YUMMY

So I must say I have finally been able to make the pasta dish.  It was so amazing.  I highly recommend trying it.  My kids and husband loved it as well.  I did make some adjustments, so it was not as healthy as the recipes says, but not too much.  Instead of using the reduced fat cheese, I used regular mozzarella and instead of using the light pasta sauce, I used regular pasta sauce.  I did this purely for the economical purpose.  I try to cut the budget in every way possible.  By my calculations the recipe I cooked last night has 284 calories, 6 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein.  This meal also feeds a lot of people.  It is budget friendly, and a healthy choice for any family

                                                                                               photo cred: topinspired.com

TOO BUSY!!!

So last night I had a plan, and a great one at that.  I was going to make that amazing pasta dish.  I had is all planned out, but of course nothing ever goes as planned.  My mother in law decided to bring us tamales, so I was vetoed on my pasta dish and tamales it was.  Not that I am really complaining because they were by far some of the best tamales I have ever had.  I think the worst part of it all is there are no nutrition facts on them, but that may be a good thing.  I am not sure I really want to know how bad for me they are.  If you are ever in the Washington State area and traveling through Pasco, Wa. stop by the Country Mercantile to pick up the best tamales.  We had chicken and beef and they were both melt in your mouth amazing.  Needless to say my plan was to make the pasta dish tonight, everytime I look at the pictures I start to drool, but I am too busy to actually make this dish.  I am thinking this kind of meal would be great to make ahead and freeze in the future.  As soon as I make this I will post up some pictures and a review.  If anyone has tried this or other meals that are healthy, but cheap let me know.

Finding Time in This Busy World

It seems like finding time to cook good healthy meals is a really big challenge. Most healthy meals I find are more time consuming than I want them to be. Everyday of the week I have something going on which makes it hard to plan healthy meals, but I am so determined to make it work. I have a lot of life to live and if I am not careful I won't stick around to see it. I found a great recipe to jumpstart myself back into things. I found Skinny 3-Cheese Penne Pasta on Skinny Mom.

Here is the recipe:

Skinny 3-Cheese Penne

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1¼ cup

 Ingredients

 ¼ tsp salt, divided
13.25 oz dry Whole Grain Penne Pasta
1 tsp  Extra Light Olive Oil
½ small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
23.25 oz jar Prego® Light Smart Traditional Pasta Sauce
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp black pepper
½ cup  Low Fat Cottage Cheese
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1½ cups Reduced Fat Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, divided

Instructions

•  Preheat oven to 350° F. 
• Spray a square 8.5x8.5-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 
• In a large stockpot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add ⅛ tsp salt to boiling water. Add penne pasta and cook until pasta is al dente (softened but still slightly firm), about 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
•  In large skillet over medium high heat, add extra light olive oil, onions and minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until onions have softened and garlic is tender. 
• Turn heat to low and pour in pasta sauce. Add in basil, oregano, black pepper and remaining ⅛ tsp salt. Stir sauce well. Cover and heat for 5-7 minutes, stir occasionally. 
• Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in cooked pasta. 
• Transfer ½ of pasta to baking dish. Evenly spread ½ of the cheese mixture on top. Then add remaining pasta followed by remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top. 
• Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until cheese has melted. 

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (1¼ cup) Calories: 276 Calories from fat: 63 Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 18mg Sodium: 498mg Carbohydrates: 43g Fiber: 7g Sugar 7g Protein: 17g Calcium: 21% Iron: 22%

 WWP+: 7