Baked Lasagna Pie

I wanted to make lasagna with wheat lasagna noodles but I was unable to find them. So I used Whole Wheat Egg Noodles instead and baked it into a pie form.

1 pound of ground beef
half an onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
dash of black pepper
spaghetti sauce
1 container of cottage cheese (16oz)
1 container of ricotta cheese (16oz)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 package of mozzerella cheese
1 package of whole wheat wide egg noodles

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, and black pepper, drain the fat.
2) Pour in spaghetti sauce to your liking (if you like it dryer or saucier)
3) In a separate bowl, combine the cottage, ricotta, and parmesan cheeeses with eggs.
4) In a greased round baking dish, thinly layer the meat sauce, then a layer of dry noodles, then the cheese/egg mixture, then mozzerella cheese, then meat sauce.
5) Continue the layer ending with the meat sauce.
6) sprinkle the last of mozzerella cheese covering the meat, cover pan with foil.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.
8) Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

I didn't have any mozzerella cheese, so I replaced it with mexican blend, but it still turned out delicious! You can also add carrot and/or sweet potatoe puree into the meat sauce for some extra veggies! I have also mashed up some falafel chickpea balls from Veggie Patch into the meat sauce to add more nutrients in my pie. It was still delicious!!!

If you want to try the falafel chickpea balls and other products from Veggie patch, I am giving them out on my giveaway here!

Since today is Wednesday, I will be posting my lasagna lunch on "What's for Lunch Wednesday"















I have 3 2-cup Fit N Fresh containers worth of food! Fruit container has tangerine slices with grapes and slices of an apple. Lasagna container has a broccoli, with stir fry carrots, mushrooms, and asparagus. The top container has 2 slices of garlic bread (I know, and some bacon wrapped asparagus! They're all stacked up and ready for a lunch feast!!!

Brown Rice & Quinoa and Aloha For Japan Bento

For dinner tonight, we had sloppy joes. I am packing some for work tomorrow, but with a twist. I eliminated the bun, added some frozen peas and carrots into the sloppy joes, and I'm eating it with my brown rice & quinoa. Typically I would place the sloppy joes on top, but because I wanted to do a special bento, I placed them on the bottom so I could put the "Aloha for Japan" logo on top. Did I mention that I am doing a giveaway? Well, go and hop over to HERE to find out more about this giveaway! The only requirement I am asking is to support the Japan Relief Efforts, ANY amount is appreciated! Giveaway ends on April 30th, 2011.

The above bento I used Fit N Fresh 2 cup containers, one container contains sloppy joes with brown rice & quinoa, one contains applies, oranges, and grapes, and the last one contains green salad. Adding this to "What's for Lunch Wednesday".

Umeke Market has excellent hot meals and they're very good for you. I've been there several times just to pick up the Turkey Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms over Brown Rice & Quinoa and a side of fresh greens. YUM!

Although I have not attempted to make the stuffed portabello mushrooms (oh I definitely will some day), I have attempted to make brown Rice and Quinoa myself. My first try was a disaster but my second try, isn't too bad. So here it is:

1 cup of brown rice

1/4 cup of Quinoa

Water

Dash of Sea Salt

1) Soak quinoa in water for about 15-20 minutes. I have heard if you don't wash first it will cause indigestion...I didn't soak it on my first attempt but nothing happened to me.

2) While soaking quinoa, pour brown rice in rice cooker with 2 cups of water and leave it for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the brown rice to soak up some water which should speed up the cooking process.

3) Drain quinoa and pour in the rice cooker, then add 1/2 cup of water.

4) Mix brown rice and quinoa in the rice cooker so they're mixed well.

5) Sprinkle sea salt into the rice cooker, then let it cook until done.

Furikake Mahi Mahi

Chinese New Year came and went! Superbowl was just over too. So many things are coming up still: Lil P turns 10, Valentine's day, The Ultimate Sneak Away Contest video voting week, Lil P and Mr. P's birthday party. Then it will be March and spring break is around the corner!

Last week I made Furikake Mahi Mahi, I didn't have time to post it until now...

Singapore Noodles and Bentos

The holiday season is too hectic! I barely had time to cook or to blog! But I managed to make my own version of singapore noodles (aka curry vermicelli) yesterday. I love this dish and who knew I could do this?!

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Asparagus Kabobs

I had friends visiting from Las Vegas so we had a get together last night. Feast included Ahi Poke, Caesar Salad, Kim Chee Fried Rice, Kalbi, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Asparagus, pumpkin pie, and egg custard. The food was great but the company was even better!

Kalua Pork & Cabbage, Salad & Fruit Bento

I haven't made my own kalua pork yet, but if you have a slowcooker, pork butt, hawaiian salt, and liquid smoke, you'll have a delicious kalua pig in a day. Here is my recipe here.

But if you live in Hawaii and you supported a Kalua Pig fundraiser, you'll end up with some in your freezer. You can do alot besides eating this with rice. One that I often do is Kalua Pork Quesadillas (another post). The other would be Kalua Pork & Cabbage, over rice.

1 cup of kalua pork
half of a small cabbage (shredded)
Hawaiian salt
black pepper
sesame oil

1) In a pot or skillet, cook shredded cabbage until soft, about 8 minutes.
2) Add in kalua pork and stir and mix well
3) Drizzle about a tbp of sesame oil and continue to stir fry.
4) Add in a dash of Hawaiian salt (not too much as pork should already be salty), and a dash of black pepper.
5) Serve.

Some people like it alittle wet so the sauce can cover the rice, some people like it drier. Depending on how you like it. If you want it drier, you can use a paper towel to soak up the cabbage water before adding in the kalua pork.

I try to serve this dish quite often as Mr. P loves Hawaiian food. Once in a great while I would even buy lauau, poi, lomi lomi salmon, and poke to make it a hawaiian feast!

I've got no leftovers for lunch the next day. So I packed myself salad and fruits in a Fit N Fresh bowl. Bottom tier contains: lettuce, olives, carrots, and mushrooms; top tier contains: apples, grapes, and sweet juicy korean pear. Added to "What's for Lunch Wednesday"






















There is also a baby gift basket giveaway by Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats. Since I don't have any luck what-so-ever in winning, why don't YOU try?

Fall Bento

Today's bento consists of leftovers from camping weekend as well using Fit N Fresh 2-cup containers. Top tier: Short ribs, Guava Chicken, Corn on the Cobb. Bottom tier: Fried noodles with fall leaves (bell peppers) and sugar snap peas.

Honey Walnut Shrimp and Mongolian Beef

Lil P likes honey walnut shrimp when we go to chinese restaurant, so I told him I'll try to make it for him. Mr. P is allergic to shellfish so I made his chinese restaurant favorite mongolian beef.

Monkeying Around

Susan Yuen gave me another idea for lil P's snack bento. He has mentioned that he doesn't need any special "cutsie" stuff anymore but I can't help it! besides, he said he doesn't need it, doesn't mean he doesn't want it at all, right?

Salad in Fit & Fresh container

Haven't had salad in awhile. So I decided to make salad and pack it in my Fit N Fresh Lunch On the Go container. This container is pretty awesome, it actually comes with an ice pack that sits in the middle of the box so you can keep the bottom (the salad: lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, olives, soy beans, croutons) AND the top (nectarine and spinach/tomatoe/garlic bread) cool! Unfortunately I cannot show you the ice pack because I can't seem to find it in my freezer. But you can see it's fairly easy to pack even without the ice pack!

I have other Fit N Fresh products (Salad bowl, cereal bowl, 2-cup containers, chilled shaker) in my house and they all come with ice packs. I didn't realize how much of their products I have until I listed them!

The cereal bowl though, the ice pack ring gets thicker when it's frozen, so I did have some difficulties closing the lid. Most times i leave it out, or I let the ice pack ring chill a bit first before packing and putting the lid on. But it does come with a spoon that is fitted on top of the lid. how cool is that?

Overall, Fit N Fresh products are good. I have been seeing their kids line at the grocery store now. I am tempted to get them, but decided against it. Because they seem to have similarity with what I have, and I'm happy with what I have. :)

Hamburger Steak

I've been cooking alot more frequent lately, thanks to lil P's sports break. Last night I made spaghetti, but it's nothing out of the ordinary so I didn't post anything. This morning I knew exactly what I'm going to make-Hamburger Steak. But I didn't have any onions and needed to pick up at my nearest grocery store, Safeway.

I was very proud of myself for not spending any money at work this week, I have been bringing home lunch. So I was quite disappointed I needed to go to the store. And you know how it goes, once you go to the store, you'll *always* pick up something else. They had these Fuel containers right in the front by the produce section, how can I not look? It's a two-tier bowl container where you can put soup on the bottom and dry snacks on the top...so it says. It also says that the bottom tier is microwave safe. That means I can put whatever else I want in it. Yup, i got it. I guess it can go into my container collection (I am a fan of Fit N Fresh products). So...I guess they're consider bento collection too, right?

Top tier I have soy beans, carrots, and mangoes (my favorite!!). The bottom tier is hapa rice (half brown and half white rice) topped with hamburger steak, gravy with mushrooms and onions. Below you can take a better look at the hamburger steak.

I kinda winged the hamburger patty, but here is a jist of what I have in it.

1 lb ground beef

1 piece of bread end (since you don't eat that part anyway)

1 egg

2 garlic (diced)

half an onion (diced)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

3 tbsp of puree broccoli (optional, but great for kids)

1) Mix them all together with your hand (I used a disposable glove)

2) Divide them up into 4 equal parts

3) Shaped each into a ball

4) flatten with hand

5) Slightly indent the center of the patt (about the size of half dollar coin, or using the back of a tablespoon). Doing this will help keep the patty from forming a dome.

6) Put it on a skillet/grill and LEAVE IT ALONE until it's cooked halfway. (don't press it down to make the sizzling sound, this will push out all the juice from the patty)

7) Flip it and cook through

8) Serve it over rice, top with sauteed onions and mushrooms, drizzle brown gravy on top.

Of course, you can't end a good meal without a nice dessert. A quick cookie sandwich ice cream (chips-a-hoy cookies with chocolate moose track ice cream) made lil P VERY HAPPY!