Family-Friendly Spaghetti Pie

This recipe was a hit tonight with everyone in the family.  I hope you can enjoy it, too!

Fresh out of the oven!

Spaghetti Pie

6 oz spaghetti

1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

2 well-beaten eggs

1 c. cottage cheese

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

10-12 pepperoni (opt.)

Meat Filling:

1 lb. ground beef - next time I may use 1/2 lb ground beef, 1/2 lb Italian sausage

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. chopped green pepper

8 oz. tomato sauce

3 oz. tomato paste

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Brown ground beef (drain excess liquid).  Add onion, green pepper, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano and garlic salt.  Cook spaghetti and drain.  Mix spaghetti, Parmesan cheese and eggs together.  Grease a 10-inch pie pan.  Layer spaghetti, cottage cheese, meat filling, cheese, and pepperoni.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Fluffy Egg, Ham, & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

I wanted to start my Friday with a filling breakfast and this is one of my go-to meals.  It doesn't require too many ingredients and is a much healthier alternative to your drive-thru breakfast sandwich.  You can experiment with the toppings.  I used white, American cheese and sliced honey ham.  You could also use turkey bacon, different cheeses, avocado, sliced tomato, etc.

Ingredients

For the sandwich, you will need:
1 English muffin (or toast)
1-2 eggs
2 tbsp cottage cheese
oregano
ham
slice of cheese

First, I whisk together the cottage cheese and eggs.  This will make the eggs fluffier.

Eggs + Cottage Cheese

Next, pour the egg + cottage cheese mixture into a non-stick pan (I still spray mine with cooking spray).  The key to make a good scrambled egg is cooking over a medium-low heat.  I usually set mine to 4.  I slowly stir the eggs until they start to thicken, then resort to flip the eggs over in sections with a spatula.

Eggs + Cottage Cheese + Oregano

As the eggs begin to lose their "wet" look, I slide them to one side of the pan, reduce the heat to 2 (low) and throw in the ham and cheese to warm the ham and melt the cheese.  While all of this was going on, I changed my mind from using the English muffin, to using 2 small slices of Italian bread :), and threw those in the toaster.  Assemble your sandwich like below and enjoy.

Our plates = sandwich for mommy, scrambled eggs w/ ham & cheese for Lilly

Peanut Butter & Banana Protein Shake

I love making protein shakes for breakfast.  Unfortunately, I went about 4 months without one because I fried the motor in our last blender trying to chop up too much ice.  Anyway, we recently purchased a new one for our anniversary gift so I've been blending away ever since...

Today began with one of my favorite combinations: peanut butter + banana.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. skim milk (or any variety: almond, soy, etc.)
1 banana (for an icier texture you can freeze the banana overnight, just peel it before freezing)
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (chocolate is good, too!)
1/4 c. lowfat vanilla yogurt
ice (optional - depending on how cold you prefer)

 **My protein powder looks green because it is made of greens as well as whey protein.  It's not moldy...

Combine all of the ingredients in the blender.  Blend until smooth.

Pour & enjoy! :)

Top Your Own Pizza

This is probably not the best meal to start a blog with, but I'm sure we all have to reach for a frozen pizza every once in awhile. I like to start with a basic cheese pizza and top with veggies that I have on hand. This is usually a good way to save a dollar or two, as well.

Mushrooms, Green Pepper, Onion, and a little pepperoni...

Chop, Top, and this is your final product...

*You may need increase the cook time or broil at the end to crisp up the veggies.

Salad + Pizza = Yum!

With the leftover tomato and black olives, I threw this together to pack in Jim's lunch tomorrow. Chopped tomato, feta cheese, black olives, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Finished product...

"Me Try Some?"

I'm off to the gym to do some cardio and to watch The Biggest Loser. This season is finally starting to get interesting!

It's all in the name...

After quite the debate on what to name this new blogging adventure, I have settled on "Me Try Some". I feel like I should explain where this comes from so that I'm not confused as being illiterate. :)

The title was inspired by my 2 year old daughter, Lilly, who whenever she sees me making a meal always says "Ooo, me try some?" and then wants a sample. Her preferred foods are fairly limited, so I appreciate that she is willing to try so many things at least once. :)

Lilly

My meals vary from very simple to some recipes that require a little more time and effort. I am a mother of one (and another in February), so you will never find me in the kitchen for more than an hour. I try to keep our meals as balanced as possible - including protein, heart-healthy oils, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

I'm off to figure out what's for dinner tonight! :)