Another New Lasagna Recipe, 4 Miles, 4 Packages, Renovations Have Commenced

Thanks you guys! I loved that dress - great work dress for sure! I really do think i'm 50/50 on the green vs. red enchilada sauce but, truth be told, if push came to shove i'd go for red. It's just more classic! I will say i'll never use green sauce again without fresh cilantro blended in - that just made it SO much better. I wore another inappropriate dress today made appropriate by a black version of the cardy I wore yesterday! Only this time I cut my face off. Oopsie!

So yesterday was just work, 4 miles, work, and then home to see Lindsey & Josh! Before they arrived I got FOUR packages - so exciting:

1. Two new pairs of running shoes (the same pair of Nike pegasus)
2. Last of four new pair of Blowfish shoes
3. Roman shade for over sink
4. Custom cups for Austin's birthday party!

Yay!! I opened everything, and then me and Austin hung the shade over the sink. Looks AWESOME - love it!! Then Lindz and Josh got in town - it was so great to see them - fun to hang out with peeps you've known for so long and awesome when Austin fits in just as well if not better than me!! Him and Josh talked forever while me and Lindz did the same. I had two glasses of wine, great convos then off to bed. I miss her already!

Almost forgot, for dinner we had a lasagna that I put together based off of the mushroom and spinach one (from For the Love of Cooking) that I made last week. This one had beef, and I tweaked it a bit to take it from 4 to 6 servings. Here's the recipe:

Beef and Spinach Lasagna
Makes 6 Servings



1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
16 oz. ground beef
2 - 4 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 to 1 ½ cups spinach
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
400 grams fat-free ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
160 grams mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
4.5 cups Classico Tomato & Basil spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and cook beef until browned; add garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. In a large bowl, add ricotta, egg, 60 grams of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, sea salt and pepper to taste. Combine until mixed thoroughly. Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with one 1.25 cups spaghetti sauce. Lay four noodles on top. Spread beef mixture on the noodles. Top with spinach and 1.25 cups sauce. Then spoon ricotta mixture on top and finish by layering on spinach leaves. Top with last four noodles. Then top with remaining sauce and remaining 100 grams of cheese. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 398 calories, 32 carbs, 13 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Tip: When covering with foil – spray foil well with nonstick cooking spray so the cheese doesn’t stick when removed.

Review: Loved it! Knew we would, since we loved the mushroom one so much, but this one had lots of great flavor and Austin was thrilled that it included meat. This will be made again - but I may add mushrooms next time!

I ended the night at 1,841 calories, 217 carbs, 42 at grams and 111 protein grams. Here's what I ate and drank.

Today was just work, work and more work. I did take my lunch to run errands:

• Get gas
• Get two pairs of jeans and dress from Gill's (alterations)
• Get wine for Austin's party and a few items from Trader Joe's
• Get 4 audio books from the library and renew library card
• Get lightbulbs for pendant lights and return too-big roman shade

Success! The remodeling/lighting people got to our house around 3:30 so I raced home to help Austin decide where to put some lights (we had planned it... but water pipes, studs and more changed our plan a bit). Once we got it straight, I headed to the gym for 4.25 miles while reading The Forrest of Hands and Teeth - it's really good so far! Then I headed home and am about to have TV time with the family - fun!!

Q: What shoes do you wear when you work out? How often do you replace them? This is my 4th and 5th new pairs of the exact same shoes - white/blue Nike pegasus. They've been discontinued so I got both pair including shipping for $100!

Q: Do you love getting packages? I think it might even be better than getting mail - I feel like a kid again when I see a brown taped up box at my front door