Squash Lasagna!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Because we ALL love lasagna but not the ton of carbs that come with it. So here’s a clean and healthy solution. The carbs and sugars will vary depending on the marinara you choose but an estimate is below

 Prep Time 15 mins
 Cook Time 1 hr 17 mins
 Total Time 1 hr 32 mins
 Servings 4 Servings
 Calories 474

Ingredients
1 small spaghetti squash (approx. 3½ to 4 lbs.)
Nonstick cooking spray
4 cups all-natural marinara sauce
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil (optional)



Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membrane.
4. Place spaghetti squash, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 350º F.
6. Scrape spaghetti squash flesh into stringy noodles.
7. Lightly coat 4-quart baking dish with spray.
8. Evenly layer half spaghetti squash, half marinara sauce, and half ricotta cheese in baking dish. 9. Repeat with second layer.
10. Evenly top with Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
12. Garnish with basil if desired.

Nutrition Info
Portion Fix Containers
1 Green
2 Purple
1 Red
1 Blue

Via Team Beachbody

Zucchini Grilled Cheese

These are amazing! Zucchini Grilled Cheeeeeeese! Delicioussssss! And low carb!

SERVES: 3-4

INGREDIEditENTS

2 c. grated zucchini
1 large egg
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. cornstarch
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for cooking
2 c. shredded Cheddar

DIRECTIONS
Squeeze excess moisture out of zucchini with a clean kitchen towel. In a medium bowl, combine zucchini with egg, Parmesan, green onions and cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper.

In large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil to layer the bottom of the pan.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture onto one side of the pan and shape into a small square.

Repeat to form another patty on the other side.

Cook until lightly golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

Remove from heat to drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining zucchini mixture.

Wipe skillet clean.

Place two zucchini patties in the same skillet over medium heat.

Top both with shredded cheese, then place two more zucchini patties on top to form two sandwiches.

Cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side.

Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Poached Eggs! On Toast & So Much More!

Poached eggs seem to be the topic of conversation in my groups lately! One of the motivating women in it keeps sharing her yummy pics of poached egg breakfasts & it has us all drooling over them

If you haven't tried it, you may want to. I haven't yet, if you can believe that, but I'm shopping & meal prepping again soon & this is on my list

Here's a How To Poach an Egg with a modified recipe via TheKitchn.com

INGREDIENTS

Water

1 large egg

1 tablespoon rice vinegar or other mild-tasting vinegar

EQUIPMENT

Small saucepan

Small measuring cup

Timer

Slotted spoon

Paper towel

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill the saucepan about 2/3 full w/ water & bring to a boil

Turn heat down & let the water relax into a brisk simmer. You should see bubbles coming up to the surface, but it won't be rolling. (It's easier and quicker to control the simmer if you bring it to a boil first, then reduce the heat rather than trying to get it to the perfect simmer from the get-go.)

Crack the egg into a small measuring cup, preferably one w/ a long handle. This will help you ease the egg into the water

Add vinegar to the water: This step is optional, but many people like to add it to the boiling water because it helps the loose, billowy white cohere to itself & cook into a more compact shape. Taste isn't noticeable, although you might notice a firmer, more "squeaky" texture to the white

Use the measuring cup to carefully lower the egg into the water, then tip it out into the water. Make sure the water is at a bare simmer

The final cooking time for a poached egg is very much up to you. It depends on how well you like your eggs done and how hot the water is. But 4 minutes, give or take, in lightly simmering water, will give you a firm white & a gooey but still runny yolk

Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the water

Pat the egg dry: This is optional

Place the egg on toast, salad, lean protein & enjoy. Season as desired

If you want to poach multiple eggs at once, make sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all your eggs without crowding them or poach in batches if necessary. Crack each egg into its own measuring cup before you start & slip them into the water one after the next. Add 30 seconds for each extra egg 

The Best Low Carb Pizza

Guilt free pizza without giving up the taste!
If you love pizza, and come on, who doesn’t, you HAVE to try his low carb, gluten free, guilt free option!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken thigh (more flavor/fat than ground chicken breast but you can use breast or all ground chicken also)
1/2-3/4 cup grated (powdered) Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella
1/4 cup frozen spinach (optional)
Salt, pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In large bowl mix ground chicken thigh, cheese and seasoning

Thaw spinach and remove excess water with paper towel or cheesecloth, add to mixture

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and press chicken mixture into even thin layer

Bake for 20 minutes

Remove from oven and top with desired toppings (ideas: red onion, cilantro, chicken, bacon and sugar free or low sugar bbq sauce!)

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and brown
notes

If using ground chicken breast, reduce cooking temperature to 375 and reduce cooking time to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Add additional time after toppings until cheese is melted and golden, being careful not to overcook.

Once pizza cools a bit, it can be picked up like regular crust

If mixture seems too wet, add more grated parmesan. I used freshly ground chicken thigh so there was less moisture. If you’re using a roll of chicken, it could be more wet and need extra cheese

Personalize it with your favorite toppings and seasonings in the crust as well

Separate into 4-6 and freeze chicken crust (no toppings) individually for quick meal

Serving Size:
1/4 Pizza
Calories: 193
Fat: 8
Carbohydrates: 0
Protein: 27

10 Minute Meals: Salmon Patty with Spinach and Sweet Potato

                                         

Super simple, super clean AND super yummy dinner idea!  Grilled salmon patty over a bed of sauteed spinach and sweet potato!  Takes about 10 minutes to cook it all! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 sweet potato

1 handful of fresh spinach

1 salmon burger

1.  Wash the sweet potato and poke it with a fork several times.

2.  Wrap it in a paper towel, without drying it off after washing it, and place it in the microwave. 

3. Most microwaves have a baked potato setting. If yours does, press it and press 1 for 1 potato unless you're making multiple at a time.  

4.  While the sweet potato cooks, take out a skillet and spray it with coconut or olive oil. 

5.  Grill it on a skillet for 5  minutes on each side.  Set aside.  

6.  Spray the pan with coconut or olive oil and cook the spinach for about 5 minutes, mixing it around as you cook it.  

7.  Serve all on a plate and ENJOY! This recipe is for one but you can easily make this for a family of 4 in just as much time.  

Roasted Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 large (2 small) head of cauliflower
• 2 Tb. olive oil
• Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the cauliflower in half and remove the core and leaves. Roughly chop the cauliflower and place in the food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower is small and fine like rice.
2. Dump the cauliflower rice out onto a large rimmed baking sheet (If your baking sheet is average sized or small, use two.) Drizzle the olive oil over the top. Then mix with your hands and spread the cauliflower rice out into a thin layer. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Then stir and smooth out again. Roast, another 5 minutes. Serve warm.
4. Feel free to add your favorite spices and change it up. Curry, cumin, chili powder, Italian, parsley or my faves, any of the Mrs. Dash or Flavor God seasonings!

Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

I'm a self admitted carb lover and rice is one of my faves.....along with quinoa, couscous and anything with a similar texture. When I discovered cauliflower rice, I was in heaven.... then realizing I can make cauliflower "fried rice" was the icing on the cake! So, here's my recipe that was tweaked by combining a few of the ones I found thanks to the wonderful world of the web! Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower head
• 4 eggs
• 1 to 2 cups chopped veggies of choice (peas, corn, carrots & any others you'd like to add)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp oil (olive, sesame or coconut is what I prefer)
• 1 chicken breast 
• soy sauce
• favorite general seasoning (my fave is Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning)
  
  
  
  

Preparation

1. Cut the leaves and core off the cauliflower. Break the cauliflower up into small florets. If you are using a food processor, you can keep the stems on if they're soft. If you're using a good blender (Blendtec or Vitamix), cut the stems off and cut the florets into small pieces. You can also use a hand grater but that's the last resort......it takes forever!            
2. Add the florets to the food processor or blender. Process or blend until evenly chopped to a consistency similar to rice but not pulverized. If you're using a blender vs a food processor, add the cauliflower in a few pieces at a time since it tends to get stuck.                                                                                                      
3. Once all of the cauliflower is pulverized, set aside.
4. Add a small amount of oil (olive, coconut or sesame) to a skillet or wok then add 1 TBSP of minced garlic & brown lightly.  
5. I had some rotisserie chicken left over so I chopped some of that up and added that as well. It adds protein and turns a side dish into a meal. You can also add some raw chicken breast and cook it thoroughly during this step if you'd like.  
6. Then you can add any blend of veggies you like. All I had in the fridge were some steamed Normandy Blend veggies & Costco's organic veggie blend so I chopped up the two and added them!  Most recipes call just for peas, corn & chopped steamed carrots but I love veggies so I added what I had. It included broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, corn & edamame!
7. After adding the veggies, chicken (if you'd like) & garlic, add the cauliflower.  Mix it up & cook it for a 5 to 10 minutes. 
8. Then spread it aside and add 3 to 4 eggs in the center.Cook the egg thoroughly and once it's cooked, blend together with the "rice", veggie & chicken blend.
   
                          
9. Add some soy sauce (taste it as you add it to make it to your liking) and cook a few minutes longer. 
10. Toss around regularly while cooking it to cook it evenly and thoroughly.
11. Serve and enjoy!!!