Feeling the Love!

I’m feeling incredibly blessed to have such amazing sponsors for our running group, Moms Run This Town! We recently merged with another chapter, and this past Saturday night we had a social so that the ladies from both groups could meet. Since there are an unusually high number of ladies in our group who are gluten free, vegan, or both, we have a very difficult time having food that works for everyone at our gatherings. I had the idea to reach out to a restaurant that offers both vegan and gluten free food. When I read some reviews online and saw that Mama Mia Trattoria was rated as one of the top Italian restaurants in Portland, and they had many vegan and gluten free menu choices, I decided to reach out to them. The owner immediately got back to me and offered to donate food for 25 for our event!! He made it clear that there would be no expectations of any marketing or any other strings attached to his gift – that it was simply a gift. 

The food was absolutely amazing. They provided two types of pasta – typical spaghetti noodles for the non-gluten free members of our group, and rice pasta for the gluten free members. Even though I’m not gluten free, I tried the gluten free noodles. They had nothing to hint that they were different from a "regular" pasta dish other than the label on the lid. The taste was not altered in any way and I had no idea that the noodles were made with rice. We also had salad with pecans, baguettes, garlic bread, and plenty of dipping sauces. Our favorite was the caprice! For dessert, we had a cheese cake that was to die for.  The amaretto in it was not so subtle that it left you wondering if it was there or not. The flavor was rich, creamy and the amaretto danced on our taste buds. It’s a good thing we are runners because we certainly consumed plenty of calories that evening!

The best part, in my opinion, was the meatballs. I couldn’t believe how moist they were, especially considering they were gluten free so no breadcrumbs were used. Luckily there were a few leftovers so I took some home for my husband to sample. His input: “So good, they made my tongue slap my brains out!” Well, at least he has an excuse. 

In summary, Mama Mia Trattoria’s is the perfect place for a great meal or to carbo load before a big race. Our group will be visiting them before our big races! Here is a photo of the food that was donated to us.

For more info on Mama Mia, check them out at http://mamamiatrattoria.com/

Another of our amazingly generous sponsors was Impact Signs in Hillsboro. They offered to print our club’s banner because “We’ve got to take care of the Moms!” Aw, how sweet. They took our logo and info we wanted on the sign and actually designed the sign for us to work with the 3’x5’ sign. When one of our members picked it up, they were incredibly nice. 3’x5’ doesn’t sound that large until you see it in person.

Check them out at http://www.impactsign.com/

Here's a photo of both the food and the banner:

We feel so loved!
~Mariah