Happy 6 months Baby Sister!

I remember as a kid during the summer, thinking about Christmas and it seemed so. far. away. Almost elusive. Now, heavens to Betsy, a year is over in the blink of an eye.

Further highlighting this contrast between childhood and adulthood, is that a mere 6 months ago I was in labor for 14 hours with Baby Sister. Where, how, when did that happen??? At just six months, she is already so smart and LOVES her Big Brother, Lovie. I can tell she's going to have a zest for life and a love of food. And I have the honor, no matter how bad the day may be, to get to look at this little, happy face and call her my own ...

And to think ... this outfit was the slimming option  :) 

Happy Half-Birthday, Little Love Girl!!

Stuffed Shells - Sooo good.

I found this recipe in a magazine. Since I'm trying to do a lot more cooking so that eating out is a luxury, I gave it a whirl. It was a hit and we all looked forward to the leftovers.

My food allergies are extensive, so I left the cheese out, and Mr. Nonmom Jeans who has 0 food allergies didn't miss it (or the calories as we are both trying to loose our baby weight). I also used Italian Style Ground Turkey instead of ground beef and threw in some chopped broccoli to the "filling" to give it some color. This one's a keeper, kids. Bon Appetit!

Stuffed Shells

Prep: 50 mins, Bake: 30 mins, Oven temp: 350F

1 box Jumbo Pasta Shells (~35)

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1.5 lbs lean ground beef 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 28oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 15oz. carton whole-milk ricotta cheese

1.5 cups grated or finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1.) Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and a 3 quart oval or rectangle baking dish.

2.) Bring a large pot of water with 1 Tbsp salt to boiling. Add shells and cook just until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes. Drain pasta and spread in a single layer on baking sheet so they don't stick together.

3.) In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. Add beef and 1 clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

4.) For tomato sauce, in same skillet over lower heat combine remaining olive oil, remaining garlic, and undrained tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened somewhat.

5.) Stir 1.5 cups of the mixture into the ground beef, add ricotta and 2/3 cup of the Parmigiano cheese, stir until combined.

6.) Spoon 1.5 cups of tomato sauce into prepared baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with about 1 Tbsp meat and cheese mixture. Arrange shells in prepared baking dish. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over shells then sprinkle remaining 2/3 cups cheese. 

*I like my stuffed shells saucy so in addition to spooning the remaining tomato sauce over the shells, I also spooned about 1/2 a jar of tomato sauce over the shells*

7.) Bake about 30 minutes, until filling is heated through and top is golden brown. 

Makes 8 servings (4 shells = 1 serving size) 537 calories, 26g fat, 94mg cholesterol, 661mg sodium, 42g carbs, 3g fiber, 35g protien