Day 2: Veggie Lasagna

Veggie Lasagna

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups sliced fresh portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup fat-free ricotta
• 3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 whole-wheat no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups prepared pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomato

Directions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, zucchini and mushrooms; heat 5 minutes or until tender, stirring. Remove from heat; set aside. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan and pepper.

To assemble, place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Spoon half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with half the veggie mixture, half the pasta sauce and half the mozzarella. Layer with remaining noodles, ricotta mixture, veggie mixture and sauce.

Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato and remaining mozzarella. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 pieces.

(P.S. I hate mushrooms and I couldn't find no-boil wheat noodles. You can cook the whole wheat ones first or buy the white ones.)

Day 1: Southwestern Pizza

I've been on a cooking craze lately (probably because it's all I can do to procrastinate homework and still feel justified doing so). So, I want to share some with you! These recipes have been tried by me, Nick (my biggest critic - seriously, the kid eats NOTHING), and some friends as well. And you know I only choose meals that are quick and easy, 'cause college students don't have that kind of money or time. Let me know what you think!!!

Southwestern Pizza

Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Makes: 3 servings

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 12-inch 100% whole wheat pizza crust
1 cup prepared tomato salsa
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat 2 percent mozzarella
1 1/3 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place crust on sheet and top with salsa, 1 cup mozzarella, beans, sliced red pepper, and scallions. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
2. Place pizza in oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until mozzarella is melted. Remove from oven and garnish with cilantro if desired. Cut into six slices and serve.

Nutrition facts per serving (2 slices): 488 calories, 28g protein, 72g carbohydrate, 12g fat (5.4g saturated), 16g fiber

P.S. (The best thing -This recipe can be modified to your liking! If you can't find whole wheat pizza crust, Pillsbury works well too)

2011

This is probably the shortest goals list I have ever created. Without divulging too much into my personal life, I feel as though my spirituality has suffered this year. With that said, I've decided to go 'back to the basics' and focus primarily on re-gaining a more personal relationship with my Savior. I need it. I know that the Gospel is the only way we will ever know true happiness, and that's just what I want. Through small and simple things, great things come to pass. I must focus on the seemingly small things such as scripture study, prayer, service, obedience, etc, for my faith to be strengthened and my testimony unshaken. I look forward to this year and seek to better align my will with the will of my Father in Heaven. I challenge you right now to pray to your Father and ask him to show you one of your weaknesses and then ask for His help to make that weakness strong. I wish you all the best in 2011!

P.S. Nick just surprised me with 2 buddy passes to fly anywhere on Jet Blue, which means my 2 out of state vacations are going to come true! I'm thinking Malibu (Megs can I come see you?) and Disneyland? We shall see. (Don't worry Becky in Pensacola, I'm still coming to see you too, just on a different airplane - Jet Blue doesn't fly out there...)

What now???

Nick got me these lovely baby scriptures for Christmas. I kid you not, I've wanted them for years now, but never bought any. Now that I have them, I don't know what to do with them! Let me explain: I am a perfectionist. If I don't mark them just perfectly and with some sort of order, I will go nuts. I feel like I need to have a method (ie: mark scriptures about the atonement in red, do something with scripture chains, etc...). I'm nuts! I'm too afraid to mess them up and want to start over - so I haven't even touched the dang things! Since Christmas! Can anyone relate or am I just crazy? How do you mark your scriptures??

Fun in the... SNOW!

Sledding...

skiing...
food and friends!...

I'm addicted

I have VERY difficult skin, and winter especially wreaks havoc on me. Check out my collection of lotion! I go through it so quickly! Technically, I'm supposed to lotion 3 times a day, but who on earth has time for that!? Anyway, if you're looking for a good lotion, I recommend Eucerin calming cream (yes, I've tried EVERYTHING) or Cerave (although Cerave contains something called ceramides and is quite expensive).
P.S. This is not ALL of my lotion if you can believe it...
P.P.S. I NEVER leave the house without my lotion - otherwise I'm one grumpy, dry, itchy, and irritated girl.

I did it!

One semester down...

(Don't ask)
3 more to go...

(And somehow I pulled off some AWESOME grades!)

My beauties

Yes: they're mine

Yes: I bought them for myself (merry Christmas to me!)
Yes: I wear them EVERYWHERE!!
Jealous?
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I LOVE POLKA DOTS!!!

Blizzard of 2010

Remember the 'Blizzard of 2010' death snowstorm predicted by the weatherman? It brought 2 inches of snow and canceled school...

But what about the blizzard the next week that brought nearly 2 feet of snow and caused Nick to crash his car? (don't worry, the damage wasn't too bad)
Here it is...
And school wasn't even canceled even though it took me 20 minutes to get my car out of the snow cave!
Oh Utah, how I love you! BRING MORE SNOW!!! (but cancel school along with it... yeah brilliant idea)

Baby it's cold outside

Becky came back to see me! (Yeah, I believe she came back to see ME ME ME!!!) Can't wait for our beach adventures in the summer when school stops controlling my life. (Better stop eating the handful of m&ms I have in my hand if I'm going anywhere near a beach...)

Oh, and yes we walked around temple square with 3D glasses on all night!
Thanks for coming home to see ME!!!

Christmas 2010

We've had lots of fun this December and I have some catching up to do!!! Here goes...

Christmas at the Grand America - Nick's lovely 'UTAH' gingerbread man.
Shopping for sweet little angels who don't usually get a Christmas. Nick chose a 2 year old boy and I got to shop for a baby girl - just can't have enough BABIES!

Lots and lots of gingerbread houses!!!
#1. Amateur
#2. masterpiece (yes, that's mine - unless you don't like it ;)
#3. Nick's house that started out as a house...
#4. And ended up as a Christian church (keep in mind, we were at a WARD activity). Notice the added cross. Unfortunately, it broke before the night was over - coincidence?
#5. John's g-bread house. Magical
#6. This began as an idea for Barbie's Dreamhouse, but I'm not sure it ever became anything - Look at all those crackers standing on each other! I didn't know that was possible!

Maybe we're cousins...

She's here!

Well, she's been here for a month, and I just can't get enough of this little angel!

Introducing Baby Alyse!!!

P.S. Another baby entered my life last night too... although I had a dream it was a boy instead of a girl. Hope that didn't really happen... I'll keep you posted.

I just love this plethora of babies in my life! And the best part: They're not mine, so I don't even have to wake up with them in the middle of the night.

P.P.S I remember making the bet in high school that all my friends would be bringing their babies to my wedding, so far, I've won!

Halloween Happenings

Never a dull moment

A sort-of continuation from my last post:

My mom wrote this sticky note to me and put it on a picture frame she thought I'd like.
Last I saw the note, it was stuck to the picture frame in my room...
(P.S. my mom calls me 'sissy')
Somehow, the note was transferred from the picture frame to this guy 'cause this is what I found:

Wondered how that happened...

Needless to say, I laughed pretty hard.
Oh Nick, there's never a dull moment with you!

I went downstairs and found this...

Does that mean he'll make a good dad or a crazy dad???

It sure is funny watching him try to control these little kidlets...

6 words...

GRAD SCHOOL IS KICKING MY BUTT.

enough said.

Adventure Race

Yep, we went on an adventure race! We had clues to solve that led us to various places in Salt Lake, and while at each one we had to take a picture doing a specific task for the clue. We ran LOTS LOTS LOTS and it was HOT HOT HOT!!! We came in 5th place though... not too shabby!

Flaming Gorge (pronounced Hor-Hay)

We had such a fun before school trip to Flaming Gorge!

The first day it poured rain and was freezing cold - so we went to the local restaurant and ordered HOT COCOA!!! (yep, in August)The next day the sky was 'abundantly clear', so we went river rafting

And somehow I managed to fall down these rocks:

While on the boat, we had the coldest water fight ever and dunked all three members of our bishopric, and watched Bro. Dibblee being DRAGGED out of the water...

Then we went boating on this lovely...

And although I faceplanted a million times and swallowed half the lake, Nick rocked all our socks off...
We ate yummy food cooked by Tanner and Nick... (can't believe we didn't all die)
And saw lots of pretty scenery
Flaming Gorge: You're just what I needed.