Lasagna Roll-Ups

Such a fun twist to lasagna.  Plus, I think this recipe is a ton easier than most lasagna recipes and I love the Spinach instead of ground beef.  

You just cook the noodles, lay them out, add the put-together spinach and cheese mixture, roll them up, spread some sauce and cheese on top, cook and ENJOY!

Serve with some salad and garlic bread on the side and bam - I love this dinner.

Lasagna Roll-ups
Yield: 9 Lasagna rolls

Ingredients
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and patted dry
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1 egg
salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 of a 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spoon about one cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.

Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and lay out cooked and dried lasagna noodles on the paper.  Spread about 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture evenly over noodle.  Carefully roll noodle and place seam side down into the baking dish.  Repeat with remaining lasagna noodles.

Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the noodles in the baking dish.  Add more sauce from the jar if you'd like more sauce.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and a little more parmesan if you'd like.  Put foil over the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.  Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from Tabler Party of Two.

Healthy Chocolate Banana Ice-Cream

I'm just being introduced into the world of frozen banana ice-cream and I'm loving it!  One of my favorite combinations is bananas, chocolate and almond/peanut butter so when I came across this recipe I got pretty excited.  It's a very healthy option to an everyday craving I have - some kind of chocolate dessert.  

I had never used Cacao powder until recently and I'm really loving it.  I found this bag at Walmart for probably right around $8.  You may think that's a little pricey, but this bag will last a long time.  You can switch this out for normal cocoa powder if you prefer.

I usually let my bananas thaw for about 5-10 minutes in the processor so the ice-cream forms into a smoother texture faster.  If you process them when they are right out of the freezer you will end up with more of a dip 'n dots kind of ice-cream, but don't worry, let it sit for a few minutes and process it again and it will smooth out.

Creamy and thick, my favorite.

If I eat this in the afternoon as a little "pick-me-up" snack I like to sprinkle some Bee Pollen on the top to give me that little extra energy and health boost.

Here's a description of Bee Pollen I found on google that I loved:
"Bee pollen is the food of the young bee and it is approximately 40% protein. It is considered one of nature's most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by the body."

Healthy Chocolate Banana Ice-Cream

Ingredients
3 frozen bananas, chopped into chunks
1/4 cup chocolate almond milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 tablespoon cacao powder

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor.  You may need to wait a few minutes to allow the bananas to thaw a little so when it processes it doesn't process into chunks, but instead into a smooth ice-cream texture.  Process until smooth and creamy.  You may need to turn the processor off a time of two and scrap down the sides and stir the mixture a little.  Scoop into bowls and enjoy!


Recipe Source: Eating Bird Food

Rainbow Detox Salad

I've been reading how healthy cabbage is for us, but I have to admit, I am not a cabbage lover.  I do like a good coleslaw, but I'm not one to sit down with a bowl of shredded cabbage and an oil and vinegar dressing and go to town (like my husband and 8-year-old son can).  BUT, I am trying harder to include more nutrient dense foods into my diet so I wanted to find some recipes that included cabbage AND looked appealing to me.  Then I came across this one and immediately printed it off and added it to my list of recipes to try.  

I have fallen in love with this salad.  The crunchy cabbage, the roasted chickpeas, the creamy avocados, with the light lemon vinaigrette dressing... what's not to love?  There's so much variety!

Rainbow Detox Salad

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

1/4 head purple cabbage

1/4 head green cabbage

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 avocado

1 cup cooked quinoa

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas then spread out the beans onto a baking sheet.  Cover with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until toasted and crispy.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the cabbage.  Toss together in a large bowl.  Remove the pit of the avocado and slice into pieces.  Drizzle the cabbage with the Lemon vinaigrette dressing; add a scoop of the cooked quinoa, the sliced avocado, and the crispy chickpeas.

Recipe Source: Health Nut Nutrition

Pumpkin Chickpea Curry Soup

A few weeks ago I found this fall soup and couldn't wait to try it.  I have to admit that Colby didn't love it very much.  He liked it better once he added salt.  I didn't even try to feed it to my kids because well, I knew it wouldn't be a very enjoyable dinner-time if I did.  But man, for what it's worth - I loved this soup!  I loved it so much I was excited to add it to my blog and share it with you.  It's a perfect fall soup.  I loved the flavor plus the added texture of the chickpeas and quinoa.  The coconut milk made it creamier.  If you're looking for a healthy, fall soup, and not to mention - super, duper easy to make in the slow cooker, then I invite you to give this one a try.  

Pumpkin Chickpea Curry Soup
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups vegetable broth
3 handfuls spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric

Optional Toppings:
Fresh lime
Cilantro
Cooked quinoa

Directions
Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, cilantro, and cooked quinoa.


Recipe Source: Adapted from the Healthy Grocery Girl

The Gorilla's Taco

Talk about a yummy, very nutrient filled lunch/snack/dinner!  I love these Gorilla tacos!  One of my favorite greens to eat is Collard Greens.  I love how sturdy they are - almost a leathery feel.  Makes me think how nutrient dense they are.  I mean look at 'em... aren't they great?!

And I really love their taste.  I put them in my morning green smoothie, chop them up and add them to a lot of my green salads, and now make tacos and wraps out of them!  They make a perfect tortilla because of how solid and sturdy they are.

You can totally substitute the quinoa out for rice or millet if you'd like - but my favorite as of late is Red Quinoa - with all it's nutrients and yumminess.  I love the way red quinoa looks after it's cooked.

Filling and delicious.

The Gorilla's Taco
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
2 collard greens leaves, rinsed and patted dry
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced and peeled
Handful of Alfalfa sprouts
salsa

Directions
Place the two collard greens leaves on a plate.  Down the center of one of the collard greens place half the quinoa, black beans, bell peppers, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, and salsa.  Down the center of the other collard green place the other half of all the ingredients.  Fold the edges of the greens up and enjoy every bite!

Recipe Source: Tasty on My Mind

Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

I feel like it's been awhile since I've been on here to share some of my favorite recipes.  Probably because it has.  A week ago one of my kids came down with what I thought was a small cold, but with four kids there is no such thing as a small cold, right?  That small cold turned into three kids throwing up over about a four day span, one kid coming down with croup which turned into stridor- giving me a very scary morning and an almost ER trip at 5am, a fever that lasted for about 3 days, and other bodily functions happening that we don't need to talk about on a food blog.  Anyway, let's just say I'm grateful for a fresh new week and I want to kick whatever flu, cold, virus bug that's going around in the pants!  So with all that said, let's get on to one of my new favorite finds...

Last week I came across this salad dressing and I fell in love with it.  I think I used it three straight days (until I ran out) and I loved it every time.  It's not a heavy dressing and it adds the perfect taste/kick to a salad to give it that extra "Mmmmmm".  Plus, it's easy to shake together - takes maybe three minutes, and includes simple, every-day-used ingredients.

Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Yield: About 8 servings

*If you're making this for one person or you have a smaller group and don't want to have leftovers I would half the ingredients.

Ingredients
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients into a jar, such as a mason jar or anything with a secure lid.  Secure the lid and shake until all is combined.  Enjoy !

Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and shake well before each use.


Recipe Source: Health Nut Nutrition