Category: What I Make

What I Make

Mostaccioli Noodles with Meat Sauce

Julia Parent

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
8 oz. Mostaccioli noodles (see what I have to say about pasta on my TIPS page)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ cup jarred spaghetti sauce
½ lb. lean ground beef (I buy 93% lean/7% fat)
Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef and break it into small pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain grease out of the skillet, if there is any. Mix your favorite spaghetti sauce with the ground beef and let simmer until pasta is done. Drain pasta. Mix with vegetable oil, so it doesn’t stick. The pasta and the sauce contain sugar. Look at the nutrition labels to see how much you can have of each and still stay under 10g sugar. Top pasta with meat sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Have with a glass of water.

What I Make

Monster Salad

Julia Parent

I ordered a salad similar to this at a fast food restaurant. I tried to recreate it at home, but sometimes I put different things in it according to what I have when I make it, such as: celery, carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, grapes, raisins, cheese, and different nuts and seeds. I use the chicken leftover from my Baked Chicken, Parmesan Spaghetti Squash, and Sugar Snap Peas recipe.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
Caesar salad kit, to taste
shredded chicken, to taste
1/4 apple, rinsed and chopped
3 large strawberries, rinsed and chopped
1 handful blueberries, rinsed
1 handful pecans
granola, to taste

Directions:
Assemble the Caesar salad. The kit I buy comes with lettuce, Caesar dressing, croutons (which I don’t eat if they’re made with enriched flour), and grated Parmesan cheese. Use the dressing sparingly. Top with chicken, fruit, and nuts. Sprinkle with granola. Have with one serving (according to nutrition label) of milk.

What I Make

Baked Chicken, Parmesan Spaghetti Squash, and Sugar Snap Peas

Julia Parent

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts with bone and skin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
basil, to taste
1 small spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
fresh stringless sugar snap peas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking dishes with foil. Place chicken breasts in the first baking dish and coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Make sure to thoroughly wash everything that came in contact with the raw chicken. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Remove the seeds. Place the cut sides down in the second baking dish. Put both baking dishes in the oven. After 45 minutes, take the spaghetti squash out of the oven. Cut butter into small pieces and place in a bowl. Using a fork, carefully remove the hot spaghetti squash strands from the hot shell and place in the bowl with the butter. Season with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Stir. Check the chicken. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, make sure the meat is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. When the chicken is done (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour after putting in in the preheated oven) remove the skin and take the chicken off the bone. Serve with spaghetti squash and sugar snap peas. Have with a glass of water.

What I Make

Parmesan Pasta, Deviled Eggs, and Carrots

Julia Parent

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons mayo (I like the brand with the tangy zip.)
paprika, to taste
4 oz. dry pasta (I like a brand that’s made with dried tomato, dried beet, and dried spinach.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
2 large carrots

Directions:
Fill a pan with enough water to cover eggs. Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat to the highest setting. When the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to the medium high setting so the eggs don’t break during cooking. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain. Put the eggs back in the pan and shake until the shells are cracked all over. Fill the pan with cold water and let the eggs sit in the water for 5 minutes. Peel eggs. The shells should come off easily. Rinse eggs to remove any small pieces of shell and dry eggs with a paper towel. Cut eggs in half. Carefully remove the yolks from the whites so the whites stay intact. Mash yolks with a fork and mix with mayo. Spoon the egg mixture back into the egg whites so each egg has an equal amount and sprinkle with paprika. Put in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to eat. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, wash, peel, and cut carrots into sticks. Drain pasta. Melt butter in the same pan. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta and stir until pasta is coated with butter. Sprinkle with cheese. Have with a glass of water.