Table Talk Tuesday- Tortellini Bake with Sausage & Broccoli

Oh happy day!! It is Tuesday, which means it is Table Talk DAY!! One of my favorite days of the week!

Im feeling a lot like this cutie lately :)

Recently I made a sausage, broccoli and assorted pasta bake. I say assorted because I added a little ravioli and a little tortellini.

The verdict it out! I LOVED the Ravioli and Pat LOVED the tortellini. He even thought of using Gnocchi, which I do not disagree with. I love that man!! He is smart :)

So here we go! 

Shopping List

1 lb. Italian Sausage ( I enjoy Mild)

1 12 oz. package of frozen Tortellini (Gnocchi or Ravioli would do too)

Olive Oil

3 cloves minced garlic 

5-6 Green onions, chopped

1 cup chicken stock 

1 package of frozen Broccoli (Microwaveable Bag)

Breadcrumbs

Parmesan Grated Cheese

OPTIONAL: Heavy cream/milk

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease and 8x8 baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add your pasta.

(Be sure to follow the directions on the package, mine took less than 5 minutes.)

Drain Pasta and set aside.

In a skillet over medium-high heat drizzle olive oil & brown your Italian Sausage. 

Drain grease.

Once sausage is brown add garlic, chopped green onions and chicken stock.

Heat broccoli in microwave according to directions on package.

Drain excess water from broccoli and set aside.

Reduce your mixture to low heat until most of the liquid has disappeared. 

(OPTIONAL: Stir in your heavy cream/milk to make a creamy mixture)

I actually forgot to add the cream and Pat & I both agreed a dish like this didn't need to be creamy! Your call :)

Add drained pasta and broccoli to meat mixture. 

Give your mixture a BIG stir. 

Pour mixture into baking dish.

Sprinkle with a large handful of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes. 

Serve & Enjoy! 

We ended up with leftovers and it was DELISH for lunch the following day!

This meal is totally easy and yummy. So much flavor and it isn't heavy. The vegetable, pasta and meat ratio work perfectly together. 

Double the recipe to make a LARGE meal for a friend who might need it :)

Use your 9x13 and your friend will thank you!

Cooking with Love, Provides food for the Soul.

xo

Weekend Recap- Cold Temps Edition

And Monday here we go again! This week is a short week since we have a late start on Thursday and an Institute Day on Friday!! WOOHOO

#LOLING 

This will be me Thursday and Friday!!

Here is a little recap of our weekend :)

Friday

-Last game of the cheer season. Very bittersweet but happy to be done with coaching for the season :) Now its time for recipe creations and getting into shape!

-We Went out with some friends after I was done with my duties at school! Home and in bed by 10:30 #bless

Saturday

-Slept in. Watched some Everybody Loves Raymond and of course my cooking shows! The Kitchen made these great short ribs which I cannot WAIT to try!

-We ran some errands, picked  up some Dunkin and were off for the morning!

-There were flurries all day long here so we laid low and decided to do a Netflix movie. Pat chose this time and we watched The Impossible. NOW. This movie made me very nervous, anxious and sad. It was a true story made into a movie which we liked but boy oh boy this pulled at your heart strings (It was about the Tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004) I do recommend it because it kept you on the edge of your seat but it will make your emotions go up and down as you watch!

-We went out on a double date with our good friends to Wok N Fire in the Arboretum. We had unbelievable meals and it was so nice to be out with out friends after a busy work week! I had THE best roll ever and it is my favorite roll to date. Their St. Charles Roll is our favorite and it was ON POINT last night! We both also switched it up as well. Pat got a delicious spicy noodle dish and I did a bowl of steak,rice noodle and onion soup! We were stuffed!

Sweater: Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardiagn
Boots: Sperry
Jeans: AEO
Necklace: Park Lane 

-We went out for a few drinks and some darts and then headed home early again and in bed by 1030 :)

(do you see a trend this weekend?) LOL

Sunday 

-Good amount of sleep for a Sunday :) we then decided to head out to breakfast. We to Briana's Pancake House in Palatine on NW HWY. We have been there before but today they were PACKED!! Pat had a skillet and I had an omelet! (SHOCKER! side-note: I am normally not a egg person but this omelet is one of the ONLY egg dishes I will eat.) The cheese, bacon and sour cream might be the reason hehehe! We had delicious coffee, good convo and then headed to get our groceries for the week!

-We came home lounged and  BOTH snoozed! Ahhhhhhh :) Pat got me up and going to head to the gym which I needed. Two good workouts and we were off to run a few more errands.

-We were home by 230. With so much day left! We did laundry, chilled and made lunches for tomorrow.

-Dinner was simple tonight. As I watch the clock typing this I only have 10 minutes until the OSCARS start!!! We both saw Lion and LOVED it!! I am hoping they win it all!!! I also saw Manchester By the Sea with my parents and also enjoyed that! Either one if you choose to see it....bring your tissues! 

We are about to get snuggled and watch Jimmy Kimmel host this year! 

I hope your weekend was warm, cozy and enjoyable just like ours! Tomorrow I will be here for Table Talk Tuesday! A GREAT dish Pat and I both LOVED :)

If you can dream it, You can do it!

Friday Favorites

Oh Hello Weekend..... AGAIN!!!!

I LOVE these short weeks. I would totally not be against a 4 day work week.

I am linking up with Momfessionals, TabandErika & GraceandLove today for Friday Favorites!

ONE.

My date night outfit last Friday :) We went out to celebrate Valentine's Day and the weather was amazing!

Tory Burch. Bass. Park Lane. AEO.

TWO.

The weather. OF COURSE it is now back down to winter temps and we are expecting snow this weekend but it was SO enjoyable the past week!

THREE.

My grandmother turned 89 this weekend. She is my only living grandparent left. My parents and I drove up to Milwaukee on Sunday and had a wonderful evening celebrating Grandma DODO!

I am one of 11 eleven grand children and at the last minute I was able to pull 11 happy birthday wishes together to share with Gram :)

Grandma's 89th

FOUR.

I love pictures. I love photo albums. This was a picture I came across at Gram's this weekend. My dad is on the RIGHT in the sport coat. Look at my grandma's style. I love her skirt!!

(Sidenote- She is wearing a mink fox scarf and for YEARS that haunted me as child!)

FIVE.

Baking and cooking. Tried new recipes this week and I have been pleasantly surprised :) SO much good stuff! I shared Zoodles with Shrimp this week! The other two I will share next week!

SIX.

I shared my WUW post and I LOVED sharing the bonus question! I am obsessed with my makeup line PUR and this stick spot cover up.

SEVEN.

I officially decided to go back to school for my masters in principalship. Big journey ahead and I am ready!

EIGHT.

This meme. God BLESS. If you know me at all you know my love for Costco can at times take precedent over breathing :)

Tonight Is my last night of coaching.... ever. I have decided to take a break from coaching to begin my masters. I have loved every year, the good and the bad. I have grown as an adult and educator through coaching. It is a bittersweet feeling but I am ready for a new chapter in life.

We have ZERO. I mean ZERO plans this weekend and we are pumped!!! 

Have a wonderful day and an even better weekend.

xo

Em's Tips For Success in the Kitchen Part 2- LUNCHES

Thursday's are a favorite around here and I stoked to share my post with you today!

Few weeks ago I shared my tips for success in the kitchen Part 1. 

Today I am sharing my Part 2: Lunches

AMEN!

Prepping for lunches is a love/hate relationship for me.

A huge part of me DOES NOT care what I eat for lunch. But another part of me realizes how important it is for a busy, full time, working teacher to prep lunches, coffee, breakfast the night before.

So I am here to share the tips I have found that work for me and save me those few extra minutes in the morning!

You could ask Pat and he would 110% agree... I would rather spend 4 extra minutes laying in bed than prepping a lunch or making coffee in the morning.

I am NOT and never will be a morning person.

#lordhelpmychildren

So here we go :)

Grocery shop on Sunday. Make a list. Stick to it.Write down only what you need, not what you want. So many times Pat and I have gone to the grocery store STARVING and we buy so many things we do not need, but were only craving! 

Before you lay down for the night or even relax, PACK THAT LUNCH!!! Trust me your crabby, tired self at 6 am will thank you.

Few things here to discuss. On Sunday after you shop, clean up the fruit and veggies that can withstand time in the fridge. This week, I washed and trimmed our strawberries, so when we wanted them they were accessible and clean to pack!

We like to buy items that are pre packaged and easy to take a long and have a long shelf life. (Guacamole, Keifers, Yogurt, and yes Juice Boxes) Grab it and head out the door!

Pre packing chips and little desserts to lay out as well. 

I also pack individual containers of veggies such as carrots and radishes the night before. The less looking and searching I have to do in the morning the BETTER :)  

Invest in some Pyrex GLASS food storing containers. Now it MUST be glass. Why you ask? Because when you use the microwave at work, you don't have to dirty another bowl or plate. The glass can go in the microwave. We buy ours at...uhhh where else? COSTCO! You can find some HERE!

This size is my ABSOLUTE favorite perfect serving for a lunch!

We have also started to cut back on using plastic baggies and now pack with reuseable containers. We realzied how wasteful just the TWO of us can be on daily and weekly basis! I love the sandwich size ones! You can find some HERE!

This Christmas I invested in these YUMBOXES for Pat and I. Now I feel like I use mine more because I love all the little sections it gives you. When you open it up at lunch its like BAM A BUFFET!! And hey who doesn't like a buffet? My mom tells me all the time as a kid I LOVED Old Country Buffet. 

"You Have to Have options"- Erich Barber 

We have a running joke in my family about "Options" at meals and my brother is the one who created this fabulous saying :) 

Because I am type A..... I make room on the middle shelf of our refrigerator for two separate piles of lunches... One is HIS and One is HERS :) How cheesy right? I do not mind it! 

Now like I have stated above.... me and mornings do not get along and never will. So to make the transition from getting ready to heading out the door, I make sure my breakfast, coffee and water cup are all 1. washed. 2. dried 3. prepped for the following morning. Yes I even put the shake mixture and coffee in the night before. Why? MINUTES PEOPLE! I am telling you if I tallied up how many extra minutes I spent scooping coffee or shake mix, I think I would get back AT LEAST a year of my life..... The little things.

On this day my breakfast was a Shake. Coffee. Then YETI. (I refill mine once at school on a normal day, and the ice lasts until WELL after I get home)

Another MINUTE saver is making sure the water in your Keurig is filled and ready for your coffee. I cannot tell you how many times, I have had to refill it while prepping coffees and it totally throws off my schedule. 

I am down to the minute knowing when I have to leave for work. I need to be in my car by 635, on the road by 638 to make it to school by 715. #iamweird #yesiknow #patstilllovesme

That's all I have for you today! Hopefully a tip or two is going to help make your mornings easier! IT is all about balance people! Use your time wisely and enjoy those extra few minutes with your pillow!

Ill see you back here for FRIDAY FAVORITES tomorrow! YAY for the weekend again!