Giving Back With Pasta

For the past month, I’ve been so focused on the beginning of the school year; getting all of my kids school supplies in order, new school clothes, and making sure they have everything they need to start the school year off right. There is so much on my plate now with homework, sports, dance, and after-school fun, I am trying to not miss a beat. As parents, our singular goal is to protect our children and I can’t imagine the fear and anxiety parents feel when they don’t have enough to feed their family. I fight back tears just thinking that one in five New Yorkers is food insecure. That is why I am proud to partner with Barilla® for the “Go Orange To End Hunger” campaign. September is Hunger Action Month and the food bank For New York City, the city’s major hunger relief organization, is launching its 11th annual month long Go Orange to End Hunger campaign presented by Barilla®. During the week of September 12, 2016, Barilla® will donate 500,000 meals to Food Bank for New York City and stop in each of the five boroughs to give away 20,000 “Recipe for Wonderful” pasta dinner kits to New Yorkers. Barilla® pasta is a staple in our house…and not just because we have Italian roots. Pasta is an inexpensive, easy and quick meal that kids love. With all the school chaos it is important for moms to have a few super easy dinners on reserve that their kids will happily eat without resistance. My kids are great eaters and are always willing to try new things. My kids will eat anything with pasta including protein, veggies, and greens. Pasta can get a bad wrap because it is a carb, but it is a good carb and is part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Sticking to a healthy portion size combined with nutritious fats, veggies and proteins, pasta can supply you with nutrients your body needs. Especially growing little bodies! We have been exclusively eating gluten-free pasta because of Ryder’s gluten allergy. Barilla® launched their Gluten Free line in 2014 and I have to say—it is delish. The Gluten Free assortment includes linguini, spaghetti, penne, rotini and elbows. One of my favorite pasta recipes to cook for the kids, is one that was given to me by my friend Jennifer from Tastefully Childish. She made my family this dish when Siella was born nearly five years ago. We all loved it so much, it’s now in constant rotation in my house.

Penne Pasta w/ Chicken:

1 Box of Barilla® Pasta (bow ties or rigatoni are our favorites)

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut bite size

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 90z jar of sundried tomatoes, cut julienne

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil from sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

fresh basil

Cook pasta as directed on back of the box. In a separate pan, saute chicken pieces, adding in the fresh garlic, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and oil. Cook chicken through. Mix pasta with chicken, adding sundried tomatoes, and topping with parmesan cheese and fresh basil. I sometimes add frozen spinach or broccoli to the pasta while it is boiling as well. Enjoy! Join me and the Food Bank For New York City and #GoOrangeWithBarilla by volunteering at your local soup kitchen and donating if you can Barilla® will donate an additional pasta serving for every person who donates at one of the events, advocates online using the hashtag and signing up to volunteer on the spot.. Let’s make a difference together and spread the word.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.