A year?!

Has it really been a year since I updated this? How bizarre to think of how time changes, priorities change...

Test Menu!

Know what I love? Like LOVE? Besides my family of course? I LOVE to cook - literally I can be in the worst mood ever and throw me into a kitchen and there is my happy place -













Yep you will see Mister I Am 2 is "helping" me with my apples and still it was a blast! Now that I snacked and tasted everything though I am not terribly hungry ha!

Either way - want to meal prep? you should head on over and check them out! SO worth it!














I also got to play with my new Tupperware toy and refill all my freezer containers so count today a WIN!

A long while back I am sure I posted some about Once A Month Meals, it really is an amazing web page with wonderful people working behind the scenes. In an effort to "reclaim my happy" I reached out to the team to ask if I could BEG for a new test menu! It paid off! I had one within a few days and today was AMAZING fun!

Potato Soup

Some days you wake up and it's pouring down rain and you decide "Soup, yes soup and home made rolls for dinner" and then you eat until you burst cause it's so delicious!

Of course my roll is torn up and tossed in ;)

6 TBS butter
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-15 potatoes depending on size, chopped
4 cups broth (I used Imagine No Chicken Broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese for garnish

Melt butter in a stock pot, then saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent. Then toss the potatoes to coat, if using a bullion or stock base add it now, then add water (alternately add all your broth now) Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

I then used my Vitamix to blend over half of it and topped with a little spinkle of cheese. Everyone devoured it the 4 (almost 5) year old inhaled it!

I then served it with home made buns..

Lasagna!

Tonight - I made Lasagna tonight that was out of this world so I HAD to share.



Sauce:

*1lb sweet sausage                             *2 TBS White Sugar

*1/2 lb ground beef                            *1 1/2 tsp dried basil

*1/2 minced onion                              *1/2 tsp fennel seeds

*3 garlic cloved minced                       *1 tsp italian seasonings

*1 (28 oz) can crushed tomates           *1 tbs salt

*2 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste            *1/4 tsp black pepper

*1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce

*1/2 cup of water 


Cook meats, onions and garlic and cook until softened or browned. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer at LEAST an hour!

Home made noodles:

*2 cups whole wheat flour
*3 eggs 
*1/4 tsp salt
*water as needed

Have you made noodles? If not check here for this recipe. My one disclaimer is that I always roll my noodles for lasagna PAPER THIN literally the thinnest setting on my pasta roller that I can. Why you ask? Well it is essential to me that a lasagna have a lot of THIN layers, for one the flavor is SO MUCH better. Don't believe me? Make one. Then you can tell me a 6 noodle lasagna of 2 layers is better than my 5 or six =)

Filling:

*1 16 oz container of ricotta
*1 egg

Beat together and make creamy

Others:

*1 cup mozzarella
*1/4-1/2 cup Asiago
*1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan

My layering technique is as follows. 

*a little sauce
*noodles
*sauce 
*mozzarella
*noodles
*ricotta
*sauce
*noodles
*repeat
*parm and asiago for the top!

Bake at 350* covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for 20 more!

Then devour. Warning - you may eat every last bite. I am so glad I made this in my Tupperware Brand Ovenware - cleanup was SO easy! Need to get some of your own? (Yes of course you do, everyone needs this amazing stuff) Shop here! 

Talk about delicious clean eating!
These boats are decadent and so healthy.

Bake your spaghetti squash at 425* for 20 minutes. Then shred the squash meat and place in a bowl.

While your squash is cooking: in a skillet cook onions, garlic, meat and potatoes. When they are soft, use seasonings to taste (I used about 1 tsp of each). Stir in the corn salsa (mine was homemade) and beans and heat through. Mix the filling with the squash meat.
Re stuff the squash drizzle some extra salsa on top and top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350*.