I'm baaaaack...

Blogger forgive me. It has been a year and a half since my last post. But I'm back!

Man have I been busy! To sum up the past 18 months or so... I finally got pregnant (woo hoo) and welcomed my son into the world on November 24, 2010 (double woo hoo!). The past 6 months have been a whirlwind. My little family and I moved to a new city, I quit my job, and am now a stay at home mom. I have been so focused on my attempts to be the best Mom ever that I forgot about being the best Me ever. Which brings me to today's post.

Just because I have a new baby doesn't mean I have been away from the kitchen. In fact, I think I might even cook more now that I am a full time mom... probably because I am one of those moms that make their own baby food (Take that, Gerber).

But I digress.

I missed blogging. I missed sharing my recipes. I missed hearing if anyone has tried any of these ideas in their own kitchens. I missed forming sentences that didn't include the word "diaper" or "binkie." I missed this.

It's good to be back.

Veggie & Tortellini Soup

My husband & I have been trying to eat healthier as well as grocery shop on a budget. Those two things can go together, believe it or not! With a little creativity and a semi-homemade attitude, I came up with this soup. Calorie count is low, its chock full of vegetables, and it only costs about $7 for the whole pot.
Meat eaters can use chicken or sausage tortellini, but to make it vegetarian, I used cheese tortellini (yum!).

1/2 onion, chopped
Handful of mushrooms, chopped
6 cups water
1 package powdered veggie soup & recipe mix (like Knorr's, for making spinach dip!)
1 package fresh tortellini, any flavor (in the refrigerated section)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
Grated Parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes for serving

In a large pot, saute onion & mushrooms (in either olive oil or nonstick cooking spray) on medium heat for a few minutes or until tender and fragrant.
Add water and soup mix and bring to a boil on high heat; reduce heat to medium and add tortellini and spinach.
Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes or until tortellini is cooked & tender.
Dish it up and top with parmesan & pepper flakes if desired.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

YUM. That's all I have to say about this.

4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not p.pie.mix)
1 cup mini-chocolate chips, plus 2 Tbs more for "sprinkling"
2 Tbs chopped pecans, for "sprinkling"
2 Tbs sugar, for "sprinkling"

Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour bottom only of 2 loaf pans.

In medium bowl, stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat sugar & butter with an electric mixer on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Turn mixer on low & add pumpkin & water. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low for about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread evenly pans & sprinkle tops with remaining chocolate chips, pecans and sugar.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10-15 minutes; gently remove bread from the pans and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving, about 1-2 hours.

I like to serve this with cream cheese or peanut butter, but its just as good plain.