Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lean and Mean Lasagna

We just had this tonight and I feel the need to immediately share such a yummy recipe with you. 

I've never made lasagna before but my kidlets wanted to have "lasagna with Daddy" so... Mommy got to learn! There are a ton of tasty-looking recipes out there but I couldn't pick one so I put my own together. 

In our household we eat lean proteins, whole grains, little cheese {upon my husband's tummy's request} and as many veggies at dinner as possible. This recipe fits the bill.

Try it out and let me know what you think. Honestly, delicious!

Lean and Mean Lasagna

2 Tbsp olive oil, separated
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 large bunch red chard, chopped {did Spring cleaning of our veggie garden - more on that later}
3 large zucchini, shredded
1 bottle low-sodium marinara sauce {if you're not in a rush, homemade sauce is best!}
2 Tbsp Tbsp fresh thyme {from our herb garden - so fun to use home-grown!}
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp raw sugar {agave nectar could be an option here - we are out}
8-12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sauted {olive oil, salt, pepper} and chopped
8 oz firm tofu
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
1/3  cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bring large pot of water to a boil.
2. Heat olive oil on medium in saute pan. Saute mushrooms until golden.
3. Add chard to mushroom mix and heat until soft.
4. Stir in spaghetti sauce, thyme, parsley, and sugar. Heat through and transfer to a bold. Cover.
5. Cook pasta according to directions. {8-10 minutes}
6. Add olive oil into same saucepan and saute zucchini, pouring off liquid, until softened. Combine with other vegetables and cover.


7. In a food processor, combine tofu, cottage cheese, and egg. Process until smooth.
8. Spray or line bottom of 9x11 inch Pyrex pan with olive oil and a light layer of plain marinara sauce.
9. Start layering the ingredients with pasta, tofu mixture, marinara/veggie mix, and chopped chicken. 


10. Finish with a pasta layer and a light layer of plain marinara. Top with a very light layer of Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until starts to bubble and cheese melts.

 


I have no idea how to cut lasagna so it actually looks nice, but man does this taste good! {Season with salt and pepper, if desired.}

eat up!

molly

Sunday, March 18, 2012

New Flower Vintage-Style Necklaces Available

You spoke. {I love that!} I listened! 

I first made these for a show at Bianchi Winery up in Paso Robles a few weeks ago and some of you caught a glimpse of them on Facebook. {BTW, do you "Like" Cookie+Curly on Facebook?} We'll I've made more and they're now available on my website.


They're going fast...


But I'll be making more...


And I'll have them at the next Stitch Market April 26/27 as well, for all those local to SLO.

Any color, flower, or stone requests? You know I love custom orders!

Oh, and lots of new Sterling silver and gold-filled Circle Necklaces will be up soon, too. Start dropping Mother's Day hints now - You know it takes them a few hints before they really get it.

.molly

Friday, March 16, 2012

Irish Hills

As my belly {amongst other things} grows, I've been hitting the pool two to three times per week rather than my customary trail run. I've greatly missed the outdoors though - as has my sweet pup who continues to gain pounds with me - so we ventured out on a new trail today.

Ever been to Irish Hills in San Luis Obispo? Gor-geous.


The trail map made me super excited to get out running again {patience, patience}, but I also took so much pleasure in enjoying all the little discoveries with my kids and sister-in-law today. So neat.

Sister-in-law gazing over her new neighborhood - Welcome to SLO!
{This must have been the one and only 20-seconds the leash dropped as dogs are supposed to be on-leash.}

Lots of apparently new trails shooting off in all directions - mountain bike-friendly, lots of shade {depending on the path you choose}, and amazing views all around.

get outside. molly

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries

In a previous post about a year ago {Have I been blogging that long?! Well, it's long for me.} I talked about "Making Friends for Your Veggies", sharing some fun ways we enjoy veggies, including Sweet P. Cookies.

Well, this week we added a simple twist to one of our oldies but goodies... Meet "Parmesan Sweet P. Cookies":


We just added grated Parmesan cheese into our usual sweet potato/olive oil/salt/pepper mix before roasting them. Adding just the right amount of yumminess to them. I love them "plain", but this was a really good addition too.

How do you prepare yams? {Remember, all yams are sweet potatoes but not all sweet potatoes are yams.} :)

happy eats. molly

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Avo Makes it All Better

A few months back I discovered "Joy the Baker", and my world changed. Not only are her recipes amazing and usually quite good for you, but her blog writing is witty and entertaining, always prompting a smile on my face.

Deep into food cravings, I ran across this blog post on The Simple Lunch. She took a baguette, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, avocado, and fresh ground pepper, and turned it into what is now my favorite lunch {or snack}!


Of course, the Registered Dietitian in me kicks in and I need to balance it out a little bit, so I usually pair it with some fruit and some more protein {in addition to the ever-so-amazing-when-pregnant horseradish cheddar}. 

Today, my sweet son asked for "Mimi zucchini" {thank goodness his Mimi's - my mom's - nickname rhymes with something healthy and she cooks it so well!} so we had that on the side as well.


It went so well with today's chilly air. You gotta try it!

Happy eats.

I'm hungry.

.molly

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Blue Corduroy

Life. It makes you busy. 

Family. They are my priority. They've won my attention over the last month - I apologize for disappearing.

I've had some fun goings-ons, but I'll save that to share later. In the meantime, check out my friend Emily's sweet shop "Blue Corduroy" on Etsy. ADORABLE stuff. 

Here's my Sunshine in one of Emily's dresses. It's a favorite and washed twice weekly to keep up with wardrobe demand.





Who says you can't be cute while gardening?!

Emily also makes comfy hats, pillows, jackets, scarves, and more she doesn't have listed on her site {like dresses - email her to get more info on them}. 

It's so fun to see all the talented people on Etsy - Always neat to start with friends.

.molly