Vegetable Lasagna

Boyfriend requested Vegetable Lasagna for dinner last night, to which I replied, “Sure, why not?” I had never made lasagna, so I had NO IDEA that it would take FOR-FREAKING-EVER between boiling the noodles, prepping the veggies and assembling the entire thing, AND I was doing dishes for what felt like a lifetime. The entire time, I kept telling him, “YOU BETTER LIKE THIS LASAGNA, OR ELSE I’M NEVER MAKING DINNER FOR YOU AGAIN.” But it was worth all of the work because it was ahhhhhh-mazing. Boyfriend thought so too. I gave myself a well-deserved pat on the back.

I didn’t really keep track of any measurements when I made this. (Oops?) But I used an entire box of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest lasagna noodles, a 16 ounce block of whole milk mozzarella (cheaper than shredded), an entire batch of my homemade marinara (recipe posted below), maybe 4-5 ounces of reduced fat Ricotta, 2-3 cups fresh chopped broccoli, 2-3 cups kale, a small thing of sliced mushrooms, half of red bell pepper and half of a green bell pepper chopped into smaller pieces. And then I just did the whole layering business. Sauce on the bottom, noodles, veggies, sauce, cheese, noodles, veggies, sauce, cheese. Or something like that. I winged it. And it was good.

I’m not a fan of store-bought marinara, so I always make my own:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup EVOO
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic and Italian seasoning in olive oil in a stock pot on low for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for at least an hour. The more it simmers, the better it will taste! Stir occasionally and add salt and pepper to taste. (Tip: if your pot isn’t very deep, invest in a splatter screen OR if you’re cheap like me and don’t want to buy one, poke lots of holes in a piece of aluminum foil and place over the pot. BOOM. Makeshift splatter screen.)

Now it’s time for some football! Between the 49ers and Falcons, I really don’t care who wins. I’ll root for either one in the Superbowl. I’m just crossing my fingers that the Ravens beat the Patriots. As a Giants fan, I would not be happy seeing the Patriots in the Superbowl.

Blueberry Quinoa Bake

This morning, I decided to experiment with quinoa. I bought a box of red quinoa from Wegmans a few months ago because I wanted to try it and I’ve heard great things about it. But still, I had never cooked it or tasted it before, so I was unsure how it would turn out. I’ve seen recipes around Pinterest for sweet, breakfast-y quinoa, so I decided to try to throw my own together. And I’m in love! It’s not overly sweet since I put only 2 teaspoons of sugar in the entire thing, so you may want to add more if you want it sweeter.

What you need:

1 7-ounce box red quinoa
2 eggs
3 egg whites (or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, let them thaw a little)
1 ounce almonds, chopped into halves or thirds

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 9×12 baking dish. Make quinoa according to package instructions. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. When quinoa is ready, pour into baking dish then pour egg mixture over it. Add blueberries and almonds and spread everything evenly in dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until brown and toasty on top. Divide into 12 pieces.

Calories: 106.4
Fat: 3.3 grams
Carbs: 14.3 grams
Protein: 5.4 grams

How beautiful does this look?

High-Protein Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

I love breakfast. No really, I absolutely LOVE breakfast food, especially the ones that can be high in fat, sugar and flour: pancakes, muffins, waffles, french toast; oh yum.

Awhile back, I discovered a recipe for Blueberry Pancakes (original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=416405) that are high in protein, low in fat and have zero flour. It’s super quick and easy to make, plus you can make it the night before and cook them the next morning for breakfast. I rarely have blueberries on hand in the wintertime (you could use frozen) so when I make mine, I use a banana instead and add some peanut butter in the batter for a little more protein. And then I eat the whole batch.

For my version (no added sugar/sweetener), all you need:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3 egg whites or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1 banana, broken into smaller pieces
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
Dash of cinnamon

Throw it all in a blender and process until everything is combined. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then cook them up like regular pancakes. You can top them with maple syrup, fresh strawberries slices, apple slices, or even more peanut butter (not included in nutritional information).

Calories: 428
Carbs: 61 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Protein: 25 grams

I love this recipe. This is a great pre- or post-workout meal. There are so many ways you can make these, and I love experimenting with different fruit and toppings!