Recipe Review! Best Lasagna makeover

And totally healthy at that!

For ANY of you who really know me, you know I am a total pain in the butt when it comes to cuisine.  May even make you wonder how my family can survive healthy!

Well I am aware of my taste buds and I am trying to change that.  Since moving to Utah we have been so much healthier and I am learning how to prepare foods some foods super healthy.

For example this that I am about to share with you, with out my additions is only about 250 in calories and is SUPER healthy!!  With my changes, it only adds about 100=150 calories!!  And it is fulfilling.

The best part, my WHOLE family, from daddy who eats it all, to the K-bean who is still regulating herself, to the all mighty picky Lissy{no clue where she gets that from!?}, love it!!  Everyone had seconds!


I originally found the post on Pinterest.  The original is here, and she has very pretty pictures and step by step instructions if you want to check them out!  I am forever indebted to her for a recipe that provides health and taste!!!


The main ingredient, instead of noodles, is spaghetti squash!
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So here goes:

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

3 cups spaghetti squash (2 medium ones)*
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup skim ricotta
2/3 cup browned hamburger
8 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp pizza spice (or Italian seasoning)
1 clove minced garlic
3/4 cup finely shredded part skim mozzarella

Preheat your oven to 375

Take an 8x8 pan and spread a little less than half the sauce on the bottom.
Then add 3/4 of your squash.
Add half the hamburger.
Layer with all the ricotta.
Add half the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Add remaining 1/4 of squash.
Add remaining hamburger.
Add other half sauce, other half mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with tinfoil and stick in oven for 15-20 minutes.

A serving is ONE FOURTH of the dish!!  I was so excited about this because it really is a fulfilling portion!!  I started with about 3/4 a serving and that was enough for me.
Calories: 291 with out hamburger
Calories 428 with the hamburger

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If you don't know how to cook spaghetti squash it is pretty darn easy, puncture it a lot maybe even a cut or two to let the air out, and microwave 8-12 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes after, then open, cut out the seeds and scrape out with a fork.  That's it!

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Now this is the "good stuff"...


Some of the health benefits of squash are amazing too!!  As a matter of a fact I just shared it with my 82 yr old father who deals with many of these.


One cup of cooked spaghetti squash:  40 calories, 2 grams dietary fiber, 10 grams carbohydrates,only  4 grams sugar, 1 gram protein, very low-fat content and no cholesterol. In addition..

This is the amazing part!  spaghetti squash contains

 ~omega-3 essential fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. While the former is good for preventing heart disease, cancer and inflammation caused by arthritis, the latter promotes brain function.

~ It contains various vitamins and minerals, which are required for proper functioning of the body.

~Recent studies suggest that this squash is good for prostate health and it can also be used for treating benign prostate enlargement.

~It is very rich in beta carotene, which can prevent atherosclerosis and is also beneficial for people with insulin resistance.

~While potassium helps to lower blood pressure, foliate is good for preventing damage to blood vessel walls. Foliate is also beneficial for pregnant women as it can prevent some types of birth defects in the baby.

~Spaghetti squash is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C that are antioxidants, which can prevent cell damage. The B vitamins in spaghetti promote proper cellular function.


Please please, pretty please let me know if you intend on making this, and if you do, come back and let me know how it turned out!!!  

How to have princess tea (strawberry watermelon slush recipe)

Ok so I suppose if I run a blog called Princess Pieces one might think or expect stuff on living a girly life, ie. being a princess.

Running a household with a bunch of lil royalties I have had my fair share of princess parties, and and I'm not talking about a Cinderella birthday party. Really truth be told, I enjoy it, sometimes more than the kids I think. Preparing a royal feast for them I get all the OHHs and AHHHs that one would expect to get from the culinary experts critiquing the finest cuisine.

The happy lil faces say it all.

So with out further adieu;

How to serve a royal tea party.

A little neighbor girl was leaving, moving far away. Alia and Lissy Cakes decided that they wanted to throw her a tea party to remember on the day of her excursion. So we went forward with it and did it in style.

To have a royal party you must have:

Slushy (recipe below) with umbrellas, (awe come on, they are just plain fun...) fruit of your choosing, animal cookies, iced of course, "tea" aka lemonade, and of course no party would be complete with out a decorate your own cupcake bar!




To achieve the china look, your new best friend is rummage sales and DI (or for my WI friends Goodwill).

Look for "tiny" glasses and plates is easier than you might think:

Know all that homeless dishware you see? These can consist of saucers that don't have a mate, fancy shot glasses, and little decorative glasses and votives that seem like they have no purpose in life. Their purpose was just waiting for you to purchase them to complete a royal tea set. A good storage is an old camera bag or purse, and wrapped in your hubbys old t-shirt that you have been waiting to get rid of!

Oh sorry honey, i misplaced it, don't worry I know it's here somewhere...

If you have been successful you will walk away with a huge mess to clean, but a smile in your heart and on your little girls face! (and a whole lotta empty dishes!)



So go ahead, have yourself and your lil princess a tea party! Make sure if you do, to share with me (in comments) what you did for your royal subject and how it turned out!

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Watermelon Strawberry Slushy

1C chopped watermelon
1c strawberries
2 tbsp sugar (or substitute)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 c ice chunks

Blend all together in your blender and ta-da you now have a beautiful yummy watermelon slush!

Healthy? Did we all just eat healthy?!

Ok so for most of you this is no big deal. Like Sara, my friend, she cooks some stuff I have never even heard of! And her children eat it, they don't only eat it they love it! So, how do you get there, when you are here!?

I really don't have that particular answer for you, however, I DID manage to find something new and healthy for us to eat. I mean me to eat! My hubby eats most anything, the kids try more than I am willing to try, and then there is me, corn and green beans. That is IT. Yep that's great right?!

So we are in need for a change because I am on this kick to feed my family healthy and give them all healthy tummies for the future. And that starts in great part with the way you eat. So here goes to trying!

I made yellow squash tonight. And guess what? It was good! Ok not great, I did still have to force it down, but that was because I am weird and not really because of the flavor! I just look at something new and think YUCK and can't seem to erase that.

So here is what I did, and even the kids liked it! Ate it all!

One yellow (summer) squash
1/8 tbsp minced onions
1/4 tsp minced garlic
dash parsley
dash marjoram
1/8 c milk
can of chix broth
garlic salt

cut the squash into circles, pretty thin and boil in the chicken broth till tender (5-10 minutes)

drain the broth off, put butter in pan and add squash back in. Pour milk over that and mix, top with rest of seasonings. simmer med-low for 15-20 min. stir once in a while.

that's it. YUM! They were so good! And Yes I came up with this recipe all on my own! Look at me go!

This, that, and other tidbits...(ham glaze too)

Well I guess I am trying to write every day, and if not every day, much more. I mean if I want to be an author I should probably step it up a bit hu?

So for days like last night when I dont have much to write about I will write about tidbits. Hopefully you might find something interesting about it? Make sure and let me know what you think....feedback will be the best help and mood lifter I can get! :)

I also thought, since one of my books is about being a stay at home mom, and I am all about not cooking, yes you read that right!, I would share easy simple fast tried and true recipes of mine. The ones that get a 10 from hubby. Uh hu, I make him rate my meals, and he is glad to!!

So the one hilarious moment out of my day yesterday was when driving Alia to school. She informed me that, "sam was my boyfriend, but not anymore"

Ohhhh, I wondered. I asked her why she thought this, and her response, well I tried not to laugh while she was telling me, but it was soooo sweet. Now just to tell the boys mom :)

"Because mom, he just started being a real gentleman, and then we just kinda liked eachother"

HAHAHA, so sweet, but ALREADY? What on earth am in in for with three daughters?!

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The rest of my day yesterday was KK keeping me on my toes! She not only is starting to walk, ON HER TERMS, but she is trouble with a capital T!!


She decided whatever I wanted to clean, that it in fact needed to be examined and torn apart. So thus my day was one where nothing happened! I guess a lot happened actually, you just couldn't tell it by looking around my home.


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Lastly I figured I would share a real simple recipe with you. Ham dinner. I love it, but hubby isn't the biggest fan...that is unless I use this glaze. It is AMAZING and so simple. I make extra and freeze it for quick meals. I put it over hamsteaks and then pop in the oven and dinner is done in 20!!

1 cup Pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp (I use less) mustard
1/2 cup honey

Put it all in a pan and bring to a boil (make sure to watch it you do not want this stuff boiling over. Trust me, I have not learned my lesson yet! It makes a baked on black ROCK type mess on your stove!) and then just simmer for a few minutes. Pour over ham and wor-laa (is that really a word?) you are done!


Ok so I hope this was of some interest to you...if not, oh well, I guess I can try again tomorrow, right? ;)

EASY, Freezie, Puppy Chow

OK so I have had a lot of people who were surprised that you can freeze puppy chow...
I had made it for my daughters birthday and froze an extra bag for needs when the kids need a snack and I had no warning.. It has worked great!My family has even grown to love it straight out of the freezer! So here is the recipe I used and it lasts, thaws, turns out WONDERFUL. YUM! Make a bag for yourself for the freezer while you are at it :) 


You will need:

• 9 cups Chocolate Chex
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (creamy) peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Now to make the stuff

• Put cereal in large bowl.
• Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour over Chex cereal, scoop into a large plastic ziplock freezer bag, sprinkle with powdered sugar and shake well to coat. (I personally put half the mix in, half the powdered sugar, then rest of the mix and rest of the sugar and shake, THEN I actually transfer to another plastic bag, just dump, so it is "cleaner")
• Place plastic bag in freezer to let cool. Keep in freezer until ready to serve, however long that may be :).

EASY Salsa Chicken

Want a meal that you can make when you forget the time and need dinner NOW, and with NO prep? This would be it. It turned out really moist and yummy. I figured, a friend of mine actually posts pictures on her food blog and it is a great idea, so I will include a pic of mine :)


1 jar salsa
2 or 3 chicken breast
cheese

put chicken in a baking dish, pour salsa over and put in oven on 350 for a half hour. Take out put some shredded cheese over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve over rice with a side of veggies and a roll and it makes a really healthy dinner and my hubby just loved it! Makes great leftovers as well!

Best EVER Countrystyle Ribs

These really are the BEST EVER, super moist and full of flavor!!

3-4 lbs country style ribs
1 med onion
1/4 c brown sugar

Sauce:
1 c ketchup
1/2 c H20
4 tbsp vinegar cidar
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp worchestire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place ribs in pan/dish, lightly salt, top with slices of onion. Srpinkle brown sugar over them . Mix sauce and place 3/4 overribs. cover and backe @350 for 2 hours. Uncover and put remaning sauce over ribs. Set oven to 400 degrees and backe 1/2 hour longer.