What a delicious Sunday night dinner! I whipped up a big batch of pasta with all of the fixings and baked a yummy batch of cookies with enormous chunks of dark chocolate for dessert. It was a night of good eats!

For dinner, I started by cooking a package of whole wheat and ground flaxseed linguine from Nella Pasta.

And then I combined leftover sausage, spinach, and marinara from last night’s pizza dinner to create a hearty meat sauce. I amped up its nutrient profile by throwing in some fresh spinach that blended right into the sauce.

I decreased the nutritiousness of the meal by adding a piece of Texas Garlic Toast. Texas Toast tastes frickin’ amazing, but the ingredient list is so scary! Oh well, eating one piece won’t kill me– and it was SO worth it!

I ate dinner in front of the TV while watch the Pats with the guys. I snapped a pic of dinner on the kitchen counter before plopping down on the couch.

And, for dessert: Chocolate-Almond Butter Cookies!!!

After my cookie mishap last week, I decided to utilize a plate for my dessert. The physical act of putting cookies to a plate and eating them one at a time, definitely helped me pace myself and satisfy my sweet tooth after just 3 cookies– instead of a the whole batch!

Chocolate-Almond Butter Cookies

Makes approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (I broke a Scharffen Berger bar into pieces)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until batter is blended evenly.
• Use a tablespoon to portion cookies on a greased baking sheet, approximately 1-2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool on wire rack.
• Eat and enjoy!

Amazing cookies! Seriously, they are AWESOME! But, they’re awesome because they have a TON of sugar and a whole stick of butter in them. They’re definitely the type of cookies that you bake and share with others! I’m glad that the guys are eating them while they watch the game– otherwise, I’d devour them myself!

I can’t believe the weekend is just about over. It flew by! Enjoy the last few hours!

Remember how Murphy was absolutely exhausted after his pug playdate yesterday afternoon? Well, his partner in crime, Finn, was pooped too!

His owner, Leigh, sent me this photo yesterday afternoon:

The story of Murphy, Finn, and Nella Pasta is actually sort of random.

A couple of months ago, Murphy and Finn briefly met on the streets of South Boston. But, it wasn’t until Leigh’s friend told her about Carrots ‘N’ Cake that we got in touch with one another.

In addition to loving pugs, Leigh is a huge foodie and co-owner of Nella Pasta.

Nella Pasta specializes in fresh handmade pasta using local ingredients.

Tonight, I made Nella Pasta’s Southwestern Black and Orange Ravioli.

From the Nella Pasta blog:

We stuffed our bright orange roasted red pepper pasta with a southwestern black bean filling that will appeal to all the senses: the perfect Halloween motif-ed colors that will complement any Halloween decor, the fragrant aroma of hot chillies and cilantro and the perfect subltle kick of spice for your taste buds.

I added the Southwestern Black and Orange Ravioli to a bed of fresh spinach and topped it with a sauce made from marinara, salsa, chopped green bell pepper, and ground Italian sausage. Mmm!

As dorky as it may sound, the meal was bursting with flavor!

And, for the record, I snacked on a M&M cookie and a cup of coffee during the NuVal meeting this afternoon.

The cookie was amazing; the coffee was horrendous!

I have Apple Crisp baking in the oven right now. I’m so excited! It’s the first of the season for me!

Almost time for bed! Sleep tight!

After running around and reorganizing our apartment all morning, I totally crashed and took a nap.

I actually HATE napping. I always feel worse when I wake up from a nap, so I typically avoid them like the plague. But, today, I couldn’t resist my bed and a cuddly pug.

I slept for about an hour before stumbling into the kitchen for some lunch.

I made myself a bowl of Southwestern Black and Orange Ravioli from Nella Pasta (full review tomorrow night!) with spinach, mushrooms, and a scoop of salsa on top.

A little while later, I snacked on a piece of raisin bread toast with peanut butter. Sorry no photo. I just ate it without thinking of my camera.

Murphy continued to sleep the afternoon away…

His pug playdate really wore him out!

So tired!

Dinner

Tonight’s dinner was another delicious recipe from Real Simple magazine.

Creamy Rice with Roasted Shrimp

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice*
• 1 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced

*Instead of Arborio rice, I used Massa Organics Whole Grain Brown Rice.

Directions:

Heat oven to 400º F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is absorbed.

Add 2 cups water and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile toss the shrimp, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

On a rimmed baking sheet, roast until the shrimp are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve over the rice.

Awesome recipe! Mal raved about this one!

With dinner, I drank a glass of POM juice mixed with water.

After dinner, Mal brought us a couple of spoonfuls of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert. It was SO GOOD, but sometimes my husband is a bad influence on me! Chocolate chip cookie dough = heaven!

The weekend flew by, didn’t it? Back to the grind tomorrow.

Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend!