Wednesday, April 3, 2013

WIAW: Lighter Lasagna

Peas and Crayons


Breakfast I: Vitatop
Obviously I bought a whole box of cran bran Vitatops that I only choose to eat when photographing my WIAW post ;)  It is great workout fuel though.  Sticks to your ribs without making you feel nauseated during a tough workout.  Anyways, I ate this before 5 a.m. boot camp.
I'm usually in a dream like state so early in the morning, but for some reason, this morning I wanted to take a picture of all the colorful mats.  I tried to do it on the down-low, since I was supposed to be jogging, so I only got half the mats in the shot.  It's a big class!
Follow me on instagram to see more random photos like this ;)  I'll most likely follow you back...that is unless your profile picture is a torso.  Then I probably won't follow you back.

Breakfast II: Cereal
Go ahead and log this as probably the worst choice to eat after a strength workout, with only 1 gm of protein.  I was in a mega hurry today, though because I had to be at work an hour early.
So....cinnamon Capn' Crunch, it is.  Plus half a banana for health!
And coffee, duh.

Morning Snack: Yogurt 


Finally found the new Chobani flips in the store!  It was randomly over by the ricotta at Walmart.  Not sure why they didn't put it by the yogurt, but whatever.
This was pretty good, except that I expected it to taste like pie...it did not.  It had the tang of Greek yogurt keeping me from achieving my pie high.  But the little toppings were yummy!  Graham cracker bits and teeny little white chocolate chips.

Lunch: Pita & Veggies
Lunch was broken into two parts.  I was staaaaarrrrvvviiingg (starving) right before I was scheduled for a lunch walk with below handsome puppy dude, so I went ahead and ate my half pita pocket with roast beef, lettuce and swiss.
Then a walk!
After walking, I ate the rest of lunch, which consisted of assorted veggies, veggie stick (potato like chip things) and hummus.
So colorful!
I counteracted all that healthy stuff by eating a brownie!
It was leftover from Easter.  I have no excuse, really.  I should have just given the leftovers away...blergh.
But, it was pretty small-ish.
I made these using Ghiradelli triple chocolate brownie mix, this cookie dough recipe (minus the brownie) and crushed mini Cadbury eggs on top.
Worth it?
Maybe.
Afternoon Snack: Apple
I brought a couple choices for snack this week (I keep them in the mini fridge at work), but ultimately decided I felt like eating an apple.  It hit the spot.

Dinner: Lighter Lasagna...but still lasagna



Ohhhh, hey there good lookin.
Forgive me.  I talk to pictures of food apparently.
So, I set out to make a lighter lasagna and it was good...but ultimately, it's still lasagna.  So, not the world's most healthy meal to round of the day.
I did not write my recipe down as I went...which I usually do, so I'll try and do this from memory.

Lighter Lasagna
serves 6

Homemade Meat Sauce (recipe below)
Wheat lasagna noodles (about 8, broken in half and boiled)
1 6 oz container of skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup skim mozzarella cheese
salt, pepper

Mix ricotta, parmesan, mozzerella and salt & pepper in a small bowl to make your cheese mixture.
Layer a scoop of meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x9 pan, then 4-5 noodle halves, followed by ricotta mixture, more meat sauce.  Continue layering til you just can't layer anymore.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

Homemade Meat Sauce
makes alot--like 3 cups or more--so you'll have leftovers

Olive oil

1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
2 turkey sausage links (uncooked, like the ones from Butterball)
2 giant cans crushed tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder (if more garlic needed)
a handful of chopped, fresh basil
1 tbsp butter


Heat some olive oil in a large sauce pan and throw in the shallot.  Cook for 2 minutes, then throw in the garlic.  Add the meat and cook until browned.
Pour in the tomatoes and add seasoning to taste.  Simmer for about 20 minutes or so, seasoning as you go.

So, as you can see from the picture above this unintentionally long recipe, I had a hunk of lasagna atop some spinach along with a little foccacia bread stick.
It was yum.

A little while later, I had a scoop of cookies & cream frozen yogurt.
Perfect!

Thanks for reading and have a super fantastic day!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh wow...all your eats look so good!
I love the look of those Vitatops but cant get them in the UK..and that lasagne looks so satisfying drool!

Renee-The Hungry Monster said...

Thanks for the comment :)
A few people might have recipes out there for copycat versions of the Vitatops. It's worth a Google.
I'm sure they'll make their way across the pond soon.

Katie Mar said...

yummm!!! all of your eats look so delicious!
i'm addicted to vitatops. the chocolatey ones are my favorite. :)
it's okay to eat brownies! no regrets haha