Spaghetti

Last night I was planning on making fish. I have only cooked fish a couple of times since I've been married for a few reasons. One, I'm not sure where to buy it. Two, I'm afraid of overcooking. And three, my family is picky. Well, I had a not so good grocery shopping experience on Monday night and didn't buy any fish. So yesterday I didn't know what to make. When in doubt there's always spaghetti! It was a little more interesting because I had gotten a really yummy loaf of french bread and a jar of basil pesto. I opened a can of diced tomatoes and ate bread with pesto and tomatoes and olive oil. None of my picky children ate that except for Ella who pointed to the tomatoes and begged for "apple!"

Tortellini Soup

This is what we had for lunch yesterday instead of canned tomato soup-

1 pound ground turkey or sirloin
1 (28 oz) can pureed tomatoes
1 (11 1/2 oz ) can french onion soup
1 (9oz) pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1 (9oz) pkg frozen green beans
1 tsp dried basil
3 1/2 cups water
1 medium zucchini sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

In a large pot, brown the meat. Add tomatoes, onion soup, green beans, tortellini, basil, and water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occassionally. Cook uncovered 5 minutes, add zucchini, cook 5 minutes more.

Here's how I changed it- I added a can (11 1/2 oz) of beef broth and a can of water. Also, I didn't cook the tortellini as long as the recipe said (the package said it only needed 5 minutes) because I was afraid it would be mushy and fall apart.

Spaghetti

same pasta
same sauce
added 1 lb of browned italian sausage

cooked spinach on the side

I mixed my spinach in with my pasta. Each of the kids had to eat about a tablespoon of spinach- some mixed, some didn't. I would have loved a little plop of ricotta cheese in mine, but that's out (it seems that dairy makes my eczema worse so I'm trying to cut back).

The best part? Dessert. I'll post the recipe for Cookie Dough Brownies later this week.

Spaghetti

I know some of you were concerned that we didn't eat last night- we did. I had "girls night out" with some friends. The family, however had Kate's favorite meal. She could probably eat a whole package of spaghetti if I let her! And our version is no frills-

boxed whole wheat pasta
canned spaghetti sauce
bagged salad
bread- either the frozen kind you pop in the oven or a nice loaf of french bread (when I'm feeling ambitious I'll mix up some minced garlic with some olive oil and parmesan cheese, spread it on the bread, wrap in foil, and warm it in the oven)

I don't think this really needs any explaining! Most people have their own idea of what spaghetti should be like and this is ours. Once in awhile I'll add some frozen meatballs or some browned italian sausage, but my kids and my husband actually prefer boring chunkless sauce from a jar- yes, even over HOMEMADE sauce. Go figure. I won't complain though because it's cheap and easy.

We are big fans of olive oil around here and I always like to add some to the pasta right after I drain it. I think some people even put the oil right in the cooking water which keeps the pasta from sticking.

Creamy Chicken, Bacon, and Tomato Pasta- Kraft.com

3 cup whole wheat farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) italian style diced tomatoes undrained
4 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed.

Meanwhile, cook chicken in large skillet on medium heat 5 or 6 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Add bacon, tomatoes, Neufchatel cheese, water, and pepper. Mix well. Cook 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.

Drain pasta, place in serving bowl. Add sauce, mix lightly, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

The recipe says it serves 4 so I might double it and have leftovers.

Along with it, we're having asparagus and yummy, crusty bread.