Okay, before I post the recipes and pics of these two awesome recipes, I thought I’d share with you how life has been going for us recently. I had my first sub job on Friday for a P.E. teacher. I subbed three classes and had cafeteria duty, and all went pretty well thanks to another gym teacher who shared the gym with all of the absent teacher’s classes. She pretty much ran the show - I took roll and monitored the students. The day went by without too many problems, so I’m happy to report that it was a success! Also, in other news, I’m happy to report that I’ve lost 15 pounds since I began my journey on October 10th!!! It’s really motivating to actually see the results on the scale, and that kind of validation is really more fuel for my want to continue leading a healthier lifestyle. Yay! Meanwhile, I’m working on planning and preparing for my sister-in-law Kelly’s baby shower. My mother-in-law and I are working together to pull everything together. I’m still finalizing the game list, but the food is pretty much planned and we’ve bought many of the essentials such as plates, cups, game prizes, decorations, etc. If you have any good ideas for games, let me know! I’m also trying to get my butt in gear to finish Skyler’s baby announcement cross stitch that I started way back when and have yet to finish. I just need to outline it and stitch his name, but I’ve lost motivation. However, he’s six months old now, so I really should get it done. Plus, I need to start one for Kelly’s daughter-to-be, Maya. Where are you, motivation? I really need you right now!
Okay, so on to the recipes.
Spinach Mushroom Parmesan Ravioli
- Package of wonton wrappers (I found mine in the produce section near the organic/meatless stuff)
- Fresh baby spinach (about 4-ish cups)
- Portabella mushrooms (I used three large portabella caps)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese.
- Garlic to taste (I used probably 4 cloves worth)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
The ravioli filling should really be made according to your tastes. If you like lots of mushrooms and not a lot of spinach, tweak the recipes in favor of that ratio. This recipe is very easy, but very time consuming and tedious. However, I really feel like it’s worth it.
Using your food processor (being processor-less, I improvised with my blender), chop the mushrooms very fine. Put all of the chopped mushrooms in a bowl. Then, place half of the spinach and half of the garlic in the processor. Pour 1-2 tbsp. olive oil over the leaves and process very fine. It should create a sort of spinachy-garlicky paste. Place the mixture in the bowl with the mushrooms. Process the remainder of the spinach and place in the bowl. Place the cheese in the bowl, then sprinkle a dash of salt and some pepper over the mixture and mix until all ingredients are well blended. Then, take out two wonton wrappers. Place about 1 tablespoon (give or take) in the center of one wrapper. Using a pastry brush and a cup of water (being brushless, I improvised with a paper towel), rub the edges of the wrapper with the filling with water. Then, immediately place the other wrapper over the wrapper with the filling and wet edges. Working with each individual side, press the edges of the two wrappers together. Try to press out any air and make sure that the ravioli is completely sealed (or you will have a spinachy-mushroomy mess to deal with later). Place on a plate and let the water on the ravioli dry. This is the time-consuming part. It takes a while to fill up the raviolis. About half-way through the ravioli “construction”, place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. When you are finished pressing the raviolis together, place 5-6 of them in the boiling water at a time. After placing them it, gently give them a stir so that they don’t stick together in the pot. Let them cook for about 5-6 minutes. Carefully remove them to a drainer and repeat the process again until all of the raviolis are cooked. After placing more raviolis in the pot, I took the cooked raviolis out of the drainer and placed them in a bowl. I served mine with some basic spaghetti sauce, but you can play around with that. They’d likely taste great with alfredo, pesto, or even by themselves.
One whole, cooked ravioli in a small dish.
The ravioli opened up to display the yumminess inside...
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Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes with Cranberry Chutney
This next recipe is one that I found on wonderful healthy eating website called Kath Eats Real Food. They were delicious and tasted just as good to me as regular ole’ pancakes. Even Johnny enjoyed them! I did tweak the recipe to fit my dietary needs, so here’s my take on her recipe
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup egg beaters
- 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
- 2 tsp Splenda
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp regular salt
Basically, combine all ingredients until well blended. Place about 1/4 of a mix in a pan or on a griddle to yield about 8-10 pancakes. Cook, flip, cook and serve!
To top my pancakes, I wanted a healthier alternative to the traditional butter and syrup (that Johnny slathered on his), so I whipped up a quick cranberry “chutney” that turned out to be delicious.
- 1 cup whole cranberries
- 1 pear, skinned and chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Splenda
- About 1/4 cup water
Place the ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. I put mine on top of my pancakes and it was really a tart, delicious treat! I’ve found that you can also freeze the mixture, then set it out for 20 minutes, place in a blender with some water and serve as a sorbet. Yumminess! Half of the entire pancake recipe is 7.5 Weight Watchers points, and my entire breakfast (about 3 large cakes with 1/2 of the cranberry chutney) was about 410 calories, which is really not too shabby for a pancake breakfast.
Coffee, pancakes and cranberry chutney...
A pancake with the cranberry chutney.
Delicious!
Johnny enjoyed his with butter and syrup.
And for your viewing pleasure, Miss Roxie watching the squirrelies outside.
Give these a try - I hope you’ll be as pleased as we were. Happy Sunday!
Posted on November 16th, 2008 by Hollie
Filed under: Life, Recipes
I always enjoy the gift Bingo at baby showers. You just hand out a blank Bingo card, with a free space or whatever. As folks mingle and eat snacks, they fill in the blanks with the gifts they think the parents/baby will get. Then as the gifts are opened, they mark off what they’re getting and play Bingo as normal. It’s a low maintenance game!
You could always do the star on the bottom of the chair/food plate and whoever sits there/gets that plate wins a prize.