Healthy Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada lasagna!

So clean and healthy and the whole family will love this one!

What you will need:

12 small white corn tortillas

1/2 or 3/4 lb diced chicken breast or ground turkey (or omit meat for a vegetarian dish or add black beans)

Yellow, orange, red or green pepper-pick at least 2 of those 4

1/2 c chopped onion-which ever kind you like

1 c chopped tomatoes

1/2 c corn-frozen or fresh off the cob

2 cups salsa- I used a pineapple mango flavored for extra flavor

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c lime juice

1/4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 c hot sauce

Fresh cilantro, pepper, Badia seasoning, red pepper flakes

8 oz Creamy citrus avocado dressing that I got from Whole Foods-which was the inspiration for this entire meal

DIRECTIONS:

1.Layer 5 tortillas on the bottom of the 9 by 13 baking dish then add 1/2 of the meat and veggie mixture that you cooked in a skillet already (add the hot sauce, lime juice, butter and seasonings as  it cooked down in the skillet)

2.Next, add the tomatoes and half of the salsa, half the cheese and then half of the avocado dressing.

3.Layer 4 more tortillas and add the rest of the meat and veggie mix, then repeat step 2.

4.Layer 3 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 min.

Enjoy!! A

Labor of Love LASAGNA!

 By now I think you are starting to understand that I believe you should LOVE your body and therefore want to feed it better with awesome good for you ingredients. This Lasagna is a labor of love but well worth the time put into it! There are  many healthy benefits to cooking it this way vs the traditional way and as always I promise it is just as delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1 to 1 and a half packages of lasagna noodles-WHOLE WHEAT (using whole wheat won't make you feel all icky and full after like white pasta does)

1 lb lean ground turkey meat

2 sweet sausage links or about 5 oz total

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 and a half cups chopped mushrooms

1 and a half jars of sauce-I used fire roasted organic

24 oz container of 2% cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded skim mozzarella

Italian seasonings-I used basil, rosemary, garlic and red pepper flakes

I whole zucchini-peeled and shredded to use as  a layer

Step 1:

Cook ground turkey and sweet sausage over med heat in skillet for 10 to 12 min. Add in seasonings, onions and mushrooms for another 5 to 6 min.

Step 2:

Mix cheese mixture-cottage, parmesan and mozzarella in a bowl so it is ready as part of the lasagna assembly line......That is the fun part-putting it all together!!!



Step 3:

Cook your noodles or not depending on what the package says you can do then start to build your lasagna in this order:

noodles

sauce

cheese

meat

zucchini

Repeat ending with noodles and sauce on top. Sprinkle with a little bit more cheese-but remember this is "healthy lasagna" not "good old-fashioned lasagna" so easy on the cheese on top!!! Bake at 375 for 45 min.

This is great for dinner and then even better for leftovers the next few days!!!!

ENJOY!!!

XOXOXO-A

White bean, wheat berries, tomato & mozzarella salad

Ingredients:

Mozzarella pearls

Chicken cubed lightly seasoned-salt, pepper, red pepperflakes and parsley

Chopped tomato

Wheat berries

Chopped celery

Chopped onion

Mixed together with olive oil and red wine vinegar

Tips: chill the wheat berries and chicken in the fridge after they cook before adding them to the mixture.

It's even better hours later after all of the flavors have had a chance to marry together!

 

Enjoy-A

 

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Santa Fe Chicken Salad-loaded with goodies-loaded with flavor-loaded with protein and veggies![/caption]

The other night I made a delicious Santa Fe Chicken Salad! I want to share it with you!

I marinated the chicken in lemon juice, lime juice and salsa just for an hour. Once I put everything together in the giant salad bowl  I baked it for 25 min at 350 degrees turning it at the halfway point- just like this in this pan.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Marination-makes it more moist and delicious![/caption]

Next I chopped up peppers, red onions, asparagus, tomatoes, green onion, lettuce, basil and cubed some cheese-cheddar and mozzarella blend. I let the chicken marinade for a while as I chopped everything up.....



Last, I made my own dressing using the ingredients pictured below.....

[caption id="attachment_393" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Make your own dressing-it is so easy!!![/caption]

The amazing avocado!

AVOCADO!

HOW

AMAZING

ARE

YOU?

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing with you 2 of my favorite ways to eat avocados! On the left- Egg white, mozzarella cheese, salsa and avocado breakfast sammie and on the right- Avocado and orange salad with pinch of sea salt and dash of olive oil!

Health benefits of avocados and other "good" fats:

"Avocados have a mild, nutty taste and creamy texture. This makes them suitable as a substitute for unhealthy fats you might normally add to foods. For example, spreading a bagel with 1 oz. of mashed avocado rather than butter can save 18g of fat and nearly 150 calories."Read more:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/28507-avocado-nutrition/#ixzz26AtcSOBz

http://www.livestrong.com/article/271767-the-calories-nutrients-in-an-avocado/

 

 

 

Breakfast or anytime sandwich made with "Flatout" Foldouts 5 Grain Flax flatbread-I really enjoy these!!! This is what I used in the one pictured.

http://www.flatoutbread.com/products/foldit-artisan-flatbread/5-grain-flax/

 

 Healthy fats: Remember 1 part good fat per meal! Food 101 tips:

http://awesomelikeadrienne.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/foodlifestyle-basics-101/

 

Other "GOOD" FATS and more info:

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_fats.htm

• Olive oil


• Canola oil


• Sunflower oil


• Peanut oil


• Sesame oil


• Avocados


• Olives


• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)


• Peanut butter

The avocado and orange salad that I will have for a "snack" is drizzled with olive oil-drizzeled not drenched remember.....good fat is still fat.

Later in the afternoon I will have a handful of almonds-so by the time dinner rolls around I will have had 4 servings of "good" fats that are delicious and so good for me!!! My snack this evening will be celery and peanut butter so all in all 5 good fat servings by the time my head hits the pillow tonight. That makes me happy!

 

Hope you realize that there is a better way to eat after reading this post. A better, cleaner, do good for your body way to eat....once you turn the corner you will never look back. Start today my friends!

 

xoxoxo-A