a successful meal share!

This is a recipe that I feel obligated to share- it was just to delicious to keep to myself! Oh, and get what else, all you dieters, it's healthy! I actually got it off of some healthy living site- I'll post the nutritional info too!

Healthy Sausage Stuffed Shells

This is what mine looked like before I put them in the oven, I didn't get an after picture because we were too hungry, and they were too delicious! Nathan (who is known for hating all foods that are healthy for him) ate half the pan himself!

Prep time: about 30 minutes

Start to finish: about 1 hour and 20 minutes

Makes: 12 servings of 2 shells each

Ingredients:
 24 jumbo pasta shells (from 12-oz box)
 1 lb lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
 1 container (15 oz) light ricotta cheese
 2 cups shredded reduced-fat Italian cheese blend (8 oz)
 1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
 3/4 cup finely shredded carrots (1 medium)
 1 jar (25.5 oz)Italian herb pasta sauce


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.

2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, crumble sausage. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.

3. In medium bowl, stir ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend, the spinach and basil until well mixed. Stir in carrots and sausage.

4. Spread about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce over bottom of baking dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoonfuls sausage mixture into each pasta shell. Arrange shells, filled sides up, on sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce over stuffed shells. Spray 15-inch piece of foil with cooking spray; cover shells with foil.

5. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.


Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 290 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 720mg; Total Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 7g); Protein 19g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 70%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 25%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1/2 c Dairy *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

stitches part 3: the otter and the monkey

And for the final chapter of the "Stitches" series- Buster, as I have mentioned quiet a few times before- is a bit rough and rambunctious! So naturally his toys get a little tattered and torn. So after I had stitched up pillow covers, and Buster was all stitched and healed, it was time for his little friends to get surgery.

Two of his favorite toys, the otter and the monkey, had some holes that needed to be stitched up. I felt like a plush veterinarian! I stitched up the otter's gut and leg that were leaking stuffing. The monkey's foot had sadly lost all it's stuffing, but I stitched up the hole anyway, so make sure that he didn't wind up losing the entire foot. The each had a couple other random holes that got stitched while the needle and thread were out too.

But here they are, as good as new!

stitches part 2: the dog

The pillows weren't the only thing to be stitched up recently...

I recently accepted a temp job to bring in some extra cash during the first week of September, and since Buster has crazy bad separation anxiety, we knew we couldn't leave him alone at the apartment while we both were at work. So, we started looking into doggy day care.

We found out that the PetSmart right by Nathan's store has a daycare program that would allow Buster to play with other dogs all day long- he loves other dogs! How perfect! Only one thing was standing in our way- our little baby Buster still had all his man parts, and well, PetSmart doesn't like that. All pets in the daycare have to be neutered.

So Buster got to spend the day at the pet clinic down the street from our apartment. Nathan took him and dropped him off in the morning, and we went back to pick him up that evening.

When we got him he was soooooo mellow and drugged up. You would never know it was Buster- he usually has so much energy, and when we see him his tail goes crazy! But not that night- his eyes were all glazed over and he couldn't walk a straight line.

The next morning he was moping around and I thought to myself, "I hope he's not like this forever!" Everyone kept telling me that getting him fixed would probably calm down a lot and mellow him out. I also had many people tell me that after they got their dog fixed that they were scared to go on car rides and that going to the vet terrified the dog.

Well neither of those things turned at to be true! Not even a tiny bit! By the time Nathan got home from work the next day, Buster was back to his old self- wagging his tail and jumping around, so excited to see Daddy after spending all day at home with Mommy. And with a day or so he was bouncing off the walls again- it didn't calm him down in the least! If anything, I think he's been more hyper!

He still loves going for rides in the car, and as for being scared of the vet- when I took him in a few days later to have his stitches checked- he was happy as a clam. He was so excited to see everyone there, and greeted the vet and the receptionist with big puppy kisses and wagging tail.

His stitches are all healed up now, only a little bitty scar remains- and life goes on.

stitches part 1: the pillows

We decided that our throw pillows needs a face lift; They were beginning to look at little bit ratty. So I headed out to JoAnne's and bought some fabulous fabric, and we borrowed a sewing machine from Nathan's mom and I went to work!

I hadn't used a sewing machine in ages- like since junior high! But it was just like riding a bike, it all came back to me, as natural as anything. And recovering the pillows was surprisingly easy.

Pillow #1 Before....

Pillow #1 After!

I like the way these turned out! I think the material is fancy lookin'! AND it was on clearance, which makes it even better! =p

Pillow #2 Before....


Pillow #2 After!
The flowers are all embroidered on the material with some random brown sequins. Much cuter than that old patchwork- in my opinion.

Pillow #3 Before....

Pillow #3 After! This blue is going to be our new accent color. It POPS!

When Nathan and I were at IKEA we wound up buying some pillow forms too- I didn't get any before pictures, but this is what one of them looked like afterwards.

The pillows look so much nicer now, and Buster has shown no interest in playing with them or tearing them up since they've been recovered- which is a tremendous blessing!

So there they are! The latest addition to the Tarin R Lunt home decor collection.

More pieces to come!

everyone and their dog

Well here is a long over due post! I can't believe how behind I am on blogging! Hopefully in September this blog will be buzzing- LOTS going on next month. In the mean time, let me catch you up on everything that's been going on.

We've been having so much fun having Buster! And he's been having fun too with some other recent additions to the extended family.

Not long after we got Buster, Nathan's sister, Amy, and her family got a brand new boxer puppy. Bubba and Buster hit it off right away. Buster loves having another puppy about his size that he can romp around with. They have so much puppy energy- it's exhausting just to watch them play sometimes! Amy and Robert got Bubba at the perfect time too- we were so grateful that Buster had someone to play with at the reunion. They kept each other entertained for hours.




Nathan's mommy surprised us when she wound up getting, not one- but two precious little puppies! Her little toy poodles are so cute- one boy and one girl named Beau and Daisy! I was a tiny bit nervous introducing Buster to them for the first time, since he has a tendency to be rough and clumsy, but he was so cute and gentle with them!

Buster, meeting the puppies for the first time

It was so cute, he would lay down so he could be on their level

Buster gets so excited every time we go over to Nathan's parent's house now. He jumps out of the car and runs right to the door. He knows the puppies are in there and he wants to play. Buster and Daisy love each other. Beau and Buster have kind of a love/hate relationship. Buster loves Beau, but Beau hates Buster. Haha! Buster has a hard time understanding that not every puppy loves him as much he loves other puppies.

So anyway, before the reunion we had a family dinner at Rod & Virginia's house- they invited everyone and their dog- literally!

Here's Grandma Smith and her dog, Honeybun; Sydni & Madison holding Virginia's puppies Beau and Daisy; Sarah and her Pomeranian, Rusty; Nathan with out little baby Buster; And Robert with their new puppy Bubba.

It was interesting having so many dogs, with so many different personalities all in one house- but it was fun too. It's nice for all the dogs to have so many playmates!