Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

1 Box of  jumbo shells
1 large part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella
about 1/4 cup parmesan
2 jars of tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon of parsley
1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
9x13 baking dish

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Boil the shells and drain
3. While shells are boiling mix together 1/2 cup of mozzarella some of the parmesan and all of the ricotta cheese. 
• Stir in parsley and Italian seasoning
• Put in the fridge.
4. Spray 9x13 backin dish with cooking spray.
5. Fill each shell and place it in the backing dish.
6. When all shells are filled pour sauce over everything, top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 45 mins - 1hr.
7. Cover with foil halfway through baking.

Vegetarian Pasta Primavera

My mom used to make something like this but she added chicken. Since I try not to eat meat, I make a vegetarian option.

You Will Need:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced and smashed
1/2 - 1 white onion - diced
1 diced zucchini
1 cup (ish) chopped asparagus
2 cups of broccoli
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/4 cup of lemon juice - about 1 large lemon
1 Tablespoon of italian seasoning.
salt and peper to taste I start with about 1 tablespoon of each.
Whole Wheat Linguine - you can use fresh or dry or grain free or whatever you have.

1. Cook pasta and set aside.
2. In pan or large skillet eat olive oil on medium heat.
3. Add onions and garlic cook until soft.
3. Next add zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, salt and pepper. Cook until soft or desired texture. I like mine a little crunchy still.

4. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

5. Let simmer until veggies are your desired texture.
6. Add linguine and mix until fully combined.

7. Serve with parmesan ramano cheese

Serve!

Vegetarian Chili

This is a great recipe if you're going to be gone all day and don't want to cook when you get home. Just toss it all in and leave it alone. You'll have a healthy, hearty meal when you return.

You will need:
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of light beer
1/2 -1 cup of water
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of corn
1 potato peeled and diced
1 small sweet potato (half large)  peeled and diced
1 small onion diced
1 small zucchini and/or yellow squash, diced
1/2 cup nacho jalapeños (optional)
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
1-2 dashes of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
Plain greek yogurt
cheese

* I always opt for "no salt added" or "low sodium" beans and canned veggies when at all possible.

1. Dump all the ingredients into the crock pot except for the yogurt and the cheese.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. 
3. Serve with cheese and greek yogurt or eat it plain.

Makes about 6 ish servings, freezes well.

Baby (mommy) Prep When Dad Is Gone!

Yep. I had a baby and my husband wasn't there. 

So I know, LITERALLY every pregnancy is different. But there are a few bits of advice I can give you. Especially if you're military, anything can happen. Here are some things to consider, to give yourself the best chance of sanity if you're doing this by yourself!

Prepare, prepare prepare!

• Keep your medical records in your purse!
• At about 34 weeks I asked for a copy of my records from my OB.  Its great to keep them on hand in case you go into labor and end up somewhere other than your hospital. Happened to me and they said that was the smartest thing I could have done. My OB wasn't open so they couldn't call to get my records faxed.

• Have a hospital bag packed WAY before you think you'll need it.
• at 20 weeks I started packing one. Everyone said I was crazy because thats so early but I would just throw random things in when I thought of it. Glad I did because when my water broke I was alone and only 35 weeks. Luckily,  I had almost everything I needed already packed.

• Have somebody/anybody who can take you to the hospital.
• I knew my husband had a chance of being gone so I had a friend (an equally pregnant friend haha) take me to the hospital and she was awesome enough to stay until 5 am with me.
• Have more than one hospital as an option!
• My OB was a 35 min drive without traffic or weather. In Virginia, with the bridges and tunnels that could easily turn into 45 mins to and hour. I ended up going to a different hospital that was closer and had a NICU because I was having a preemie.
• not all hospitals and birthing centers have a NICU so ask when you tour.

• Install the car seat EARLY!
• I installed it as soon as I hit my third trimester. Its not something you want to do after you give birth or even worse when you're in labor.

• Meal Prep!
• Find some recipes that you like, that freeze easy! Make 1-2 a week and freeze them in meal sized portions. Especially if you're going to be alone. The last thing you want to do postparum is to cook for yourself.  I made chili, burritos, enchiladas and lasagna. The burritos were my favorite because I could just put them in the microwave and eat them. 

• Get snacks!
• Granola bars
• cereal 
• fruit cups
• baby carrots
• candy (you know you want it) 
• anything quick and easy

• Stock up on household stuff & toiletries 
• Keep a stock pile of household stuff and toiletries so you don't have to go to the store, alone, with a newborn when you run out. You will run out.  Just buy a little at a time every time you go shopping during pregnancy so you don't have to drop a bunch of extra money. Coupons and sales help! 
• Buy extra:
• toilet paper
• paper towels
• paper plates
• all purpose cleaner
• clorox wipes
• laundry detergent
• dish soap
• hand soap
• hand sanitizer
• shampoo/conditioner 
• body soap
• pads (light and heavy)
• 1 pack of preemie (just in case) 
• I had no preemie diapers or clothes and it was a disaster. She had nothing to wear. 

• Keep an extra bag of dog/cat food
• Buying 30 lb bags of dog food with a baby isn't fun. Get it ahead of time or set up auto delivery from a website like chewy.com.