Noodle Less Lasagna

The easiest way (in my opinion) to eat clean is grill a meat and serve with veggies.  That's pretty much what I've been serving my family for the past few months.  But I'm starting to get a little bored with our dinners.  So last week I tried making traditional spaghetti and meat sauce except I substituted spaghetti squash for pasta.  It was a huge hit (unlike Moroccan Chicken I made the week before) and gave me confidence to keep experimenting.  

So tonight I made Noodle Less Lasagna.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef (ours came from Yonderway Farm)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce or make your own (if pre-made, look for one without added sugar)

2 eggs

15 oz ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan

~1/4 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

8 oz shredded mozzarella

2 large zucchini sliced lengthwise with a veggie peeler (sub for noodles)

Brown ground beef.  Drain.  Add red sauce.  Simmer.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 9x13 baking dish.

Mix eggs, ricotta, parmesan, and spices.

Layer 1/2 meat sauce, 1/2 zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, 1/2 mozzarella.  Then repeat layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, move to top rack for an additional 2-5 minutes until the cheese reaches your desired color.  (I don't like mine to get dark)

Day trip to the beach

Drew and I moved to Houston 7 years ago.  Today we visited Galveston beach for the FIRST time!  I cannot believe we waited this long.  We drove down to Stewart Beach in a little over an hour, pulled right up to the beach front parking lot, and had a day of fun.  Andrew loved riding the waves on his kick board.  Lila liked searching for sea shells.  They both enjoyed crushing the sandcastles we built. Drew had a great time chasing the kids and I soaked up some much needed, uninterrupted family time.

I had very low expectations so they were easily exceeded.  The beach was clean and the water (although murky) had no debris other than a little seaweed.  There's an $8 per car fee to park at Stewart Beach.  They have a grill and shop, bathrooms and showers, umbrella and chair rentals, and a snow ball cart that travels up and down the beach.  While the sand wasn't white and the water wasn't blue (like the Destin, FL area), the kids certainly didn't notice.  

Oh My Breakfast!

This morning's breakfast was a KEEPER!  I'd been told about this recipe a while back and put off trying it.  While browsing my new copy of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, I saw it again and decided to try it this morning.  Here's how I made

Egg Muffins

12 eggs 

4-5 oz chopped link sausage

diced tomatoes

1/2 c shredded cheese (used pizza variety b/c it was in the fridge)

**Adjust this to your pan.  1 egg per muffin**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray muffin pan or use liners (great for taking to church or brunch)

Beat eggs (I add a splash of milk but optional)

Stir in meat, veggies, and cheese.

Spoon into muffin pan.

Cook 18-20 minutes.

Serve with a side of fruit and YUMMY!

The cookbook called for ground beef and red peppers.  I'd like to try it with crumbled bacon and maybe onions.  The possibilities are endless.  You can always make extra for mornings you know you won't have time to cook but want to have some healthy for your family to grab on their way out the door.

Quote to contemplate

"The things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us the grace to labour for." 

- Sir Thomas More

Baby Steps toward REAL food

You asked so hear it is....

Over the past few years I have made gradual, baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle.  I've read various books, watched a documentary, and frequented blogs of other REAL FOOD/ natural living followers.  Here's some books/movie I recommend.  Animal, Vegatable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (sustainable living), The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain (strict), The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (here it is in a nutshell), watched Food, Inc (eye opening!).  My newfound love for Crossfit has also made me take a step back and look at food as FUEL and not use it as a means of fulfillment - only eating what tastes great in the moment but leaves me suffering later on.  

I am not 100% natural, paleo, primal, ANYTHING.  I've come to realize that for me to create a healthy, well home I must take slow, deliberate steps toward making our ROUTINE line up with our values.  Taking out the over-processed, nutrient lacking foods and introducing nutrient dense, real foods.  I'm trying to keep the 80/20 ratio - meeting my high standards 80% of the time and allowing myself to cheat 20%.  This mindset helps me not to nose dive after one poor choice (my frequent downfall with "diets").  Yes, we still have cupcakes to celebrate special occasions, Diet Coke almost daily, and Zone Bars for a quick protein snack when I haven't made time to prepare properly.  Here is my goal when it comes to food (from Crossfit.com):

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. 

What does that look like for me?

Cooking breakfast primarily of organic eggs, meat, fruit, coffee almost every morning.  I eat a whole wheat english muffin, fried egg, and slice of cheese most mornings.  This fills up and for whatever reason (I still have SO much to learn on the why's) doesn't seem to have a negative impact on my gastro system.  I have cut out instant oatmeal and cereals.

Lunch takes planning!  By far, my hardest meal.  I'm eating alot of dinner leftovers or chicken/tuna salad (great recipe for chicken salad - next time I'm gonna try to make the mayo myself).  I have found some veggie chips with 3 ingredient - veggie, oil, and sea salt.  When shopping processed foods, I look at the ingredients.  Know what you are putting in your body!

Dinner - Some type of yummy meat (check out YonderWayFarm.com for local grassfed meat delivered once a month to Katy) with veggies, veggies, veggies (currently growing tomatoes but hoping to start a square foot garden late summer).  Occasional quinoa but I've stopped cooking pasta, rice and bread at home.  (*Drew & I cheated on our date night with a hibatchi dinner and I felt sick for 2 days.  Who wants to eat something you know will make you feel bad?!?!?  This is certainly a process to see what foods I can tolerate and what foods really do have a negative impact on my system.)

Snacks - nuts & seeds, nut butters other than peanut, fruit (apples and berries mostly, although I am TRYING to acquire a taste for bananas), cucumbers, carrots & broccoli with dip, protein shake, Lara Bars, jerkey (has to be ordered b/c I just can't find any locally w/o added sugar), boiled eggs

Drastically reducing grain and dairy intake seems to have made a huge difference in my ability to maintain energy, weight and stomach health.  Mark Sisson's article "Definitive Guide to Grains" is a great starter for learning about what grains can do to your body.  

*Note* - I do not agree with everything any of these guys (Primal, Paleo, etc) say.  Foremost, I believe GOD created man and my strength comes from Him.  That being said, I also believe my body is His temple and while here on earth, I should honor Him by taking care of it.

Now, are you on this type of journey too?  I'd love you to share some book, blog, movie, recipes, snack ideas that work for you and your family as well.