Skinny spinach mushroom lasagna rolls

I love lasagna. There I said it.
Besides chocolate, lasagna is my favorite food and I love these lasagna rolls! This recipe is meat-free and can be doubled or tripled and the leftovers can be frozen. Meat could also easily be added to make these higher in protein.

- 10 lasagna noodles                                                      - 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 jar preferred pasta sauce (I like traditional Prego)       - 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese                                         - pepper to taste
- 1 egg                                                                         - 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil                                                  - 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. and then drain and rinse with cold water. Heat olive oil over medium and saute mushrooms, garlic, chopped onion, and spinach for 8-10 minutes. Mix ricotta cheese, egg, and pepper in bowl. Add sauteed vegetables to cheese mixture and blend well.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 9x12 pan. Spread 3 spoonfuls of cheese/vegetable filling evenly on each lasagna noodle and roll. Place each lasagna roll in pan seam side down, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over lasagna rolls, and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly on lasagna rolls.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then enjoy!

xxoo

Healthy Baked Oatmeal

I have been wanting to try my hand at baked oatmeal for a while but finally took the plunge this morning, and it was worth it! I browsed a bunch of other recipes online and pieced together my own recipe that uses honey instead of brown sugar, almond milk, and ZERO butter. Matthew loved it and so did I. This is another recipe that can have lots of variations - add ANY fruit you like in oatmeal, use cow's milk or soy milk, add unsweeted coconut, add walnuts... endless possibilities!

- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups unsweeted vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or thawed)

Preheat oven to 375F and grease 8x8 pan. Mix oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, vanilla, honey, and egg. Place cut up bananas and blueberries in bottom of greased pan. Pour dry ingredient mixture over fruit, and then pour liquid ingredients over oat mixture. Ensure that all oat mixture is moistened. Bake for 35-45 minutes, let sit for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

xxoo

Almond flour brownies

This is the first almond flour recipe I've tried and I will admit I was a little skeptical - but one taste and I'm a believer! These are healthy and allow for a few variations, which is always great. These bake up pretty fluffy and are chocolately! 

- 1 cup almond flour                                              - 2/3 cup honey

- 1/2 cup melted butter (salted) or coconut oil       - 1 tablespoon vanilla 

- 3 eggs                                                                - 1/2 cup cocoa powder

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda                     - OPTIONAL: chocolate chips, nuts, coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 baking pan. Cream butter (or oil), honey, vanilla, and eggs together with a hand mixer until eggs start to fluff. Hand mix in almond flour, baking soda, and cocoa power. Pour batter into baking pan. Top batter with optional topping. Bake for 25 minutes or toothpick comes out clean in middle. Enjoy!

xxoo  

Chicken, broccoli, and mushroom stir-fry

This low-sodium stir-fry is amazing! I'm not generally big on Asian themed food, but this is definitely a keeper. My boyfriend couldn't even tell that it is low-sodium! I served it over quinoa because we are HUGE quinoa fanatics, but this could easily go over brown rice.

- 1lb chicken breast tenders cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups raw broccoli florets
- 1 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 small chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

 Heat olive oil over medium heat in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add garlic, ginger, onion, and chicken pieces once oil is hot. Cook chicken for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and sugar to skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, mushrooms, and broccoli and continue to cook on medium for 5-6 minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked through before serving. Serve over quinoa or brown rice. Enjoy!

xxoo

Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is a great midweek winter meal! I love this not only because it is as healthy as it is yummy, but there are SO many variations that can happen with this recipe. Ground turkey or ground chicken, beef broth or vegetable broth, green and yellow bell peppers, and any variety of whole grains!

This is going to be YOUR new favorite! 

- 1 lb lean ground turkey

- 4 cups low sodium beef broth

- 1 chopped onion

- 4 chopped green peppers

- 14.5 ounces diced or purred tomatoes

- 1 clove chopped garlic

- 1 teaspoon chili powder

- 1-2 tablespoons ground cumin

- 2 cups cooked brown rice, quinoa, or barley

- 1 tablespoon olive oil 

Brown ground turkey in skillet with onion, garlic, and olive oil. Pour cooked turkey, beef broth, green peppers, tomatoes, and spices into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-10 hours. Before serving cook rice, quinoa, or barley. Pour cooked grain into slow cooker. Enjoy! 

xxoo 

 

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread

This bread may not be the healthiest on the block, but let me tell you it is PHENOMENAL. It is a fan favorite in my house so I make it pretty much year round. I found this recipe on Pinterest last year and have made a few adaptions to it. Its dense and pumpkin-y but not overly so. This is a MUST bake! I've tried the break with milk chocolate chips as well and I'm partial to the semi-sweet. This recipe can also be modified to a healthier version with almond or coconut flour, non-calorie sweetener, less chocolate chips, and applesauce instead of butter.
Let me know what you think!
xxoo

- 2 cups flour                                                       - 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt                                               - 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup white sugar                                          - 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter                                         - 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup water                                                   - 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips PLUS 2 handfuls

Cream softened butter and sugar with hand-mixer (or stand mixer). Add eggs, water, and pumpkin mixing until well soft an creamy. Fold in flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice until just combined. Stir in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour batter into well-oiled 8x4 bread pan and sprinkle 2 handfuls of chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 for 65-70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken sweet potato quinoa stew in a slow cooker

Hello everyone!! Today I made this super yummy and very healthy stew for dinner. Its hearty and the sweet potatoes melt in your mouth - YUM! I found this recipe on Pinterest but adapted it a little to suit my family's tastes. This recipe is great "man food" and stores great for leftovers! Let me know what you all think!
xxoo


- 1 lb uncooked chicken breast                   - 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-colored in the picture)
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth             - 2 large sweet potatoes (cut into chunks)
- 1-2 cups of mushrooms                            - 1 packet chili seasoning
- 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes                  - 1 tsp chopped garlic

Place uncooked chicken breasts on bottom of slow cooker and pour all other ingredients on top (make sure to stir in the quinoa so it doesn't just float on top). Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours (mine does well with 5). Once done cooking shred chicken with two forks in slow cooker and serve!

Serves 8: approximately 230 calories per serving

Tone It Up Weekly Planner

Hi everyone! As an avid planner (I will plan anything and I love making lists too) I loved the idea of making a weekly schedule that has meals, snacks, and workouts written down. I feel that having a visual reminder is sort of like making a contract with yourself which increases the likelihood that it will be followed.

As they say "Fail to plan = plan to fail", and this is totally my way of life!

I did find a weekly planner online that I have been using, however after using it for a few weeks I decided to make my own with a few 'tweaks'   I really needed to track my water intake so I added a column for hash marks to indicate how many big glasses I've had, and I need to remember to take my vitamins everyday so I put a box that can be check-marked! I moved both of the workout rows together because being a nursing mom I often do my bootycall AND my "PMWO" all at the same time. Therefore I felt my daily workout (cardio or HIIT) really shouldn't be labeled as a PM workout.  Let me know what you think! This can be printed out and used by anyone!
XXOO

Mini turkey meatloafs

I LOVE LOVE LOVE lean protein - its serious mama fuel. These mini meatloafs are made with turkey so they are extra lean, they bake much quicker than regular meatloaf, they are great leftovers (if you have any because my boyfriend eats almost all of them!), and they are super yummy. Only 5 minute prep and 30-35 minutes to bake so they are great week night food! 

- 1lb lean ground turkey                   - 1/2 cup dry oatmeal

- 1 egg                                              -  1 T garlic powder

- 1/2 cup ketchup (or BBQ sauce)    - pepper generously 

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spray muffin tin with pam. Scoop equal amounts of turkey mixture into each spot in muffin tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy! 

xxoo

Panko crusted salmon

I made this salmon tonight and it was AMAZING!!! The boyfriend loved it too; I served it with roasted broccoli and baked sweet potatoes. I saw a similar recipe close to mine on Pinterest but altered it a little to suit our tastes. 

- 4 4oz salmon fillets                    - 1 cup panko bread crumbs

- 2 T dijon mustard                      -  1 t parsley

- 1.5 T honey                               - 1 t lemon juice 

- 1 clove chopped garlic 

Place salmon filets skin side down on a greased baking dish. Mix mustard, honey, garlic, and lemon juice together in a bowl; scoop mixture onto salmon fillets and spread to cover. Sprinkle panko crumbs and parsley to cover honey/mustard on salmon. Place in oven heated to 400F 13-15 minutes (until fish flakes). 

ENJOY xxoo 

Quick healthy mommy meals

Caring for and chasing a baby around all day makes me hungry, like really really hungry. But,all that chasing and crying and laughing and loving makes me completely lose track of time. I have to write down "eat lunch" on my daily to-do list, otherwise I will get so caught up in laundry/cleaning/nursing/playing that I forget to eat. I need to have easy and quick things to make (like under 5 minutes and 1 hand prep) because I generally have a baby fussing at me. If I forget to eat by 3 pm I am even crankier than usual and will eat anything/everything until I go to bed- NOT good. Also, since I am still nursing I need to eat high-protein meals to make the best milk possible. Some of these ideas come from my Sunday weekly prep ideas and some are from things I routinely keep in the kitchen. I am BIG on whole grains and lean protein- mamas need to fuel their bodies! 

Tuna, cottage cheese, tomato, and sirracha 

This is one of my go-to meals that protein-packed, quick to make, relatively cheap, and can be made the in the morning and keeps until the afternoon in the fridge or a lunch box. I ate this before being a mom- I used to take it to work with me to eat at least 3 times a week. I love it so much that I crave it. 

Other ideas:

-Quinoa with baby tomatoes & spinach with tuna or grilled chicken and mustard or Sirracha

-Egg sandwich (whole grain toast, over easy egg, spinach, tomato) 

-Protein bar and raw fruit or veggies 

-Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with almond butter and sliced banana

-Total cereal or Multigrain Cheerios with skin milk and fruit 

- Flatout spinach wrap with tuna, spinach, and mustard 

- Hummus with cherry tomatoes, carrots, and broccoli

- Oatmeal with banana, blueberry, or strawberries 

- Protein shake with fruit