What's cookin'? - "Italian" lunch!

It's lunchtime.

If you're in the mood for something not too heavy, but tasty, try these two options:

Pastina

Stracciatella Soup

Both our choices that remind me of my Italian upbringing!

Pastina is kind-of like a comfort food to me now. When I was little it was my one of mom's go-to foods when I was sick.

It's quick and simple, and it makes you feel all warm inside... AKA "comfort food".

First, you go to the store and buy a box of Pastina so you always have it on hand! This is what it looks like:

They are usually just tiny pasta stars!

There are plenty of brands to choose from also! Whatever your store carries, whatever's cheapest, it's all the same!  Barilla, Ronzoni, Prince... I do usually have this on hand because it's good to add to soups, especially Italian wedding soup or like my first recipe today - or to just eat alone, by itself.

Pastina

You will need:

1/4c Pastina

1c water or chicken broth*

1 egg, lightly beaten

1t butter

1T grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

• Bring water or broth to boil in a small pot.

• Add Pastina and salt; cook until most of the water is absorbed (3-4 minutes)

• turn off heat and stir in egg - it will cook in the hot pasta

• add butter, cheese, and pepper

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You could add Passtina to the following soup as well; I didn't.  It's like an Italian version of "egg drop soup"...

Stracciatella Soup

INGREDIENTS

4c chicken broth*

4 eggs

1/3c grated Parmesan

1T chopped fresh parsley

2c fresh spinach

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

• bring broth to a simmer in soup pot

• whisk together eggs, cheese, parsley, and about 1/2t salt.

• slowly pour the egg mixture into broth while stirring

• continue to stir until the eggs are "set" (about one minute)

• add spinach and stir to wilt

Yum! 

Stave off that cold! 

Perfect for a rainy day!

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**Making your own broth:

I have been making my own chicken broth lately. It seems that it is something that I am always buying at the store.

Making your own not only means that you can control the ingredients, but it is better tasting than the store-bought.

The soup was killer because of the broth!

If you haven't tried making your own yet I highly recommend it! It's easy and way cheaper in the long run!

** I usually make broth the day after I have used a whole chicken, or a rotisserie chicken in some other recipe. Buying the rotisserie chicken seems to be my trend these days! They're inexpensive and save a lot of cooking time!

Just take the chicken carcass (if you have some meat on it - great, but it's not necessary) Throw it in a soup pot and cover it with water.

Add salt pepper and any or all of the following: carrot, celery, onion, parsley.

They don't even have to be nice - Just clean! And, by nice I mean you can use the parts of the veggies that you have cut off to throw away from other recipes! Just save the ends of carrots or celery - or even onion skins - in a Ziploc bag as you are preparing other meals during the week. They just help to flavor the broth and you will be skimming them all off and throwing them away anyway!

Which leads me to my next step:

Cook on low heat at least two hours.

Skim all veggies out and throw away along with the chicken carcass that has been plucked of any remaining bits.

Now you have chicken broth free of MSD or an overload of salt!

I like to freeze mine in leftover containers from cottage cheese (or anything). I even pour some into ice cube trays, freeze them and then pop them out to freeze in Ziploc bags - easy to add a little bit of broth that way to recipes.

If you are not eating meat and want to make vegetable broth just don't include the chicken carcass and throw in any vegetables that you would like. Just follow the same steps.

Enjoy your lunch!

What's cookin'? - Tomato Tortellini Soup

Oh.... My... Goodness....

This one is a winner!

It was Ash Wednesday so I knew we had to have a meatless meal. I was in the mood for soup (again), but I wanted something.... different - something... new.

I searched my Pinterest board "Soups On!" and came up with tortellini soup. My mother-in-law had given me a recipe for tortellini soup that she just loves. I found that, and compared the two.

One had a cream base, one did not. One used spinach, the other did not. Hmmm... I had some leftover baby spinach in the refrigerator from a meal I cooked the other night.... The creamy soup used sun-dried tomatoes - my husband would love that...

What's a girl to do?

Combine both recipes and come up with your own, that's what!

I'll share the recipe and how I made it. I really think that this soup would also be wonderful with little sausage "meatballs" added. Many of the recipes for tortellini soup that I found called for sausage, so I think that would make for a logical and delicious addition, but you can be the judge of that.

Oh! Before I give you the recipe - did you notice that grilled cheese sandwich perched on the edge of the bowl? That's what I served it with - a grilled cheese sandwich made with Italian bread. I knew that just having soup wouldn't fill my guys up. Dunking it in the soup or breaking it apart to form croutons - either way it's the perfect combination!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

• One package of refrigerated (or frozen) cheese tortellini 9-13 oz.

• Two cans condensed tomato soup

• 2c Chicken broth

• 2c Milk

• 2c Half and half

• 1/2c Chopped sun-dried tomatoes,  packed in olive oil (The kind I used already had Italian spices added)

• 1t Onion powder

• 1t Garlic powder

• 1t Dried basil leaves

• 1/2t Salt

• 1/2c Parmesan cheese

• (Optional) 5 ounces fresh spinach

Directions:
Cook tortellini according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. 

Add spinach, cook a few minutes until wilted. 

Drain tortellini and carefully add to soup. 

Stir in cheese. 

Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.

Makes about 8 servings.

Healthier Eating....

That is the theme for this new year! As most of you know, I suffered a stroke last November and am still recovering. My stroke was not an occlusion, however, but rather a hemorrhage in the brain stem. Therefore, during my hospitalization and all through recovery I did not have any dietary restrictions. I could eat the way I always did!

That was a problem!

I have always had a hearty appetite and a real sweet tooth. I enjoyed the many chocolates that were given to me during my hospitalization! But, combine that with not being able to lead an active lifestyle, and you get an extra 20 lbs!

That is not a good thing any time, let alone when you are already a good 25 lbs. what you should be. :(

With such a scare last year - and it's not over yet - do I really want to have other health problems on top of what I'm experiencing now, all due to being overweight? It's time I did something about it. I know many of you out there are saying a big hurrah! My husband is too. It's like a switch went off inside me saying "I'm ready to do this".

I am not following any diet plan. I'm not doing Weight Watchers as I've done in the past. I'm just making healthy changes to my diet that I can live with: drinking more water, movement! and eating better - cutting out a LOT of sugar and eating more fruits and vegetables. Eating processed foods was not really an issue for me, as I tend to avoid them already. I love to cook things with fresh ingredients - anything from a can or box is few and far between.

I saw an infomercial one day right before Christmas for the Nutribullet and I impulsively bought it! I hardly ever watch TV, and here I am sucked into the "it works on the cellular level" spiel. Needless to say, I was so frustrated when I saw it at Walmart a week later for $20 cheaper than what I paid! I couldn't return it since I'd already used it by then several times. AAARGH!

I can't say enough good things about this little machine! I have a blender, food processor and a juicer. So far, this is the best! It is stronger than the blender, pulverizing nuts,seeds and harder veggies like celery in just seconds. It uses every part of the fruit compared to our juicer, which spits out all the pulp, seeds and skins. This is so easy to clean, too! Cleaning the juicer is a pain in the you-know-what!

This is beginning to sound like a paid advertisement - but it is not. The bottom line is this: I'm eating more fruits and vegetables than I was before. I can usually drink a "blast (as they are called) for breakfast and lunch, with no cravings in between for extra caffeine (an afternoon coffee, some chocolate). If I have a little rumbling, I try to make better choice -raw veggies with hummus, a sweet potato, etc. Then I just cook normal dinner like I always do, BUT I DON'T HAVE SECONDS because I am still satisfied from my drinks and healthy snacks.

And just like that I've lost 7 lbs. That's not a lot of weight, but heck, if the changes I'm making have that as and end result in addition to being healthier than WOO HOO!

I have to say, one of my biggest obstacles so far during my recovery was joint pain in my left hip and knee. It was hurting so badly that it impeded my ability to take longer strides while walking. I even had a cortisone shot in my hip in the fall and was considering one for my knee real soon. I still have the joint pain in my hip, but the pain in my knee is GONE! I attribute this to the fact that I have been eating the right foods, especially the ones that help to eliminate inflammation. In fact, every day I have been having one "blast" specifically designed to help stave off the factors that trigger inflammation.

Can you tell I'm hooked? Those of you that follow me on Pinterest know that I've been pinning "blast" recipes like crazy. I look for interesting combos so I can incorporate many different foods, or the ones that I have on hand.

Now, I am by no means a health guru - I am not telling you to do what I do. I just thought I'd share because the Nutribullet and Vitamix are becoming more popular these days and many of you might be considering buying one. We are also becoming more educated and aware of how much we effected by what we eat. I'm telling you because, those of you who know me know that I am reluctant to change - in anything! But I love this so much, and I hope you do too. Try one with your blender or food processor - whatever -just make sure it can handle grinding the harder things!

Here are a few of my favorite recipes so far:

Dream Cream (from the Nutribullet book; specifically targets inflammation)
2 handfuls of spinach (we also use Power Greens bought at Costco; a blend of spinach, kale and      collards)
1/2 banana
1/2 avocado (a "good" fat!)
10 walnuts
filtered water up to the max line (about 1 cup - add more if it's too thick)





















Sleepy Pie (from the Nutribullet book; to help you get a good night's sleep)
1/4 c cooked oats
2 dates
12 cashews (raw; not salted)
1 tsp cinnamon
almond milk (unsweetened) to the max line (about 1 cup - add more if it's too thick)


"I need more veggies today!" (from the Nutribullet website; pinned to my Pinterest board

 1 tomato

2 stalks celery (cut in chunks)
1/2 cucumber
1/4 c parsley
filtered water to the max line (about 1 cup - add more if it's too thick)
**A dash of hot sauce and/or salt and pepper is especially yummy on this one!

My first recipe on my blog involved a LOT of cheese!  I try to balance out what I eat throughout the week; focusing on good daily nutrition. I will continue to post yummy concoctions as I experiment.

There. I said it publicly. I'm making healthy changes to my diet.

This accountability thing is a bitch.

What's Cookin'? - Rosemary Chicken Lasagna

Did you ever bite off more than you can chew?

I haven't! LOL

 But I have taken on more than I can handle!
This recipe was one of them!

Don't get me wrong - it's so delicious and well-worth the effort. It was just a real challenge for me at this stage of my stroke recovery (slow, shaky hands) and I had to call in the big guns. That's right. I had to ask for the assistance of my wonderful husband. And help me he did! I never would have been able to pull this one off and serve dinner at a respectable hour if it hadn't been for his help. I got stuck when the recipe called for the bechamel sauce to be whisked - I can't do that motion well yet! AAARGH! But there he was, whisking away.... what a guy!

This dish was so yummy that we decided it was a "keeper"! I would serve it again for company or a special occasion. Or maybe just for us but make it ahead.

YOU can make this! My only suggestion is prepare all of your ingredients ahead. Having everything chopped  and set out would make life so much easier!

I found this recipe from a link on Pinterest called "The 20 Recipes That Won Pinterest This Year". I decided right away that I wanted to make this - it had everything that I loved in it: spinach, mushrooms. lots of garlic, rosemary, and lots of cheese!. It also used egg roll wrappers instead of the traditional lasagna noodles - which I had never tried before. The end result? We loved them! They were easier to use, since you didn't have to cook them beforehand, and they tasted the same as the noodles except that they were lighter-tasting. Perfect for this dish!

Here's the link to the recipe:http://www.feastingathome.com/2013/01/rosemary-chicken-lasagna.html

Trust me. You'll love this!