Turkey and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

So yum! I've been eating these for lunch and dinner the past few days. I found this recipe and changed it up a little. This is probably about a 300 calorie meal. Not bad at all! I also don't know much about freezing meals but I imagine you could probably freeze it to heat up later. 

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground turkey (could use 1 pound if you wanted to more and to make more rolls)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
8 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (I cooked about 11 just incase I had some tear...and I did)
10oz frozen spinach (prepared according to bag)
15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg (I used Egg Beaters equivalent of one egg)
dash of salt
dash of pepper
24 oz jar of Italian pasta sauce (I checked the ingredients first)
1/2 cup low moisture, part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the turkey meat with the minced garlic in a skillet until browned. Place in a medium bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin boiling water for your lasagna noodles. Start defrosting the spinach according to the directions on the bag. Drain out the extra water from the spinach. Place into a medium size bowl.
Cook your lasagna noodles until al dente. Strain and pat dry. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles.
Add ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper to spinach. Mix well.
Pour half of the pasta sauce in a 9x13 baking dish.
Spread about ¼ cup of the spinach mixture evenly over each noodle. 
Roll noodles carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls. Spoon sauce over any uncovered noodle areas. The sauce will keep the noodles hydrated and soft while baking. 
Top each one with 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese.
Loosely cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.skinnymom.com/2014/01/16/skinny-lasagna-rolls/ and she also has a TON of other amazing recipes! 

Turkey Meatballs

I made these at 10PM last week after a super long and busy day. Gregg said he liked it and even ate the leftovers. (I really appreciate my taste tester.)

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 eggs beaten (I used Egg Beaters liquid for 2 eggs)

1/4 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon italian seasoning (you could use your own mixture for even healthier)

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Whole wheat spaghetti noodles or pasta of choice. I was even considering meatball subs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. (I dug in with my hands.) Roll the meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on an olive oil or cooking sprayed baking sheet. Heat in the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked through. When the meatballs are cooked, put them into the bowl with your tomato sauce. Let the cool and set in sauce for about 15 minutes. I served with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. 

While those are cooking make your homemade tomato sauce. 

(I honestly would double the sauce recipe if I make it again because there didn't seem to be enough extra sauce for my pasta.) -------> These ingredient measurements are the original, not doubled. 

2 cups of unsweetened organic tomato sauce

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Heat the minced garlic in a medium sized pot over medium heat. After about 5 minutes add remaining ingredients and stir together. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

-----Recipe adapted from brokeandbougie.blogspot.com

Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole: Football Food

Gregg actually saw this and asked me to make it. Naturally, I looked at the ingredients and tried to see what I could do to make it as healthy as possible but still delicious. As soon as I saw it I thought FOOTBALL. And oh is football season approaching fast!!! GAME.....COCKS! As you will see in my recipe notes this one was spicy for all you hot sauce lovers but you could easily take the spicy out. Here ya go!

So the original recipe called for 6 tablespoons of hot sauce but I think you would need to hospitalize me if I would have used that much. If you loveeee hot sauce you might can handle it. If you don’t like spicy I would only do 1 teaspoon of paprika and only 1 tablespoon (or less) hot sauce.  <------- that’s your warning. ;)

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, raw, cubed (1")

8 medium red potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. paprika (use your discretion on this spice level. I would use 1 teaspoon next time.)

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. hot sauce (Again, personal taste, I would use less.)

Topping:

2 cups fiesta blend cheese (I used reduced fat cheese.)

1 cup crumbled bacon (I used turkey bacon.)

1 cup diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the left over olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.

Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing if desired. Neither for a healthier option. :)

Go Cocks! 

Make Ahead Chicken Pot Pie

Even if you don't make this ahead of time it still doesn't take too long but being able to make this, freeze it and then throw it in the oven when you are ready will sure be convenient during the school year. This is so delicious! There is also a vegan option at the bottom for this recipe as well. So warm and delicious.

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 cups veggie broth (I use low sodium)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (you could also use fresh veggies)

1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

1/4 cup organic all purpose flour

2 bay leaves

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 roll store bought or homemade pie crust

1/2 pound chicken breast

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. And place on a baking

sheet in case of run over.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat Add onion, garlic

and a pinch of salt and stir. Cook until onions are soft. Add the flour and stir with a whisk then slowly 

whisk in the broth. Add almond milk, bay leaves, and stir. Let mixture simmer until thickened (about 10 

minutes. *If the sauce appears too thin, add in 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk. Wait a few minutes and 

repeat as needed.

In a pan cook chicken in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (or olive oil) then dice.

While the sauce is thickening add the diced chicken and stir. Once the sauce is thickened, add the 

veggies and cook for 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your 

preference. Throw out the bay leaves and pour the mixture into the baking dish. Top the mixture with 

the pie crust

Option 1: Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 14-17 minutes). Let it 

cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Option 2: Make ahead option!!!!! Make as directed and pour the cooked veggie mixture into your dish, top with pie crust and freeze. When ready to eat, preheat oven to 425 and cook until the crust is golden brown and the mixture is bubbly (about 20-30 minutes).

Adapted from Minimalistbaker.com with vegan option at http://minimalistbaker.com/1-hour-vegan-pot-pies/