Berries and Carrots and Tomatoes, Oh my!

Somewhere around the end of last month I made a decision.
We need alot more fruits and veggies in our diets. No more of this crackers for most snacks business (really bad, I know).
Well, when I decide to do something, especially for our health, I stick to it! So, now I (Justice doesn’t always participate and the hubby doesn’t always have room to store fruits and veggies at work but they’re both working on it) have at least one serving of fruits and/or veggies with each meal as well as having them for snacks. Justice knows that if she wants a snack she’s getting fruits or veggies except for a rare treat of (lower sugar) animal crackers or goldfish or something.
And let me tell you, I love it!!
My typical choices are things that are easy to chop and store.
Watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, black berries, pears, apples, grapes, kiwi, and clementine oranges.
For veggies I tend to stick to grape or cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, baby carrots, orange and yellow peppers, celery, and cucumbers.
One tip I have found that helps immensely is cutting everything up as soon as we get home from grocery shopping. I was doing it at each meal time but by the time I was done, the meal was almost over. So, yesterday after I got everything put away, I proceeded to wash and chop about 5 lbs. of fruit. The veggies get pieced today. Talk about easier and more efficient. Wooo!

So I just thought that I’d share this morning’s addition to breakfast.

Yummm!!!
(and Justice discovered she loved the rasp/black berries. :)


(sorry for the blur, it was a quick phone pic)

I hope that you all rethink your fruit and vegetable consumption (if it’s not already sufficient) and use this as inspiration on how you can better your diet. You’ll still get plenty of sweetness but packed with vitamins and antioxidants and fiber! Wooo!
I’m so loving it. And so is my body. :)

A tortellini recipe of an easier nature

Well fab fans & followers, I have it for you. A tasty, easy, no bake tortellini recipe that’s sure to satisfy!
We have a delectable tortellini recipe already in the Archive but I saw this one & decided that it definitely deserved a shot. No sauce, no bake, and more veggies. Sounds pretty good to me!
So here it is for you, courtesy of BettyCrocker.com. Oh….and did I mention…..

It’s a One Pot!!! Woooooo! :D

Tortellini with Fresh Veggies

Ingredients:
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 medium bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup) (I used a 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 yellow pepper)
2 cups chopped roma (plum) tomatoes (6 to 8 medium)
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into slices (1 1/2 cups) (I used 2 small-medium zucchinis)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 Cook and drain tortellini as directed on package, using 3-quart saucepan. Wipe out saucepan with paper towel.
2 Heat oil in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper in oil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.
3 Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.
4 Stir in tortellini. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Once dished, sprinkle with fresh Parmesan and serve.

Look at those delicious veggies!!

The finished dish waiting to be devoured

Dominic and I really enjoyed this one! As usual, Justice wouldn’t eat it. Dinner-less again! C’est la vie. She gets to make the choice…the crazy girl.
This recipe will definitely get a repeat or two down the road. While I like the other tortellini recipe (with the sauce), this one is lighter. Not to mention, of course, faster. And that is ALWAYS a bonus in my book! ;)

I hope you try this one at your house soon. It’s a great easy healthy dinner!

Savory stuffed shells for supper!

Happy Wednesday fab followers!
I bring to you this scrumptious recipe from Monday night.
Mmmmmmm…..was it good!?! And so unlike me. Ordinarily recipes that require “stuffing” just go right past my radar but for some reason this one stuck. And I’m glad that it did!
As I said in the weekly meal plan (view here) I can not recall where I got this recipe from. I’m pretty sure that someone shared it with me a long time ago but I can’t remember who. So, if you’re the one who gave it to me…Please! Refresh my memory! :)
On we go…

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells (or Cheese & Spinach stuffed shells would be more accurate for my changes)

Ingredients – Makes 6 servings
24 jumbo pasta shells (1 12oz package)
1 15-oz. container ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella (I probably used 2-3 cups total)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (plus some for topping)
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I only used about 5oz – not big cooked spinach fans)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 26-oz. jar spaghetti sauce (I used 1 1/2 jars)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 9 x 13-in baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook pasta shells according to package label directions; drain and set aside to cool (or to speed up cool time, run cold water over them).
While pasta cooks, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and nutmeg.
2. Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce (I used 3/4 jar here) over bottom of baking dish. Stuff shells with cheese-and-spinach mixture and place in dish.
Spoon remaining (about 1/2 jar) sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella (I sprinkled til it looked yummy).
3. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, until bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

The cheese mixture

All lined up and ready.... :)

Ready to be covered and cooked

With some parmesan sprinkled on the top...They're ready for devouring!

somewhat similar to the picture on the pasta package eh?! ;)

Well fans, this was our dinner Monday, hopefully it’ll grace your table soon. It didn’t take very long to prep and was incredibly tasty. It was quite satisfying. This may just open me up to trying more things of this nature…we hope! :)

Enjoy!

Mo

It sounds like Rat and Patootie. Rat Patootie! Which does NOT sound delicious!

Hehehehe
One of this household’s FAVE movies! And now…it’s a loved dinner as well. Woooo! :)

(just in case anyone has lived in horrible seclusion and is unaware to what movie I am referring, it would be Ratatouille [Disney/Pixar]. Now that you know….GET IT!!! Even if you’re not a big fan of animated flicks, I highly recommend this one.)

Anywho……

I was super excited about this one. I’ve wanted to try it since I first saw the movie and this was the greatest opportunity. A slow cooker version of something I’ve been wanting to try??? Jackpot! Now, I’d LOVE to make it the way they do in the movie and since I’m requesting a mandolin for the next gift giving occasion, I hope to be able to do it soon. But this one certainly suffices!

Let me also just say…. Yes. I made and we had Ratatouille. But. It was a bit modified. From both the true recipe and the slow cooker recipe I found. True Ratatouille has eggplant in it which is a BIG no-no in this house due to Justice’s allergy.

So…without further ado, I present Slow Cooker Ratatouille  :D

Ingredients – (This recipe as written only makes 2 servings. I doubled it and got 5 good servings when served with rice.)

1-1/2 cups cubed, peeled (if desired) eggplant (I replaced with 2 medium zucchini)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped yellow summer squash or zucchini (2 medium yellow squash)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped tomato
1/2 of an 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/3 cup coarsely chopped red or green sweet pepper (I used 1 whole sweet orange pepper)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil

Directions
1 In a 1-1/2-quart slow cooker (I used my 6 qt), combine eggplant, squash, chopped tomato, tomato sauce, sweet pepper, onion, salt, black pepper, and garlic.
2 Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If no heat setting is available, cook for 4 to 4-1/2 hours.
3 Stir basil into mixture in cooker. Serve in shallow bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

~~I served ours with rice to make it more filling. It went over quite well. Minute Rice would certainly work, but I made the long version. Click here for a how-to.)

Everything added and ready to put the lid on

 

All ready to be served

 

Ready for devouring

 

 

I hope that you enjoy this awesome dish as much as we did. And yes….for anyone wondering….we Totally had the movie on! ;)

Have a fab week-

Mo

Ab Fab!!! Tortellini with Vegetables

Well I have an absolutely wonderful recipe for you loves!

I pulled this one from the Super Suppers Cookbook. It’s actually vegetarian but that could be changed easily enough.

I’m just going to tell you now……This was a HUGE hit in our house!! :) As a matter of fact, my text to Dominic (he was at job #2) was “Dinner is FREAKIN DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! Yumm! Go me!!! :D ”  LOL

So here you go…The whats and how to and then you can decide for yourself!

Tortellini with Vegetables

Nonstick cooking spray
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I, as usual, just used a few shakes of dried minced)
2 cups fresh or frozen UNCOOKED three-cheese tortellini
4 cups marinara sauce (I used one 25 oz jar of Emeril’s Hearty Marinara–Great Flavor!)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I sprinkled shredded 3 cheese mix until nicely covered)
~~This says Makes: 10 servings…not so much. This fed 4 adults with a small helping leftover.~~

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Preheat oil in large skillet. Saute mushrooms, zucchini, and onion in hot oil until tender. (I did zucchini and onion 1st, then added mushrooms a little later so they stayed a little more firm) Arrange tortellini in prepared baking dish. Top with cooked vegetables. Pour marinara over top.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, bake 10 minutes more.

I served this with a delicious salad and some garlic bread. It was absolutely wonderful!!

I hope that you all try this. I’d love to hear from anyone that adds meat as well!

Delectable dining!

Mo