Baby Scrapbook Pages

Scrapbooking is one of my hobbies. Costly, yes. Could I do digital, of course. But cutting, taping, and designing brings me back to my younger years. I have always enjoyed creating with my hands.  I will admit, sometimes my creations aren't worth sharing. I have found that my creativeness comes out near the end of the day, bedtime.  That is good and bad. Good because I usually accomplish something and don't feel stuck but bad because I usually hit a peak of tiredness.  My patience and ideas usually stop at a halt at that point. Pictured above are three pages I recently finished for a baby book.

Green Bean and Mushroom Medley with Cheese and Chicken Shells

All I can say is that I love Pinterest!!  Tonight I tried two different recipes and both turned out amazing.  If you're looking for something light and somewhat healthy, these are some good starters.  

 

The Green Bean and Mushroom Medley was a great side dish.  With the summer here and the farmers' market as an option, the ingredients in this dish can be made for very little. 

 

GREEN BEAN AND MUSHROOM MEDLEY

• 1 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 carrots, cut into thick strips
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Place green beans and carrots in 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm. Drain.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and mushrooms until almost tender. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in green beans, carrots, salt, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and white pepper. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Reference: allrecipes.com

 

 

The Cheese and Chicken Shells were advertised as a Weight Watchers Recipe and it didn't disappoint. The recipe calls for ricotta cheese but I prefer cottage cheese for more flavor and used dry seasonings instead of fresh.  If you choose to do the same, remember to reduce the amount of the dried seasonings to avoid a strong flavor of oregano and basil.

 

CHEESE AND CHICKEN SHELLS

• 12 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 1/2 c pasta sauce
• 2 large egg whites, gently beaten
• 1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
• 4 oz. chicken, cooked and diced
• 1 c frozen spinach (chopped) thawed (drain all excess water)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp chopped basil
• 3/4 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook shells in boiling water according to the directions on box.
3. Rinse with cold water and set aside for later use.
4. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 c of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
5. For filling: Stir together egg whites, ricotta, chicken, spinach, garlic powder, basil, and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
6. Fill each shell with mixture and place filled shells in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes.

Reference: lifeinthegreenhouse.com

I hope you enjoy them both as much as we did.

Ziploc Zip' N Steam

I have to share a product I love.  As I try to eat healthy, the idea of boiling vegetables doesn't sound so appealing anymore.  Boiling foods makes them lose their nutrients, get water logged, and frankly takes too much time.  The Zip' N Steam bags have been a great find.  They are a quick way to eat healthy. Simply put your food in the bag, add a bit of water and seasoning and microwave.  On the outside of the bag, detailed instructions are given in regarding to certain food items and the length of time needed to be microwaved. Today I tried fish. From the freezer to the bag, three fillets took 6 minutes.  The flavor was cooked completely through each fillet.  I added season salt, lemon pepper, a TBLS of butter and a splash of water and the taste was very vibrant and the texture was moist but not soggy. You could use this bag to steam fresh or frozen vegetables, seafood, poultry and so much more.  I give this product 5 STARS!

So hear I am, dabbling in the "Blogger" world. Not quite for sure where it is going to take me but it has always intrigued my senses.  So here it begins  . . .