Lasagna and Losing Pounds

Down nine pounds so far. Kinda stuck there, but I think it's the no-gym thing. Too much time spent poring over the "Lost" puzzles. The kids and I got the first one done, glued it together, then started the second one. You have to have a black light to read what's on the back, which we don't possess (who owns a black light??) so DD is going to ask her science teacher if he has one we can borrow. I'm thinking it might be something we can buy at the store, so when we get the three puzzles done (the fourth isn't out yet), we might buy one.

Today is a day out of the office. I get to go out to lunch. For me this is a VERY BIG DEAL. Big caps, because I don't leave this place too often during the day, except to shop, write in a coffee shop, or grab the kids. That means I don't see other grown-ups too much during the day. Or I might see them, but not actually talk to them ;-). So, going out to lunch is a VBD. Having time off at all lately is a VBD. :-)

Of course, I didn't last long not writing. I try so hard to get busy with anything other than typing. But, my laptop came home, all repaired. I left it on the table, in the box mind you, trying really hard to pretend I didn't even see it. Kept working on my puzzle. Thought of the closets I should be cleaning out. Made a list of things I should be doing. Came back to just look at the laptop. Turned it on to make sure everything worked, even though I'd read the work order and the little checked off boxes of what had been repaired.

Then I had to see if Microsoft Word worked. Even though it wasn't part of the repair order (it was the power cord that had been fixed...but you never know if they messed with Word, right?). By the end of the day, I was writing something new.

My name is Shirley and I am a writing addict.

I did make a new dish this week. A low-calorie, low-fat lasagna. It's good. It's not the real thing, but it was okay. And hey, I'm losing some LBs here (pounds :-), so I can wait for the real thing.

Turkey-Spinach Lasagna

1 pound ground turkey

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped pepper

10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted

1 box whole wheat lasagna, cooked and drained

15 ounces low-fat Ricotta cheese

12 ounces fat-free cottage cheese

1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup fat-free mozarella cheese, grated

1 jar Light Ragu spagetti sauce (or make your own, if you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute garlic, onions and peppers. Add turkey and spices and brown. In a separate bowl, mix cheeses, parsley and egg. Layer Ragu, lasagna noodles, cheese and repeat (I ended up doing four layers, I think), with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce on top. Top with extra mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

It was, as I said, pretty good. I like spinach a lot, and this was a nice way to get some low-fat cheese in there. By mixing the low-fat with the fat-free, it didn't feel like it was missing anything. I think I might use turkey sausage next time, to get some more kick in it, and I'd add mushrooms, because I like mushrooms :-) My kids hate them, so I always get all theirs ;-)

Tomorrow, I'll share my Low-Fat Beef Stroghanoff.

Have a great day!

Shirley