The Lorax Dinner Makevoer
We are anxiously awaiting the opening of the Universal Motion Picture “The Lorax” this Friday and have decided to give our family dinner a little “Lorax” makeover to celebrate.
Many people are participating in Lent this week as well, so Friday I have on the menu a simple pasta dish with vegetables and Alfredo sauce, from our Weekly Meal Plan.
In the movie, the town of Thneedville.. “a city they say that was plastic and fake“….. has no trees… “no nature, no flowers and no one seemed to mind“… until one boy journeys to discover what happened to the trees. I used Cavatappi pasta in our dish because it has that “Suess” feel to it. Then I steamed broccoli and asparagus to represent the trees. And with a little Alfredo sauce for the mystical river, the kids and I will gulp down this simple but healthy dinner before heading off to the movie.
For a little fun, I added a drop of food coloring to our water to boil the pasta to represent the plastic town of Thneedville, along with a drop of blue food coloring for the river. My kids are having their friends over Friday for dinner and the movie, so this will just add to the enjoyment of the movie. Not to mention, even with a drop or two of food coloring, it beats burgers and fries on the nutrition scale.
Ingredients
- Cavatappi Pasta- 1 lb
- Food coloring- Wilton or Duff's Electric Pink, Orange and Yellow (found at Michael's or Walmart)
- steam-ready broccoli florets- 8 oz.
- steam-ready asparagus tips- 8 oz.
- Alfredo sauce- 1 jar
Instructions
- Fill pasta pan with water and add 4-5 drops of food coloring (one color at a time) and a teaspoon of salt; mix well
- Bring to boil
- Add one-third of pasta and boil in salted water until tender
- Repeat steps 1-3 for additional two colors
- Steam broccoli and asparagus
- Transfer pasta to serving bowl and top with steamed broccoli and asparagus
- Combine blue food coloring and Alfredo sauce to mix well, then drizzle over the top of pasta to create a river
To create this pasta dish without food coloring:
Ingredients:
- Cavatappi Pasta- 1 lb
- steam-ready broccoli florets- 8 oz.
- steam-ready asparagus tips- 8 oz.
- Alfredo sauce- 1 jar
Directions:
- Boil pasta until tender, drain
- steam broccoli and asparagus
- transfer pasta to serving bowl and top with steamed broccoli and asparagus
- warm Alfredo sauce and drizzle over the top
For more information about this week’s menu, check out our Weekly Meal Plan from The Organized Cook: “Better Than Burgers”.
17 Responses to The Lorax Dinner Makeover