Skinny Trick/Italian Night!

I know the words "skinny" and "Italian food" aren't generally used in the same sentence. But I'm pretty sure I've found a way to do that.

My love comes home tonight after being gone for two weeks on business! I can't wait to kiss him, hear his stories and make him a nice home cooked meal.

*Disclaimer - I was never one to utter those words. I'm not a chef, I never claimed to be a good cook, but that's the thing about marriage - if you're lucky, you evolve and grow and do it willingly and happily. I mean I'm gardening now, for God's sake. (Who am I?)

Anyway, although I'm still settling into the mother role, I refuse to become "that mom" ~ you know the one. My best friends mother (God bless her) gets offended if we sit down to her table and actually worry about fat and calories. Ok, I get it, there's a time to splurge. But get used to cooking this way, and you won't even notice the difference.

First of all, get used to cooking with olive oil, not butter. The flavor is amazing and the fat is actually good fat for your body (yes, there's such a thing.)

And get rid of the ground beef. Begin to substitute lean ground turkey for everything.

If you're feeling especially Rachael Ray, make your turkey into meatballs (awesome recipe here ), or just brown it up and add it into your sauce.

Ok, this is a very important step and one I PROMISE you will not taste like diet food. Get high fiber pasta. This kind tastes EXACTLY like regular pasta, with something like twice the fiber in it. If you're not familiar with what fiber does to your body, let me put it into layman's terms: It goes right through you.

And the sauce is important too. Get those veggies in there. (Again, fiber.) If you have a family recipe, by all means, use it! If you need quick and easy (hello, my world), try an organic chunky sauce filled with tomatoes and veggies.

Don't forget to set the mood. Take off your apron, let your hair down, and put on a little lipstick. Oh, and wine too, of course! Coppola Rosso: best, most affordable and delicious table wine.

Satisfied customers:

Enjoy! xx