Fruit Inspection

Okay, I am getting back to normal this week after spending every morning last week at Vacation Bible School. It was so fun for the kids…and for me too! I was the official photographer! Whoo-hoo! Then, by the end of the week, I had put the pictures to the VBS music and each child in preschool got to take home a CD for their parents to watch. It certainly was fun learning how to do that!

Saturday consisted of getting my house back in some kind of order before we had our dads over for Father’s Day yesterday. Oh, and did I mention my anniversary was Saturday? Yep. Seven years. It got kinda overlooked. I mean, we knew about it, and said “Happy Anniversary” over the phone a couple times while Jeremy was at work and I was knee deep in laundry. Around 6:30 he asked if I wanted to go out to dinner and I felt like I should be excitedly jumping up and down, but the reality was I was still in my pajama’s and in desperate need of a shower. We had no babysitter planned and the kids still needed baths and bedtime was only an hour away. At first I agreed, but while in the shower I had time to think about how really tired I was and I honestly didn’t want to go out. So we stayed home and he went into town for take-out, which was just fine with me.

So now today is Monday. A new week with a fresh start. And starting out good it is…I already have my menu planned for this week:

Today: It’s a Girls Night Out for me (dinner and pedicures…what could be better?). I’ll be putting some Hawaiian Chicken in the oven before I leave.

Tuesday: Oven Swiss Steak, Potatoes, a green Veggie, and Blueberry Pound Cake for dessert.

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Italian Beef sandwiches, chips, and homemade Strawberry Applesauce.

Friday: Kitchen is closed.

Saturday: I’ll make a big batch of Chinese Chicken Salad to eat over the weekend.

Sunday: (See Saturday).

***For more menu planning ideas, visit Laura’s site***

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Now for a recipe that I promised last week. This was a new one that I purposefully made on the weekend because it is an italian dish. I LOVE italian food. My hubby…not so much! So I made it on a Sunday afternoon, that way he could opt for making himself something else if he just couldn’t choke it down! But as it turned out, he came into the kitchen just as I was taking them out of the oven and his eyes lit up! “Mmmm, what are those?,” he asked. And he enjoyed eating (both servings!) just as much. Yay!

Green and White Lasagna Bundles (from Healthy Homestyle Cooking):

8 lasagna noodles
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 (15 oz) reduced fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained (I used spinach instead of broccoli)
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1 1/2 cups reduced fat spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain, and set aside. In large bowl stir together egg whites, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Set aside.

Lightly spray unheated large skillet with olive oil no stick spray. Add broccoli (spinach) and chives. Cook and stir over med heat for 5 minutes. Add broccoli mixture to cheese mixture. Stir until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350. Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in bottom of 12x7x2 inch baking dish. To assemble, place one noodle on a piece of wax paper. Then place 1/4 cup of broccoli mixture in a mound, 1/4 inch from a short end. Roll the noodle around the mixture. Place the roll, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat making roll ups with remaining mixture.

Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the roll ups in the baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and cover with foil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly.

Makes 8 roll ups: 4 servings.

This comes from a great cookbook that offers suggestions on how to make our favorite meals in a healthier way. For instance, the above recipe, made without substitutions has 634 calories, 31 grams of fat, and 133 mg of cholesterol. But made with reduced fat ingredients, olive oil, and egg whites instead of whole eggs, the nutritional value is changed to 427 calories, 9 grams of fat, and only 39 mg of cholesterol. And believe me, no taste was sacrificed! Try it! :)