Healthy Lasagna Casserole

This serves 2

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. low sodium tomato sauce
4 oz. whole wheat pasta (I used Pappardelle's Whole Wheat Garlic Linguine)
1/4 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. cheese slices, chopped (I used 4 slices of new Sargento's ultra thin provolone)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

1. Heat up a large saucepan on medium-high. Spray with cooking spray. Add in ground turkey and break up with wooden spoon. Saute 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, black pepper, Italian seasonings, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. Saute 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile cook pasta according to the package directions.

3. Add the tomato sauce to the turkey mixture.

4. Add in cooked pasta, ricotta cheese, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Mix well.

5. Spray a 9x13 pan. Pour in pasta mixture and top with cheese. Bake 15 minutes uncovered or until golden brown.

p.s. the pasta I used is kind of green so that's why the color is kind of weird.

Broccoli Lemon Garlic Herb Pasta

It's that time of year again. The farmer's market is open! We actually have a pretty nice one here and we want last weekend. The best part was that they had a nutella raspberry crepe station!! It was heavenly!

I carried Chloe around in a moby wrap and she had so much fun too.

Well we picked up some homemade pasta there. They have dozens of different flavors to choose from. Their stand was one of the busiest ones at the market so we knew it was good. We tried some last year and thought it was really good too.

This time we picked a garlic herb pasta. The pasta is a really pretty rich green color and just LOOKS healthy and fresh. Next time I'll take a picture of it before it's cooked. It's beautiful.

If you don't have pasta like this, this recipe would be just as delicious with plain old pasta.

When I started making dinner I really didn't have a plan, but it all came together and tasted even better!

We had some blackened tilapia with this and it so fresh, healthy, and delicious.


Serves 2

Ingredients: 

1/4 lb. garlic herb pasta, cooked--(reserve 1/2 c. pasta water)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or regular butter)
6 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. white wine (or chicken stock)
1 lemon, juice of
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vegeta

2 c. broccoli
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to the package directions, reserve 1/2 c. of pasta water.

2. Preheat oven to 450. Toss broccoli, oil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and mix well. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter on medium-high heat. Add green onions. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 3 minutes. Make sure not to burn the garlic.

4. Add the juice of one lemon, wine, reserved pasta water, black pepper, salt, and vegeta. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Reduce by half, about 10 minutes.

5. Add roasted broccoli and cooked pasta, combine well and serve immediately.

Healthier Shrimp Scampi

Nutritional Value Per Serving:

• 342 calories
• 14.5 g total fat
• 3.6 g saturated fat
• 5.2 g polyunsaturated fat
• 1.3 g monounsaturated fat
• 154 mg sodium
• 35.5 g carbohydrates
• 23 g protein

4 small servings

Ingredients:

2 c. uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
3 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, divided
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 c. onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 1/2 tsp. vegeta, divided
1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned, cooked
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. white wine or chicken stock
1 lemon, juice of
3 Tbsp. parmesan, reduced fat
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add 1/4 tsp. black pepper and vegeta.

3. Season shrimp with 1/4 tsp. black pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. vegeta. Increase the skillet to high and add shrimp. Saute 2 minutes. Add wine and let cook on high for 4 minutes.

4. Turn heat off and add lemon juice, parmesan, and parsley. Serve!

Spinach Artichoke Ravioli

This is a great recipe if you have dinner guests you want to impress! This takes a while to put together so don't just start making it at 5pm and expect to eat at 6! 

You should try this recipe at least once.... I've made it a few times and every time my husband can't stop telling me how great it is. 

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have... but I forgot... hehe. sorry! Just comment with any questions and I'll try to answer quickly!

Again, it would be a great thing to make for a dinner party! Just make sure to make more filling. 

This made about 3-4 servings. 

Ravioli Filling:

2 tsp. vegetable oil, divided

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

13.75 canned artichoke hearts, drained, diced

1 Tbsp. vegeta

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. basil

2 c. fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 c. fresh parsley

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1 lemon, juice of

1 egg

Pasta Dough

Tomato Sauce:

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

28 oz. crushed tomatoes, italian style

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. parsley

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. vegeta

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil and butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add onions. Saute 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, saute another 4 minutes. Don't burn the garlic. 
2. Add chopped and drained artichoke hearts. Add vegeta, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and basil.  Saute 10-15 minutes.  
3. Turn off heat. Move mixture to a medium bowl. Let cool a few minutes. 
4. Mix in ricotta, spinach, lemon juice, parsley. Check for seasoning. Adjust if necessary. Add the egg. 
5. Cut pasta dough into 4 wedges. Roll the dough paper thin using either a pasta machine or by hand with a rolling pin. Take your time and don't tear the pasta. Keep your work surface floured to prevent sticking.
6. Cut the dough into 3 1/2 inch rounds. Get a small bowl with water. 
7. Take one round of dough, wet it lightly with water. Fill the center with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Top with another round of dough. Press down and pinch the sides to seal the ravioli. Try to get all of the air out and make sure it's sealed well. 
8. In the same large saucepan you used for the filling, heat 1 tsp. of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add the raviolis and let get golden brown on each side. This takes just a few minutes. 
9. The both sides are golden brown, pour in 1/2 to 1 cup hot water and put the lid on. This will steam the ravioli and cook the pasta. It only takes a few minutes. 

• If the water runs out, add 1/4 cup more.
• If the raviolis are done and there is water left, take the lid off and increase heat to high. The water will evaporate fairly quickly.
• Start out with 1/2 cup of water at first... it takes less water than you think!

   10. Gently stir in the tomato sauce over the raviolis. Then... EAT! :) You're finally done!

Make the Sauce:

1. Heat oil on medium in a medium size saucepan. Add onions and saute 4 minutes. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to simmer, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Keep warm until ready to use. 

Healthier Creamy Shrimp & Pasta

 Chloe turned 6 months old today :) It's unbelievable that she's getting that big! We bought her a sippy cup today and she loved banging it against the kitchen counter when I was making this.

Dinner was pretty delicious tonight. We try to cook healthy as much as we can. This seriously tricks your mind into thinking you're eating something naughty...

The majority of the sauce is fat free.... and each person is only getting 1/2 Tbsp. of cheese.

You can even leave out the butter and switch to whole wheat pasta if you wish. And since I cook with vegeta I don't add additional salt.

The lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley lighten this dish up even more. You could substitute chicken for shrimp if you want. If you are a vegetarian just leave the meat out.


Adapted from Never Enough Thyme.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. linguine pasta, cooked in salted water
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 off an onion, diced
3 green onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 roma tomato, diced
2 tsp. vegeta
1/4 tsp. black pepper
zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 c. fat free half-n-half
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

• Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
• In a large skillet heat butter and oil on medium heat.
• Saute onions, and green onions for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic. Saute 8 minutes.
• Season with vegeta and black pepper.
• Add lemon zest and parsley.
• Stir in half-n-half and parmesan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add sauce to pasta and stir well. Add in cooked shrimp or serve on top.

For the Shrimp

1/2 lb. cooked shrimp
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/ tsp. vegeta
1/4 tsp. black pepper

• Heat oil in a large skillet on high heat.
• Toss shrimp in lemon juic. Season with vegeta and pepper.
• Add shrimp to pan and saute 3 minutes on each side. Since the shrimp are already cooked they just need a little bit of color.

ENJOY!