One of the nicest things anyone did for me after I had Andrew was make my family a meal.  It is so overwhelming to bring a tiny, helpless baby home from the hospital.  I felt like I couldn’t get anything done!  It’s especially difficult when you have other little mouths to feed!! My friend, Heather, made us a casserole with chicken, pasta, zucchini and tomatoes.  I added that recipe to my repertoire!  So, when I heard that my neighbor just had her second baby, I thought it might be nice to “pay it forward”. I use to sew crib quilts for my friends with new babies.  That was before I had Andrew.  I barely get a shower somedays; there’s no way I’m getting any sewing done.  I had to accept the fact that there will be several layers of dust to blow off next time I get to use my sewing machine for a project.  It’s okay.  I wasn’t very good at it anyway. I decided to make a lasagna.  Lasagna freezes well if they don’t want to eat it right away.  I just doubled the recipe and made one for my family.  I’ll throw it in the oven this evening and add a salad or some green beans. I use a different recipe every time I make lasagna.  I always use oven-ready lasagna noodles.  When I first began cooking, I used the ones you have to boil.  What a daymare (a frightening or oppressive incident experienced while awake)!!!  They stuck together like nobody’s business and ripped to pieces when I tried to separate them!!

Thank you to the inventor of oven-ready lasagna noodles!!

I browned antibiotic free, hormone free, extra-lean ground beef with onions and garlic.  I never make my own tomato sauce anymore.  I use Publix brand organic sauce or whatever else might be on sale. I combined reduced-fat cottage cheese, low-fat ricotta cheese, grated parmesan and eggs, cracked in a separate bowl, as I had a few shells to pick out.  I wanted to use some fresh oregano and basil from the mini-garden (see my previous post about fresh herbs)! Moroccan Chicken, Roasted Curry Cauliflower & Indian Dahl Fresh parsley would have added freshness but, my plant hasn’t recovered from the caterpillar feast.  Hmph! Then, I just layered starting with meat sauce, followed by noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, a little mozzarella and repeat, ending with cheese.  I added a little more parmesan on top as well. I used an a disposable pan that can simply be thrown away for my neighbor.  I layered ours into a glass dish with a lid I can pop on and throw in the fridge if there are any leftovers.  I added a kale, broccoli and sliced brussels sprout salad with poppyseed dressing I bought from Publix. Here’s what my toddler was doing while I was making lasagna..

I knew he was doing it.  But, if he wasn’t doing that, he would be making some other mess and it could be much worse.  I’ve learned to pick my battles. Related posts: Oops! , Moroccan Chicken, Roasted Curry Cauliflower & Indian DahlHelp Me To Help You! If you feel overwhelmed by all the nutrition advice, calorie recommendations and diet trends, read these: Fact. Not Fad., Let’s Crunch Numbers!, Help Me To Help You!