Love in my heart

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.  And how will I do this?  Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again.  I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.  I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.  I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

- Og Mandino

Tuscan Ribollita

Tuscan Ribollita

Recipe found on Shutterbean & slightly adapted

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken or  vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary (if you have, I actually didn't have this & sprinkled in some dried Italian herbs instead)

salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped  (I had a really HUGE bunch of kale so just used about 2 cups tightly packed)

1 cup toasted bread crumbs
grated Parmesan 

Directions:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, carrot, & celery ingredients in the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth & rosemary.  Salt and pepper a little.  Simmer, covered until the beans break apart, about an hour. (I did a pretty hard simmer to help the beans break apart)
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 mins more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve sprinkled with cheese.

*I found the crucial thing about this recipe is the breakdown of some of the beans therefore making this not a soup.  My beans didn't fall apart very easily so I made sure to stir a lot and had to break up some beans & my whole tomatoes on my own.  I had a can of tomatoes larger than the recipe called for so I decreased the broth.  In the end my version had a little more liquid than the pictures on her blog so I added more breadcrumbs.  All in all it thickened up a little & although it didn't look quite like her pics it was still not a soup and was super filling, hearty, and flavorful.

*Lets talk health and flavor a little....I knew this recipe was right up my alley but might bore some others.  I was worried it might be a little bland since I left out the pancetta but I was amazing and excited and how super flavorful it was!!  I think I'd like to give an extra big thanks to my onions for breaking apart as well to make this dish scrumptious!  And talk about nutrition!!!  Vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, phytochemical, and fiber packed!!!  

LOVE THIS!

"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger." 

- Christian D. Larsen

New Favorite Snack

These mixed with these....YUM!!

Calorie Free Lime Rickey's

When I was a kid I was embarrassed to like the flavor 'grape'...I guess it was an uncool flavor to like. Well now I'm grown up and guess what? I love the flavor 'grape' and don't care if you know! haha There's a restaurant where my parents live called Dylan's and I always order a lime rickey when I go, they're delicious

Here's my homemade version with significantly less calories!

In a 2 quart pitcher mix 1 packet sugar free grape drink mix, 1 packet sugar free lemonade drink mix, and 2 quarts of water. Use sugar free drink mix of choice: Crystal Light, Wyler's Light, generic brand, etc. Mix well and refrigerate until cold.

In a 20 ounce glass, mix one 12 ounce can of cold Fresca with 4 ounces of grape/lemonade mix.

*You can use your grape/lemonade mix to make lots of lime rickeys OR use in popsicle molds to make sour grape popsicles!

Spinach, Artichoke, & Mushroom Lasagna

Two things about me

1. I love lasagna. In fact, it was what I picked for my "birthday dinner" almost every year and what I used to always request when I went home from college.

2. My sister and I are "freebie followers" so we often sign up for free stuff, coupons, etc.

So I signed up to get this lasagna cookbook and when Corinne came in town this weekend we tried our version of one of the recipes. It was delicious! Here's our version...

Spinach, Artichoke, & Mushroom Lasagna

adapted from Precious Spinach, Artichoke, & Ricotta Lasagna

1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe below)

1 jar marinara sauce of choice (or homemade red pasta sauce)

8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

15-oz container of low fat ricotta cheese

1.5 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Drizzle olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp minced garlic

6oz bag of baby spinach

1 cup sliced mushrooms (baby portabella or crimini)

1 box of no boil, oven ready lasagna noodles

1 large can of quartered artichoke hearts (in water, unflavored)

2 chicken breasts cooked & shredded (optional)

Béchamel Sauce:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3.5 cups 2% milk

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg (or grated fresh)

-Melt butter on medium heat in large skillet

-Add onion & garlic, cook until soft and translucent

-Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes making sure not to brown

-Whisk in milk slowly and bring mixture to boil. Stir in nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

-Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, whisking often

Lasagna directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix ricotta and egg in small bowl.

3. In a medium skillet saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil until soft and onions are translucent. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread 13x9 inch casserole dish with 1/2 of béchamel sauce. Top with lasagna sheets to cover. Do not overlap lasagna noodles.

5. Layer with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the spinach/mushroom mixture, 1/2 of the artichokes, 1/2 the chicken (if using), the remaining 1/2 of the béchamel sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan

6. Layer with more lasagna noodles. Top with the remaining ricotta mixture, the remaining spinach/mushroom mixture, the remaining artichokes, the remaining chicken (if using), 1/2 the jar of marinara sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1/3 of the parmesan.

7. Finish with the last layer of lasagna noodles. Top with a layer of marinara sauce then the remainder of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

8. Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is browned, ~10 minutes. Remove, allow lasagna to cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*If you prefer you can alternate the sauce béchamel/marinara/béchamel/marina instead of the above

Garlic Bread Bites

I went with my aunt Eileen and my cousin Case to a yummy place in Salt Lake City recently when I was visiting my family. With our small plates came some "crunchy bread"....I know it's just simple crusty bread but I LOVE crusty bread! It was basically torn pieces of bread that were toasted. So I was longing for some and made these! I am now a little (too) addicted!

Take a loaf of french bread or sourdough and tear into smaller pieces. Drizzle with olive oil or spray with spray butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake in 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until outsides are crispy but still soft inside.

Think of all the things you can sprinkle on some crusty bread bites for other variations or dip crusty bread bites into! Yum! :)