Welcome to My Kitchen

This is the place that I love to be. I like to be creative and cooking is what is doing it for me these days. It's kind of a necessity and it makes me feel accomplished. I like knowing what we are eating and where it comes from. I go out of my way to make sure this happens.
I like that I don't buy several household staples from a grocery store. I enjoy making applesauce, jams and jellies, apple butter, spaghetti sauce, spicy mustard, pickles and anything else I can.
I like getting dirty, getting my hands into things, feeling and experiencing my food from the beginning to the end. I like making things, growing things and bringing those two together to create a healthy meal. I like nourishing others and knowing that I did my best to give them the best.











Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tonight's Meal is brought to you by Yoga and Dinner with a Friend

I won't be cooking tonight since it is Yoga night and I am going out to dinner afterwards with my friend Jennifer.  So....  Chris and the kids will have leftovers.

I still want to leave you with a recipe for today but I won't have pictures until the next time I actually make it and take a picture.

Stuffed Pasta Shells Florentine

1 10 oz. pkg. chopped spinach, thawed and drained  0 WW points
1 c. (4oz.) part skim shredded mozzarella cheese  6 WW points
1 c. part skim ricotta or your choice of cottage cheese, details follow;
(part skim ricotta 9  WW points
fat free cottage cheese  3 WW points
1% fat cottage cheese 4 WW points
2% fat cottage cheese 5 WW points
reg. fat cottage cheese 6 WW points)
1 egg white 0 WW points
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 TBSP. grated parmesan .5 WW points, you could double this to 2 TBSP. for 1 WW point if you want
16 oz. jumbo shells, cooked and drained.  It is 5 WW points for every 2oz.  I usually count the total shells in the box and divide by 8.  That will give you how many shells per 2 oz.  (I REALLY think measuring pasta by ounces is a hard way for people to figure out diets, should be by shell).
1 15 1/2 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce.  I usually use my homemade sauce but if not, I go for a marinara.  It is 2 WW points per 1/2 cup.  Just find the total cups, should be about 4 cups per jar.  And that makes it 8 WW points per jar.
So, total WW points for this recipe is 57.5-63.5, depending on what cheese you use, cottage or ricotta.  That makes it 7.2(just say 7)-7.9 (or 8) WW points per 2 oz. serving.  Don't quote me but I think 5 shells was a serving.
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Stir spinach, mozzarella cheese, cottage (or ricotta) cheese, egg white, parmesan cheese and nutmeg until well blended.
Fill each pasta shell with heaping TSBP. of spinach mixture.
Place shells in large baking dish, I think I use a 12x8
Spoon sauce over shells
Cover with foil
Bake 30-40 minutes.
YUM!!  This makes a lot and will freeze easy or make good lunch leftovers.  I apologize for not having all the nutritonals down pat on this but I am out of shells.  I know that under the old WW's scale it was 1 WW point per filled shell which was a very healthy serving.
I would serve this with a salad and Arnold's sandwich thins made into garlic bread using I can't believe it's not butter spray and garlic salt in the toaster oven.  I think it is 1 WW point for both halves of the thin.  (Also, I saw that Kroger carries their brand of these thins but I didn't check out price or nutritionals.  I usually buy my Arnold's thins at Sam's Club and freeze them).
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1 comment:

  1. GeorgiaFebruary 24, 2011 at 4:17 PM

    Most of the sandwich thins are 3 points under the points plus program. It's actually less points now to use a high fiber bread for sandwiches but in the case of homemade garlic bread, a sandwich thin may taste better.

    This recipe looks great and seems like a big portion for 8 points. Will have to try it, we will use cottage cheese since half our little family doesn't like ricotta.

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