Veggie Delight!

I really enjoy a great Bolognese sauce, it is thick and full of flavor. This lasagna is made with a simple bolognese and lots of veggies. It was really good and super healthy. All my children ate it, okay, except Logan, I usually have to make him something seperate, he is the picky one. But, hey, one out of five-- I'll take it. This meal has carrots, spinach, celery, mushrooms, onions and garlic, and it has great protein from cottage cheese  rather than ricotta cheese. There is a lot of chopping in this recipe, so it may be a sunday supper instead of a weeknight meal because its not a "fast fix." I started all my chopping in the early afternoon and made my bolognese sauce and stuck it in the refrigerator. I started the other work at dinner time... it made it much easier considering I cook with my 22 mth old in my hip. Why is it that they always want you when you are cooking, or on the phone, ( heck, I don't even talk on the phone anymore, thank goodness for texting) or in the bathroom.. ?? Oh well, they are only young once, before you know it I won't have anyone waiting outside the bathroom door for me, or in the bathroom with me! :)

 Anyways, I had a piece for lunch the next day and I feel like it tasted even better the next day.. So, maybe make it on a Saturday and serve it on Sunday... heat it, make a salad, toast some bread, and have yourself a nice meal.



Spinach Bolognese Lasagna

adapted from cuisine light and revised by bliss n tell

For the Lasagna

9 lasagna sheets
1 lb. frozen spinach


For the Bolognese

3/4 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped carrots, onion and celery
8 oz, mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes 14.5 oz can
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 T. dried Italian Herbs
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can low sodium tomato sauce 8 oz. divided ( i use Hunts)

For the cheese sauce

1 1/2 cups 2 % cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella ( part Skim)
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan shredded


Preheat oven to 375
Boil the lasagna sheets about 8 min, take them out to cool. using the same water blanch your spinach for 1 minute.
Drain Spinach and let cool. Remove excess water by squeezing spinach in paper towels!
Brown Turkey in oil over medium heat

Mince the onion, carrot, celery, onions and garlic in a food processor


and add to browned turkey. Cook about 5 min, or until veggies are soft.

Stir in the wine, diced tomatoes, dried herbs, pepper flakes, and black pepper.. bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Add remaining sauce to skillet and set aside.
Pulse cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella and egg in the food processor until smooth.
Layer 4 lasagna sheet over 1T. tomato sauce.  Spread 1/3 of the bolognese over the lasagna sheets

top with half the cheese sauce, followed by half the spinach.

Repeat the layers with 4 more lasagna sheets, top with another 1/3 of the bolognese, remaining cheese sauce and remaining spinach. Top with remaining lasagna sheets the bolognese, remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until top is browned about 25 min.

Let it rest about 15 min before serving

Skinny Meatloaf

How many of you grew up eating meatloaf? I certainly did and although my mom was a great cook, meatloaf night was not my favorite. As an adult, I have grown to love meatloaf... I do not use ground beef normally, I always use ground turkey and put a lot of flavors in it, because turkey has much less flavor than ground beef, it is well, bland! So it needs a lot of dressing up :) My children love my turkey meatloaf, but I wanted to try a different recipe. I wanted to try a combination of ground sirloin and ground turkey. I searched around for a recipe and came up with a lower fat ( which we all like) recipe.

I did like the meatloaf, the sauce on top was good.. it's always nice to change things up a bit, that's how you grow as a cook. Next time I may put the sauce that goes on this meatloaf on my turkey meatloaf :)
Along side is some homemade mashed potatoes. Yum, this dinner is great on a cold night, true comfort food.. skinny style!


Skinny Meatloaf
Cuisine Light

3/4 lb. ground sirloin ( 95 % lean)
3/4 lb. ground turkey
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated onion
2 egg whites
3 T. skim milk
1T. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. each of kosher salt and black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1T. yellow mustard
2 tsp. brown sugar

Oven set a 350

Combine both meats, bread crumbs,parsley, onions, egg whites, milk, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl using your HANDS to mix.

Transfer to a baking pan shaped in a loaf 9 x 5 (  I shape mine and put it on a cookie sheet)

 
Stir together ketchup, mustard. and brown sugar in a bowl, then spoon it on meatloaf.

Bake until instant read thermometer reads 160 about 1 hour. let rest 5 min. before slicing!

Coffee and Toffee oh my!

It's that time again... cake slice time! This time we are baking a coffee heath bar crunch cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. I didn't even think I was going to get this cake baked because I have so much going on these days with the kids and just running my household.  In addition to a few sick little ones in the past week, but I managed to get it done and I must say, I'm glad I did! This cake does have a coffee flavor, so If you don't like the taste of coffee in desserts, or if you don't like coffee at all, than this cake is not for you! If you like Heath bars.. (who doesn't like buttery toffee and chocolate), then give this cake a try and let me know what you think!

To see the cake slice blogroll click here

classroom treats

By the end of this month, spring, I am going to be baked out! I have 4 birthdays between now and April.. them I'm off till October :) for birthdays that is, not for baking! My daughter turns 8 on Saturday. So, here is the line up.. Thursday, snack for the class, Saturday cake for her birthday, Sunday cake for her party. Oh, yea, and the cake I have to make for my baking group.. a lot right?  Yes, a lot.. so I came up with a very cute and relatively easy classroom snack that I though I would share with my wonderful readers. It is rice crispy treats on a stick, drizzled with chocolate and sprinkles.  The hardest and most messy part is rolling the rice crispy balls. I recommend you spraying your hands with  baking spray before getting into the sticky marshmallow mixture!!


RICE CRISPY TREATS ON A STICK


1/4 cup butter
1 bag mini marshmallows
8 cups rice crispys
1 cup semi sweet chocolate melted
sprinkles
popsicle sticks

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, add the bag of marshmallows, stir until melted. Add the rice crispys.. stir to coat. let mixture cool a few minutes before handleing.

spray your hands with pam, or any baking spray. grab some and roll into a ball, set on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. add sticks.

Melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted. Using a fork, drizzle chocolate and sprinkle the sprinkles :)

chicken.. it's what's for dinner!

I bet you get sick of the same old chicken recipe's... right? I know I do, so I always am looking for different glazes or marinades.  This recipe is really easy and in 50 minutes you will have dinner on the table. The whole grain mustard gives it a tang, but the maple syrup ( please use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup)  and brown sugar offsets the tang and gives it a sweetness.

Give it a try and tell me how you liked it :)


Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. whole grain mustard
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 350, line your baking sheet with foil and spray with pam.

stir together the mustards, syrup, brown sugar and thyme in a small bowl.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper

 brush the chicken breasts with the mustard glaze

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then baste again with the mustard mixture.

Return Chicken to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes or until the internal temp is 165.

Valentine's Day!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I love it so much... it's a "sweet" holiday to look forward to in the middle of the winter, and since I have a love affair with chocolate, it's the perfect holiday for me. It's a no fuss holiday,  not much wrapping involved or the stress of cooking for a crowd. Just plain enjoyment, a nice meal and a wonderful dessert.

I remember when I was pregnant with my 3rd baby, (she was due in March on St. Patty's Day), I was a crazy baker and was making a ton of iced heart shaped chewy sugar cookies. I was so tired, but at night I'd sit in the kitchen and decorate these cookies for Valentine's day. I must have worn myself out, she was then born on Feb. 19th-- Madison Rose, my little late valentine's day gift, and she stole my heart right away. She was and still is a beauty!

Much to my family's dismay, I am not doing the iced heart sugar cookies this year.. I am doing  shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and going to dip some chocolate covered strawberry's.  Shortbread is crisp and buttery, and really delicious. This recipe is easy( much less time consuming than the iced sugar cookie!) The dough is so easy to roll and cut out. Just please take my advise... to keep the heart shape of the cookie you must cut them out and then return them to the refrigerator  for 15 minutes before placing them in the oven. Or else, you are  not  going to have a heart you will have a blob!

Enjoy your Valentine's day with all your hunnies!

xoxo

Love for Lemons

I Know that I have told you before of my love for lemons, they just bring a certain freshness to any dish or dessert. They are bright and remind me of summer. And in the dog days of winter, I'd say we all need a little "lemon"pick me up!

This cake is made with yogurt, so, it is a little more healthy than your normal dessert. The yogurt makes it moist and  also folding in the oil at the end is sure to make a moist consistency in the batter.

After the cake comes out of the oven, you pour the lemon simple syrup.. the warm cake absorbs the syrup. I actually poke a few holes with a toothpick to help it along. Finishing it off with the lemon glaze makes this cake absolutely delish!

Game Day Chili

It"s almost Superbowl Sunday! That means parties, food and football...! If you are looking for a game day slow cooker chili recipe.. look no further! This chili has a great flavor from the red wine, its not a thick chili, it is a little "soupy" but it has a lot of flavor. I hope you enjoy it, it is a favorite of mine!