Apologies and Recipe
Whew! I feel like I've been away from the blogosphere for months!
First and foremost, thank you all SO much for the congrats regarding my exam!!! I did a horrible job of responding to you all like I normally do, but I truly, truly, appreciate it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
I apologize for slacking in all things blog related as of late. I am struggling to find a balance in this crazy thing called life! Between being sick the past week (bronchitis, ugh!), school, homework, work, volunteering, and preparing for my nursing school entrance exam (so glad it's over!), I've had to prioritize. Unfortunately, blogging isn't at the top of the totem pole. I have some blog ideas, it's just a matter of finding the time to do it! The thing about babysitting is that I don't have access to their internet from my own computer, so while I do have downtime when the kiddos are napping, I don't have the ability to blog--which stinks, because I love to multitask! I'm hoping to have a little more time on my hands in the next few weeks so I can at least get back to reading and commenting on all of your blogs! If it makes you feel any better, I haven't been doing anything email/facebook/text message related either.
In the meantime, how about a little recipe?
This is a family favorite: Tortellini with Shrimp & Spinach. YUM!
The original recipe can be found here, but it was bland the first time I made it, so I've spiced it up a bit ;) It may sound slightly complicated, but I swear, it isn't. At all. *Note: It is under the "Healthy Living Recipes!" So you can eat it and feel good about yourself! Oh yeah!*
What you need:
~16 oz. package of cheese tortellini. You can up the nutrition and buy whole wheat pasta.
~1 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesean dressing (honestly, I just take a new bottle and dump in 1/4-1/2 of it. Like it said, it was bland before hahah)
~2-3 cloves of garlic, minced.
~1 can (14.5oz) of Italian style diced tomatoes.
~SHRIMP! Frozen, cooked, cleaned, deveined, and tail-less to make it as easy as possible. We buy whatever is on sale in the packaged frozen seafood area. But with four adults, we prefer the bags that have at least 75 shrimp -- it never seems like there are that many in there!
~1 bag (6oz) of baby spinach leaves.
~1/4 cup chopped basil. Or do what I do and just sprinkle in some dried basil.
~Crushed Red Pepper Flakes-- can omit. Use as much or as little as you prefer.
~1 whole lemon.
~Grated Parmesan Cheese
Make It!
COOK pasta in large, deep pot as directed on package. Drain in colander; set aside. Heat dressing in same pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 1 min. Add tomatoes. Bring just to boil. Stir in spinach; cover. Simmer 1 to 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and let heat through for a few minutes. (**The original recipe says to add the shrimp when you add the tomatoes, but the shrimp gets overcooked (since it's pre-cooked) while the spinach is wilting, so save it for last.).
STIR in pasta and basil, crushed red pepper flakes; simmer, uncovered, 3 to 4 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Grate 1-1.5 tsp of lemon zest. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Stir and let simmer.
SERVE topped with Parmesan sprinkled on top!
ENJOY!!!!
Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!
Also, another CONGRATS to my cousin Molly's husband Micah, and the rest of the members of the Butler Bulldogs Basketball team. They are bringing it back to Indy to compete in the NCAA Final Four!!!! GOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!
First and foremost, thank you all SO much for the congrats regarding my exam!!! I did a horrible job of responding to you all like I normally do, but I truly, truly, appreciate it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
I apologize for slacking in all things blog related as of late. I am struggling to find a balance in this crazy thing called life! Between being sick the past week (bronchitis, ugh!), school, homework, work, volunteering, and preparing for my nursing school entrance exam (so glad it's over!), I've had to prioritize. Unfortunately, blogging isn't at the top of the totem pole. I have some blog ideas, it's just a matter of finding the time to do it! The thing about babysitting is that I don't have access to their internet from my own computer, so while I do have downtime when the kiddos are napping, I don't have the ability to blog--which stinks, because I love to multitask! I'm hoping to have a little more time on my hands in the next few weeks so I can at least get back to reading and commenting on all of your blogs! If it makes you feel any better, I haven't been doing anything email/facebook/text message related either.
In the meantime, how about a little recipe?
This is a family favorite: Tortellini with Shrimp & Spinach. YUM!
The original recipe can be found here, but it was bland the first time I made it, so I've spiced it up a bit ;) It may sound slightly complicated, but I swear, it isn't. At all. *Note: It is under the "Healthy Living Recipes!" So you can eat it and feel good about yourself! Oh yeah!*
What you need:
~16 oz. package of cheese tortellini. You can up the nutrition and buy whole wheat pasta.
~1 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesean dressing (honestly, I just take a new bottle and dump in 1/4-1/2 of it. Like it said, it was bland before hahah)
~2-3 cloves of garlic, minced.
~1 can (14.5oz) of Italian style diced tomatoes.
~SHRIMP! Frozen, cooked, cleaned, deveined, and tail-less to make it as easy as possible. We buy whatever is on sale in the packaged frozen seafood area. But with four adults, we prefer the bags that have at least 75 shrimp -- it never seems like there are that many in there!
~1 bag (6oz) of baby spinach leaves.
~1/4 cup chopped basil. Or do what I do and just sprinkle in some dried basil.
~Crushed Red Pepper Flakes-- can omit. Use as much or as little as you prefer.
~1 whole lemon.
~Grated Parmesan Cheese
Make It!
COOK pasta in large, deep pot as directed on package. Drain in colander; set aside. Heat dressing in same pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 1 min. Add tomatoes. Bring just to boil. Stir in spinach; cover. Simmer 1 to 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and let heat through for a few minutes. (**The original recipe says to add the shrimp when you add the tomatoes, but the shrimp gets overcooked (since it's pre-cooked) while the spinach is wilting, so save it for last.).
STIR in pasta and basil, crushed red pepper flakes; simmer, uncovered, 3 to 4 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Grate 1-1.5 tsp of lemon zest. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Stir and let simmer.
SERVE topped with Parmesan sprinkled on top!
ENJOY!!!!
Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!
Also, another CONGRATS to my cousin Molly's husband Micah, and the rest of the members of the Butler Bulldogs Basketball team. They are bringing it back to Indy to compete in the NCAA Final Four!!!! GOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!
Comments
And it shouldn't be your priority... it's a bummer that you aren't able to do it when you have downtime while you are babysitting. That would be nice.
Anywho... have a lovely Sunday!
- Melissa
Oh ... but you don't have a PC ... too bad :P
(I know you think I'm funny) :)))
Have a great week, Marianne!
That sounds really good!!! And the shrimp...that's like icing on the cake!
Someone told me there's a way to blog on your phone...I forget what it's called but you can use it if you have an iPhone. You could probably google it. I'm not much help am I?