Variations on a Theme: Baked Pasta

As I see it, there comes a time (or twenty) in every girl's life (or month) where she must make a recipe that she's already made before, but with a twist.  I found myself doing just that last week.  You see, the BF and I are trying VERY hard to stick to a post-New Year, sort-of-related-to-resolutions-but-not-really diet (which is funny since, as I write this, the BF has just brought me a plate full of pizza rolls.  No judging, peeps.), and there really isn't a lot of room for my usual favorite things (macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and pizza bread, anyone?).  So, with that in mind, I ended up doing a variation on this recipe.

I started by boiling EXACTLY 4 servings of mastaccioli, browning 1/2 a pound of ground beef with red pepper, oregano, salt, and pepper, and sauteing 1 bag of baby spinach with one large white onion and two cloves of garlic.  I combined the whole thing into a 9x9 square baker with one can of spicy red pepper marinara, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkling of parmesan.

After being baked at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes, the dish was hot, bubbly, and only about 500 calories for one HUGE serving (this recipe makes 4 servings).

Two of my favorite pairs of shoes are by Michael Kors.  While I'm not crazy about his clothes, his shoes are among the most comfortable I've ever worn, and that includes the pair in my closet with the 5 and 1/2 inch heel.  I would like to add these to my collection, I think:

Michael Kors via Nordstrom.


Hopefully they won't be a disappointment in the comfort department, because they sure are the perfect pair for me!