Traditional Stuffed Shells

This is one of my all time faves! They used to serve these for lunch in the cafeteria at my school all the time and I absolutely loved them! 

Note the recipe I loosely followed makes a ton of food so either make it for a crowd or freeze some! 

Ingredients

• 1 package of jumbo shells
• 2 lbs (30 oz) ricotta cheese
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cook the shells according to the package

 3. Beat eggs together

 4. Add cheeses and spices to the eggs and stir until well blended

 4. Strain shells

 5. Set shells aside and allow to dry

 6. Pour a thin layer of sauce into pan (enough to cover the bottom)

 7. Add about a tablespoon of filling to each shell

 8. Place shells in pan in one layer and cover with sauce.  I also sprinkled a little extra shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

9. Bake for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly

We were running low on pans because we lent some of ours to a friend so I used my cast iron skillet to cook the extra shells.

 Garlic Cheesy Bread makes the dish!

I placed the remaining shells onto a cookie sheet (lined with foil) and put them in the freezer for about 6 hours then I put them in a ziplock bag.  I'll just cover them with sauce and cook a little extra to reheat!

Roasted Shrimp and Cauliflower

One night I really didnt have a lot of time to make dinner so I decided to roast some cauliflower and (playing off this pin) I decided to throw in some shrimp.

I used to think that it didnt get much worse than cauliflower.  Pretty much thought this until last summer when the 3 year old I was babysitting talked me into trying it (ironic I know!).  But now I pretty much cant get enough of it.  Boiled or roasted are my favorites!

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. On a cookie sheet toss together some cauliflower, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cajun seasoning

3. Cook in oven for about 10 minutes

 

 4. Meanwhile toss raw shrimp with the same seasonings as the cauliflower.

 5. Add shrimp to cauliflower on cookie sheet and roast for another 10 minutes 

ENJOY!

Guac Guac Guac It Up

Mexican food is extremely high up on my favorite types of food and no mexican meal is complete without guacamole!  I'm a sucker for a small local Mexican restaurant but I also like some of the chains, my favorite being Chipotle.  So when I wanted to make guacamole for my superbowl party I immediately looked for a copy cat recipe of their guac!  This is the recipe I found, it was for a huge amount so I cut it down and made some alterations!

Ingredients

• 6 avocados
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of green pepper hot sauce (more if you want it spicier, less if you dont!)
• 3 limes 
• salt to taste

 1. Half the avocados 

2.  Remove pits

Tips: Stab a knife into the pit and it will come out cleanly

 

3. Scoop out the meat 

 Tip: I saved a couple because supposedly it keeps it fresh if you store the guac with the pit

 4. Mash slightly so there are still a few chunks.  

 5. Add the hot sauce, onion garlic and lime juice.  

*As a college student I obviously dont have a juicer so I just squeezed mine by hand the best I could.

 

 Guacamole is really simple to make and its great for parties and potlucks!

Smoothies For When You're Woozies??? MONSTER SMOOTHIE

Its spring semester and that means spring break is coming up! I have been constantly hearing Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett songs in my head as I count down the days (26 days btw!!), 

"I got my ass in a lawn chair toes in the sand 

not a worry in the world a cold beer in my hand 

life is good today! life is good!"

Needless to say there is very little about spring break that I am not eagerly anticipating that is except bathing suit season.

Everyone know that staying fit is difficult especially as a college student when its so much easier to just stay in bed or go out for a beer instead of hitting the gym.  Lord knows I am the queen of procrastinating working out! I get these kicks of determination to get fit or run a marathon or lose 5 pounds etc then something else always wins (see pictures below...they describe me perfectly!!)

Typically procrastination of working out on my part, I put off taking my PE credit until my final semester at UGA.  At first I thought about taking walking or bowling and taking it easy but I decided that if I was going to be forced to go to the gym for class credit I might as well make it worth my while so I went with spinning.  I used to do spinning in high school when I was playing competitive soccer so I thought that it would take a little catching up but it would come back to me eventually (kind of like riding a bike? PUNNY I KNOW).  Well a month and a half in and I am still sore after every single class but it feels great!  After these workouts or in the morning I like to make one of these smoothies and they totally fill me up and are very refreshing.  

Monster Smoothie 

Ingredients

• 1 banana sliced in half
• 5 or 6 strawberries
• several slices of frozen peaches
• handful of blueberries
• heaping handful of spinach
• splash of vanilla soy milk
• honey
• 2 spoonfuls of yogurt

They are going to come out brownish greenish (gross!) but just go with it I promise they taste delicious!  

These smoothies are a great way to not consume as many calories while still getting tons of vitamins etc from the fruit and veggies!

Bonus:

Are there any drink options? Smoothies for when your woozies #verymk