Easy Fast Dinner

My quest to lose those 10, (oops I mean 15 lbs) begins today! I signed up for a "Cardio Dance" class with my friend Andrea, which begins tonight. We meet twice a week for an hour for the next 5 weeks. So I decided I needed to make a quick easy meal before I go, what to make that won't be too filling but filling enough to give me energy (I'm going to need it!).

I made a really nice mushroom salad, followed with whole wheat tortellini with marinara sauce and a side of bruchetta. It took me 10 minutes to make, (as long as you have marinara sauce on hand) here's the recipes:

Mushroom Salad (Serves 1)

3-4 whole mushrooms, cleaned, sliced thinly

about 3-4 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped

fat-free Italian dressing

1/2 teaspoon Parmesan cheese

Place lettuce on salad plate, top with mushrooms, a teaspoon of Italian dressing, sprinkle with

Parmesan cheese. EASY!

Whole Wheat Tortellini w/Marinara Sauce

1 cup whole wheat tortellini (you can find it in the refrigerated section at your supermarket)

Marinara Sauce (make ahead and freeze in portions) or you can purchase from grocery store

Marinara Sauce

Olive Oil spray

3 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

Spray a medium saucepan with olive oil, saute carrots, garlic and onions until soft. Add tomato paste, saute for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, 1 can of water, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, simmer, uncovered 1 hour. Stir every so often. Carefully pour into food processor, puree.

At this point you can freeze in batches.

Ok, so back to the tortellini, boil water, drop in tortellini, boil 7-9 minutes

Warm up marinara sauce (which you've either purchased or defrosted earlier in the day).

Place tortellini on plate, top with marinara sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan

Bruchetta

2 slices of Italian bread

drizzle with little olive oil on one side

Broil about 45 seconds to 1 minutes (watch! I burned my first try!)

Turn over cover with several slices tomatoes, drizzle with little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little sugar. Broil 1 minute.

ENJOY!