This, That, and a Recipe

I officially get an F- in blogging this week. I know ya'll are sick of hearing all my excuses like.....the house renovations, my new obssession with the Ultimate Body Wrap, and did I say house renovations???

I have a super fun 15 months post about my little munchie coming on Sunday as well as a WINNER for the contest. Yay for whoever wins, get ready to see some tightened, toned, and firm skin and hopefully some inch loss.

Ok, ok, I have been in a rambling state of mind lately, onto the recipe.

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Popeye's Favorite Lasagna

This was my first time making this casserole. I tweaked it some to appease my protein loving honey.

So, so easy to make! I love the casseroles that you just mix together, layer, and pop in the oven.

Here's what you need (minus the pineapple) plus some Mozza

Mix egg, spinach, ricotta cheese, mozza cheese, and spinach soup mix, salt and pepper to taste

Sidenote: I used the vegetable soup mix because Wal-mart did not carry the spinach. I would stick with the spinach soup mix. The veggie was ok, but not fantastic.

We had to call in some Aunt B support for a babe who wasn't feeling great. Kisses make everything better.

Now start layering, tomato pasta sauce, then the no bake lasagna noodles

Add the mixture and then a layer of chicken

Repeat that same layering again then add a layer of noodles and tomato pasta sauce. Sprinkle with some mozza and pop in the oven for 30 minutes

Easy, peasy, cheesy, healthy and super yummy

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Rotisserie Chicken
• 10 ounces, weight Package Frozen Spinach, Defrosted And Drained
• 1 package Knorr® Cream Of Spinach Soup Mix, 1.8 Ounce Packet
• 1 whole Egg
• 1 cup Shredded Asiago Cheese/ Mozzarella
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 12 ounces, weight Jar Of Tomato Pasta Sauce, Or Your Favorite Homemade Sauce
• 10 whole No-cook Lasagna Noodles
• ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Begin by mixing together the ricotta, spinach, Knorr® Cream of Spinach Soup mix, egg, asiago cheese, salt and pepper.
2. Then begin layering your ingredients into an 8×10-inch glass baking dish. First lay down a layer of tomato sauce so that the pasta does not dry up. Next add the pasta and layer it so that there are no holes through to the sauce below. On top of the pasta, spread a layer of the spinach mixture, a layer of chicken, then add a layer of sauce on top of that. Repeat the layers starting with pasta. Do this 1 more time but top the last pasta layer with sauce rather than the spinach mix. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.
3. Bake in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes or until center is warmed through and cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
4. If you have leftovers, cover the glass baking dish with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerator till ready to eat. Then either reheat the whole dish in the microwave or slice out individual servings and reheat on a plate in the microwave. Flavors really seem to meld together after a night or two in the refrigerator.
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 Little man hasn't been himself for almost a week now and we had green coming out of his eyes and nose today, so it was wonderful seeing this smile emerge again tonight.

Have a great weekend. We will be spending lots of time outside.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

This is another delicious and healthy recipe. I failed at taking very good pictures, but you get the idea.

Again, I substituted whole wheat tortillas for the white and it was just as delicious. You can also omit the sour cream and use mozerella cheese instead of cheddar to shave a few calories off. I kept the sour cream and made it fat free because it helps keep the burrito stuck together when it's in the skillet.

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients (black bean, chicken, onion, green pepper) except cheese and sour cream.

Heat skillet to medium heat and spray with non-stick. Lay burrito on skillet until slightly brown in each side and cheese is melted. I served with a salad, chips and hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken, (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas


DIRECTIONS:

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream.

Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: on some of the wraps, I dotted the cheese with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it made the wraps delightfully creamy.)

Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

LOOK BELOW, THERE IS ANOTHER RECIPE

Healthy Baked Ziti

Ok so it is getting kind of ridiculous that I have a recipe tab and it only has one lonely recipe in it. I cook all the time so I am not sure why that is. Part of me feels like posting recipes is boring and nobody wants to read them, but then I think how many blogs I follow for their recipes. Either way I am hitting ya'll with three tonight.

I am kind of turning into a casserole girl here lately. For one I was kind of getting bored with the crock pot and two I am loving that I can make these at any time of the day, stick it in a casserole dish, pop it in the fridge and simply stick it in the oven around dinner time. They freeze well too which is a definite plus. I keep telling myself I am going to cook a bunch of casserole dishes on Sunday to freeze them for the week so I won't have to cook. That has yet to happen.

Here it is in all its yummy glory

Healthy Baked Ziti

This is what you need.

Side note: We buy a half a cow each year and I forgot to take a pic before I took the packaging off. The initial investment seems like a lot but it is so much healthier (no hormones, etc..) and you save money in the long run. I will try to blog about it soom

Cook the meat and pasta.

I strongly recommend using wholewheat pasta where ever possible

When the meat and pasta are looking close to ready, mix the cheeses and eggs

I rinse the meat to shave a few more calories off

Stir the pasta in with the cheeses

Stir spagetti sauce in with meat

Now the fun part, start layering with 1/3 of your meat

Now add 1/2 your pasta/cheese mixture

 

Continue layering ending with your meat. Now just pop it in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes

This is the leftovers after feeding 4 adults, just to give you an idea.

Our family is big on leftovers. 

This is definitely a family fav. I love it because you don't need a lot of ingredients and it is fairly simple. I heart anything that is healthy and yummy.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole wheat ziti or other small tube pasta
• 2 pounds ground beef/ ground turkey
• 1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. In a bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
2. Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.                

My "in a clutch" quick recipe

This is one of my all time favorite recipes to make because it is soooo easy, cheap, and relatively healthy. I am a casserole and crock pot kind of girl. This casserole is super quick and could be made in the morning and popped in the oven when you get home or thrown together when you get home.

Here is what you need

Cook the rice according to the package. I add a bit of butter

Get all the good stuff off the chicken and feed what you don't want to the dog

(or at least that's what I do)

Get everything measured out

Combine it all together and stir, stir, stir!

Transfer to a casserole dish and top with a bit of cheese.

Here's what you need:

Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken
• 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
• ¾ cups Frozen Corn
• 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
• 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
• ½ cups Salsa
• 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
• Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook the rice according to package directions

A rotisserie chicken is sooo much quicker, so just pull all the chicken off that you want.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except cilantro, mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with cilantro. We don't garnish at our house unless there is company so I leave it out usually.

This is sure to please even picky eaters and this is one of those leftovers that is gone the next day.

I usually pair it with a salad.

Hope you enjoy and let me know if you try it and what you think!

Happy Friday!


Linking up with Raising Bean! Go cheeck her out!

Dr. Appt, Grease, and a Meal

My little munch has be sick for going on 2 weeks now. I typically like to let his little body get over these things on its own, but his fever was getting a little out of my comfort zone, so we decided a trip to the doctor was necessary. For all you mommas out there, the nurse practicioner told me that you don't really have to worry until the fever gets over 105. Who woulda thought?! I also learned that ibuprofen is more effective at bringing a fever down in a infant that tylenol. I know I am a wealth of knowledge today! ; )
Crewe has been sneezing and couching up a storm. Oh and you are not considered cool in our house unless you walk around with a noodle on your shoulder. In case you ever come over you have been warned.

Chillin with Scout, waiting for the Dr. to call us back.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Playing with his Nemo sticker.

Who me?

Telephone outlets are the new "it" toy in case you didn't know. Keeping an active baby happy in a germ infested place is no easy task. Yes I am THAT mom. :)

Another important tidbit of information I must share. Have you ever tried these little gems? 

No? Well let me tell you, if you are a chip fanatic like myselft, but don't like that one serving of cheetos is only 13, these are a game changer. You can eat and entire container of these for same amount of calories in those 13 measley cheetos.

See for yourself! Momma has polished off serveral of these containers, in 1 sitting, by myself, since Crewe started solids. 

Onto the Grease, aka: your skin has never felt so gloriously soft. Our skin is so dry this time of year and I have never figured out a lotion that can not only treat it but also prevent it, UNTIL I stumbled upon this little concoction. All of this can be purchased at the Dollar Store for only $8.36. You know they really should rename that store to the Three to Five Dollar Store, since hardly anything in there is a dollar anymore. Anywho, this will last you a while and is definitely worth the money.

Crewe LOVES helping his Daddy make this stuff. We usually end up finding lotion strung all over the kitchen before we are finished.

Just dump it all into a bowl, mix together, and get ready to say hello to the softest skin ever. It works best to mix with an actually mixer rather than a spoon.

He always gives us this look when we let him do something he normally can't touch.

We try to be as economical as possible since I have started staying at home, so we just scoop it all back into the original containers. It is really too thick to put into any kind of squeeze bottle. Crewe gets lathered in this every night after his bath and smells delicious.

Pinterest has changed my life when it comes to my cooking abilities. I literally went from despising cooking to your everyday Better Crocker in days. My hubby would most definitely agree. I NEVER used to cook.

I made this yummy recipe and it is sure to please even a picky eater. An added bonus, it is a Weight Watcher meal. I have never followed weight watchers myself, but know some people who have had incredible results thanks to it. It is 9 points for 3 shells if anyone is interested.

I also modified the recipe just a bit by using a rotisserie chicken. Anything to save time when you only cook during naptime.



(Source)

12 jumbo pasta shells

1 1/2 c pasta sauce
2 large egg whites, gently beaten
1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. chicken, cooked and diced
1 c frozen spinach (chopped) thawed (drain all excess water)

2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chopped basil
3/4 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350
Cook shells in boiling water according to the directions on box.
Rinse with cold water and set aside for later use.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 c of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

For filling: Stir together egg whites, ricotta, chicken, spinach, garlic powder, basil, and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 c of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Fill each shell with mixture and place filled shells in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pinterest and other blogs have given me so many new ideas for cooking and making it healthy. I think I might start posting a recipe a week to share with anyone who reads my blog. What do ya'll think about that?

Stream of conciousness might have been a more appropriate title for this post seeing as how jumpy it is! :)

Get ready for a walking post becuase my boy is a walker!

 Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!