Well it's Thursday and I don't have spaghetti sauce - GASP!! In any other household, I'd just make something else. But when you have a person with Asperger's in your home, even a mild case, not sticking to the routine has the potential of becoming a nuclear meltdown. I kid you not! So I started digging through the cupboards and found: 1 large can of whole tomatoes, 1 can of carrots, and one large can of pizza sauce. And VOILA! Desperation Spaghetti sauce was born!  And everybody loved it (whew!)  Next shopping trip, have to make sure I have an extra can of spaghetti sauce, or maybe just these ingredients. :)

Desperation Spaghetti Sauce
  served 6
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 large can carrots
1 large can pizza sauce
2 T garlic
1 T basil*

Open the cans and dump them into your pot. Use your immersion blender to puree the tomatoes and carrots (or use your blender first, then dump them into the pot).  Add seasonings.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce simmers. Put the lid back on and let cook for at least 2 hours.

Cook your favorite pasta and Enjoy!
(* or oregano, italian seasoning, etc.)

Quick Italian Chicken
     About an hour before we were to eat, I placed 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a 13x9 pan, put a little of the sauce on top, topped with mozzerella cheese, covered the pan with tinfoil, and put in the oven.  About 15 mins before we were to eat, I uncovered the chicken.

So we had spagetti, italian chicken, and pillsbury breadsticks for dinner. Very yummy, very easy, very quick,

Thursday is ALWAYS spaghetti nite for us. Our oldest started that when she was 3 and had swimming lessons on Thursdays. I didn't mind, spaghetti was easy to make. And now we have the triplets and we still eat spaghetti on Thursdays and they are now taking swimming lessons!
But just because we're having spaghetti doesn't mean that it has to be the same ole same ole. Tonite I did a pasta bake. Easy for me and hot and ready when we got home.

4 italian sausages
1 box penne noodles, uncooked
1 26oz favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Chunky Garden)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups hot water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Slice slightly frozen italian sausage into coins. Put about 2 T oil in a pan, heat up the oil slightly, then add the italian sausage coins. Cook until they're brown.
3. Put box of penne into a 13x9x2 pan. Pour the 2 cups of hot water over the noodles. Let noodles sit while the sausages cook.
4. Add sausages, pasta sauce and cheese to the noodles. Mix well.
5. Cover and cook for an hour.
6. At this point, can serve or turn the oven to Keep Warm.

Serve with italian bread and a small salad.
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After dinner, I made muffins for tomorrow's breakfast. Because we get up so early, I made the muffins tonite to serve tomorrow.


CINNAMON APPLE MUFFINS
Cinnamon and apples make these easy breakfast or brunch muffins a tasty favorite.
Preparation time: 15 min Baking time: 18 min Yield: 1 dozen muffins

1 1/2 cups all‐purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped apple

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine, flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir just until flour is moistened.
Spoon batter into greased 12‐cup muffin pan. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Serve with LAND O LAKES® Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil.

Nutrition Facts (1 muffin): Calories: 170, Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 100mg, Carbohydrates: 27g Dietary Fiber: <1g, Protein: 2g
(because the fiber is so low, the next time I make them, I'm going to use 1/2 cup oatmeal)