Lasagna Roll-Ups

• 8 whole grain lasagna noodles
• 8 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 egg whites
• salt
• 1 small handful shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 large handful shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 package frozen spinach, about 8 oz
• 12 oz marinara sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles about 8 minutes, or until slightly tender. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to cook in two separate batches. 

Preheat the oven to 400.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, salt and mozzarella. Stir to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

Line a plate with paper towels, place spinach on the towels and defrost in the microwave. Separate the clumps, and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Add to the cheese mixture and combine.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and rinse with cool water. Lay the noodles out flat and spoon some of the spinach-cheese mixture onto each noodle. Spread evenly across the entire noodle. Roll up.

In a baking dish sprayed with olive oil spray, line the roll-ups seam down. Cover with marinara, making sure to cover all parts of the noodles to keep them moist. 

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake about 25 minutes.

Adapted from budgetbytes.blogspot.com

Beef Enchilada Bake

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 2 large handfuls onion, chopped
• 2 generous shakes chili powder
• 2 generous shakes cumin
• 1 can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 oz plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 generous shakes garlic powder
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 carb-balance tortillas
• 1 10 oz can medium enchilada sauce
• 1 4 oz can green chiles

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic about 5-7 minutes, or until onions are tender and beef is no longer pink. Stir occasionally. Season with cumin and chili powder and stir. Turn off the heat, add the beans and un-drained chiles, and stir to combine. 

While the beef is cooking, combine flour, garlic powder and yogurt. Stir thoroughly and set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Place a tortilla in a casserole dish. Add in half the beef and bean mixture, spreading evenly across the tortilla. Spread half the yogurt mixture over it, and pour half the enchilada sauce on top. Add another tortilla and layer the rest of the ingredients, topping with the final tortilla. 

Cover and bake 30 minutes. 

Adapted from recipe.com

**sorry, dear readers. The pictures of this meal didn't turn out very well, so none for this recipe.

Super Easy Cheddar Veggie Soup

• 1 bag of broccoli cheddar pre-made soup mix
• 5 cups water
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 1 large russet potato, rinsed and chopped
•  EVOO
• 1 large handful frozen broccoli
• 2 handfuls frozen corn

In a large, deep skillet, heat EVOO, about one turn of the pan. Add the potato, and cook until barely tender. Pour in the water, then milk, and give a stir to combine. Whisk in the entire bag of mix, whisking until thoroughly combined. Bring the soup to slow boil and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen broccoli and corn. Cook another few minutes until the frozen veggies are tender, giving another stir or two.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 2 tbsp Smart Balance spread
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups milk
• 1 15 oz can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 large handfuls onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 10 oz can Enchilada sauce
• 2 whole frozen chicken breasts
• 2 handfuls shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese (optional)
• low-fat sour cream or plan Greek yogurt (optional)

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour until it forms a soft lump. Remove from heat and add in the chicken broth. Slowly whisk in the milk. Return to the heat and stir occasionally until the mixture thickens. In a large bowl, combine the enchilada sauce and broth mixture.

In a crock pot, add the black beans, Rotel, onion, garlic, corn and peppers. Add the frozen chicken breasts on top of the veggies. Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. I gave it a stir about an hour into cooking before leaving the house, but it will be fine if you just let it cook the whole time. 

When the soup is finished cooking, remove the chicken and shred. It should just fall apart as soon as you put the knife to it. Add it back to the soup. Top with the sour cream or Greek yogurt and/or shredded cheese if you would like

adapted from daintychef.com

Chicken Veggie Casserole

• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp Smart Balance spread
• 2 handfuls frozen broccoli
• 4 large handfuls macaroni
• EVOO
• EVOO spray
• 3 large handfuls onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, stems removed
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• salt
• 3 chicken breasts, fat trimmed and chopped into large chunks
• 3 pieces smoked string cheese, chopped
• 1/2 jar sundried tomatoes packed in oil (about 4 pieces) chopped

In a small bowl, melt the Smart Balance spread in the microwave, about 10 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Set aside.

Spray a casserole dish with the EVOO spray. Preheat oven to 350.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, about 10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, line a plate with paper towels and defrost in the microwave at 30 second intervals (check out my microwave warning here). Squeeze out the excess moisture with another paper towel or two.

When the pasta is done cooking, stain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Toss with EVOO and set aside.

In the same pot, add EVOO one turn of the pot. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and thyme, cooking about another minute. Add the flour, stir, then add the milk and the chicken stock. Whisk until there are no flour lumps. Add the chicken and turn the heat down to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, let sit until the chicken is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Add in the string cheese and tomatoes and stir. Add in the pasta and broccoli and stir until everything is thoroughly and evenly combined. 

Transfer mixture into casserole dish. Top with the bread crumbs mixture. Bake about 15 minutes.

Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

Baked Quinoa Cups

• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 bag frozen broccoli (about 10 oz)
• 2 handfuls frozen corn
• 3 handfuls reduced-fat shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Light Ranch
• 1 full egg
• 1 egg white
• salt
• EVOO spray

Pour the chicken stock and quinoa into a medium pot on medium heat. Prepare quinoa according to package directions, about 12 minutes. Let cool until luke-warm.

While the quinoa is cooking, place the frozen broccoli on a paper towel-lined plate and defrost in the microwave in 30 second intervals (click here for my microwave warning). When the broccoli is thawed, squeeze out the excess moisture with another paper towel or two. The frozen corn \will easily thaw in a small bowl of room temperature water, after just a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs seasoned with salt. Add half the cheese, broccoli, corn, and Ranch. Stir until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the quinoa, about 2 heaping spoonfuls at a time. After every addition of the quinoa, give a stir. You want to make sure it's cooled enough and added slowly, or it will scramble the eggs.

Spray the muffin tin cups, you will likely only need nine cups. Scoop the quinoa veggie mixture into the sprayed cups. Add a pinch of cheese on top of each scoop.

Bake 25 minutes.

Adapted from daydreamkitchen.com

Potato Dish

My mom makes a similar recipe to this by wrapping potatoes, onions and feta cheese in tinfoil and throwing it on the grill. Since I don't have much for a grill, and had some leftover goat cheese, I decided to give this a whirl. It turned out to be a great adaption that works year-round.

• 5 baby reds, rinsed and chopped
• 3 handfuls onion, chopped
• 2 handfuls goat cheese crumbles
• Curt's seasoning salt
• EVOO

Heat a large, deep skillet on medium heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO. Add the potatoes and season with the Curt's. When the potatoes start to sizzle, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook about 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to avoid burning. 

Add the onion, stir to combine, and re-cover. Cook another 5 minutes or so, until the onions start turning translucent. Remove from heat. Add the goat cheese and stir to combine. The potatoes and onion should be hot enough that the cheese melts right away.