Ladies, it’s time to abandon all your good eating habits for one evening. Gents, we already know you pretty much eat whatever, so maybe lace up those running sneaks. 

I’ve got Alfredo. 

I won’t call it “Fettucini  Alfredo” because I used spaghetti noodles. And I’m here to spur your creativity, so please call it “insert pasta here alfredo” until you decide on noodles I guess. 

To repair my arteries, I used whole wheat pasta. Plus, it holds up better to all that thick sauce anyway.

And can hold more weight in cheese, so good choice on my part I think. Oh, and I added spinach. 

This is ridiculously easy. Alfredo might be another one of those things you thought was harder, but really isn’t. You could also use this sauce as an accompaniment to poultry. 

Please don’t hate me. 

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:: 

• 6 TBS butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• baby spinach
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:: 

1. Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer for about 1 minute. Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. 
2. Continue to warm over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach to sauce just before serving. Stir to wilt leaves. 
3. Serve over cooked pasta or chicken. 

P.S. I finally (finally!) saw Julie & Julia and am now dying to go to culinary school. Anyone else?

Texture is the most important expectation to manage here; it really threw Ryan and I off! Don’t expect super creamy. The spinach and the farfalle are the stars here, not the sauce which is just an accompaniment. It definitely grew on us and I even had leftovers for lunch. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:: 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound), cut crosswise and sliced into strips or small pieces
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp grated zest and 3 TBS juice from 2 lemons
• 1 pound farfalle or penne
• 1 6-oz bag baby spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add garlic to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and return to pot. Add sauce, spinach, pine nuts, and chicken to pot and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 

This reminds me of the good angel on one shoulder and the bad angel on the other. All fighting for the best alfredo-type sauce!

The trifecta of goodness:: Parmesan, cream, and lemon zest.

Spinach is so good for you. And so beautiful too! I love this dish because of all the wilted spinach.

To toast pine nuts:: Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Don't burn them like I did. Dork.

Higher in protein and fiber than regular pasta. Definitely worth the extra buck.

I can tell you four things about last night’s dinner:: 

1. It is not at all good for you. In my mind, I justified this fact by using whole wheat pasta. So I basically just lied to myself. 

2. If you do not like garlic, you will not like this. Step. Away. 

3. I literally came up with this on the way home last night (hence, “Kitchen Sink”). I had an idea but ultimately, what came together was this. It also uses up some ingredients from a few recent recipes – the bread crumbs, the cheese spread, and some wine.

4. This was really good. Really. 

Serves 2-ish

Ingredients:: 

• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (or cut your own from chicken breasts)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 10 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup garlic herb cheese spread
• 1 1/2 cups (dry) whole wheat pasta, boiled following package directions

Directions:: 

1. Salt and pepper the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, mix well. 
2. Lightly bread the chicken strips by dipping them first in egg white, then into bread crumbs. Set aside. 
3. Heat 2 TBS olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add chicken, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side, until outside is golden brown and inside temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Set aside on plate. 
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saute pan (or a medium sauce pan will work fine here) with the mushrooms over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are cooked down and are browned. Add garlic, cooking for about one minute. Stir in wine, letting the wine cook off until liquid is almost completely evaporated. 
5. Remove the mushroom mixture from heat, stir in the garlic cheese spread until melted and well combined. Pour mushroom sauce over pasta and a few pieces of chicken. 

Ingredients::

• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
• 10-oz box fresh spinach, chopped in food processor
• 1 15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Ryan said this reminds him of some green jello dessert – ewwww…

Lay them in two rows of four – nice and cozy so they all become friends.

Directions::

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, then add tomatoes and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place spinach in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1 tsp salt, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9″ x 10″ casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly.