Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach & How Twins Have Changed My Kitchen


A few things have changed in the kitchen since bringing the twins home. Let me share...

1) Paper Products: I was against the whole concept of paper products before having the twins. It just seemed like a complete waste and just something else to take up garbage space. However, now that I see how much time it saves during clean-up to use disposable servingware – I am now part of the population who will faithfully purchase paper plates, bowls and cups at the store. I am becoming a fan of anything that saves me a bit of time.

2) Groceries: The amount of store-bought groceries in our pantry has almost doubled. Whereas before the babies I was trying to make everything from scratch at home - we now have a bunch of prepared foods to make things easier on us during these first couple months. Again, this is due to the time it saves – it’s much faster to fill a shopping cart than to fill a pantry with homemade goodies.

3) Recipes: My idea of the perfect dinner is now won over by what is quick & easy. I have tried a few dinners that have only a 10 minute prep time and I am left standing in the kitchen feeling like I still have something to do. These short prep time meals have made it incredibly easy to stay up on the dishes in the kitchen, which is also helping in the whole scheme of things. 

This first recipe I am sharing, after being absent from blogging for so long, was the first thing I cooked after coming home from the hospital. It’s easy and it’s delicious – two of my favorite things in a recipe!

Let me introduce you to my very own, Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach!


My husband and I both thought it was very tasty and it made for great leftovers. Our 4 year old didn’t like it, which doesn’t say much considering how much food he “doesn’t like”. Our 2 year old loved it, which again, doesn’t say much considering how much food he does like…


Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 oz chicken sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
28 oz crushed tomatoes
9 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 lb tortellini, I used a mixed cheese variety
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add sausage and garlic. Cook until sausage starts turning golden brown.
2. Add tomatoes, spinach, chicken broth and Italian seasoning to skillet. Stir well.
3. Add tortellini, stir well and bring ingredients to boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Monday, February 25, 2013

We're Home!

We are back! It's been too long, I must confess. To be fair, I have not had much in the way of food to really share... 

Being pregnant with twins rendered me a bit too tired to try anything new in the kitchen and then after being placed on "Limited Activity Rest" I had to take a break altogether from anything that took longer than 15 minutes to cook. It was hard, but I loosened up the reins in the kitchen and graciously accepted my husband's help with meal-duty. Usually I would just prefer nobody to cook but myself - it's something I enjoy doing and feel like it's part of my job as a stay-at-home mom. However, not having a choice in the matter turned out being a nice break from the norm. Plus I was reminded of one of the reasons I fell in love with my husband - he knows his way around a kitchen. ;)

So, without any further ado...

Please welcome our beautiful twins!!



A boy and a girl! That makes our final scorecard with Boys-3 and Girls-1. :)

She weighed 7lbs 4oz and he weighed 7lbs 3 oz - delivery went as expected with a c-section and everybody was happy and healthy when it was all said and done. I made it to 38 weeks and couldn't imagine going a day longer than we did. The babies are so wonderful and absolutely beautiful - we couldn't be any happier! We now have 4 kiddos and let me tell you, I never knew my heart was capable of so much love. ♥

Stay tuned for some quick recipes that I have discovered since being home. It only took me a few days to be home and I was back in the kitchen - I seriously missed cooking.