Cookbook Challenge: Spaghetti, Turkey & Spinach Casserole

A few weeks ago, I started the Cookbook Challenge.

I haven't really given you an update on how it's been going!

I haven't really been keeping up with the once a week thing, but I have been trying to use my cookbooks more. I actually made a recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook that wasn't so great, so I ended up rewriting it...that recipe to come!

Meanwhile, this past week, I decided to make a dish from The Deen Bros. Y'all Come Eat. I really love this book. It's comfort food with a twist and decidedly much less unhealthy that the Queen Deen herself. I actually found a few recipes from this book that I can't wait to try. Not to mention that I actually own a signed copy, a gift from right before Shaun and I were married.

 

I had wanted to find a recipe that would make a large dish that would last for a number of days. What can I say? Sometimes I'm just lazy like that. When I found the recipe for Mama's Spaghetti Casserole, I knew I found something delicious that I could healthify and keep us fed for a few days time.

 

With my healthy edits, this recipe is only 7 Pts+ per serving!

Spaghetti, Turkey & Spinach Casserole
*Adapted from the Deen Bros. Y'all Come Eat
Makes 8 servings; 7 pts+ per serving

1 lb. uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 26 oz. jar tomato sauce, kind of your choice
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
1 C reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground turkey in a skillet set over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Break up the meat as it cooks.

Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the spinach and Parmesean. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to bowl. Pour in tomato sauce and mix well, but gently, with a rubber spatula. Pour into a baking dish that has been greased with cooking spray. Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are browned. Cut into squares and serve!

 

We really enjoyed this dish. You can even made some extra sauce on the side for serving. I didn't think it necessarily needed it, but I can never really get enough sauce!

Questions of the Day:

Have you tackled any cookbook challenges lately?

What's the last thing you made?

for more Cookbook Challenge recipes, check out my Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney.

psst...It's link day on The Peach & The Pit!! Cute puppies, sloths, Walkers and more!

Gorgeous Evening

Fun things: My Chocolate Stout Mini Cakes with Irish Cream Frosting are on The Daily Meal today! Head on over to check it out :)

Yesterday was a positively gorgeous day. It was sunny, about 70 degrees and slightly breezy. It was, dare I say...perfection.

In the NY/NJ area, we really only get like a handful of these days each year. Generally, the weather is either too warm and humid or too cold and windy. To have a perfect day is one to be savored.

So when I arrived home (and it was still light out! yeah daylight savings!!) last night, Shaun and I decided to hit the streets for a nice long walk around the neighborhood.

 

 

The streets of Jersey City were bustling! Everyone was out enjoying the weather.

 

We headed up toward the Path station and I couldn't help but stop at McDonald's for a....Shamrock Shake!

 

I've actually never had one before and have been obsessing over it for the last week (although the commericals are so annoying and make women look dumb...oh well). I finally just decided that I needed to see what all the hype was about...you know, for research purposes.

 

Verdict? It was super sweet (no problem there!) and refreshing but I wish it was just a little more minty. Ah well. Still a nice treat for a Tuesday evening :)

Today is supposed to be almost as beautiful outside so I'm excited to wear a spring coat today! Hope you all are having beautiful weather this week!

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite thing to do in the warm weather? I love just being out and about, or having dinner or glass of wine out on the terrace!

Shamrock shake...yay or nay?

Oh and if you want to make your own Shamrock Shake...check out my healthy mint shake!

And in case you missed it...you might also like my Chocolate Stout Mini Cakes with Irish Cream Frosting! Just sayin'.

I'm sorry but I just can't...

Last week I started reading Pride & Prejudice, as part of my 'read 5 classic novels' before I turn 30.

This week, I stopped reading it.

Please don't hate me.

I just couldn't get through it.

Here's the thing.

When I read, I need something that grips me from the start and doesn't let up. My reading time primarily takes place during my ride to and from work. I have 15 minutes on a packed train both ways. For me, I need books that not only hold my interest, but ones that I cannot WAIT to crack open when I get on the train. Books that will keep me completely occupied as I try desperately not to clutch the dirty, diseased handles, while someone inevitably breathes on me, and I try to ignore the fact that sweat is trickling down my face.

Sadly, Pride & Prejudice just wasn't cutting it.

I'm not saying that I'll never finish it. Just not now. Perhaps I'll relegate it to my weekend reading and give it a try then. Oh and please don't hate me...I know that many of you recommended it and loved it so I feel badly kicking it to the curb. I even debated whether or not to tell you or just let a lot of time go by and hope that no one noticed that I never mentioned it again...but I can't do that. I still love you! :)

Instead, I took a recommendation from Christine and went with Delirium by Lauren Oliver. She proclaimed that it was her favorite dystopian series since The Hunger Games and so how could I NOT read this book?!

I started it yesterday and I'm already hooked. Here's the synopsis from BarnesandNoble.com:

Love. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

In Lauren Oliver’s stunning second novel, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the cure. Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. But then she meets enigmatic Alex, who lives under the government’s radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

Ok so it's for ages 14 and up. But I don't care. I'm into young adult novels! So there!

If you are interested in reading it with me and subsequently discussing it, I'll set a date of April 3 (Tuesday) for the discussion. That's 3 weeks away!

Questions of the Day:

What are you reading right now?

What types of books do you gravitate toward?

And unrelated...did anyone watch Walking Dead from Sunday? Ahhhhh! Head over to our Facebook page to discuss!