Or you can just be lazy and open a bottle of Barilla.

I'm a big fan of meat sauce. You saute up some ground meat, add a bottle of marinara, and boom. Meat sauce.

Orrrr you can spend an extra 10 minutes and do it from "scratch." I'm pretty sure I'm in competition for The Laziest Preggo on the Planet this week, but I still peeled myself off the couch and away from the TiVo long enough to chop a couple things.*

*I totally cheated and used the Chop Wizard. Much like the infomercials, it is ridiculous. It is also awesome, and luckily I have a mother who enjoys buying me As Seen on TV products. Also, for the sake of full disclosure, I am being overly dramatic and totally worked out for half an hour after work, so I'm not quite as lazy as I complain that I am.

I even made a salad. Although, by "making a salad," I really mean taking the walnut and raspberry leftover salad from the night before and adding an extra handful of greens.

It's a little sad how much the small things impress me right now. Anyway, here is Giada's Bolognese, modified just a bit. (And see? When you make it from scratch, you can give it a fancy name like Bolognese, which sounds so much more legit than "meat sauce," yeah?)

Easy Bolognese
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot (or handful of baby carrots) chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 package (around 20oz) lean ground pork (or beef or turkey)
1/2 cup red wine
Large can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
Small handful chopped basil
Small handful chopped Italian parsley (opt.)
S & P
Shredded Romano or Parmesan

Heat a pour of oil (1-2 tbsp) over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery and onion, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add meat, and continue cooking until cooked through, about 8 minutes, moving often and breaking up into small pieces.

Stir in red wine and cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil and parsley, if using. Combine well, adding a bit more wine if it seems really thick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes or until sauce has thickened back up. Add a good pinch each of salt and fresh pepper, tasting to make sure the salt is right.

Serve over hot cooked pasta and top with shredded cheese.

This is happiness.

I love me some Italian Wedding Soup. Like, to pieces. Not only does it make me happy, it's also awesome for preggo sickies like me who can't take Nyquil and therefore are stuck with a cold for a week and a half and need to live off of soup and OJ. This makes about 6-8 servings, which has lasted me about a week.

I know I've posted this before, but I changed up the recipe enough to warrant a Round 2. This time I based it off of a Giada recipe and went with ground pork (which actually has less calories than the turkey) and went with mustard greens instead of spinach. Totally enriches the flavor...Hubby says we're adding it to the menu (of our imaginary restaurant).

Italian Wedding Soup
Half a small onion, grated
Handful of chopped basil
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 package ground pork (97-3% or so)
Large pinch ground black pepper

14 cups chicken broth
About 8 oz mustard greens, chopped and rinsed well under hot water (or use spinach, curly endive, or escarole)
1/2 cup orzo pasta (or other small shape)
1 egg
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

In large bowl, combine onion though pork, and sprinkle with pepper. Use your (clean) hands to combine well. Pull off a small chunk and roll into a ball with your hands. Aim for about an inch or so across. Place on a cookie sheet and continue with remainder of pork mix. You should end up with roughly 12-14 meatballs, but more or less is fine.

Bring broth to a boil in a large stock pot. In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium high, coat with cooking spray, and place a half dozen (or however will fit comfortably without touching) in pan. Let that side brown about 2 minutes, then turn over and brown another side about 2 minutes. Remove back to cookie sheet and brown remaining balls.

When broth is boiling, add the meatballs one at a time. Reduce to a simmer, and cook about 4 minutes. Add greens and orzo, stirring very gently, then cook another 8 minutes. Combine an egg and 2 tsp parmesan in a small bowl, and whisk with a fork. While soup is still simmering, stir gently while adding egg mixture very slowly. The egg should cook immediately, making strands throughout the soup (just like egg drop soup).

Serve hot with fresh parmesan and fresh pepper on top to taste.

Saucy!

I'll admit, I'm a little intimidated by homemade pasta sauce. For one, I can buy awesome sauce in a jar for like 3 bucks. Even though we typically still add fresh garlic and onion, it's seriously too easy. And for another, the hubby makes great homemade sauce, so I don't like to out-do him.

Except I totally do, I'm just afraid I won't.

Which is why I had to share my latest concoction, which I thought was a total success. Maybe not as good as the husband's...or Giada's...but this is my blog, damnit.

I didn't take a pic cause y'all know what marinara looks like. But in case you need one...thanks, Veer.

Homemade Mushroom Marinara
Olive Oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
half an onion, chopped finely
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
About 2 tbsp tomato paste
dried basil
dried oregano
red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
About a tsp balsamic vinegar (or a tbsp sugar, either work)

Saute garlic and onion in a splash of oil, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, sauce and paste until mixed well. Add about a tsp each of basil and oregano, and about a 1/2 tsp each red pepper and salt, and about 1/4tsp pepper.

Bring to a simmer, add mushrooms and balsamic. Cover and let simmer on low as long as you want to, really, up to about an hour. I do about 30 minutes. I'm not blessed with patience...
In the whole pot, about 450 cals, 9g fat, 18g fiber, 17g protein, 78g carbs. Split it up as you wish.

Braciola

So, because dinner last night was a bit of a process, and all the steps looked delicious even on their own, we're switching it up with a cooking lesson today. And since I consider myself the utmost authority on pretty much everything anyway...why not. (Wow, my sarcasm hits high notes some days.)

Once in a great while I decide to spoil the husband with food that tastes really bad for him, even if it actually isn't. It makes him happy, and I feel far less guilty about the nights he gets nothing but salad for dinner.

Last night was Braciola, from a Giada recipe I altered...I heart Giada so much. How she makes this kind of food all the time and stays so gorgeously thin makes me think she may have made some sort of deal with the devil, and I respect that. But anyway, it's got a few steps...make it on a night you have some time to wait, it cooks a long time.


Braciola
One 1-1.25lb flank steak
4 slices reduced fat Provolone cheese
2 oz(half cup) Romano cheese
handful chopped Italian parsley
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 cup white wine
1 jar Marinara sauce (I like Newman's Own)
Salt and Pepper


First thing to do is pound the crap out of the steak to make it tender (it makes a huge difference on this one). Unfold the steak on some wax paper, then beat it with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or whatever makeshift contraption you think will work...i.e. my juicer wrapped in cling wrap.

Note: I don't recommend the juicer route...the cling wrap totally broke and I got to clean smashed meat out of my juicer. But I was feeling creative. I think we own every kitchen gadget ever...but no tenderizer. Even though it was on our wedding registry...just sayin'...

Next, place the slices of provolone evenly across the steak. You may need to rip them into pieces to fit better.
Mix together the Romano, spinach, parsley, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil in a bowl, then spread the spinach mixture over the top of the steak and provolone.
Once all the yummy inside goodies are spread evenly, roll the steak up "jelly roll fashion."

If you, like me, have never fashioned a jelly roll, just roll it up tight starting at one end, making sure not to squeeze out the insides in the process.

If you have cooking twine, use it to tie up the roll to keep it together and shaped while cooking. If not, you can use toothpicks...I used about 6, I think. Spread them out evenly, and make sure and leave enough toothpick-end sticking out so you can remove them later. Sprinkle roll with salt and pepper.

The next step is browning the roll. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet or stockpot. Place roll in pan, and let cook about 2 minutes.

Turn the meat on its side (a quarter turn) using tongs, and repeat til you get it brown all the way around. Takes about 8 minutes total. Turn the roll so it's seam side up.

Once you're all brown and it's smelling fabulous, reduce the heat to medium and add the cup of wine. Let it come to a boil, then add the jar of sauce. Stir the liquids together around the meat, and make sure plenty of sauce is on top of the roll. Cover, let it come to a simmer, and reduce the heat to low.

Just let it cook, but check it every half hour or so and spoon more sauce over the roll. If the bottom is getting too brown, you can flip it over after an hour.

After an hour and half, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let sit for a few minutes. Take it out of the sauce, and place on cutting board. Carefully remove the twine or toothpicks (get them all!), then cut roll into six slices. I served with a carb (quinoa for me, linguine for the husband—I was feeling particularly generous last night) and steamed spinach. Yum, yum, yum.


One slice with sauce= About 390 calories, 22g fat, 1g fiber, 26g protein, 13g carbs

Scrounging around...

I'm pretty sure I was a prep cook in another life. Or should be in this one. It's my favorite part of cooking, other than eating. And sometimes they tie.

I get to be totally neurotic and use every small bowl I own (and I own a LOT) for a different ingredient, which both feeds my ocd and looks cool on my counter. Plus it makes me feel like Giada, which is always a good thing.

Seriously, chopping makes me happy. I'm not 'good' at it, but I don't cut myself (usually) and I manage to get most pieces the size I want them, so I guess I'm not bad at it. Anyway, it makes even those ho-hum meals feel like I made them with love...

This was one of those lets-see-what's-in-the-pantry meals. Not always the most interesting, but it does the job. I always have chicken, I always have wine, I always have garlic, and I usually have pasta (usually Trader Joe's brown rice pasta-a little chewy, but good. And the husband will eat it, so I don't have to make two batches) and that tends to be a good starting point.


Chicken Mushroom Pantry Pasta
3 cups cooked pasta (I like penne)
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Small onion, sliced or chopped
1 package sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
Salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup grated parmesan or romano
handful fresh herbs, chopped (I used basil and oregano. Use dried if that's all you have)

Season chicken with salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder, if you have it. Brown chicken in a little olive oil, remove from pan and keep warm. Saute garlic for a few seconds, then add onion. Cook until mostly soft, then add mushrooms and wine. Cook about 2 minutes, add chicken back in. Simmer til chicken is done. Mix cornstarch with a bit of water til smooth, then mix into sauce. When mixed, add drained cooked pasta, herbs, and half the cheese. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Should serve three or four. Add rest of cheese on top.