Cheese and Spinich Filled Manacotti

Here's a family pleasing meal. All, even the kids love this one! This one freezes quite well, so just whip up a double batch and freeze one for later!

Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Manacotti{or shells!}

1 Box of manacotti noodles or jumbo shells

1 large container of ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs(beaten)

1-2 boxes frozen chopped spinach(thawed and drained)

1 cup mozzarella cheese(shredded)

1 cup cheddar cheese(shredded)

1-2 tsp garlic powder

Boil your noodles 5-7 minutes until just barely tender. If you cook all the way they will break when you try and stuff them.

While cooking noodles mix remaining ingredients(reserve 3/4 cup of cheeses)

Drain noodles. Stuff filling in each shell. I have no problem just using a spoon, but you can put filling in a large freezer bag, cut the corner and squeeze into shells if you prefer.

Top with spaghetti sauce(search this blog for a cheap, easy homemade version!)

and reserved cheese, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.

To save money you can buy a smaller container of the ricotta and a small container of cottage cheese and combine those. I prefer the texture of the ricotta, so prefer to at least mix the two, rather than use straight cottage cheese.

Smoothies!

I LOVE smoothies! They are by far my favorite breakfast food. My blender died a few months back and I have been yearning for my beloved smoothies. My dear husband came to the rescue by getting me a blender for Christmas. So we are once again in the daily smoothie making mode. Never mind that it is freezing cold out, I sip on mine in front of the blazing fire place. A smoothie with a piece of toast with peanut butter fills me up till lunch time.

You can make just about any kind you like using your favorite fruits, but one of my favorites is this.

Banana, Orange and Pineapple

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

about 2 cups milk(you can use soy!)

2 bananas

1 cup vanilla yogurt

a couple of handfuls of frozen pineapple

about 3 tablespoons honey

ice cubes if you like yours thicker

I just mix all in the blender until smooth.

makes 2-3 servings

Another favorite, at least by the kids is this:

Strawberry Banana

2 cups milk

2 bananas

1 cup vanilla yogurt

about 3 tablespoons honey

2 big handfuls frozen strawberries

Again, just mix and enjoy!

Makes 2-3 servings

You can use just about any mixture of fruits, yogurt and beverage you like. Be sure to add honey for sweetness! You can also add flax, wheat germ, protein powder and other nutritional supplements.

If you are using fresh or canned fruit, be sure to add extra ice cubes for thickness.

My Mashed Taters

I just love these mashed potatoes! They have a little extra "oomph." I loosely copied this from my husbands aunt who is the absolute bestest cook I know.

Mashed Potatoes

5-6 medium sized potatoes, boiled and peeled

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

salt

pepper

1-2 tsp garlic

The above measurements are very loose estimates. Like most of my cooking I "eyeball" it and sample for flavor and add more as needed. For an extra special occasion, wrap a head of fresh garlic in foil and roast in the oven until mushy and add a few cloves to the potatoes.

I just put all the ingredients is a big pan and hand mash with a masher then mix with a spoon. No matter how many I make, there are rarely leftovers.

These are great served with yesterdays "Chicken Noodle" recipe or served alone with an onion gravy(will share recipe tomorrow!)

ENJOY!

My Grandma's Chicken Noodles

When we were young our grandmother would cook a special meal for us for our birthdays. We could request anything we wanted, and me and my brother both always requested the same thing, each and every year, well into adulthood! Her homemade chicken noodles! Oh, they were so good! She would serve them over mashed potatoes(I'll post my own recipe for those on a following post!)

Grandma's Chicken Noodles

The base is simple enough, just boil some chicken until cooked and cut into big chunks or bite sized pieces. I like to use canned chicken broth rather than water for more flavor. Add a little salt and pepper. It really is that simple, yet so tasty. I used boneless skinless breasts, but if you want the best flavor use the whole chicken on the bone, and after cooked remove meat from the bone. Seeing how I rarely eat meat, and can't if it resembles it's natural form in any way, the boneless, skinless works for me!!

The Noodles

3 eggs

3 tbls milk

enough flour to make a very stiff dough

salt

pepper

Mix all ingredients, and roll out about 1/4 inch onto wax paper. Let set out to dry for an hour or more(you can skip this step if short on time)

Cut into strips and add to boiling soup and cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve on mashed potatoes!