Cabbage Lasagna???

I have to admit when my mother told me she'd read somewhere a suggestion to substitute cabbage for lasagna I was skeptical, but now that I've tried it, I quite like it. Interesting indeed! A note on bottled marinara sauce. I used it in this recipe, but I watched the calorie count. It was totally eye opening to compare. The calories ranged anywhere from 60 calories per serving to 140 calories per serving. The 140 calorie stuff had a lot of added unnecessary fat and fillers. A goal ought to be to keep food as close to natural as possible!

Cabbage Lasagna

10 servings
324 calories per serving, 132 calories from fat

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 5 medium carrots shredded
• 7 (3.5 oz) servings boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 jar Newman's own marinara
• 2 cups low fat ricotta
• 2 1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 c shredded Parmesan
• 2 large egg
• 1/2 head large cabbage cut in 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices

A quick and easy way to make your own ground chicken is to pulse it in your food processor. That's what I did here, I placed a few breasts in the food processor at a time, and pulsed until it looked the consistency I wanted. You could just as easily used ground turkey, or, if you are lucky enough to find it, pre-ground chicken breasts.

As always, spray your pan with your favorite non stick spray, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent, add the chicken and carrots. Cook until chicken is done, and liquid released from the carrots has cooked off. Add the jar of marinara stir to combine and remove from heat.

combine the cheeses all but 1/2 cup of the mozzarella with the eggs, stir to combine well.

Layer together like you would lasagna, only using the cabbage in place of the noodles. I used a 9"x13" pan and start with the meat mixture, then cabbage, then cheese. I repeat this one more time and end with a good layer of meat on top. Cover with foil and bake in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella. bake until cheese is melted.

I did some searching on lasagna calories the average according to calorie king is 408. Just as a reference. Olive Garden lasagna 850 calories per serving, Old Spaghetti Factory 800 calories, Pizza Hut 600 calories, Stouffer's 350 calories.

Chicken Florentine with Quinoa mock Risotto

My kids, my parents, my brother and my sister-in-law all loved this the other night. It comes together quickly and easily too, which I love.

6 Servings
208 calories per serving 82 calories from fat

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium spring onions chopped
• 3 oz mushrooms chopped
• 1 t.  mushroom base
• 1/4 cup water (adjust to your likeness for thicker/thinner sauce
• 1/2 Tbs. corn starch
• 18 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 3 oz. servings)
• 1 bunch spinach

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and mushrooms, cook until mushrooms soft, add the mushroom base and water, heat through and add the cornstarch stirring constantly so it doesn't form lumps, bring to a boil to thicken the sauce. Remove this mixture from the pan and add the chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper, cook through, set aside under foil to keep warm. Add spinach to the pan and cook until it starts to wilt.

Divide the spinach into six portions, set a chicken breast on top, and cover with the mushroom sauce. Top with a tiny bit of grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Quinoa Mock Risotto

8 servings

122 calories 37 calories from fat

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium spring onions chopped
• 3 oz mushrooms sliced
• 1 t. mushroom base
• 1/2 Tbs corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 t. mushroom base
• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 c water
• 1/4 c. low fat ricotta
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan

You'll probably notice that the first 5 ingredients are the same as in the sauce for the chicken... it's cooked in the same manner too, so if you'd like to combine them and cook it together, then split it in half, that works and is easy to boot!

The rest of the recipe works like this: place the quinoa, water, and mushroom base in a pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, cook until all the liquid is absorbed in the quinoa. Add the ricotta and parmesan, then the mushroom sauce. Stir to combine all ingredients. Spoon onto plate with the chicken florentine and top with a little more parmesan.

I served this all with a green side salad. Totally delicious!

Dress up your eggs

I must be on an egg kick, because I've sure been posting a bunch of breakfast type recipes so far this month. This one is a kind of scrambled egg hash, with a little bit of greek flair...

1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1/4 purple onion, chopped
1/2 yellow squash chopped
1/2 orange pepper chopped
4 kalamata olives, chopped
1 oz feta cheese
1 sprig chopped parsley

coat your favorite egg pan with the olive oil, place the veggies, except the parsley in the pan and cook until onion is translucent and the squash is crisp tender. Wisk the eggs together and pour over the veggies, cook until the eggs are set. stir in the olives, crumble the feta over the entire thing. and sprinkle with parsley. Plate and serve. If you have a taste for greek-ness I think you might like this.

1 serving 270 calories.

Rainbow Chicken Salad

They say that we ought to include all the colors of the rainbow in our diets, I think I did a pretty good job in this salad.

Rainbow Chicken Salad

1 serving 239 calories

1 stalk celery, chopped
1/8 cup chopped purple onion
1/8 cup chopped yellow pepper
3 small strawberries, chopped
3 oz chopped grilled chicken breast
1 Tbs light mayo
2 large lettuce leaves, preferrable green leaf or romaine

combine the top 6 ingredients, place in the lettuce leaves. Wrap up and enjoy!

I *heart* Soup

This week I have an abundance of carrots, and a curiosity for something original to do with them. I have a GIGANTIC vegetarian cookbook that I get inspiration from. The basis for this recipe comes from the book, of course I tweeked it to make it my own. It got 3 thumbs up at dinner tonight. (Mine, my Moms, and my Sister-in-Law's)

I added yellow lentils to this recipe (yellow split peas) the addition gives the recipe some texture, a little added protein too. If you don't have them, never fear you can leave them out. Better yet, get thee to the market and get some! It's well worth the effort, I promise!


Carrot Cumin Soup

(8) 1 cup servings
164 calories, 33 calories from fat

• 2 tbsps butter (yes, I used butter again!)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed or chopped
• 1 lb carrots sliced (about 10 - 12 medium carrots)
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 1 potato peeled and diced
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tsp)
• 8 cups chicken stock - use vegetable stock if you'd rather, or what I actually used was 8 cups of water and 4 tbs better than boulion chicken flavor)
• 1 1/2 inch piece ginger chopped fine
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2  bay leaves
• 3/4 cup yellow lentils
• 1 1/4 cups skim milk

Directions

Melt butter in large soup pot, add the onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook again for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, seasonings, and lentils. Cover and let simmer until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

Remove from heat, fish out the bay leaves and discard (I actually forgot to take out the bay leaves, so they ended up pureed into the final product. OOPS, it still tasted fantastic).Let cool for a few minutes.

Puree the soup in a food processor, blender, or with a stick blender. Oh how I love my stick blender! Once there are no longer any chunks in the soup add the skim milk and stir to blend.

Enjoy!

Much love,

Alisha xoxoxo

Breakfast Wrap

Broccoli Egg Breakfast Wrap
1 serving
233 calories

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1 plum or italian tomato cut in half (I used one I had roasted earlier)

1/8 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese

1 small flour tortilla

Spray small omlet type pan w/non stick cooking spray, add the broccoli to the warmed pan and cook until warmed through, place to side. Beat egg and egg white together, season w/salt and pepper if desired. scramble the eggs in the pan. warm the tortilla either in the microwave or on a flat pan on the stove. I used a 6 inch tortilla that I got one of the weeks offered by Bountiful Baskets. Place 1/2 the cooked egg on the tortilla, topped with 1/2 the cheese, then all the broccoli, and the tomato, then the rest of the egg and cheese) rolle it all up burrito style. (Mine was so thick I had to hold it together with a toothpick... this did not hurt my feelings) ;)

Serve with some fresh salsa, and a piece of fruit. Lovely breakfast

Turkey Meatballs and Spinach Salad

I've had a couple of much needed days off, and neglected to post, so here's something to make up for it. :)

385 calories on the plate, nummy too!

Turkey Meatballs

 6 servings (5 meatballs each)
176 calories per serving 50 calories from fat

• 1 lb. 99 % fat free turkey breast
• 1/4 c kraft parmesan
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 oatmeal
• 1Tbs chopped oregano
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion grated
• 3 tbsps ketchup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken stock

Combine all ingredients except olive oild and chicken stock, mashe together with hands until well blended, form into 30 equal sized balls.
Heat oil in non stick skillet, add meatballs in batches browning on all sides. Once all meatballs are browned, add them all back into the skillet, do not clean out the pan, add the chicken stock and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.

I served these "bare" with a spinach salad (recipe to follow) but you could just as easily add marinara (even use the marinara instead of the chicken stock to simmer if you wanted) and serve over whole grain pasta. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Spinach Cauliflower Salad w/Strawberry Viniagrette

4 servings
46 calories each

1 bunch spinached, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 small head cauliflower cut into bite sized flowerettes
10 strawberries, sliced

Mix all these together and top with Strawberry Balsamic Viniagrette

Strawberry Balsamic Viniagrette

4 GENEROUS servings
73 calories each 46 calories from fat

10 strawberries
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

blend all ingredients together until smooth, add some water if you'd like it thinnner.

911... What are the ingredients in your recipe?

I was running short on time this evening when it came time to make something for dinner at work. I have all of these amazing ingredients at my finger tips, but no way to make them work before getting to work. SO... I packed them up and brought them with me. I did combine the tuna and the mayo at home, but the rest of what you see was totally assembled at work. I suppose that is one of the blessings of being on graveyard shift.

911 Tuna Salad
1 serving 312 calories

• 1 can chunk light tuna in water
• 1 Tbsp light mayo
• 1/4 avocado chopped
• 1/4 avocado sliced*
• 1/2 stalk celery chopped
• 1/2 stalk celery sticks*
• 1/2 medium tomato chopped
• 1/2 medium tomato wedged*
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine the tuna and mayo, add the chopped veggies and mix gently to combine, fold in the chopped avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the sliced veggies on the plate and top with the salad. Admire, then eat. :)

* you could just as easily chop the entire 1/2 avocado, celery stalk and tomato. I think half the fun of eating, and especially eating healthy is how it looks. If I'm just spooning out some glop I made from a plastic container, I'm not typically going to enjoy my meal as much as if it's visually appealing. So, my bit of advise is this: Take the time to plate your meal, enjoy the beauty in the food you create. Ultimately, you'll enjoy it all the more.


Much love,
Alisha xoxoxo

Low Cal Alfredo... Oh yeah...

I'm so counting this as a success. Of course it's not going to coat your tongue with fatty goodness the way "real" alfredo does. But it's packed full of flavor, and I'm impressed. The recipe that inspired this version can be found here, and I'm sure that left alone it would be good too. I'm just partial to my own creation. :)





Entire meal is 372 calories



• 1 tbsp butter *
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup low fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/4 cup frigo parmesan cheese **
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• dash nutmeg
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 8 oz whole grain penne pasta

Heat butter in sauce pan, add garlic and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, remaining ingredients except pasta, heat over low heat until warmed through and cheese is melty. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to desired doneness. Drain the pasta, add the sauce and enjoy like it is... 281 calories 60 calories from fat.

or add some goodness to it like I did:

2 oz broccoli per serving 20 calories
10 medium shrimp per serving 72 calories.

* omitting this reduces the calories per serving by 25, but also compromizes flavor. Remember real butter is better for you than that icky margarine stuff.
** up this to 1/2 cup if you like the flavor of parm, it adds 25 calories per serving

Herbed Asparagus Omelet

1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
10 spears chopped asparagus
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup fat free shsredded cheddar cheese
fresh rosemary

heat the oil in a small saute pan, add the veggies, and cook until the onions and mushrooms are soft, and asparagus is cooked through. Remove from heat, removed veggies from pan and wipe out the pan. Wisk together the egg and egg whites, add to the heated pan, sprinkle fresh rosemary into the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper. Flip the egg once in the pan. add some of the veggies as filling, top with the cheese. fold the egg over to create the omelet.

Serve with remaining veggie filling on the side. 250 calories of good morning protein and veggie bliss.

Much love,
Alisha xoxoxo

Balsamic Glaze... Good with Everything!

Last night I didn't feel like cooking, but wanted something tasty. What I came up with was not only a hit for my tastebuds, but my VERY picky 8 year old daughter too. I love it when she tries something new!

Balsamic Glaze

It's simple. Balsamic vinegar + heat. Reduce the balsamic vinegar until it's thick, almost syrupy. Then you can drizzle it over just about anything. (One recipe I found even suggested ice cream...) I don't think I'm that extreme. Yet.

Pictured here is grilled chicken breast, ala George Foreman grill, cooked spinach, and roasted tomatoes. I drizzled the balsamic glaze over the whole thing. 300 calories of  'num!

To roast the tomatoes, cut roma tomatoes in half, place on parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. place some unpeeled garlic cloves on the baking sheet as well, the aroma is intoxicating. :) If you don't like rosemary, leave it off. As with just about anything, if you don't like it, leave it off, substitute it with something you do like. Have FUN with it!

Eggplant Satay Lettuce Wraps

I was really surprised at how tasty this turned out to be! Completely vegetarian, hearty and healthy to boot. Hooray for nummy eggplant. My 2 1/2 year old liked it too!

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1" piece ginger grated
• Juice of one orange
• 1 unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1 inch dice
• 1 container fresh mushrooms cut in 1/2
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine the first 7 ingredients, (you can reduce the sodium by using lower sodium soy sauce w/out compromising flavor, if desired). Place eggplant and mushrooms in container suitable for marinading. pour the marinade over the veggies and let marinate for at least an hour, and up to 24 hours in the fridge. Turn the oven on to broil and line a baking sheet with foil. Turn the marinated veggies out onto the sheet and spread into a thin layer. place under broiler for 15 to 20 minutes, until the eggplant is done and the mushrooms just begin to caramelize.

Peanut Sauce

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice of 1 lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup water

Combine all ingredients except water, place in small sauce pan, heat over medium heat, whisking in the water, cook until slightly thickened.

To serve place equal portions in lettuce leaves, drizzle with the peanut sauce.

If you are putting 2 T of the peanut sauce on each lettuce wrap you're looking at around 288 calories each. Though I had 2 servings of the marinated eggplant, and only used 2 T of the sauce total. My entire meal (2 stuffed lettuce leaves) was 473 calories.

Looking back on it now, I suppose the oil could be replaced with more juice, or even water in the marinade, but remember this, some fat is good for your body. I tend to be fanatical about the oil/fat in my diet, and I forget to remember to use good for me oils. Do as I say, not as I do!

:)
Much love,
Alisha xoxoxo

Cold Days Deserve Hot Soup

Minestrone was just the ticket yesterday. This version is 160 calories for a cup. Feel free to mix and match your favorite veggies in your own soup, adjust the seasonings too! Make it your own, and have some fun.

Minestrone Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 1small sweet potato diced
• 1 small red potato diced
• 1 Qt. tomatoes
• 1 can great northern beans
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 6 cups water
• 4 t. chicken base
• 3/4 cup small pasta
• 1 cup spinach chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. add the carrot, celery, potato, sweet potatom and zucchini, cook for about 5 minutes. Add the totmatoes, water chicken base, rosemary, beans and pasta.
Cook until the potatoes and pasta are done. Add the spinach and remove from heat.

Serve this with some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Add some crusty italian bread to round out the meal. (I got some really good italian olive oil bread from Bountiful Baskets last time we ordered.)

Please feel free to post comments, suggestions, what were you thinkings!? on any and all posts. I look forward to your feedback.

Much Love,
Alisha xoxoxoxo

Breakfast of ... well ME!

I get asked pretty frequently why I haven't posted about breakfast, or posted some breakfast recipes. Never fear, there will be some to come. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this.

Most mornings my breakfast consists of  Brown Cow brand greek yogurt, combined with some sort of fresh fruit, and a packet of Stevia. Sprinkle on some form of Grape Nuts type breakfast cereal and breakfast is complete. I choose to actually have something to chew on for breakfast (as opposed to blending all this into a smoothy or shake.) I find the act of actually eating much more satisfying than drinking my meal.

This meal, which is actually VERY filling is only 186 calories! On top of the low calorie count it also packs a whopping 24 g of protein. The greek yogurt has TWO TIMES the amount of protein of regular yogurt.

Why do I choose to make my own morning yogurt? Have you read the ingredient list on the "flavored yogurts out there? It's scary! I don't want fruit flavor, I want FRUIT, and I want it fresh. :)

Why Brown Cow Brand? Again look at the label. The only ingredients in this type of yogurt are non fat milk and 5 live active cultures. No pectin, no preservatives. The texture is smooth and creamy and there's no funky aftertaste. I probably ought to be paid to endorse this product I love it so much!

Happy Breakfast Friends!

Much love,
Alisha xoxoxo

Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

This is one of my very favorite meals.

1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey breast

1 medium onion coursely chopped
3 stalks celery coursely chopped
1 anaheim chile chopped
1 medium greep pepper coursely chopped
1 medium red pepper coursely chopped
1 medium green pepper coursely chopped
1 jalepeno chopped (leave the seeds and veins in if you want the added heat)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. butternut squash cut into 1" cubes
2 Qts tomatoes
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans black beans
1 Tbls Chile powder
1/2 Tbls cumin
Salt and Pepper

Spray the bottom of the pan w/non stick spray and add the onion, celery, and peppers, cook until just beginning to get soft, add the Turkey, and cook until done. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, let simmer until the squash is tender, but not mushy.

Adjust the spices to your taste, use less or more of something to adjust the heat level. Don't have an ingredient? (like butternut squash) leave it out. It's good without it too.

This makes between 14 and 16 1 cup servings.
1 cup = 179 calories
                 8 calories from fat
                 30.2 grams carbohydrates
                 16.33 grams protein