The Healthy Tales

When I first came across the recipe for Slow Cooker Lasagna on the Weight Watchers website, I wasn’t sure what to think. For some reason the thought of making lasagna in a slow cooker just sounded odd to me. I think it was because I thought it was not going to come out in the pretty layers I see at the Olive Garden when I order it.  I thought it was just going to come out mushy and all mixed together.  In the end all of my thoughts turned out silly and unnecessary. The lasagna came out cooked perfectly and plated prettily.  The bonus out of the entire experience was that I failed to buy the correct noodles (the no cook noodles) and used regular noodles you had to boil – oops! and so I decided to just soak them for a few seconds under running water and move on… Well you couldn’t tell the difference. The noodles came out perfect. So I think I’ll just continue to use the boil, whole wheat noodles and not worry about the no boil kind.

Enjoy!

From the Weight Watchers website
8 points per serving. Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Putting it all together:

* Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

* Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

* Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

* Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

* In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

We all have that ah ha moment when it finally hits us that we need to get serious about a goal. It doesn’t have to be regarding weight or health but I would wager that at least 50% of the time it hasto do with a weight or health issue. 

I had my ah ha moment in the month of June.

It actually happened twice.

I was asked if I was pregnant.

Twice.

Talk about embarassing and a shot to one’s ego.

So not what I wanted to hear.

So here I am.

Trying to stay on the bandwagon.

Trying to eat better and exercise regularly.

I’m  not sure if I can handle another question about how fat my stomach has gotten.

I am really liking this meal planning on a monthly basis. I have already discovered a tweak for next month though; I need to add a designation to my calendar as to whether the recipe is a slow cooker recipe or not. I had to shift a few things around late last week when I failed to notice that this recipe is a slow cooker recipe, not an oven baked recipe.  It was well worth the wait of an extra day though.  The other tidbit of information to share is that I failed to check my freezer while making the grocery list so I didn’t have frozen broccoli. I did have frozen peas and carrots and they went really well with this recipe. Next time I’ll try to use broccoli but if I forget it again I know I can still  make a yummy meal with another veggie.

Rice, Ham and Broccoli Casserole

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and drained
3 cups cubed cooked ham
1 can (10 and 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (8 oz) reduced fat cheez whiz
1 cup milk
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

In slow cooker, combine the ham and broccoli. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients; stir. Pour the mixture over the ham and broccoli and stir it all together.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until rice is tender.

About 4-5 servings.

For lunch today, I consulted my meal plan and noted that on Friday, Mike and I were scheduled to eat the BBQ Chicken Chop Chop Salad – a HungryGirl recipe. Unfortunately, I was trapped in New Orleans waiting for the Houston airport to reopen so I could get home. Therefore, no salad for me (I had this “deli” salad) and Mike had a BBQ chicken wrap. I decided to just swap things up and make the salad today as I had a huge bag of lettuce needing to be eaten.

I really liked this salad. It was quick and easy to put together and is a great use of left over Diet Coke Chicken. I didn’t have red onions or jicama so I had to do without. It wasn’t a huge issue but I did notice that they would have provided a nice crunch to the salad. We topped ours off with Ranch dressing – Full fat for Mike and Spritzer Ranch for me. Very tasty.

6 Weight Watcher Points

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
For Salad:
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 ounces cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped jicama
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 tbsp canned sweet corn kernels
2 tbsp canned black beans
Optional: 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For dressing:
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar (not packed)
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Chopping it up:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Coat chicken in sauce. Heat if desired.
2. Place all other ingredients in a bowl and toss until mixed.
3. Top salad with BBQ chicken and enjoy

To make things even easier, use the Diet Coke chicken and coat with 1/4 cup of bottled BBQ sauce.

In a quest to be healthier and more budget friendly, I decided last week to meal plan for the rest of June and all of July. So far so good. I’ve made fish tacos as scheduled. Tonight was a Big Bowl of Breakfast which is a Hungry Girl recipe from the 1-2-3 recipe book.  I was skeptical on how good this would be as a dinner as it is marketed as a breakfast and past attempts of breakfast for dinner have been so-so. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe was and how much food it made when I doubled the recipe for Mike and I. One small minor adjustment I made to the recipe was to add about 2/3 a cup of frozen Cajun Mirepoux blend veggies (green bell pepper, onion, and celery) while I was cooking the potatoes. I also added salsa to my bowl while serving.  All in all it was a hit and will be made again.

Ingredients:
1 tray frozen Green Giant Just for One Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
3/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (egg Beaters)
3/4 cup frozen potatoes (O’Brien)
1 slice Canadian bacon, chopped
2 tbsp shredded, fat-free cheddar cheese

Making it into a meal:

1. Prepare Broccoli and Cheese sauce according to package directions. Set aside
2. Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add egg substitute and scramble for 2-3 minutes, until fully cooked. Place scrambled egg substitute into a microwave safe bowl and set aside.
3. Remove skillet from heat, re-spray with nonstick spray, and return to heat. Raise heat to medium-high and add potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thawed and lightly browned.
4. Add Canadian Bacon and cook until hot and a little crispy, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add potato-bacon mix to the bowl with the egg scramble and then add broccoli and cheese and stir.
6. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the bowl and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

5 Weight Watcher points per serving