Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce

A healthy (and much lighter on your stomach) alternative to heavy (ie beef) meat sauce...


Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
1, 28-ounce can tomatoes (organic if you can afford them), cut up - **Try low sodium here**
1 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb spaghetti - **Try whole wheat pasta here**
non-stick cooking spray (preferably canola)

Preparation:

Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray coating. Preheat over med-high heat. Add turkey; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Drain fat.

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, green pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove cover; simmer for 15 minutes more. (For a creamier sauce, give sauce a whirl in a blender or food processor.) **Also try - adding 1 tbsp. of cream cheese at this point.**

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain well. Serve sauce over spaghetti with crusty, whole-grain bread.

Nutrition Content (all nutrition information is given for the recipe unaltered...ie without the information marked with an asterisk)

Per Serving:
calories: 330
total fat: 5g
saturated fat: 1.3g
carbohydrates: 42g
protein: 29g
cholesterol: 60mg
sodium: 280mg
dietary fiber: 2.7g

Trying Too Hard (or not hard enough?)!

Sometimes I wonder...all of the people who tell me, "You can't give-up!" "You have to keep trying!"...I wonder what these people would do in my place!

I am tired!  It's that simple!

I have been sick for a very long time and I have been "fighting" for a VERY long time!  I am tired!

I am dying...that much is not in dispute!  How I choose to die should be up to me!

I love my friends!  I really really really do!  And I know that people are just trying to be helpful and keep my spirits up...

Sometimes though...I just want to lay down with my dogs and not move!  This is not giving-up!  It's called tired! I am tired ALL the time!  I am never not tired...not even for a second!

So please...if I am too tired to chat or go to dinner or play games on Facebook/Pogo...please do not see this as giving-up!  See it for what it is...I am just tired!

Much love!