Comfort Soup Italian-style for the sick house + quick potty update

sicky girl

Since Sunday, Paul and Lily have had the sniffles and coughs. No serious fevers, they have just both been feeling all-around blah. Lily was actually well enough to go to school on Monday, but after I tried bringing her in on Tuesday, they called me and suggested I bring her home early. I rushed right over and scooped her up- stopping for princess stickers on the way, of course. Yesterday everyone was home and having a sick day, so I made this cozy and easy to make ravioli chicken soup from the "Nanny Rose Recipe Vault".

Ravioli Chicken Soup
(serves 8+)

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 12 oz package of frozen, small-shaped raviolis
2 cups packed baby spinach
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 large egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook ravioli in separate pot and set aside. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil in large pot over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Next, add broth and water and bring to a boil. Add basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, then remove broth from heat. Crack egg over the broth and quickly mix in with beater so it breaks up into small bits and turns white. Add the spinach and stir in until wilted, then the raviolis last. Serve up in large, shallow soup bowls and stir in some grated or shredded Parmesan cheese if desired. If you have the sniffles, adding cheese is not the best idea, although some people just can't say no to extra cheese!

Ravioli in one pot, broth and seasoning in the other

And there you have it- the perfect comfort soup, I guarantee it! We ate it up so quickly I almost forgot to take a picture of it! It will fill your belly and warm your spirit.

Good to the last bite...

  
On a side note, I have backed off quite a bit on potty training Lily lately. After one too many fits and kicks and screams from her, I continue to offer it any chance I get, but the only person who she will willing sit on the pot for is her daddy right now! Unfortunately, he's at work most of the time, but when he's home, he can usually get her to sit on it at least a couple of times a day. She still hasn't made anything in it since those first few times, but here's hoping we'll have a breakthrough soon!

How are you doing with potty-training if you're in the process as well?

That reminds me- a few weeks ago, they had back-to-school night at Lily's daycare, and it made me feel better about the potty training thing when, a) the only thing any parent there had to ask the teacher about was potty training help, and b) the "potty hall of fame" wall was completely...

BARE!

Not really sure what to think about that...it really can be hard, huh? I know they have the kids sit on the pot at her school (there is not even a changing table in her classroom), but you'd think they'd learn faster in a group...I had actually been hoping they'd teach her so I didn't have to!

Another thing I wanted to mention in this post is that I am moving towards changing up the layout here. I'm kind of "over it", and my blog is about more than just eating healthy and recipes now, so I think the general look should reflect that. The name will be the same, of course, but I don't know how the rest will look. So stay tuned and don't be surprised if next time you visit, things look different!

Meatless Monday Ravioli with Sweet Potato in Lemon-Sage Browned Butter Sauce

We enjoyed this lovely and delicate-tasting dish a few weeks a go for Meatless Monday. It's a creation of my own, although loosely based on this recipe. The combination of the sweet potatoes with sage and cheesey ravioli was unique, and surely a combination I will be toying with more in the future.

Ravioli and Sweet Potato in Lemon-Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

1 15 oz package cheese ravioli (see suggested)

1 large sweet potato, skinned and cubed

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp chopped sage + extra for garnish

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Boil the ravioli according to package instructions. While you're doing that, lightly cook the sweet potato by boiling or steaming for 5 minutes. The key is to not overcook it and make it mushy. Drain each and then set aside. Melt butter in pan over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble, then add lemon juice, sage, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and nutmeg, and stir. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more or until it has a nutty aroma and turns a soft brown color. Add the sweet potatoes and saute in the butter sauce for about 2-3 minutes or until well-coated. Remove from heat and add in the raviolis until they are well-coated as well. Serve with some sage sprinkled on top and extra lemon and/or grated cheese of your choice if desired.

This is one of the few raviolis Lily likes (I know, shocking! What kid doesn't like ravioli?) and Paul and I have grown quite found of it as well. Paul actually picked it up one night when he took on the task of grocery shopping and I was glad that it caught his eye. You can use whichever kind of ravioli you like or have on hand, but if you can find the brand pictured below, I highly recommend it. It boiled right to perfection and the cheese taste was spot on and not dry like it sometime can be with frozen or dried ravioli. If you have access to fresh ravioli, that would work well too.

Baby can enjoy some of the boiled or steamed sweet potato with a little butter and sage. Yum, yum! Older babies over 9 months can have some of the raviolis chopped up with the sweet potato.

The sharp, yet light, green flavor of sage gives this dish something extra. Pairing it with sweet potato is always nice. Sage has a high content of vitamin K in it and is linked to better brain function and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Sage was a highly valued herb during Greek and Roman times and also a favorite tea of China in the 17th century. Besides being an aromatic seasoning to add to squash, vegetable and poultry dishes, sage can be burned as an incense to purify your home and also make it smell nice :)

The Meatless Monday link party will return next week - I promise this time! Until then, work on getting your favorite healthy recipe to me for the contest I'm holding. Winner gets their recipe featured on my blog and a 1 year subscription to Eating Well magazine. Deadline is March 18th, read more about it here. Have a good week, and stop by later to enjoy some pictures from Lily's birthday bash!!