know that getting kids to eat anything green (among other things) can be a battle most people just don't want to wage.  And I've been asked on many occasions how I can serve these meals to my kids, do my kids actually eat them?  Yes, they do.  We have two kids, ages 3 and 4, and both eat their veggies. Please don't think I mean they jump for joy at the sight of them, they totally don't.  There are nights that we battle it out, but as long as we keep the amounts small and appealing, the kids will eat it.  Sometimes Nik has to sit at the table 20 minutes longer than everyone else staring at them before he starts eating, sometimes we have to serve the veggies first and then the rest of the meal, but you know what?  Sometimes Aaron devours his salad and asks for seconds of it, and sometimes Nik will ask for a handful of baby carrots as a snack instead of a cookie.  They will not fight you forever and always!  I always tell Nikola that he already has too many dietary restrictions, he can't afford to be a picky eater too!  All of that to say, be patient with them.  Keep at it.  Always serve it, even if they just don't eat it.  You can't force it down their throats, but if they're hungry, and it looks good...you might be surprised.  And take heart.  What they hate today, they may love tomorrow.