Meat for the KIDS

QUICK AND EASY MEAT LASAGNA
My kids have been begging me for Meat Lasagna for weeks. So I decided to make it for them.
I buy market districts natural meats (ground beef) and mostly organic cheese - I buy it already shredded. I think a mix of cheeses taste best and I even like some cheddar and provolone mixed in(don't forget to add parmesan). I use oven-ready lasagna noodles (although as long as you have enough liquid any noodle can be used.)

1 med to lrg onion chopped
1-11/2lbs ground beef
8 oz box of fresh mushrooms chopped into small pieces
15ounce container ricotta cheese
Generous 6 ounces (or more) mixed cheeses
Arugula or spinach (uncooked, there's your xtra liquid)
1 box lasagna noodles
25 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce. I used Muir Glen Vodka sauce.
Extra sauce from a new jar.

Cook the onions and beef in a pan until browned and set aside to cool after draining off grease.
Saute the mushrooms in the same pan(no need to clean but may need to add a little more oil if you poured out the grease from the meat) just till cooked and cool.
Mix your cheeses together in seperate bowl
Mix meat, sauce and mushrooms together.
Put a little of the extra sauce on the bottom of your 9X12 glass baking dish. Layer over with your uncooked lasagna noodles(you will have to break noodles to fit). Layer sparingly, just enough to cover noodles with spinach or arugula then with meat mixture, and then with cheese. Do this again starting with the noodles, spinach, meat and cheese. Top this with noodles and more of the extra tomato sauce. Sprinkle some extra cheese on top for good measure. Bake on 375 for about 1 hour. It should be bubbling and noodles easy to put a fork through.
Enjoy!

Potato hash mash, Savory pancakes

Potato Hash Mash
Have leftover mashed potatoes. Here is what I do with them:

Olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots grated
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar)
1/2 cup of veggie broth
Leftover mashed potatoes (about 2 to 4 cups)
1 tbsp mixed seasonings w/o salt
Salt to taste

Saute on Med/High all vegetables in 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan until onions are translucent. Slight browning OK just don't overdue it. Add broth, and let bubble for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Broth will evaporate some and should still have some left in pan. Add 1 Tbsp more if desired of olive oil. Add potatoes with seasoning and salt mixed in, smashing to fill bottom of fry pan, turn down to medium heat. Potatoes (depending on how much you have) should take approx 4-8 minutes to brown. Although they won't turn over as one piece, turn over to brown on other side another 4-8 minutes. Then eat!

Savory VEGAN Pancakes

1 Cup Flour
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup soy, rice or almond milk
2 tbsp veg oil
1 tbsp flaxseed
1/2 to 1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley


Stir dry ingredients together. Add in wet items and stir till smooth. Grill like pancakes until golden brown both sides. Serve with applesauce or soy sour cream.

Eating Cake

My daughter is taking a Cake decorating Class at Michaels for the next few weeks.
So every week we have a cake in the house.
They use this disgusting Wilton icing that you buy in a large container and it taste like eating Crisco! Peter and the kids have some when it comes home then I bring most of it over to the neighbors who can't seem to get enough cake.
But at the Steelhead Grille...
I will admit I had a half glass of wine and 4 bites of cake for my anniversary.
Felt awful.
Now I know what they mean when they say Desert Desserts!
The sugar really doesn't work for me anymore.
With regular and dried fruit I get enough sweets.
If you haven't had a 'Kind' bar (they sell them at Starbucks) you should they are wonderful and right now my favorite snack kinda meal!

Juice, Juice and More Juice

Lucky me, I have Green Star Juicer
The best juice so far is
handful of wheatgrass.
2 small sweet/crisp apples.
2 stalks celery.
6 carrots (If you are lucky enough to get the red carrots at McGinnis and Bros it makes a lovely color)
Juice and Yumm!!
Most people have a hard time just ingesting Wheatgrass(I got mine at Kuhns of all places) so mixing it like this makes it palatable.