It's winter. . . I'm allowed to eat take-out and not take pictures of it

A few items:
1. The newest Barbara Kingsolver book is phenomenal. It will make you want to go out and make cheese. I do. There is a website with all of the recipes from the book and other inspirational bits of info. Check it out here.

2. Comments were left many weeks ago and I wanted to get back to them.
Jess B. said:

Yum, we will try the filling but not the crust -- any ideas about substitutes for all the butter? We haven't made pie crusts or pastry for a long time because of the white flour-butter issue. But we do have two tips for helping kids embrace "grow" food (our version of strong food): #1) we grow kale and peas in the yard and tell the kids the dinosaurs ate similar food. It worked on them as toddlers, and it works now. They eat it like animals. #2) once our kids found out that beets turn your pee pink, they started eating grated beets and/or steamed beets in quantity. #3) "harvest muffins" made with carrots, zucchini, raisins, etc. Love, Jess B.

Jess is referring to the Pot Pie recipe in the post that she commented on. I have to say that I've heard that Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is a great substitute for white flour. My friend Shannon, over at Pietown has had really great luck just substituting it in cookies and other pastries. I just got some and will experiment with it too. And, well, butter. I suppose it depends on why you want to keep it out of your food and what you are using it for. If it's a dairy thing: you could use a vegan margarine or vegetable shortening. . .the good, non-hydrogenated kind. You might get away with using olive oil in some things. If it's a fat issue, you could try using applesauce to substitute for the fat in cookies and brownies. In the case of the pot pie, I'd offer up the idea of topping it with mashed potatoes and turn it into a shepard's pie of sorts.

And, as soon as Abby heard that kale is "dinosaur food", she ate it all up! Great tips Jess, thanks!