Healty Lasagna (A New Family Favorite!)

Think Lasagna is complicated and unhealthy? THINK AGAIN!

This is probably the most requested dish I've ever make-- from family and friends to total strangers, so many people fail to realize that good foods can taste amazing when cooked and combined correctly. And it's easy!! The hardest part will be chopping the onions! Spices are key; if all you have in your pantry are salt and pepper it's time to upsize! Go to your local spice section and experiment-- start with what you recognize and integrate what you don't. You'll be glad you did!

Utensils You Will Need:
13 x 9" casserole dish

1 pan to cook the meat in

Ingredients:

1 - Box “No Bake” lasagna (~9 noodles)

4-5 Roma tomatoes sliced

1-Bag of spinach (~8oz)

1- Red onion chopped

1-lb Lean ground meat—beef / turkey / chicken etc

8oz container of ricotta cheese

1 - Red bell pepper chopped

1- Small can of sliced black olives

3-4 Cloves garlic chopped

1-Jar tomato based pasta sauce

1 Package 2% shredded cheese

spices (Thyme, Rosemary, Pepper, Basil, Sage, Oregano etc...)

(Optional: Banana Peppers, Mushrooms)

Directions:

1.  Brown and drain excess fat from meat. Set aside

2.  Spoon 1/3 of pasta sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish.* Preheat oven according to lasagna noodle package directions (I usually set mine to 375°F)

3. Place three lasagna noodles side by side in the bottom of the pan. Spread about a spoonful of ricotta onto each noodle. Top with Spinach, bell peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle some spices.

4. Spread ricotta cheese on three more lasagna noodles, place ricotta side down. Spoon 1/2 of the remaining sauce over noodles making sure to cover all edges.

5. Top noodles with ground beef olives, garlic, onions and more spices. Add three more noodles ricotta side down making sure all the edges are wet.*** 

6. Top with package of cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 min to 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

*Because of the sauce & wetness of the veggies you shouldn't need to use any non-stick spray or coating. I use a glass dish, if you use a dark colored metal pan you might have to adjust cooking times and temps, darker pans tend to cook quicker.

**There's no rhyme or reason to how the ingredients are layered, but spinach on the bottom seems to be the key to stopping the excess sogginess, which can occur because of the water naturally in the fresh veggies, it also soaks up a lot of flavor.

***Coating the edges is very important for the last layer of noodles otherwise they may dry out and become very hard.

Extra Notes:

Spices are just sprinkled however-- I don't measure them, I just know what I like :)p

Roma tomatoes are best for this recipe because they are generally less juicy than other tomatoes [which makes them perfect for sandwiches too!!] look for tomatoes that are large and red-orangey—small deep red tomatoes means they were probably picked early and chemically ripened, the deeper the red color the more juice a tomato will probably have. AVOID PURPLISH TOMATOES AT ALL COST! (Unless there’s some new rare purple tomato that I am unaware of) Overripe tomatoes have a terrible taste and smell that is very hard to remove from skin and clothing. If you can’t find fresh—look for diced Italian tomatoes and drain well. One regular can should do ya :)

Yield:
8 Servings

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Serving Size = 1/8 casserole

Calories   365	%DV*
Calories from Fat  128
Total Fat  15g	23%
Saturated Fat  7g	35%
Total Carbohydrate  34g	11%
Sodium  590mg	25%
Potassium  621mg	18%
Fiber  7g	28%
Sugar  8g
Protein  27g
Cholesterol  92g	3%

Vitamin A	117%
Calcium	38%
Iron	24%
Vitamin C	145%

*Based on 2,000 calorie diet

MY HUSBAND LOST 18 LBS!

Not really much of a post here-- just a place marker so I can keep track. Not bad for a MONTH of eating right eh?

Brunswick Stew + a Western Twist

Quite a few locales lay claim to the origin of Brunswick Stew, one of them being my native Georgia, so I suppose it's fitting that it's one of my all time favorite dishes. Depending on the locale the ingredients will change slightly, but what I have here is fairly close to what you will find at a local Georgia or Alabama BBQ house. This version of Brunswick Stew is a conglomeration of ingredients based on recipes of friends and family. [Check out the Western twist to this old favorite below the nutritional information!]

Utensils You Will Need:
9qt crockpot or slow cooker*
Cutting board + knives

Ingredients:
4 - Medium Baking Potatoes
4 - Medium Onions
1-lb Boneless Pork or Beef
1-lb Boneless Chicken breast
1/2c - Worcestershire Sauce
1-15oz can Tomato Sauce
2-15oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1/4c Steak Sauce
1-15oz can Corn
1-15oz can Green Peas
4-6 Cloves of Garlic
Seasonings - Pepper and herbs if desired**

Directions:
1. Chop garlic cloves, 2 onions and 2 potatoes in stew sized chunks and put them into the crockpot/slowcooker.

2. Position meat in the center of the crockpot away from sides. Chop remaining potatoes and onions and cover meat.***

3. Pour in Tomato sauce, Steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Undrained diced tomatoes.

4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours, or until meat is tender.

5. Turn setting down to low. Shred the meats and place back into pot.****

6. Stir in peas and corn. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more then serve.

Notes:
*I used a 6.5qt and it bubbled over ;)p

**Stay away from salt until you taste the final dish. The sauces and canned items all contain salt already.

**Meats cook faster than fresh veggies so always try to place them in the center of the cooker surrounded by veggies.

***Some people wait for meat to cool before shredding 'pulling' it, but I've found the best and easiest way is to use two forks. Hold the meat with one and shred with the other.

Yield:
26 cup size servings

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Per 1 cup of stew

Calories   150	%DV*
Calories from Fat  28
Total Fat  3g	5%
Saturated Fat  1g	5%
Total Carbohydrate  18g	6%
Sodium  520mg	22%
Potassium  412mg	12%
Fiber  3g	12%
Sugar  4g
Protein  12g
Cholesterol  26mg	9%

Vitamin A	5%
Calcium	2%
Iron	7%
Vitamin C	19%

*Based on 2,000 calorie diet

For a Western Twist:

Brunswick Stew

10 - Large Flour Tortillas

2% - Shredded Cheese
Aluminum Foil

Add shredded cheese and Brunswick Stew to a large flour tortilla. Roll wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°F. This is a GREAT way to turn leftovers into a new dish!