Recipe(tried): Healthy and Easy Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Spinach Salad with Almonds and Strawberries, Banana Nut Muffins

Hi Everyone!

My husband and I have been glued the last few days to the TV watching the horrific images of what Hurricane Katrina has done to the people living along the Gulf Coast. One can never under-estimate the power of Mother Nature and the catastrophic damage that hurricanes do. We feel so very helpless in what we can do here at home, and pray fervently in our hearts that all those that survived are out of harms way.

Our local Publix supermarkets make it easier by allowing a monetary donation to be part of a grocery purchase. Thank you Publix for this service!

I always make my spaghetti sauce from scratch, using Mama Pacetti's Meat Balls and Sauce recipe that I have posted here in the past. But a friend called to tell me how utterly delicious Ragu Robusto Sauteed Onion & Garlic was! I am not a fan of jarred sauces but I tried it and she was right. It has chunks of tomatoes, onion and garlic to give it a rustic flavor and look. The reason it is so yummy is understood after I read the label. First of all, it is all natural with no chemicals and preservatives. What a pleasant surprise! Second of all, it is low in fat, sugar and cholesterol. Now, that alone is a bonus! The label tells us that using a 1/2 cup serving is equivalent to a full serving of veggies also. And best of all, a 1 lb & 10 oz. jar cost me only $1.69.

I did add a crushed garlic clove to the mixture and used ground round which has less fat...I will also make a delicious Spinach Salad with sliced almonds and strawberries, croutons and Gorgonzola Cheese drizzled with Oriental Dressing. For dessert, a Banana Nut Loaf.

A friend passed along this funny cooking joke that I thought you would all enjoy!

Happy Cooking! Gina

A WHITE LIE CHURCH CAKE

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this -- especially all the ladies who bake for church events.

Alice was to bake a cake for the church ladies' group bake sale, but she forgot to do it until the last minute. She baked an angel food cake and when she took it from the oven, the center had dropped flat. She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to bake another cake."

So, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. Alice found it in the bathroom... a roll of toilet paper.

She plunked it in and covered it with icing.

The finished product looked beautiful, so she rushed it to the church. Before she left the house, Alice had given her daughter some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the minute it opened, and to buy that cake and bring it home. When the daughter arrived at the sale, the attractive cake had already been sold.

Alice was beside herself. The next day, Alice was invited to a friend's home where two tables of bridge were to be played that afternoon. After the game, a fancy lunch was served, and to top it off, the cake in question was presented for dessert.

Alice saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush into the kitchen to tell her hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, one of the other ladies said, "What a beautiful cake!"

Alice sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say. "Thank you, I baked it myself."

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HEALTHY AND EASY SPAGHETTI WITH MEAT SAUCE

1 1/2 lbs. ground round
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 basil leaves, torn with your fingers
2 jars (each 1 lb & 10 oz.) Ragu Robusto! Sauteed Onion & Garlic
Parmesan Cheese
spaghetti

In a large saucepan, brown the ground round and break up into large pieces. Toss in the crushed garlic, cook for about 1 minute. Add the 2 jars of Ragu Sauce and the torn up basil leaves. (The basil leaves a delightful aroma on your fingertips) Stir over medium low until heated thru.

Cook spaghetti according to box directions. Drain and serve with sauce over and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Any extra sauce can be saved for another dish during the week. Freezes well too.

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SPINACH SALAD WITH ALMONDS AND STRAWBERRIES
serves 2

2 cups torn baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
handful of sliced almonds
handful of garlic & onion croutons
2 Tbsp. Gorgonzola cheese
4 Tbsp. Naturally Fresh Classic Oriental Dressing

Put all ingredients in a large plasatic container, shake and divide between two salad bowls.

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BANANA NUT MUFFINS (I MADE IT INTO A LOAF)
Diner Desserts by Tish Boyle

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup coursely chopped walnuts
1 large egg
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup firmly packed lite brown sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm*
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

*I used 6 Tbsp. of Smart Balance (has no trans fat)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan or glass loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the nuts.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, banana, brown sugar, melted butter, sour cream, extract and lemon zest until well blended. Add the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon just until moistened. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins or pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes. Bake loaf for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before inverting. Serve warm or cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.