Lasagna

1) Cook 1 lb of ground beef in red sauce.  (I don't know how much sauce it was...enough to cover the meat while it was cooking...

2) Cook 9 lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box

3) Mix together 1 egg, 2 c shredded cheese, 1/4 c alfredo sauce, and 1 1/2 c mashed potatos.  (I just guessed the measurements for the cheese and the mashed potatos...I don't really know how much I used)

4) Grease a casserole dish and then
     1) cover the bottom with  a thin layer of the meat sauce
     2) lay down 3 lasagna noodles
     3) cover with meat sauce
     4) spread some cheese/ mash potato mixture on top of the sauce
     5) put 4 slices of provolone cheese on top
     6) lay down 3 more noodles
     7)  repeat steps 3-6
     8) cover with sauce
     9) sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, place one slice of provolone in the center
    10) bake at 375 for 30 minutes with foil on top, and then 10 without the foil. 
          * if your casserole dish is shallow like mine, you might want to put a pan under it to catch the sauce that boils out...

My first attempt at meat lasagna.  It was pretty good.  But my veggie lasagna is better.  I haven't made it in awhile, I guess I'll have to make it sometime soon so I can post it here.

One Tasty Salad

I'm not a huge salad fan...but every now and then I manage to make one that tastes pretty darn yummy.

Lettuce blend: Spring Mix/Spinach

Zucchini

Carrot

Strawberry

Avocado

Ranch

Rosemary Garlic Bagels

Absolute yumminess.  Best sandwich bagels ever!

And Cinnamon Bagels.  They're good too. With peanut butter.

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 1/4 c warm milk

1/4 c butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

1 c whole wheat flour

2 3/4 c white flour

divide dough in half

add 2 tbsp crushed rosemary and 1 tsp garlic powder to one half

add 1 tbsp cinnamon to the other half

knead 6-8 minutes

rise 1 hr

shape

rise 10 min

drop into boiling water, remove when they rise to the surface

bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes

makes 16 mini-bagels

Stir-Fry the first: Peanut Butter Beef

I had some thin-sliced skillet steak to cook for dinner, and normally I turn it into "beef tenders," but I decided I needed something new to try.  I knew that kind of beef is good for stir-frying...and I've never tried stir-frying before, so I decided it was time to try.

Sauce
5 tsp corn starch
1 can beef broth
4 tbsp (approx...) crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp brown sugar

Stir-Fry stuff
2 carrots, sliced
2 sticks celery, bite-size chunks
3 radishes, sliced
1/4 c onion, bite-sized chunks
1 c green beans

.75 lb thin-sliced beef, bite sized strips
1 tsp minced garlic
rosemary

I cooked all the veggies in some olive oil, stirring frequently, while cooking the sliced beef with some rosemary in another pan.  Once the veggies were about done, I added the sauce, then added the beef once it was cooked.  Stirred all the stuff together and let it boil for awhile to thicken.

delicious.  because deliciousness is a requirement in my kitchen.

I suppose I should add the link for the recipe I based mine off of...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-beef-stir-fry/detail.aspx

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

3c grated carrots

2 eggs

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 heaping tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 c crushed pinapple

1/2 c brown sugar

3/4 c white sugar

1 1/2 c flour

bake at 350 for 45 minutes

I would have put walnuts in the cake, but I didn't have any.  I contemplated using sunflower seeds as a substitute, but C vetoed that idea...and he grated all the carrots for me so...there's always next time for experimentation.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 c butter, softened

3/4 c confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

cream together the cream cheese and butter, add the vanilla, gradually stir in the sugar

 I sprinkled almonds on top of the frosting.

deliciousness.

Pasta Salad Lunch

Yesterday's lunch.

Pasta salad made with:
-Large elbow macaroni
-celery
-zucchini
-carrot
-basil pesto
-sun-dried tomato pesto
-olive oil
-rosemary
-garlic powder





Sandwich made with:
-lightly toasted wheat bread
-cream cheese
-smoked salmon
-avocado

Post-run Lunch

I know I've been slacking on the blog posts...doesn't mean I haven't been eating!  I've just been far too busy. Here's a delicious lunch I had after a long run sometime in the last 2 weeks.

Full of protein, potassium, and other good-ness. And carbs.  Can't forget the carbs!

boiled egg, hamburger, pasta salad (pasta, peas, salmon, spinach, pesto), avocado