Doin' Some Cookin'... Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

This was not a meal that I made for myself. I cannot stand ricotta cheese in lasagna. I don't know what it is about it that I don't like but I always give it a try hoping my taste buds have changed. Nope, still not a ricotta cheese fan.

I had worked a 13+ hour day and took a break to make these Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups for dinner. What an ambitious dinner for a work night and the number of dishes dirtied was a sinful. Ugh! Save this recipe for a special Sunday supper unless you don't mind staying up late doing dishes.

This made a lot of leftovers so I made to-go containers for three of best girlfriends and received rave reviews. One of them stated this meal made me "wifey material". If that's the case I hope my future husband loves lasagna.

The best part of these lasagna roll ups is that they are perfectly portioned lasagnas. I know that the serving size suggests two rolls, however, everyone of my friends said that one was more than plenty. Serve with a garden salad, garlic bread, and viola! Dinner is served.

Feel free to switch up the protein and go for spicy Italian sausage or instead of the spices listed below use basil pesto, add mushrooms, and sauteed onions... the possibilities are endless.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Adapted From: Thriving Home

Makes 8 Servings (2 Roll Ups Per Serving)

Stars of the Show:

• 1 (16 oz) box lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided (separate out one cup)
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 (28 oz) jars marinara sauce
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix together mozzarella cheese (reserving one cup), ricotta, egg, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, spinach, chicken, and one cup Parmesan cheese.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Lay out noodles on a baking sheet and spread two generous sized ice cream scoops per noodle then add one ice cream scoop worth of sauce. 

Roll the noodle up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat for the remaining noodles. 

Top entire casserole with remaining sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Casserole Muffins

I place an importance on making sure Little Man heads off to school every morning with something in his belly even if it's just a nibble of something if he's really not that hungry. Rare when that happens. His go to breakfast is peanut butter toast or cereal (not the sugary kids kind either). I offer to make him other items but he usually will pass and stick with his usual.

I'm always trying to get Little Man to branch out and try new things so I figured I would give these Breakfast Casserole Muffins a try and not give him any other option for breakfast. Well well well... that plan worked because he loved these.

My only complaint is that there was too much bread in our muffins and not enough of the other yummies. Next time around I will clean out the fridge adding any meats and veggies that need to be used up and might make them healthier by omitting the egg yolks and replacing the bread with some cooked potatoes at the bottom of the tin cups.

We had plenty of leftovers for breakfast for the week. Such a time saver on rushed work and school mornings.

Breakfast Casserole Muffins

From: Thriving Home

Makes 12 Muffins

Stars of the Show:

• 3-4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
• 4 slices deli ham, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• dried parsley

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin well.

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way with the bread. 

Sprinkle ham and egg evenly in each tin. 

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, and ground pepper. 

Pour the egg mixture evenly in each tin. 

Sprinkle dried parsley to taste on each top.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle. Enjoy! Preferably with some hot sauce like Cholula. It kicked this up a notch. 

Freezer Meal:

Bake according to the directions above and then cool completely. Place in a single layer in a freezer container or bag. Seal well, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.

To reheat, wrap a muffin in a moist paper towel and microwave for 30 second increments until heated through. Or thaw in the fridge and warm in the microwave. 

Livin' It Up... The Chainsmokers Concert at the Houston Rodeo 2017

One of my best girlfriends, Sandra, asked if I wanted to go in on tickets with her to see The Chainsmokers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park. Um, duh!

I'm not the biggest fan of their music but I won't turn down quality time with my best friend and anywhere I go with Sandra we have the absolute best time.

Two years ago was my first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo experience and oh my gosh!! I had so much fun. My coworker Joe and his wife invited me to tag along to the Reba McIntire concert and it was nonstop laughs with them. "It's fallin' apart like a two dollar suitcase," said the rodeo announcer at one point and Joe and I took this line back to the office referencing it anytime something at work became a clusterfuck. Another night my best girlfriend, Niki, invited Kristen and I to join her in seeing Luke Bryan. Another fun night with my favorite girls.

I met Sandra at her house around 1pm so we could pick up tickets and her and I headed off to the rodeo. We walked around the fairgrounds until the rodeo events started at 3:45pm. Our first priority was getting a jumbo corndog and then I entertained her and walked the vendor booths and livestock show. The funniest moment was her and I testing out the mattresses and jumping onto one of them at the same time and laughing our asses off about it being a vibrating mattress. The salesman asked how we liked it and at the same time we gave the identical response, "It's gooooood." We have dirty minds.

(This cow has my birthday tatted on it's ass. Must be a Gemini. Ha!)

(Both had our boobies on show today. Haha!!)

(Bull Riding... my favorite event!)

(I am not into rodeo country attire and definitely stood out. Sandra saw me and said "wrong bulls bitch. Haha!)

The Chainsmokers took the stage at 5:45pm. The fireworks and opening music was insane. We thought we were in for a killer show but we we wrong and oh so confused when they started covering song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Survivor.

We did not enjoy the concert because we did not have an a very good understanding of who the Chainsmokers were and thought they were an actual group with a female lead singer but they ended up being DJs with a white dude who liked to jump skip around a lot so we both looked at each and at the same time said, "Ready to go?" Haha! She's my Gemini twin.

We still enjoyed the hell out of our time together and talked about picking the worst concert next year again.

Doin' Some Cookin'... Paleo Bruschetta Chicken

I'm all for an easy dinner to whip up on any given night and this has got to be one of the most flavorful chicken entrees I have made in a while.

The entire 30 minutes this Bruschetta Chicken was baking in the oven I couldn't help but crave some crusty garlicky cheesy bread to go with it. My mouth was watering but I stayed the course with my healthy eats and chose to serve this with nothing else. No noodles and no bread. Sniffle.

This will make enough for leftovers and the flavors get even better the next day.

Although not diet compliant I did enjoy this with a glass of Riesling and then took the bottle with me to the bathroom for a bubble bath and to read a book. Classy grown woman shit.

I'll have to detox my body tomorrow and sweat out the alcohol at the gym's sauna in the morning.

Paleo Bruschetta Chicken

Adapted From: Paleo Newbie

Makes 4-6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 cans (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp basil, minced
• 1 jar (8 oz) grilled artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata and green olive mix
• 1 1/2 lb chicken tenders
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, basil, and olives. Stir well to combine.

Place the chicken tenders in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the bruschetta mix over the chicken.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... School Hacks

PhotoMath App:

When it comes to Little Man's education I am incredibly involved. Anything he expresses an interest in I try to encourage furthered study inside the home and we go over homework nightly. He knows if he makes a mistake he better have that eraser handy and this mama will go over it in depth to help him understand. He's incredibly smart and I like to challenge him. He started reading before he could walk, he learned how to multiply and divide before second grade, and has always been enrolled in advanced placement classes.

I'm not going to lie, as smart as I am and how book smart I am as well I struggle on occasion remembering math skill basics since I am allowed to rely on a calculator for any math problem I have. Little Man isn't allowed to do that and must show his work. While browsing Pinterest I came across the graphic below of School Hacks! and number two was just what I needed. I downloaded the PhotoMath app and it has been incredibly helpful with showing step by step instruction on how to solve problems. That doesn't mean he gets to use the app for every math problem but for when both of us don't know what step comes next or even where to start.

Studying:

Prior to going to a Risk Management class in Austin, Texas for my job to learn more about cash flow analysis to further my skill set we were given an RMA Body of Knowledge that was 370+ pages and pre-course materials. I had to familiarize myself with these materials and spent 30-50 minutes studying at a time and then taking 10 minute breaks in between. Supposedly this is the most effective way to study.

Works for me since my mind will drift off while I'm studying. My study space has to be quiet and free of distraction.

Tip number three on the graphic below suggests you're more likely to remember something you write in blue ink than black ink. I am a black ink user so I stocked up on some blue ink pens to use during the class. The school hack noted below also states that writing something out is the equivalent to reading it seven times.

I also packed some peppermint candies since peppermint stimulates the brain and helps with concentration.

I think these school hacks really helped since I was able to stay focused in the class for the two days I was there.

Doin' Some Cookin'... Garlicky Steak and Veggie Bowls

After a long day at work and taking Little Man to his swim class the last thing I want to do is make dinner. The usual go to is grabbing fast food on Tuesday nights but I'm really trying to eat healthier and set a good example for Little Man on how to fuel your body properly. So I decided on making dinner Tuesday night.

With some prior planning these Garlicky Steak and Veggie Bowls make for an easy weeknight dinner. Pull out the slow cooker and get that meat cooking, roast your veggies ahead of time, and take advantage of some microwaveable rice bags for dinner that's on the table in less than 15 minutes.

Garlicky Steak and Veggie Bowls

Adapted From: Kitchn

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb flank steak
• 6 gloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups seven grain mix or any other microwaveable grain such as brown rice
• 2 cups water
• roasted veggies - I made a large sheet pan of roasted veggies that consisted of brussels sprouts, asparagus, butternut squash and cauliflower. 

And Action:

Place the flank steak in the slow cooker and add 1/2 cup of water. Drizzle the meat with 1 tbsp olive oil and generously sprinkle it with salt and pepper and add the garlic. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Heat your grain of choice in the microwave. 

Divide the rice among four bowls and add 4 oz of the flank steak to each bowl and divide the roasted veggies as well. Enjoy!