Spinach Stuffed Shells

Who doesn't like stuffed pasta shells! It's been years since I've made them, and in my hunt for low fat, low calorie recipes, I found this recipe. I made the sauce and cooked the shells last night, so that when I got home from work today, all I had to do was mix the spinach/cheese mixture and stuff 'em and then throw them in the oven. They'll be done in about 5 minutes, and they SMELL FANTASTIC!!!

This is adapted from yet another new-to-me site, www.skinnymom.com. It makes 10 servings - TEN SERVINGS!!! I'll be doing some freezing tonight!

First, the sauce:

Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 pound lean ground sirloin
•1 onion, chopped
•1 green pepper, chopped
•1 tbsp minced onion
•2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
•1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
•1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
•1 tbsp Italian seasoning
•2 basil leaves
•2 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon garlic powder

1.In a large skillet, brown lean ground sirloin for 4-5 minutes.
2.Add chopped onion, green pepper, and garlic and continue cooking meat until no longer pink and the onions and peppers start to soften.
3.Next, add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to meat and onions. Add in 1/4 cup water and stir sauce.
4.Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and Splenda to sauce and stir until well mixed.
5.Add in basil leaves and turn heat down to low. Cover and let simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with pasta immediately or

freeze or refrigerate for later.

Nutrition Info Per Serving: Calories: 165.9, Fat: 4.9g, Carbohydrates:19g, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugars: 9g, Protein: 13.3g; WW Points 3



.... and now the shells:

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 box Barilla Jumbo Shells Pasta
•1 10 oz bag frozen spinach
•16 ounces Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
•1 tsp salt
•1 tsp pepper
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1/2 cup Tbsp reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
•1 Tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
•10 Servings Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Add pasta shells to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until almost al dente.
3.Drain pasta shells and spread pasta shells onto a sheet of wax paper to dry.
4.Place spinach in microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes
as directed on package.
5.Drain spinach and make sure to remove all of the moisture from spinach until it is dry.
6.In a medium sized bowl, mix spinach, fat-free ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
7.Using a 9×13 casserole dish, spoon a small amount of Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce to cover the bottom of dish.
8.Next, fill pasta shells with spinach mixture by using a spoon to place mixture inside each pasta shell.
9.Place filled pasta shells face up into casserole dish.
10.Top filled pasta shells with Skinny Spaghetti Meat Sauce and sprinkle reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese on top.
11.Heat pasta shells in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.

Nutrition Info (3 stuffed shells with meat sauce): Calories: 323.4, Fat: 7.2g, Carbohydrates: 48.1g, Protein: 22g, Fiber: 5.1g, Sugars: 11.3g; WW Points 7

Happy birthday to me!

Well, it was really yesterday, but by the time I got home, I was exhausted, so this didn't get written till now!

My daughter cooked dinner for me! She made one of my comfort foods, something we've been making for probably 15 years. Cincinnati Chili!

And... she made my FAVORITE dessert, apple crisp! With homemade vanilla ice cream!!! Yum-Mo!!!

She gave me some awesome gifts, too! A reversible apron that she made, with kitty fabric, because, you know, I'm "Kitty Gramma". Sorry for the funky pics, I had it tied to a chair in order to take the pic. In retrospect, I should have put it on, and taken a pic of me in the mirror:

and a menu board:

"Because you've been cooking a lot lately," she said! Beautiful gifts.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

YUM!

I'd never even heard of such a thing until about a year and a half ago, and I've been dying to try it since. But it's finally now that I've had my chance. Now that I'm on my journey to great health by my 50th birthday, I've gone in search of some recipes that taste great and are healthy, recipes that I won't get bored with. This is definitely one of those recipes!!! It's fantastic!!!

The recipe is from www.skinnytaste.com. Gina's got some wonderful healthy recipes on her site, and better yet, she's listed all of the nutritional information, and she's done all the hard work calculating the Weight Watchers Points! I'm very familiar with the original Points program, and because of the ethnic diversity of her site, I know I'll be visiting her often!!!

Here's the recipe for Stuffed Pepper Soup! I didn't realize till I got ready to make it that I didn't have any brown rice, so I used white.






Stuffed Pepper Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1/2 cup rice • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 261.2 • Fat: 4.8 g • Carb: 37.5 g • Fiber: 4.7 g • Protein: 17.6 g • Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 606.3 g (without salt)


Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb 95% lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt. Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.

Taco Pasta

Updated on 3/15/12 right after lunch!!!

This ended up being great as a leftover. I didn't have cheddar cheese after all (what???!? I'm a cheesehead by heritage, how does that happen?!?!?), and I didn't add the pepper flakes to what I took to work for lunch. I guess the pasta and beef have since absorbed more of the flavor, and it was quite good.

I have, since posting it last night, found a variation of the same recipe that does add shredded sharp cheddar and, instead of the tomatoes with chilies, it calls for salsa. So, next time I make it, that will be my experiment.

Overall, I do like the recipe.


* * * * * * * * * * * *

3-14-12

This one is going to be an experiment for me. I love any Mexican-inspired food, so I was excited to find this recipe, but I was a little disappointed by it.

I made it per the recipe, and since I like things a little on the spicy side, I added red pepper flakes. It's still missing something - I'm thinking it's cheddar cheese. I'll add some to the leftovers that I take for lunch tomorrow, and will post an update tomorrow.


Taco Pasta
from www.fakeginger.com

1 pound ground beef or turkey
8 ounce small dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoon taco seasoning
3 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saute pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

HAMBURGER NOODLE CASSEROLE - I added onion to the ground beef as well, and forgot to add the cheddar cheese - it really didn't need it!! And I left the green onion out.

from tasteofhome.com

5 cups uncooked egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large
nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef until meat is no longer
pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the tomato
sauce, sugar, salt and pepper; heat through. Drain noodles; stir
into beef mixture.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream
until blended. Stir in half of the onions.

Spoon half of the noodle mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish
coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese mixture and remaining
noodle mixture.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with
cheddar cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and
cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Yield: 10
servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 319 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 92 mg cholesterol, 635 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.

Easy Meatballs Stroganoff / Family reunion

So this past weekend was our annual family reunion. I don't go often, in fact in the past 10 years, this is probably only the 3rd or 4th one I've been too. It was really good to see everyone, but sad when you look around, and see that Aunt so and so, or Uncle so and so, isn't there. This past year I lost at least one aunt and one uncle, and even though I don't often go, their absenses were very much noticed.

And then there are all the "new" people. Young adults getting married and bringing their new spouses. I had to ask a few times, who is that? And little kids growing up - oh my. It's been almost 8 years since my great-neice Caitlyn was born. Holy cow. Time flies!!

Food is always abundant at my family reunions. My family has a lot of fantastic cooks! I never seem to know what to take. I love making potato salad, but so does everyone else. I get tired of making the same 7 layer salad for every get together (although it's really good!). So I made this simple meatball stroganoff. When it was time to go, all that was left on the bottom of the crock pot was about 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture.



Easy Meatballs Stroganoff

2 bags purchased frozen regular beef meatballs
2 cans Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk

Add all ingredients to crock pot. Stir to combine. Set crock pot on high and cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Can also be served over egg noodles or rice.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf

2 eggs
2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 t dill weed
about 3/4 cup oatmeal
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup 7-up

Mix. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes.

Beefy Pasta Skillet

from www.campbellskitchen.com
Tried on 11/27/07 Kids devoured it. Little R had second helping.

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
1/4 cup water
1 T Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked corkscrew pasta or elbow pasta

Cook beef and onion in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
Add soup, water, Worchestershire, cheese and pasta and heat through.

Stuffed Green Pepper Cups

from taste of home's Quick Cooking

1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce, divided
1/4 cup water
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
4 medium green peppers

Crumble beef into a 1-1/2 quart microwave-safe bowl; add the onion. Cover and microwave on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes or until meat is browned; drain. Stir in 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, water, 1 T. of Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes. Stir in rice; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove tops and seeds from the peppers; cut in half lengthwise. Stuff with meat mixture; place in an ungreased microwave-safe shallow 3-quart or 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over peppers; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and microwave on high for 10 - 12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Cincinnati Chili

This is one of my comfort foods! Yummo!!

Cincinnati Chili
adapted from Weight Watchers

16 oz very lean ground beef
4 t vegetable oil (1 T. plus 1 t.)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped canned tomatoes, with juice
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 t granulated sugar
6 oz. spaghetti
1 1/2 oz. medium-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 T. minced scallions

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Crumble in the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

Stir in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and reduce heat to medium. Saute until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, black pepper, cinnamon, and salt, and cook unti the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chili is thinckened and the flavors are blended, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, 9 to 11 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain in a colander and transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon the chili over the spaghetti, top with the cheddar cheese and scallions, and serve.

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Nutritional values: 401 calories; 27 g. protein; 12 g fat; 47 g carbohydrate; 52 mg cholesterol; 731 mg sodium