One pot recipe

In order to keep myself from going crazy, or eating deep fried foods, I've been cooking a lot.

And I've also been hanging out with babies. Because you just HAVE to be in a good mood around babies. I've been missing my babies at home but SO excited to see them soon!

I mean come on, look at those cheeks!!

                                         

So this is a one pot recipe for Mushroom Zucchini Pasta that I halved, but I'll include the full recipe that serves 6

1 pound spaghetti (I used angel hair whole wheat)

1 pound sliced mushrooms

2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 cup frozen peas

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

Thyme (I didn't have any)

1/4 cup cream ( I used milk )

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

I mean this is literally it. Out everything in the lot, add 4 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

      

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes. Check your noodles to make sure they are cooked. Liquid will be significantly reduced. Add cream (milk)  stir and add Parmesan, serve immediately. A light cream sauce a very healthy!!

                                         

So easy to make!

xo A

Cheesy potato skins

I started actually making some of my Pinned Pintrest recipes

Cook 4 large potatoes, and cut in half

       

Scoop out insides and place on a cookie sheet. set aside insides in a separate bowl

       

Add tomato sauce, I used that instead of pizza sauce, I added garlic salt, basil and oregano.

Use more than one spoonful! I wish I added more

       

I filled mine with turkey sausage and mushrooms

       

Then added a bunch of mozzarella and some Parmesan on top and baked on 350 for 20 minutes. I left in for another 2-4 minutes until the tops got brown.

       

Turned out really good, but needed more sauce and heat up really well for lunches!!!

       

A Better Mac n Cheese

So this is something I made last week, that also heats up nicely. I tried to half it, but ended up making the same amount of noodles, and only halving the sauce..so it was a little bland and needed salt. But overall, will definitely make again. (Again, I halved so I had supper, plus 3 Pyrex dishes to take for lunch)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound (20 oz) whole wheat elbow macaroni (or any other kind of pasta)
• 2 small sweet potatoes, microwaved or baked until soft (or sub 1 1/2 cups cooked carrots)
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 cup pasta water
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style works)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups grated cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray

2) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but still a bit firm. Reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta in strainer/colander and set aside. Toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.

3) Meanwhile, place the sweet potato flesh (orange part), milk, pasta water, yogurt, salt and pepper into a blender and blend until smooth (this hides the vegs from keen eyes!).

4) Then pour the milk mixture into the same pot you cooked the pasta in. Stir frequently over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture is almost simmering. Turn to low and slowly whisk in the cheese a little bit at a time. Stir until mostly melted and smooth. Cooking Note: The cheese sauce will seem runny/soupy but it thickens up in the oven.

5) Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

6) Combine bread crumbs, olive oil, and dried parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.

7) Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.

       

If you follow me on Pintrest you can find them there too

xo A

Cleanse Day 9&10 + 11-19

Yeah yeah yeah I suck. 

I need to find a happy medium. Either I write everyday and get worn out because really not that much cool stuff happens on a daily basis (things that are notable anyway) or...yeah just that top one happens. So I need to find a happy medium. It stopped being fun when I tried to force myself to write all the time. It's pretty tiring being funny all the time (kidding)(not really)

So this past week I've just been evaluating my life (no big deal) cleaning out the excess and re organizing... But literally. 

       

All these shelves used to hold DVDs and now they're expertly hidden in these amazing boxes from IKEA

       

I also recently met with a financial advisor to go over retirement plan and blah blah blah, no one cares about that stuff. Either way, he says I'm in a good place and I'm in better shape than most people he sees (money wise, not fitness wise) so that makes me feel pretty good. He said it's more about educating myself 

Anyway. The 24 Day Challenge is going well. I haven't had processed foods in almost 3 weeks, minimal dairy, no coffee or sugar (I had a glass of lemonade the other day that was sooo good though). The recipes I'm trying are spectacular and I actually have food in the fridge to make real meals. This afternoon I made Parmesan Garlic crusted zucchini and chicken salad with Greek yogurt. While all that was coming together I had rice, leftover turkey burger and spaghetti sauce that I stuffed inside green peppers and baked them. Added some garlic salt, Italian seasoning and onion...sooo good

       

I honestly think just planning out meals and going to the grocery store twice a week has really helped. My produce doesn't go bad because I only plan 4 days at a time (I had a lot go bad at the beginning because I was trying to plan a full week)

I feel great, am eating great, and working out on a semi normal schedule.

Clean eating isn't hard, per say....just takes planning.

xo A