Spinach & Tomato Cheese Tortellini Soup

Top of the morning to you, foodies! It has been quite a few days. Nick and I went to Pennsylvania this weekend and I stayed a couple of extra days. I wanted to help Nick’s dad with something, plus I just wanted to stick around. Coming back to our apartment is painful sometimes. It is especially painful because I know that we have a beautiful house being built. The anticipation is mounting by the day and I feel like I am going to blow! Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Nick’s dad is a pretty incredible guy. Nick is very blessed to have such a great role model and father!

Okay, okay I am done gushing.

I cooked dinner for Joe {Nick’s dad} on Monday. It was a huge hit. Joe loves soup… really; I’ve never known a man that loves soup more than he. So I decided to make some soup. So I decided to give Tortellini soup a try. And the result was a delicious pot of Spinach and Tomato Cheese Tortellini Soup.

Yep. You read that right! Take a look at this soup!

Nutritional Information
Servings: 6
Serving Size: about 1.5 cups
Calorie: 220
Fat: 5.6 g
Carbohydrates: 31.5 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Protein: 8.5 g
Points+: 5

Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from food.com

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 - 5 tablespoons onion flakes
• Garlic powder
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini
• 10 ounces spinach
• Parmesan cheese {optional}
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cumin

Directions: 

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
• Add broth, tomatoes, onion flakes, and garlic powder, salt, pepper and cumin. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil
• Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions
• When tortellini is almost done, add spinach and adjust the seasoning with some more salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately and garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan, if you want to! 

This soup was spectacular, especially because it was raining and windy out. It was the perfect night to make it. I cannot wait to make it for Nick.

Make it sometime soon, show your entire family how fun and delicious soup can be!

Until Next Time,

Happy Eating

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Happy Friday lovelies! It’s a great morning so far, and it doesn’t hurt that I just downed a can of Pepsi. Oh and I had a handful of cheese balls. Not the cheddar orange ones, nope. I had some White Cheddar Cotton Tails. They are so cute. My mom gave me a barrel for Easter. They are white cheddar cheese balls that resemble cottontails. I am in love with them.

Aside from my unhealthy addiction to food my day is going fairly well. Nick and I are going to Pennsylvania for the weekend. I am actually looking forward to a relaxing weekend away. We were going to go visit my mom and a friend, but those plans fell through so now we are just going to stay at his parents’ house for the weekend. Nicks aunt and uncle are hosting a Mother’s Day luncheon on Sunday that we are excited to attend. It has been a fairly long time since we saw his family.

That means I will not be cooking much this weekend.

Oh well.

I do have a great recipe for you today. It is a variation of those Mozzarella Sticks from earlier this week. I don’t know about you but when I was growing up I love those Totino’s Pizza Rolls. Every now and then I still crave those little pizza bites. So I thought that I would try to make my own version earlier this week. I mean, I was on a roll with making appetizers so I figured I would just keep going with it. That’s how these were born. #Drool

Nutritional Information:
Servings: 18
Serving Size: 1 Pizza Bite
Calories: 67.6
Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 4.7 g
Points+: 2

Ingredients: 

• 18 wonton wrappers
• 6 pepperonis, cut into thirds
• 6 mozzarella sticks, cut into thirds
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• ½ milk
• 1 egg
• ½ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Tomato Sauce {optional}

Directions:

• Wrap each pizza bite in a wonton wrapper. Do this by putting ½ teaspoon of the marinara sauce on the corner of the wonton wrapper.
• Then top it with a pepperoni section. Place a piece of cheese on top.
• Then add water to the edges of the adjacent sides. Wrap tightly allowing the water to seal the wonton shut.
• In a shallow dish, whisk together milk, egg, garlic powder and cayenne pepper
• In another shallow dish, spread 1 cup bread crumbs
• Dip each pizza bite covered with a wonton wrapper in the milk and egg mixture
• Then thoroughly coat it with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process until all of the pizza bites are coated
• In a deep skillet, heat about 3 inches of oil over medium heat
• Place a few pizza bites in the oil and cook for about 1 minutes, or until they are brown and crispy. You want to move them around carefully so that all sides are evenly browned. Do not over cook, because they have a propensity to burst open
• Warm the tomato sauce and serve immediately with the pizza sticks!

These little guys are so good and much better than those you find in the frozen foods section of the store. I love the crispy outside and the gooey cheesy inside with the pepperoni and tomato sauce. It’s the perfect little bite!

You should definitely give these a try sometime soon.

Until Next Time,

Happy Creating 

Mini Mozzarella Sticks

I have a confession to make, I am addicted to food…. all unhealthy foods.  I have gained a couple of pounds. Really, it is only 2 pounds. But those two pounds are making me feel miserable. Yep, two stupid, little insignificant pounds are making me go crazy. Gaining weight for me is a psychological thing, only because I was overweight for so much of my life. The struggle to keep it off every day is just that – a struggle battle, a war, a mêlée every single day.

I know that a couple of pounds are not the end of the world. I also know that we all fluctuate in weight several pounds up and down. I tell myself that all of the time. But I still let it get to me. I still allow myself to go crazy over a couple of pounds. I think that everybody looks at me and sees the number 2 stapled on my back. It’s like being branded with the Scarlet A but instead of some sort of adulterous rendezvous it is a secret love affair with food.

What is wrong with me?

It has not stopped me from eating, I will tell you that much. That brings me to the matter at hand – food, recipes, and sharing.  I have something new to share with you today. Take a look at these Mini Mozzarella Sticks. They are TO DIE FOR! Not only that they are very easy to eat. Even though they are not that many points, if you eat the entire plate full you may have to add a few extra miles to your workout routine this week!

Nutritional Information
Servings: 21
Serving Size: 1 Mini Stick with Marinara Sauce
Calories: 75.2
Fat: 1.8 g
Carbohydrates: 9.5 g
Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 5 g
Points+: 2

Ingredients:

 Recipe Adapted from CenterCutCook.com

• 21 wonton wrappers
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• Water
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 6 mozzarella sticks, divided into thirds
• Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions: 

• Wrap each piece of cheese in a wonton wrapper. Do this by putting the cheese in one corner of the wonton. Then add water to the edges of the adjacent sides. Wrap tightly allowing the water to seal the wonton shut.
• In a shallow dish, whisk together milk and egg.
• In another shallow dish, spread 1 cup bread crumbs
• Dip each mozzarella stick covered with a wonton wrapper in the milk and egg mixture
• Then thoroughly coat it with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process until all of the mozzarella sticks are coated
• In a deep skillet, heat about 3 inches of oil over medium heat
• Place a few mozzarella sticks in the oil and cook for about 1 minutes, or until they are brown and crispy. You want to move them around carefully so that all sides are evenly browned. Do not over cook, because they have a propensity to burst open
• Warm the marinara sauce and serve immediately with the mozzarella sticks!

These little guys are so delicious. It’s like eating in a restaurant, but you never have to leave the comfort of your own home. Score!

Give them a try sometime soon you can thank me later!

Happy Cooking