Spinach Ricotta Roll Up

This recipe is sooooo easy. You can make it as a main course with veggies and salad or as a side with a meat and vegetable.  This is very light considering its a pasta dish and doesn't weigh you down. 

Start by cooking one package of lasagna noodles. Once they are soft drain them and set them aside.


In a saucepan wilt a bag of fresh spinach or use one package of frozen spinach. Drain it really well, make sure all the water is out.


In a bowl mix together:

300 gram container of  Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp ground garlic

Add the spinach to the mixture and blend together.

In a baking dish (I prefer glass) pour 14 oz. chopped tomatoes and spread it over the entire base of the dish.


Separate noodles lying them flat on your cutting board. If your like me half of the box will be in pieces set those ones aside and use only the full noodles. Using a tablespoon, spread a thin layer of the filling on one of 
the noodles from end to end. Starting at one end roll the noodle gently as not to squeeze the filling out the sides.

Place it in the baking dish on top of the chopped tomatoes. Continue rolling single noodles until your dish is full. Again be careful not to make it so tight in the dish that the filling is squeezed out.

In a second glass dish I put the other 14 oz. of crushed tomatoes spreading it over the entire base. Now I use my broken pieces of pasta and layer them on top of the tomatoes. I probably had 2 layers of noodles just randomly placed.


I used the rest of the spinach and ricotta mixture and spread it evenly on top of the noodles. One more layer of noodles and set it aside.

To top off both dishes I used a 410ml bottle of Carbonara (Cheese and Bacon) Sauce and put half the bottle on each of the dishes and spread it over the pasta. You can use any pasta sauce you like but I liked the cheese sauce.

Cover the dishes and bake  at 325 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Then serve. Be sure to scoop some of the tomatoes and sauce to pour over your roll up.



Even after making these two dinner dishes from that one box of Lasagna noodles, I still had enough noodles left over for a pasta salad.

Pasta Salad

I chopped the noodles into smaller pieces,
added  2 chopped green onions,
1 cup of cole slaw pieces prebagged,
1/3 cup of sun-dried tomato oil dressing.

Covered the container with the lid and shook it until all the contents where covered with dressing.


So there you have it, fast, simple and delicious. Drop me a line and let me know what you think of it?

Enjoy

Drinking Your Water

So, we all know the benefits of drinking our 8 glasses of water a day. It helps give us needed hydration, clearer skin, helps flush toxins, helps with weight loss, prevents leg cramps and relieves fatigue by increasing energy.


But did you know that there are specific times of the day that we should be drinking water? I recently read that it is just as important when you drink your water  to get the full benefits.

In the morning upon waking the first thing you should do is drink two 8 oz. glasses of water. The morning intake helps to hydrate you and help activate your internal organs. Now if you think about it, it does make sense after all you have just slept 5 to 8 hours without eating or drinking. I don't like water in the morning but since I have hypothyroidism I have to take my meds upon waking I have to drink water. I am now forcing the second glass and I am sure that I will get use to it quickly.

During the day you should be drinking one 8 oz. glass, half an hour before your meals. This one is two-fold, it helps with digestion but it also helps with weight loss. The water you drink helps you to feel fuller faster and therefore you eat less. This one is a bonus. Also, before you snack have a glass of water sometimes its just a miscue from your body and you aren't really hungry your thirsty.

Now so far there is nothing out of the ordinary but did you know that you should be drinking a glass before you have a shower or a bath? Well, when you shower or bathe your blood pressure can tend to rise and drinking water actually helps to lower your blood pressure while your bathing. I have high blood pressure and I have never been told this by any doctor. This one is a good tip.

Lastly it is a good idea to drink your last glass of water before you go to bed. That's right, before you go to bed. Now I can hear what your saying "then I will have to get up to pee" and I am with you on that front. The fact of the matter is that drinking a glass of water before bed helps to guard off Strokes and Heart Attacks while you sleep. Apparently the chances of having a Stroke or Heart Attack is higher during the wee hours of the morning. Something else I didn't know.

I did know that drinking water hydrates your muscles and helps to alleviate cramping in the muscles. No more Charlie Horses in the middle of the night, jumping up and down screaming "Ouch, Ouch, Ouch" and waking the dead.

In addition to these times, you want to drink before and after you work out. They say you should drink 2 glasses of water slowly over a 2 hour period before you work out. Anytime you are doing work that causes you to sweat excessively you want to also adapt this regime. By drinking your 2 glasses over a two hour period you avoid that sensation of water doing tidal waves in your stomach and it allows for better absorption.

Drinking things like coffee, teas and sodas actually may cause a slight effect on your hydration and may increase dehydration however the studies out there haven't confirmed this. It all depends on the individual person. They do say it is a good idea to match water intake to the amount of coffee, tea and soda you drink. (eg. 4 coffees = 4 more glasses of water)

If you are in the sun, whether its sunbathing, chilling on the dock or swimming be sure to hydrate. Our bodies need water to survive and I know with myself I am very bad at getting the right amount each day. One of the things you can do to help you drink the water you need is to make it a little less boring.

Add some fruit to your water. You can just about add anything you want. You can add water to your water, coconut water that is. With the warm weather coming it would be nice to have a pitcher of sliced oranges, peaches, watermelon, strawberries and blueberries with a few ice cubes and water.

It adds natural flavors without all the added calories or sugars. Speaking of ice cubes you can also add your favorite fruits to your ice cube tray and just top up your drink. Either way you slice it (pun not intended) you have a flavorful, healthy glass of water and it looks great too. It doesn't matter if the fruit is fresh or frozen both add the flavor and the benefits. Try adding a sprig of mint too.

Well I am definitely going to try to be more water conscious and hydrate more, I can use all the help I can get at my age. Start your kids on the right path and get them to join you for a "cool refreshing drink". I have made a little chart you can hang on your fridge to remind you to drink more water.

Good Luck

2 glasses when you wake up
1 glass half an hour before meals
1 glass before bathing
1 glass before snacking
2 glasses over 2 hrs before workout
1 glass before bed

Quick Salad Lunches

Okay here is a great idea. It saves you time and is something you can make in bulk. I usually make 6 or 8 salads ahead that way when I need a quick lunch its basically done for me. I can even pull a couple jars out if I want to add a salad to dinner.

To start you will need mason jars with lids, clean and ready to fill. I like to use the 32 ounce jars. Then all you need to do is figure out what you like in your salad.

My favorite ingredients but tailor yours to your favorites.

In my bottles I have:

flavored tuna
green beans
red peppers
purple onion
blue cheese (I like stinky cheese)

I put all my ingredients in the bottom of the jar. You aren't limited, you can add different meats, cheeses, veggies, eggs or anything you prefer.

If you are adding cooked meats like chicken or beef or even hard boiled eggs, I won't add these until the night before you use them, these items have shorter shelf lives. I chop these items and put them in zip lock baggies and bring it along separately. 

Once you have all the ingredients in the jar fill up the remaining space with lettuce or greens of your choice.

Some people like to add their salad dressing into the jar also, I don't as I would be afraid it would make everything mushy. Nothing is worse than wilted mushy salad.

Now that your jars are full and the lids on tight you can keep these in your fridge for days. I kept mine for up to 7 days and the salads stayed crisp and fresh. Enjoy!

Hello Everyone

First off let me say that I am excited and happy to be here with you. Creating this blog has been a goal of mine and I am finally up and running. 

My blog name "Oldie Hawn" came from my boys. One of them decided one day that I looked like Goldie Hawn (I wish) and then my husband chirped in with "more like Oldie Hawn" and low and behold here I am Oldie Hawn. Now my kids call me by this name, I guess it could be worse so I will take it.

My plan with this blog is to do some reviews of ideas out there that are suppose to save you time, money and energy. I know with our busy lives with jobs and kids it sometimes hard to get everything done in a day. There is always someone telling you that things can be easier and I am going to help you find out just whats true and and what is a flop and save you the headache.

There will be a recipe corner that is going to be made up of fast and easy recipes to make you look like a real cook, I have had my family fooled for years. They actually think I can cook....my idea of cooking is throw it all together and toss it in the oven, literally. When it hits the table they love it. I am going to find the best easy recipes out there without all the weird ingredients your kids won't eat. I have 3 fussy eaters and if I can satisfy them, you will be able to satisfy your crew too. 

I am also an avid D.I.Y. Queen and l will show you some interesting items to make. I have taught everything from kids crafts to oil painting and just about everything in between. I was featured on CityLine TV and Sue Warden's Craftscapes here in Toronto and have been crafting for as long as I can remember. Hopefully as we get to know each other you can ask me questions or suggestions to help you on your craft ideas.

Although, I am mentioning crafts and recipes it is going to be far from your boring old blog with the same old tired stuff. I will be doing it all and I really hope you sign up to get notifications. You won't want to miss all the things I have in store for you. I want you to feel that you are getting full value for your valuable time. Lets go forward and see how you like what I have to offer. Drop me email and I will be glad to chat.

Rock on, Live long and prosper or something like that and I will see you soon.

Sherri 
a.k.a. Oldie Hawn