Balsamic Wilted Spinach with Tuna

 Are you tired of the same old sides?

The same old veggie that takes up that tiny space on your plate?

Are you a spinach lover?

 Per the FDA, veggies are supposed to take up the biggest space on our plates.

I made some Potato Encrusted Cod and wanted a side to go with it.

And since this was lunch for me I wanted something lite.

Something without a lot of calories.

I had a 9 oz. bag of spinach in my refrigerator

that I wanted to slip into a chicken lasagna.

Perfect!!

You know how plans go, right?

Sometimes at the spur of the moment they change.

My spinach plans changed.

This is what I did to turn the spinach into the perfect side for my fish.

Balsamic Wilted Spinach with Tuna

1-5 oz. can tuna in water, undrained

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

lots of crushed black pepper

1-9 oz. bag fresh baby spinach

Place tuna, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer and add spinach. Stir. Cover and simmer until spinach is wilted.

See Ya'all Soon

Italian Tortellini Soup

 Every morning when I get up, I look out the bathroom window

that frames the scene of our back yard.

Every morning there are more leaves on the ground.

For some reason this view makes me all warm and fuzzy.

Tell me I'm crazy.....It's okay.

Because I know what is coming after all the leaves are off the trees.

But the warm and fuzzy feeling directs me to soup.

This Italian Tortellini Soup is one of the best.

Sure did warm my soul.

And Johnie loved it too.

 I didn't really get a chance this week to touch on our last weekend.

Me working second shift hours has really been tough on us.

We never see each other during the week.

So when the weekends get here they are all about us.

Last Friday while I was at work Johnie sent me a text that read:

"I hope you love what I got for us."

Really?

I'm stuck at work and he sends a text like that?

I couldn't wait for my shift to end.

But the hours drug on, and on, and on.....

So by the time I made it home at 3:00 a.m. Johnie was fast asleep.

Which meant I would have to wait longer for the surprise he had planned.

Saturday morning he presented this gorgeous (picture above) hand painted

portrait of us standing beside his Harley.

This picture is huge and takes up one whole wall in our game room.

Johnie is definitely a man that thinks outside the box.

I am so lucky to have him in my life.

 Shall we get back to the soup?

Give me a minute to dry my eyes.....

This soup doesn't take long to throw together.

This is what I did:

Italian Tortellini Soup

In a large mixing bowl mix together:

5 c. hot water

4 TBS chicken soup base

1-7 oz. envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix

1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

3/4 tsp. dried basil

a lite shake of red pepper flakes

In a dutch oven I squeezed and crumbled 7 chicken breakfast sausage links. 

Add:

1 medium chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped fine

Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic

When this is browned add the liquid mixture

Bring to a boil

Add 1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini (9 oz)

Chop 1-10 oz. package fresh baby spinach

Add the spinach just before tortellini is done

Allow the spinach to wilt

And there you have it! Italian Tortellini Soup

See Ya'all Soon

Some Italian Flare

 We could not come up with a name for this.

So we will just call it an Italian Flare.

(The fish is Schwans Potato Encrusted Cod)

Which is very good, by the way.

Someone in this blog area.....I won't mention any names Johnie.

I promise!

Is having issues with headaches and leg cramps.

Well the leg cramps are obvious.....

Low potassium.

So since this person that I promised not to mention.

See Johnie, I didn't say any names.....

Refuses to go to the doctor.

So Angie has taken a stand, and is looking into changing the diet.

A person's body issues usually relate to diet.

Notice I said usually?

We are going to give this a try for a while to see how the leg cramps go.

Which more potassium means:

Fish

Avocado

Dark leafy greens

Bananas (of course)

Yogurt

Dried Apricots 

White beans

Mushrooms

Baked potatoes

Acorn Squash 

(but we will leave this one out. johnie doesn't like the squishy stuff)

 We informed you in our introduction that this blog would be a place for product reviews.

Here is our first product:

Happy Harvest Diced Tomatoes.

These are found at the Aldi Supermarket.

We have been doing a lot of shopping there and their products are pretty amazing.

These tomatoes are just as good, if not better than, Hunts.

I like the diced tomatoes with herbs.

This one is basil, garlic, and oregano.

We keep our pantry stocked with these.

A can of these are very good served over pasta, veggies, or for creating your own Italian dish.

Just like we did.

 One thing about Angie in the kitchen, she is always planning ahead.

She soaked one whole bag of great northern beans and divided them into

2 c. freezer bag portions.

That way they are soaked and ready to go.

All you have to do is simmer them for 45 minutes to an hour in salted water.

Using fresh dried beans is so much better for you than the 

overloaded preservative packed cans.

This is what we did to create this awesome potassium filled dish:

Italian Flare

The (2 c.) soaked, frozen great northern beans have to be simmered for 45 minutes to an hour. So you will have to plan ahead if using them. Just cover the beans with salted water, bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer covered for 45 min. to an hour. You want them firm tender, so don't over-cook them.

1 can diced seasoned tomatoes

1 jar marinara sauce

1 TBS dried oregano

1 TBS dried Italian seasoning

Place these ingredients in a large skillet and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Add the beans, and a 16 oz. bag of fresh spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt. 

Cook your pasta to desired taste. Top the pasta with sauce and parm cheese.

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See ya'all soon