Talin’s Mouth-watering 2 Layer Penne Lasagna

Posted on December 17, 2015 by talin401

I know you are probably thinking Penne Lasagna? I’ve made that possible. Who says that you always need to put Lasagna dough sheets to make Lasagna? Not to me. As long as you have Pasta Noodles of any kind that is large to mid size. I am not saying the Acini De Peppe, Orzo, and small noodles you use for soup and all that. I am saying Penne, Spaghetti, even Rotini. I have tried, tested and tasted. It is delicious! Well, let’s get started.

Depending on the number of people that you are serving in your family or your friends. It is in your preference.
This is for a family or friends of 4 or 5.

You will need:

– 900g of Penne Rigate Package (depends on your pan size as well and number of people)
– **Onions or Garlic are Optional. (It is your choice)**
– Oregano
– Basil
– Tomato Paste
– Tomato’s
– Mozzarella Cheese
– Parmesan Cheese
– Cottage Cheese
– Extra Lean Ground Beef
– Sea Salt – (Never use table salt) **To your added preference**
– Grinded Black cracked Pepper
– All Spice

To begin:

1) Mash the extra Lean Ground beef into small pieces, cook it well done in a pan. That is where you will add just the Tomato Paste and Sea Salt. add about 4tblsp full of tomato paste and 1 and a half tsp of sea salt. (Add water, but not too much) You do not want your Lasagna to be Soggy. Add just enough to mix the tomato paste with them together.

2) In a separate small mixing bowl add 1 tbsp Oregano, as well as Basil, and all spice – Mix them together

3) Wash and Slice 4 fresh tomato’s – use Tomato on a Vine or Roma Tomatoes. put them aside.

4) In a mixing bowl add the grated Mozzarella Cheese and Cottage cheese. Mix it together.

To make the Penne:

1) Make sure you put a little more than half a large pot of water

2) Boil the water and put Sea Salt and as soon as it boils, add the Penne. (Never put any kind of noodles in a non-boiled water, it will stick to the bottom of the pot and stick to the other noodles)

3) Immediately stir the Penne so that all the noodles will become tender evenly and keep mixing ever 2-3 minutes. Let it boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes. If it needs more time, then go to about 11-12 minutes. MAX. (Do not overcook and make it mushy. Take it out while it’s al dente)

4) Drain and set aside to make 2 equal parts of the Penne Rigate, but first Mix the ground beef/tomato paste mix with the penne before Parting them. Add the Oregano, Basil and All spice mix with them as well.
In a Medium to Large Pyrex Pan:

1) Add cooking oil spray to the whole pan.

2) Add the first layer of the Penne and even it out.

3) Add the cheese mix – then Put Parmesan Cheese

4) Add the layer of the Tomato’s

– **for the Last layer – Repeat Steps 2-4 but add #4 first, then #3– Add the Parmesan Cheese last.

—————————–

Oven Settings:

– Bring the Oven to Convection – to 375 degrees before you put the Lasagna in.

– Let it cook for 30 Minutes

and there you have it.
Penne Lasagna. Bon Appetit! Enjoy!

Picky Food Eaters – This is an Eye-Opener

Posted on September 26, 2015 by talin401

There is something that I need to address. Everyday it is a struggle to figure out what to cook, and there are those who ask, “What are you cooking today?” “We are eating that again?” “Why don’t you make this instead?” “I don’t like this, I don’t like that”, well some people do not know how hard it is, especially when it comes to picky eaters, those who waste so much food and those who don’t like to eat many things.

People have no right to complain, and also there are so many people in this world who go to bed hungry, who do not have sufficient amount of food to feed their families, malnutrition, and can barely get enough bread and butter on the table. Some people in impoverished countries and in our own backyards struggle with that and some people live off only a small quantity of food per month and even worse starve to death in this world.

I know due to certain health restrictions and non-permissible foods in someones diet or allergies or illnesses, irritants to someone which is understandable, but other than that people should not make a fuss over what to consume.

Because some people have resources and ample amount of choices of food and an array of ingredients to cook with and our fridge, freezers and tummies are always full and that is how picky eating comes to play. In life growing up if we did not eat the food our parents, grandparents made for us, and if we were fussy and picky, we would be sent to our rooms or somewhere without eating. People should not complain at all for food.

Just take a closer look to people who do not have that necessity or barely. What are they supposed to say? People should be fortunate and thankful that they do have that necessity, however some people take it for granted and are not thankful. This is really an eye-opener and our attitudes, pick and choosiness and other Things need to change in the world for the better.

Now to my readers,

Do you have picky eaters at home? would love to read what you have to think about all this.

It all starts with how we implement change in our society.

Not a Big Fan of Microwaves and the Recipes with it.

Posted on September 24, 2015 by talin401

In my life, one of the many joys I have is cooking with pots, pans, wok’s, Pyrex and all those cookware products, and making things from scratch on a stove top or putting it right into the oven or toaster oven. I prepare food in healthy and great ways to ensure that my loved ones get the proper nutrition and everything. One thing that I am not a big fan of is Microwave recipes and things to heat up in there. I seldom heat up a hot beverage or something along the lines of that during the winter months, but other than that, I resort to other cooking methods as stated above.

I used to buy microwave popcorn a lot many years ago, but then I heard the harmful chemicals and ingredients used in the bag and the popcorn itself got my stomach churning and thinking, Oh my goodness I used to eat that and all those chemicals went into my body? After that, I refrained from purchasing them, and I invested into a popcorn making machine and now I make popping corn from scratch.

I know some people have no choice in using it because they either have to heat up food that you take to at your work’s cafeteria/lunch room, or when there is a child or children in you’re household to heat up their food instantly and feeding them, or when you have guests over or whatever the case maybe. It is okay, no problem.

The ample amounts of stories and articles I have read about microwaves make me think twice even three times when it comes time to use it. I have heard the radiation that gets onto the food or the unhealthy rays that come from it and then to consume it. I can really do without that appliance. Nothing beats a real home-cooked meal without having to use recipes of microwave use.

Do you use microwaves?
Or would you rather use natural pot/pan cooking and heating methods?
What do you feel about them?

How to Exercise and Diet With No Pain, No Crazy Diet Plans

Posted on February 27, 2014 by talin401

All if not Most of us know the pain and stress that comes with exercising, eating well, following a diet plan, getting quick results in no time, thinking about the pain that comes with exercise and much more. Well, do not worry, I have the solutions and tips to steady, healthy, painless results that will benefit you in the future, but first you will need to dispose all those diet pills, protein bars, energy drinks, and all those crazy smoothies that are loaded with oodles of chemicals, harmful toxins that do more harm than Good which is a recipe for diseases later. Do yourself a favour a get nutrition out of real food, and skip those energy diet stores. Safety is number one and getting healthy and fit will not happen overnight. Work at it. Even if it may take a year, just get yourself up and be patient.

Exercising:

We all know that exercising has a lot to do with weight loss with the balance of food, but visit your doctor first, ask what type of exercise is good for you, whether its elliptical, treadmill, weight lifting, exercise bike, sit ups, push ups and whatever. I am going into my 3rd week being on the treadmill. The first week I began walking at 2.5 speed at 10 minutes, then I increased my exercise the week after to 15 minutes a day, then as I began my 3rd week, I am doing 20 minutes on the treadmill each day at 2.5 speed until I get to an hour much later.

It is important to pace yourself and begin to exercise and just get your body moving, then when your body gets used to it, slowly increase your time on a treadmill and exercising with whatever you have. Never begin at the top. Work your way up to prevent yourself from hurting and then you won’t want to do it anymore. Trust me, I have been there and done that. I refused to ever go back on the treadmill because of it, and now with learning how to do it, I began a pain free exercise that I will see results in the long run and your body will thank you later. You don’t want to hurt your Body, you want to get healthy and do it safely.

Skipping Meals — Do not Do it!

Skipping meals will not only do harm to your body, you will lose nutrients that your body needs to fuel up, Never skip meals. Eat smaller portions through the day and never go hungry as you will end up eating more and then that will add up the calories. Eat fewer calories, but portion them out and follow healthy recipes, but never ever starve yourself. You maybe losing weight, but what are your insides telling you? Getting healthy doesn’t mean that you have to skip meals, it means to eat everything, but limit yourself.

Water – Drink plenty of it.

Never drink Ice Cold or Cold water. Always drink warm to hot water as it will absorb into your body more and you will be hydrated. Put lemon or a little cinnamon to add flavour to your water and drink. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. You will end up using the washroom more, but that is a good sign. It means your body is getting rid of fat, and toxins. Your organs will function better, and your bowel movements will improve from being so constipated, well if you get constipated.

Food Intake — Eat everything: Never cut out anything:

Eat equal amounts of carbs, breads, grains, fruits, veggies, meats, pastas, cheeses and other foods. Never ever cut anything out from your diet as everything has its nutrients, with iron, folic acid, niacin, vitamins and minerals needed for the body to function. Always be aware of what your purchase at the grocery store, and read the nutrition labels… Sodium and Sugar are in a lot of our foods, and it is not very good for you, but if you limit the quantity ingested, you will see results. Follow the labels, and go from there. The more you cut out sweets and carbs from your diet, you will want more, so limit yourself and never ever let these crazy diet plans get to you.

What really angers me is when people waste a whole egg, do not throw away the Egg yolk, eat the whole egg, you are entitled to eat it one everyday, and sometimes a couple of times per week, but do not cut it all out. It really makes my blood boil when people waste food like that. DO NOT. Eat EVERYTHING!

——————————————————————————

Trust in me, I have been there when it comes to pain and trying to seek fast results. It put my body into pain for weeks and sometimes I could not even move. I was sore, I was crying in agony and in pain. I gave up very quickly because I did not want to feel that burn pain in my lower leg calve muscles. That killed me. I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I began so many times with my exercise and stopped within the few weeks or 3 months. I just didn’t have the energy to do it anymore because of the pain I endured. It was so bad, That I cried.

Don’t let over excessive people give you advice on how to workout and eat right, don’t let these extreme diet plans, exercises get in the way. Do it as you feel, and listen to your body. Don’t allow over extremists to control your mind and your motivation. Get motivated by doing it at your own pace and never fall for gimmicks, and those diet stores with terrible chemicals that will hurt you in the long run. So save lots of money, get moving on your own time and never ever allow others to control you. Lose weight, have fun doing it and do not stress over how long it takes. Longer is better. trust me.

You will thank me later.In a year or less from now, you will find me and say, Talin you were right about all this. I am glad you opened up my eyes. Exercising and Eating everything should not be struggle, it should be fun and exciting.

All the best and enjoy!

The Start of My Health & Fitness Routine – Any Advice for me?

Posted on February 11, 2014 by talin401

I am really excited to announce a new phase in my life beginning with the journey to getting more healthy and fit and to lose weight starting with: – 15-20 minutes on the treadmill for the first 2 weeks everyday – After 2 weeks 25 minutes for another 2 weeks everyday
then the 2nd month 30 minutes, then up to 45 minutes the 3rd month, then 1 hour after the 4th month, then I will exercise 5 days per week after the 3rd month. Just the beginning, I will need to exercise everyday and keep at it. I was thinking about it during the weekend, I said what am I doing to myself? What am I doing to my body? I need to get moving.

Then I will do some Yoga as my Body gets skinnier. Eventually I will join a Gym, but I already have a treadmill at home.

I want to improve my nutrition and food intake, and eat healthier to keep the weight off. I will have a light breakfast in the morning with oatmeal, boiled egg, a glass of water or 2, then small portions throughout the day with portioned rice and pastas with a limited amount, drinking about 1-2 liter’s of water a day, no sugar in coffee or tea, no chocolate, but dark chocolate, no refined sugars, candies, sweets, lots of veggies and fruit, more leafy greens, and foods with colour, more raw veggies… Hopefully by the summer time I will lose about 40-50 pounds.

How can I stop the cravings for eating a lot of Carbs and how do I prevent myself from eating sugary things? Its going to be a huge challenge, but I am up to changing my lifestyle, and the way I eat.

What websites should I visit that really help with Fitness and Eating well? There is a lot out there, but which ones are actually accurate and from the best sources?

What advice do you have for me? What do you think I should do in terms of portion control? what kind of things I should avoid, and all that other stuff? How can I maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle without overdoing it. I never want to over do it. I would appreciate it so much. Thank you!

Talin’s Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe

Posted on January 15, 2014 by talin401

I would like to introduce to you a very healthy, flavorful, Couscous Salad recipe, which is full of essential nutrients, which will get your taste buds active and will want the whole salad bowl to yourself. Yes, it is that good! Couscous is one of my favorite things to add to vegetables, and add so much flavor with it. Excellent choice to serve at dinner parties, or regular dinners, for lunch, for dinner, anytime. Here is The Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe.

Couscous Salad Recipe
Serves: 4 or more. depending on how much quantity you would like to prepare. play around with the amount of ingredients to your desire.

Ingredients…
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups pearl couscous
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 full cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large tomato, diced…. preferably tomato on a vine…
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs (any combination of fresh parsley, cilantro, arugula, basil, dill or mint)
• 1/3 cup raisins or more to your tasting
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted or not. you can just add them in.
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

To Prepare follow these instructions…
1. In a large saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain with a strainer — preferably thin holed strainer so the couscous will not fall through.

2. While the couscous cooks, in a small bowl, mix the oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add cooked and drained couscous to a large bowl, and then, pour dressing over warm couscous, mix well. Let it cool completely

4. After cooled completely, Add cucumber, tomato, herbs, raisins and walnuts to the couscous and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed.

5. Enjoy it when its cold – cover then refrigerate, about 1 hour. Better to eat cool…

Bon Apetit!

Talin’s Delicious Salad Dressing – Say Goodbye to Creamy!

Posted on October 24, 2013 by talin401

Hello everyone,

I have started to eat really healthy for the past month and I am experimenting a lot in the kitchen about alternative and healthy ways to eat your food. Now some salads even though they are loaded with Veggies, can sometimes have many calories because of the dressing you put onto your salad. It plays a big part in promoting healthy eating. So, I came up with my very own dressing which is loaded with flavour, No calories and it kicks your salad up a few notches. Not just a notch. Just like Chef Emiral Lagasse would say. Now it depends on how much Salad you are making, so eyeball how much of the ingredients below as to the quantity. Like say you have more than 5 people to feed or as desired or as you go, but here are my measurements.

Now without further due, here is my flavorful dressing.

Ingredients you will need to mix in separate bowl before adding to your garden salad:

Dry Ingredients:

1 tsp — Ground sumach Sumac (like a purplish/reddish powder)

1 tsp — of Salt

1 tsp — Black Pepper or Cracked Black Pepper.

1 tbsp — Ground Dried Mint

1 tsp — Ground and Chopped Parsley Flakes (You can find it in your spice aisle at the grocery store)

Pinch — of Cinnamon with the tip of your fingers. Not too much!

half tsp — of Ground Ginger

Liquid Ingredients:

2 — Fresh Lemons — Make sure the skin is bright yellow as we will use some to zest about 1 tbsp worth of zest, maybe just a bit more than cut it in half and squeeze both Lemons well. Make sure you roll it a few times on your counter or cutting board to activate the juices inside and it will be easier to squeeze out with your Lemon squeeze.

3 tbsp — Olive Oil

3 tbsp — of Pure White Vinegar

1 Lime — Squeezed both sides and cut in half — Follow the same concept as Lemon but without Zesting it.

—– **NOTE** You can play around with the quantity and depending how small or big your salad is, make it according to the number amount of servings.

To Prepare:

Mix all the Liquid ingredients first, then as you go, add each dry ingredient separately into the mix and keep mixing it with your tbsp and then let your salad dressing sit for about 10 to 15 minutes until the dry ingredients have settled with Liquid ingredients because you want to let them incorporate with each other. Do not add it into the salad until after you let it sit. meanwhile you wait for the dressing to settle, set the table, do the dishes you took out to make your lunch or dinner so less washing of dishes later and you can get things done quicker after, then by the time you do all that, it will settle in, then you mix it well into the salad, and there you have it. Talin’s Salad Dressing. .

Bon apetit!

Talin’s Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion, Whole Wheat Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce

Posted on June 7, 2013 by talin401

Today, I decided that it is all about a healthy recipe. to get more healthy, eat well, have regular physical activity and have a well-balanced diet. Eat everything of the food groups, but everything has its limits. Now today, I’d like to start with Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce.

Ingredients needed:

Basil,

Oregano,

Salt (Mushroom Sauce will have Salt in it, but just add a little bit more into it)

10-15 Mushrooms(Regular and cutting them until each mushroom becomes 4 Pieces),

2 Red Onions Chopped,

Fresh Bagged Spinach — One or Two Bags

Whole Wheat Pasta — 750 g or 900 g —– Serves 3-5 people.

Mushroom Soup Sauce — 1-2 cans

Olive Oil

To Prepare the Sauce: Remember to wash the spinach, then wash the mushrooms and the onion before chopping.

you put olive oil into the Spaghetti Sauce Pan — make sure its deep enough to then put the whole wheat spaghetti to mix together….

Put in the chopped red onions to cook, but do not overcook the red onions as it will lose its colour…. cook on medium heat.

then quickly put in the mushrooms after the onions cook just a bit

then put in the basil, a dash of salt and Oregano into the pan and start mixing….

then after without chopping the spinach, just put it all into the pan and it will shrink in size. you do not need to cut the spinach.

then your done….. make sure the onions are still red to make it look good and the nutrients from the onions will not go away….

Then you will put in the Mushroom sauce and let it all cook until warm to hot….

To Prepare the Whole Wheat Spaghetti

In a pasta pot put water, but just enough and keep an eye on it so it wont overflow when it boils… add salt and olive oil into the water.

after the water has completely boiled put in the whole wheat spaghetti and let it cook for 10 minutes to 12 minutes MAXIMUM until its al dente. dont overcook spaghetti or any type of pastas.

Remember to mix the pasta in the water instantly after putting it in and keep mixing the whole wheat spaghetti so it wont stick together every 3 minutes until its cooked

————————————————

Then you drain the water from the spaghetti and you mix in the spaghetti with the sauce and your done…

—— Eat Immediately. You can put Parmesan cheese on top or feta cheese, but make sure the feta cheese is not so salty… there are different types of feta you can buy from a specialty grocery store or a cheese factory or something.

Then your done!

BON APETIT!

Talin’s Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion, Whole Wheat Spaghetti in Mushroom Sauce

Posted on March 22, 2013 by talin401

I have not written a recipe in a while, so I decided that today is all about a healthy recipe. My new years 2012 resolution is to get more healthy, eat well, have regular physical activity and have a well-balanced diet. Eat everything of the food groups, but everything has its limits. Now today, I’d like to start with Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce.