Because of Ricotta

Tonight I wanted ricotta cheese like it was nobody’s business!

Someone at work today was eating lasagna leftovers for lunch, which prompted my craving around 11:30 a.m.! After waiting hours, I finally gave into my desire for the cheesy goodness.

Since I didn’t have any noodles on hand and was feeling way to lazy to make homemade lasagna, I settled for a big bowl of spaghetti squash, topped with ricotta, Parmesan cheese, marinara sauce, roasted broccoli and roasted squash.

I prepared my dinner by first baking the squash and forking out the “noodles.”

Spaghetti Squash

Ready for Toppings

I added a ton of steamed broccoli on top of the squash before going crazy with the two cheeses.

Broccoli + Cheese

Dinner

Stirred Up

I satisfied my cheesy craving and got lot o’ veggies in there, too. Win, win situation.

Dessert

I decided to do some post-dinner baking tonight and made a batch of my sugar-free coconut meringues.

Coconut Meringues

These are so good and pack a little protein punch.

On that note, I think I’m gonna go grab some more… 😉

Rainy Day Baking

Before heading out to run some errands, I fueled up with a ricotta-based lunch.

I seriously love this cheese!

I topped a big bowl of roasted veggies with two very large spoonfuls of ricotta cheese, marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Veggies

Lotsa Ricotta

Lunch

It was delish!

After lunch, I headed out to run some errands and by the time I headed home the weather took a turn for the worse and it was poooouring outside!

Rainy Day Coconut Meringues

Rainy days make me want to bake!

Something about baking and the smell of something sweet in the oven makes a home feel oh-so-cozy.

I didn’t have too many quality baking ingredients on hand, but I had the essentials to whip up a batch of coconut meringues.

Whip It, Whip It Good

I whipped up egg whites, cream of tartar and coconut extract until soft peaks formed.

I then added Splenda (Yes, I use Splenda… Gasp!) and continued to whip the mix until the Splenda was fully incorporated.

Pre-Cooked

Within 12 minutes, I had soft, fluffy coconut meringue cookies!

Coconut Meringues

The meringues were a light, sweet and tasty snack!

Dinner is almost ready… Gotta run!

Coconut Meringues (Sugar Free)

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/3 c. Splenda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix egg whites, cream of tartar and coconut extract until soft peaks form. Slowly mix in the Splenda until fully incorporated. Place spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 – 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Back to Business

After four glorious days off work, it’s back to the grind today. Fortunately we’re easing our way back into the work week since we are only working four days as New Years Day falls on a Friday this year. Yay!

Today started off like a normal Monday with a good workout and a nice walk with Sadie. Ryan was able to join me and Sadie on our morning walk since he has the whole week off of work. Lucky boy, huh?

Meringue Breakfast

I was anxious to break into one of the three boxes of  Divine Meringues I received for Christmas, so I jumped at the opportunity to incorporate them into my breakfast.

Meringues

I opted for vanilla bean  meringues and crunched them up to stir into my Greek yogurt.

Yogurt with Vanilla Meringues

I also enjoyed a clementine that I swiped from my parents’ house. 😉

Monday's Breakfast

Clementine

Foodie Gifts

I got several yummy food-related gifts for Christmas this year including:

• Merinuges
• Soup mix
• Atkins chocolate caramel bars
• Peanut butter M&Ms
• Ferrero Rocher chocolates
• Reese’s peanut butter cups
• Grapefruit knife and spoons
• Food processor (!!!)

Delicious Hazelnut Chocolates

Did you get any foodie gifts this year?