Ricotta Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm beginning to think that we eat pasta WAY. TOO. MUCH. It's not the skinniest of meals, but it's so good and so versatile. This recipe was a huge hit and I can't wait to make it again.

Ingredients:

Zest of 1 lemon

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

¾ Tsp. Sea Salt

4 Medium Cloves of Garlic (Can substitute with garlic powder if you don’t have fresh)

1 28oz can crushed red tomatoes

1 14oz can crushed red tomatoes

1 15oz container ricotta cheese

1 Egg, beaten

¼ Tsp. Sea Salt

16oz Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Italian Seasoning

 1 Tsp. Basil

1 Cup Grated Part Skim Mozzarella

25-30 Jumbo Shells – Preferably whole grain if you can find them

Directions:

Oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish and sprinkle the zest of ½ of the lemon across it. Set the dish aside. Boil a large pot of water and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make the sauce you will need to get a large saucepan and add the following ingredients: olive oil, red pepper flakes, sea salt and garlic. Stir the mixture over medium-high heat and sauté for about one minute. Now, stir in your tomatoes and heat to a simmer for a minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the filling combine the ricotta, egg, salt, spinach, Italian seasoning, basil, mozzarella and remaining lemon zest. Stir well.

Cook the shells according to the package directions until just al dente. DO NOT OVERCOOK because then they will fall apart when stuffing. Let the shells cool.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce across the bottom of your dish. Fill each shell with the prepared filling. Arrange the shells in a single layer and then cover with the remaining sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake until slightly brown on top.


I hope you enjoy this as much as we all did! 

creamy shrimp pasta

This recipe is seriously easy and it is soooooooo delicious!  :) 


Ingredients: 

Olive Oil

1 lb. Pasta of choice (I used whole grain bow-tie pasta)

1Tbsp Sea Salt

4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter (I used HEB’s You’d Think It’s Butter-tastes delicious without using actual butter)

2 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 ½ Tbsp. Minced Garlic (Can be substituted with Garlic Powder)

1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ Tsp. Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. Parsley

¼ Lemon Juice

1/8 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
 

Directions:

Boil a large pot of salted water. Drizzle some olive oil in water and then cook pasta according to directions.

In another large pan melt your butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Pour in your lemon juice. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes until pink. As shrimp is cooking add your salt, pepper, parsley and red pepper flakes.

When shrimp is cooked add your pasta to the large pot and let simmer for 5 minutes to absorb sauce.

That's it! Simple as that. Let me know if you give it a try!

mini turkey loaf

I’m always trying to find new and fun ways to get my kiddos to eat healthy. While perusing PINTEREST a while back I came across mini meatloaf's in a muffin tin and I decided to give it a whirl. I did of course put my own spin on the recipe and I think they turned out great! It has now become a regular at my house. The boys love it.

Why this recipe is awesome:

• It’s healthy
• Kids love it
• Its delicious so you will too!
• Its fast
• Its EASY
• You can freeze them and use them for quick easy lunches

• 1 -1 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 Cup shredded carrots and zucchini (optional, but I promise they likely will not know and you are sneaking in veggies which is awesome if you have picky eaters)
• 1/2 of a medium sized onion, diced
• 1/2 Low sugar ketchup

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray, or line with silicone muffin cups.
2. I shredded my veggies but you could easily use a food processor instead. Add veggies to meat and use your hands to mix well. Add egg, water, ketchup, onion, sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix everything up and then divide your mixture among 12 muffin tins.
3. For the topping just simply brush a bit of ketchup on top of each muffin.
4. Place muffin tin in the oven. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, or until the meat is no longer pink in the center of the muffins, which takes about 35-45 minutes. (If the tops get too dark, cover with foil, and continue baking.)

The facts! 

Turkey:

• Turkey is a good source of protein. Just one serving of turkey provides 65 percent of your recommended daily intake of protein.
• Turkey contains trace minerals that can help prevent cancer.
• Turkey contains selenium which plays an essential role in helping to eliminate cancer-friendly free radicals in the body.
• Turkey is a good source of vitamins B3 and B6. Vitamin B3 helps lower blood cholesterol, it is essential for healthy skin, and helps improve brain function. Vitamin B6 helps in maintaining the tone of muscles, it aids in the production of anti-bodies and red blood cells and it is essential for normal growth. A serving of turkey meat has 36 percent of the daily allowance of B3 and 27 percent of your recommended intake of B6.
• Turkey is naturally low in fat without the skin, it only contain 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh. (source)

Carrots:

• Prevent heart diseases.
• Prevent cancer: Beta-carotene consumption has been linked to reduced risk of several cancers, notably lung cancer.
• Researches found that people who ate the most Beta-carotene had a forty percent lower risk of macular degeneration compared with those who consumed the least. 
• Improves eyesight: Deficiency of vitamin A can cause some difficulty seeing in dim light. Since carrot is rich in vitamin A it is good for improving eyesight. 
• Stroke: A carrot a day reduces stroke risk by 68 percent. 
• Diabetes: Carrot is good for blood sugar regulation because of the presence of carotenoids in carrot. Carotenoids inversely affect insulin resistance and thus lower blood sugar.(source)

Zucchini:

• Zucchini helps to cure asthma as it contains Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant, and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Zucchini helps to prevent diseases, like scurvy, bruising etc, caused by the deficiency of Vitamin C.
• Eating zucchini also helps to support the arrangement of capillaries.
• Regular intake of zucchini effectively lowers high homocysteine levels.
• Zucchini also prevents the risk of having multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Zucchinis have high water content (over 95%), so they make perfect food for people on diet.
• Zucchini contains useful amounts of folate, potassium, and vitamin A, necessary for a human body.
• Zucchini contains Vitamin C and lutein, both of which are good for eyes. (source)

Onion:

• Good Oral Health: Onions are often used to prevent tooth decay and oral infections. Chewing raw onions for 2 to 3 minutes could possibly kill all the germs present in the mouth area.
• Treatment for Heart Ailments
• Glowing Skin (source)

Do you have a favorite go to meatloaf/turkey loaf recipe? Please share! 

Homemade and budget friendly! :)

I have been slowly "going green" one small step at a time. I have been making my own laundry detergent for a little over a year. I also make my own shaving cream and dishwasher soap. I am all for saving the planet but it also has to make sense for my budget.

Today I would like to share with you the recipe that I stumbled upon on this awesome blog. It hasn't done me wrong it. I use it for all of our laundry-even the stinky stained clothes of my rambunctious five year old son.

Here it is!

3 bars Fels Naptha, grated ($1.33 x 3)
1 box Borax  ($5.85  -  76 ounces)
1 box Washing Soda ($4.07  -  55 ounces)
2 cups of baking soda ($0.53 cents)
2 containers of Dollar Tree Oxyclean (I bought mine at Family Dollar store…SUN Brand…$4.00 each)
1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals ($6.97  -  28 ounces) 

Use 2 tablespoons per load. Put it right in the barrel if you have an HE washer.
 (via One Good Thing by Jillee)

 I grate my soap with a cheese grater and then just combine all of the ingredients together. It takes so little time and saves money!

Do you make any homemade cleaners, etc? Share your ideas and recipes with me :)