Monday, April 13, 2015

21 Day Fix Approved Lasagna



Who says you CANT have lasagna on the 21 Day Fix?

NOT ME! <3

I LOVE lasagna and CHEESE--so I just HAD to find a recipe that would was APPROVED!


Enjoy!

21-Day Fix Portions: 

Use the green container for portion control, but instead count 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 green, 1 blue, 1/2 purple


Ingredients


  1. Whole grain lasagna noodles (6 if you want 2 layers, 9 if you want 3 layers)
  2. 1 lb lean ground turkey
  3. 1½ jars clean pasta sauce (I like Classico. If you want it extra saucy, use 2 full jars. If you like less sauce, you can get by with 1 jar)
  4. 1 carton cottage cheese
  5. 1 8 oz. package shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
  6. ¾ cup real shredded Parmesan cheese
  7. 1 egg
  8. 2 cups (combined) finely chopped celery, onion, carrot (or sweet peppers)
  9. 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  10. ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
  11. Italian seasoning (sodium free)
Directions

  1. Boil water for noodles (add a splash of extra virgin olive oil so they don’t stick together). Cook noodles according to package instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, brown ground turkey. Season with Italian seasoning and remove from pan.
  3. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the same pan. Saute vegetables and garlic until tender.
  4. Return the ground turkey to the pan.
  5. Stir in pasta sauce and parsley and simmer until heated through. Feel free to adjust sauce seasonings to taste (you can use garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, etc.)
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until well beaten
  7. Add the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, and a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Stir to combine with the egg until everything is well blended.
  8. When the noodles have finished boiling, rinse with cold water and pat dry completely using kitchen towels.
  9. Begin the lasagna layering process in a lightly-greased 13x9 pan: Sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, repeat.
  10. Once you have added the final layer, pour any remaining sauce over top. 
  11. Then sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan on the top.
  12. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese on the top is bubbly.

All DONE! Enjoy!

Monday, April 6, 2015

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

  • Makes approx. 12 meatballs
Container count per 3 meatballs: 
1 & 1/4 Red, 1/4 Green

I often ask myself how I can incorporate more buffalo chicken into my life. This time, it’s in the form of dense, delicious meatballs swimming in hot sauce. Perfect to bring to a potluck or to set out as a party appetizer, or just eat them all yourself. Who needs friends when you've got buffalo chicken meatballs? :P
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 cups ground chicken
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
  2. Mix chicken, eggs whites, onion, scallions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so it will be easier to shape.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep saute pan over medium high heat. Add broth, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
  4. Take the chicken mixture out of the refrigerator. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scoop into meatballs, and place them on the baking sheet.
  5. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip the meatballs over and cook another 10 minutes.
  6. Add the meatballs to the saute pan of sauce and thoroughly coat with sauce. Simmer for a few minutes, then serve.