To be honest, this past week has been pretty insane. Juggling 2 jobs, dealing with the massive learning curve that comes along with becoming a new Agent…. learning everything I need to know to get started & become successful has been crazy to say the least. Not to mention keeping the house clean, working out (my wedding is coming up quick people!!) getting laundry done & keeping the fiance happy with preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for him every single day UGHH I swear he thinks I am wonder woman! We’re talking about a guy that needs me to text him directions on how to microwave a quesadilla ! Haha well not that bad, but seriously.. it’s pretty bad
So this week has been all about re-vamping my schedule and being more efficient with my time. This will definitely help me to be less stressed AND get everything done that I have to get done – YAY!
The re-vamped schedule:
7-10am – Admin/marketing job (I do this from my home office; major plus)
10:30-12:30pm – workout time
1-2:20pm – work on Real Estate stuff; blog, marketing, etc
2:30pm-6:30/7pm – Nanny job
7pm – 10pm – make dinner, eat, cleanup, figure out what my next blog post will be (not as easy as you might think) , researching market conditions & whatever else.
10pm- till whenever – TV time!! This is when we like to watch The Bachelor, Real Housewives, American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy.. you know, all the good stuff. And yes the Fianc (my nickname for my Fiance) likes The Bachelor, Oprah & Real Housewives! I got lucky with him haha
My biggest downfall with keeping the schedule in was planning out the weekly dinners…… OH MY GOD I literally can only think of about 5 meals MAX! So we pretty much eat the same stuff every week! Tacos, burgers, speghetti made 100 different ways.. those are a few of our go-to meals. So, a couple of weeks ago I decided I would make all the meals on Sunday and then freeze/fridge them so that all we had to do was pop them in the microwave/oven each night & voila.
So.. that worked for about 1 week. Now I’m thinking about incorporating maybe just a couple “made ahead of time meals” into the meal plan, instead of making all 5.
So, tonight I’m making his all-time-fav meal. You must try this recipe. Every single time I make this everyone raves about it! Another good thing about this meal is that it lasts for about a week and is really healthy too.
Stuffed Pasta Shell Amazing-ness:
- Heaven on earth
- Yummm
Source: http://www.traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
- 1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.
To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)
Arrabbiata Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.
Yield: approximately 6 cups
Recipe Giada de Laurentiis – FoodNetwork.com
ENJOY!! Let me know what you think 😀
House To Home Blog 
I can’t wait to try the recipe!! I was laughing about cooking all your meals on Sunday for the week because I used to do that. With work and Alyssa, it’s REALLY hard to cook every single night, so I would cook huge batches of stuff Sunday and then reheat it throughout the week. However, I had to do this for both my lunches and dinners and it became this huge project. So now I just try to cook big portions to last a couple days, but I’ve also figured out a schedule that allows me to cook each night, because I really have to for Alyssa. Anyway, I completely relate to you on that. I will send you an amazing lentil soup recipe I have. It’s vegetarian (I think you are off and on w/ that lol) but it is soooo good and healthy and lasts about a week as well.
I think your blog is awesome and will be so great. I like the theme, the title, and your plans! =) Good luck with it all…I will check back and leave 5 page comments like I am doing now. LOL. XOXO
Thank you Darcy!! You’re too cute. Yes, send me the Lentil soup recipe. I love making stews/soups because they are so much better homemade, and yes they last forever. Hope you & Alyssa are doing well Xoxo’s – thx for the comment!!
Busy girl!! I have the same problem with dinners too! Lord! I’m gonna try this recipe though. Thanks girly!
Sorry it took me forever to do this, but here is the Lentil Soup recipe. Hopefully the heat dies down soon and we have a cooler day where soup will be the perfect thing to make =) Let me know what you think!
Ingredients
• 1 cup dried lentils (green or brown, not red)
• 5 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil This is what recipe says but I put less – just enough to coat the pan)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup raw bulgur
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 fresh tomato (I usually use a few tomatoes because I LOVE them.)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 pinch dried rosemary
• salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• fresh spinach
Instructions
Rinse the lentils. Bring them to a boil in a 2-qt saucepan with the stock or water and salt.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Sauté‚ the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cayenne, bay leaves, and raw bulgur. Stir the mixture on medium heat, then mix in the parsley and tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour the lentils and their liquid into the soup pot with the onions and bulgur and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick add more stock, water, or tomato juice. Remove the bay leaves.
Just before serving, stir in the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot
soup.