Hearty, but healthier breakfast/dinner casserole

Breakfast/Dinner Casserole with Turkey Sausage, Mushrooms, 
and Tomatoes Recipe

I found this recipe at Country Living.com and had to make it! This is a healthier casserole and I was very impressed by how yummy it was. Even though, the title was, "Breakfast Casserole," we had it for dinner this week. This is easy to prepare on a week night or for a Sunday brunch. We will be making this again for our family and friends!
*I made it with Swiss cheese instead and used only six slices of whole wheat bread (less carbs). For the full recipe, click here.

Ingredients

Olive-Oil Cooking Spray

14 ounce(s) Spicy Turkey Sausage, casings removed (I used reg. ground turkey and added chili flakes)

3/4 pound(s) Mixed Mushrooms (Such As Cremini, Shiitake, And Oyster), trimmed and sliced

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 small Onion, diced

8 slice(s) (large) Bread (4 Whole Wheat, 4 Hearty White), cut into 1-inch cubes - (I put six wheat slices).

5 ounce(s) Low-Fat Jarlsberg Cheese, finely grated (1 1/2 cups) 

1 pint(s) Grape Tomatoes, halved

5 large Eggs

5 large Egg Whites

1 1/2 cup(s) Low-Fat Milk

Directions

1. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon as meat cooks, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate. Set aside.
2. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and mushrooms are well browned, about 4 more minutes. Set mixture aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss bread, cheese, tomatoes, reserved sausage, and reserved mushrooms and onions. Coat a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and spread mixture in an even layer in dish. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Whisk in milk and pour over bread mixture. Cover dish with aluminum foil and let casserole sit for 10 minutes. Press foil down gently to ensure top layer of bread cubes soaks up liquid.
4. Bake casserole for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! 

A new addition to the Q family!

We thought last weekend was going to be pretty mellow, since we had to take care of Maddie (who got spayed on Friday). Well, that changed FAST! We never thought picking her up at the vet would result in adopting a CAT!? It's been on our mind that we need another companion for M, but not this soon. However, the vet told us this 1. 5 year old cat was really friendly, but just needed a home:( She seemed like a great fit, since the vet took care of her and she's been surrounded by lots of animals. She told us we can test her out and if it doesn't work, we can bring her back....well, she's staying!
The cat has been the sweetest and super mellow! The animals get along pretty well, but both get a little territorial. M's been our baby, no wonder! It will pass I'm sure with time. We are so happy that our unexpected adoption worked out and she melts our heart even when she lays on our chest at 5am!... OH! We haven't decided on a name yet, so any suggestions would help!!!


Also, this past weekend we had tons of gorgeous snow and after a YEAR of sharing a car with Darrin...my car arrived from California!!!! I've missed it so much!

This broke our heart!

Make yourself at home!

What a life

Peek-a-boo. Love the new ride Mom!

Time for some house projects-West Elm knock-off

I've done a few projects for our new house, but I haven't posted anything yet. I will post more soon, but wanted to share my latest project. My inspiration was from West Elm. I wasn't familiar with this design store until I started in this blog world. I was in love when I saw the website.  I looked up where they were located and found out they were in Charlotte, NC!  So, three weeks ago, Darrin and I drove three hours to Charlotte for a special trip to see the store.  I wanted everything when I went in, but bought some dish towels and place mats in the sale section. I can't wait to visit again!


This West Elm shelf was $79 for one! I spent $7 on wood, $6 for stain/cloth and $35 for brackets/screws. Total=$48 for 2! This project was a quick diy project, and Darrin got to use his new power drill! 

West Elm

Maddie always checking the action

~Megan

Top Five Wedding Gift/Top Mess by Maddie

Darrin wanted me to blog about this, so here I go...
I had a crummy morning at work on Tuesday and I came home at lunch to let out the pup. I came in the door and was hit with the biggest mess that Maddie's made so far:( I wasn't even mad. I was just blown away and I was kind of expecting it since my day wasn't going too well. 


Two words that summed up the explosion--ELMER's GLUE! Yep, M had a blast with the glue bottle she found in a drawer.  The target was our new COUCH! She poured a big puddle at the end where she usually sits. Then had a party with it and spewed out strands allll over. She also got a tube of brown paint, buttons, matches, a battery, two pens, and a cookbook. Somehow Darrin's childhood bible survived with a few teeth marks. I mean it was unbelievable and I only took one photo:(


THANKS to a gift card for our wedding, we purchased the Bissell 9200P Deep Cleaner, ProHeat 2X, Pet cleaner at Macy's. This SAVED us! Darrin scrubbed the heck out of the couch and the glue came out thankfully! This cleaner has been so useful for our Miss Mess Maker and we knew it would come in handy. Every time Darrin and I use it, we always say how this was one of the best gifts we got from our wedding. I mean we had a lot of good ones, but this has been a savior for us! 

Our poor couch

Bissell ad

All clean!

Soaking wet, but what a difference!

It's been a year already?!

This past weekend marked the one year anniversary since I move to Virginia. I can't believe it has already been a YEAR since I packed up, left my job, and said goodbye to my family and friends in California.  I was ready for a big change and two years of doing a long-distance relationship was enough. Darrin and I needed to be together and I made the move. 
I remember that morning saying goodbye to my Mom at the San Jose airport so well. I was so numb. I still feel a bit numb, but I never thought I would do so well with being so far away. I really do love it here and I've experienced so many different things that I would have never imagined. I'm learning everyday about Southwest Virginia and still anxious to visit more places. Before this past year, I had never been to Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. It's so cool, that we can drive into another state and visit for the weekend. Just two weeks ago, Darrin asked me when we were on a ski lift at Snowshoe, "Would have you ever guessed, that you would be skiing in West Virginia?" It was a weird feeling to think... No! 

I do miss a lot about my home in the Bay Area, but I'm so happy Darrin and I made the decision for me to move. We've done a lot this year and can't wait to see what another year will bring. 

Moved super bowl weekend.
My mother-in-law got me this welcome cake.

Unloading my life 

Our first townhouse together

Mini pre-honeymoon getaway to Savannah, GA

My Bach's

Tied the knot in May!

Playa Del Carmen-Honeymoon

Miss Maddie changed our life in July.

All the bf's at Laura's wedding in Sept. in CA.

My Mom and sis visited me for the first time in October.
Blue Ridge Mountains in the back.

We both went back to CA for Christmas.
My nieces and nephew have grown so much.

Maddie's loves her new backyard--Feb.