Spinach, Mushroom Lasagna

Yeah! A healthy recipe that is easy & yummy! (So easy, I hope none of you will be insulted that I am posting this as a "recipe"! :))

Ingredients:

bag of fresh spinach leaves

fresh mushrooms (baby bellas or other small button type mushroom)

lasagna noodles (I use the oven ready kind to cut down on time)

shredded mozzarella cheese

shredded parmesan

1-2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or make your own)

minced garlic

olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

1. Saute spinach leaves in olive oil & minced garlic until leaves are cooked down & softened; transfer spinach to a bowl.

2. Saute mushrooms in same pan, again in olive oil or butter; season mushrooms with s&p and some garlic salt. Saute mushrooms until they are softened and then transfer them into the bowl with the spinch--mix together.

3. In a lasagna dish coated with cooking spray begin to layer--spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles, a little more spaghetti sauce, mushroom/spinach mixture, cheeses (alternating mozz & parm to your liking), then repeat the layering--noodles, sauce, mushrooms/spinach, cheese, etc. until you have used up all your ingredients--finishing with sauce & cheese to top it off.

4. Bake in oven for about an hour or so until ready.

Enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

This recipe was created one evening when I didn’t want to go to the grocery store and had to make due with what we had in stock. After a little web searching and some substitutions, this is what I came up with. I was so pleased that it became a staple dish. The best part is that is freezes great! So I always make a bunch extra and freeze it in foil baking pans for later.

1 lb whole wheat ziti or penne, cooked according to instructions

1 pkg. frozen meatballs, your choice, cut in quarters (I use turkey meatballs)

26 oz. jar tomato basil pasta sauce, divided (approx. 1 ½ jars)

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 oz. Ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

8 oz Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. dried Basil

In a large bowl mix together can of tomato sauce, garlic, Ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in meatballs and pasta.

Pour 1/3 pasta sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish and then half of the noodle mixture. Top with 1/3 of pasta sauce and ½ of mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining pasta mixture over cheese and top with remaining pasta sauce and cheese. Sprinkle dried basil over top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes more until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the middle.

TO FREEZE:

Prepare as above but omit cheese on top. I use 8x8 foil pans which is plenty for one meal for our family of 2 adults and 2 toddlers. Cover with saran wrap and then wrap in foil. Slide into a ziploc bag, seal and place in freezer. Thaw in fridge overnight or on countertop for several hours. Remove plastic wrap and top with cheese. Bake according to instructions above.

Serve with:

Caesar salad and veggie of choice.

Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have been on a hunt for yummy recipes for ground turkey (primarily ones that help in the flavor department). I am trying this one tonight and thought I would post. I have a few others I need to get up too that I have found to yummy (& easy).

3-4 Poblano Peppers, cut in half and seeds removed

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 medium onion, diced small

1-2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup frozen corn

~4 oz. easy melting grated Mexi-style cheese, your choice

Preheat oven 425 and place peppers face down on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Roast peppers 15 mins. Let cool.

Brown turkey meat with onion, garlic, and seasonings. Smash black beans and add to meat mixture. Add corn. Stir everything to mix well. The smashed black beans help to hold the mixture together.

Fill peppers with mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 mins or until cheese is melted and maybe a little brown on top.

Serve with salad or fruit and rice.

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins - AKA Sugar-Cinnamon Muffins

I renamed these muffins so my children would eat them. ;)  They gobbled them up!  And my picky husband even loved them!  I originally got the recipe from AllRecipes.com here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Yogurt-Multigrain-Muffins/Detail.aspx  and then modified it based on what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

[In place of the all-purpose flour, I used 2 packets of Low Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal ground up in food processor, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup Pecan flour, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted this because I was out)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used 1/2 apple grated in food processor)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup white sugar (I omitted)
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini (shredded in food processor and then patted down with paper towels to remove some of the liquid)
1 cup shredded carrots (shredded in food processor)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups.  (I made 24 mini muffins and 8 mini loaves)
2.In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, pecans, and raisins. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.  (I baked the mini muffins for 10-11 mins. and the loaves for 12-15 minutes)

These were so increbibly delicious.  The last addition I made to the mini loaves was I sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on top before baking.  This made them more appealing to the kids, but since I omitted the sugar originally I didn't feel so bad about adding the small amount of sugar to the top.  Very moist and good!!!  A great way to sneak in some veggies!