A celebration night

I have been feeling better since Tuesday. Each day has been better and last night I got a really good night sleep. Like Sara said, 10 steps forward and 2 back. I am now back to where I was before I hurt myself. I am going to baby my right side to not injure it this time. It won't be easy to remember, but I am going to do my best.

It is picture week at Teya's school (my work) and I went in today and got my pictue taken with my class. I then stayed for about an hour and a half and had a great time with my kids. I helped with snack, craft and circle time. It felt great and I had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back to work next week.

Tonight I made a celebration dinner for completing my first round of treatment. I wanted to have it Tuesday, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling up to it. And, last night was my cooking class. Anyway, tonight I made a garlic spinach lasagna. It was my first ever lasagna and I don't mind tooting my own horn and saying it was great. Along with my celebration dinner I had a glass of red wine. It also tasted great. It had been about 2 months since I have had a glass. It was a good night!

If you are interested, below is the recipe.
(You could add a cup of artichokes or for a non-vegetarian lasagna add a cup or 2 of diced chicken.)

20 lasagna noodles (whole grain, spelt or rice lasagna noodles)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups fresh spinach – chopped
3 cups ricotta cheese – (I don’t use)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups tomato pasta sauce – (I used 2 jars of organic spaghetti sauce)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese – I don’t use
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese – I don’t use
(Because I am not eating dairy I used a cheese substitue called Veggie Shreds. It is soy based and you can get it in the organic section of Fry's, Sprouts or Whole Foods. There is also another cheese substitute made from rice that is great, but I can't remember the name of it. Both of these cheeses have mozzarella flavoring and they taste like the real thing and melt well. For this lasagna I used a mozarella Veggie Shreds and one that was a mozzarella, romano and parmesan blend.)


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Chop and add spinach. Let mixture cool.

Combine cheese, salt, oregano, basil and pepper in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Put a thin layer of sauce on bottom of pan (a 9x13 inch baking dish). Lay 5 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozarella cheese. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Enoy!