Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

I credit law school and my experience at a law firm for helping me build the research skills necessary to successfully search for amazing recipes online.  Lately, every recipe I've tried has been a keeper. 

This recipe is one of the best ones I've found from my search.  It is really, really good, and it somehow is also somewhat healthy.  No one believes me when I tell them it’s made with nonfat cottage cheese and whole wheat pasta.   

I make this on weekends, for guests, and during the week.  My favorite part about this recipe is that it's easy to make two lasagnas at once.  I just double the recipe, keep some leftovers for lunch the next day, and freeze the rest.  It freezes really well.  

Sometimes I make an extra one for a friend who just had a baby or is ill (or could use a homemade meal).  When I make it as a gift, I bake it in an aluminum foil tin so I can cover it with tin foil.  Then they don't have to worry about washing a dish and remembering to bring it back to me.

(Based on this amazing Turkey and Spinach Lasagna recipe) 

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• 1-1 ½ pounds Ground Turkey
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 clove Crushed Garlic
• 1 can (14 Oz) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 can (14 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
• ¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Basil
• ½ teaspoons Sugar
• 2 cups Non Fat Cottage Cheese
• 1 package (10 Oz) Frozen Spinach
• 12 whole No-boil Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
• 1 cup Shredded Part-skim Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Defrost spinach, drain, and set aside.
3. In a large nonstick saucepan, heat the oil. 
4. Add the turkey, onion, and garlic to the pan. 
5. Cook the turkey mixture until the turkey is brown and onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
6.  Stir in tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and sugar. 
7.  Bring to boil. 
8. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. 
9. Combine cottage cheese and spinach in a large bowl.
10. Spoon 1/3 of sauce into bottom of 9×13″ baking dish, then top with 3 of the noodles. Spread half of the cottage cheese and spinach mixture over the noodles, then top with 3 more noodles. 
11. Repeat Step 9.
12. Spread sauce over last layer of noodles, and sprinkle mozzarella on top.
13.  Bake, covered, for 1 hour. 
14.  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.
15.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Santa Fe Salad

Santa Fe Salad could be a meal on its own (especially for lunch), or an easy way to sneak in veggies or extra protein to a meal.  If usually make it when I a make quesadillas or when I pick up El Pollo Loco Chicken.  I no longer add the cheese, but it's just as good without it.  If I make it for lunch or a weekday dinner, I usually cook the corn in advance, so that all I have to do is cut an avocado, open things and dump them in the bowl.  That's my kind of weekday cooking!

Ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Black Beans (I use the canned ones, but feel free to make your own)
• Corn (I think its worth to use fresh corn, I cook it in a pan with a little olive oil, but you could use canned or frozen)
• Avocado in one-inch cubes
• Sliced Black Olives
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
• Ranch Dressing (I use Ken's Light Ranch)

Directions:

Toss ingredients together in large bowl, and serve.

Amazing Marinade

Ever since I discovered this Easy Marinade, it has been the preferred marinade on my menu rotation - especially during the summer.  It is one of the best marinades I have ever made, and I still can't believe how easy it is to make.  I've used it for skirt steak, but I usually use it for boneless skinless chicken breast (I make it with red wine vinegar; I have not tried the balsamic vinegar variation).

When it's on the menu for a weekday meal, I prep the chicken and make the marinade in the morning before I leave for work.  While I am at work, the chicken marinates in the fridge (gotta love passive cooking!).  When I get home from work, my husband throws the chicken on the grill.  He always makes some extra chicken so that we can easily add it to salads for lunch or dinner throughout the week.  Best part is that my husband enjoys barbecuing (the same cannot be said for cooking), so he actually has fun while he's being productive.

Even though this is an easy weekday meal - it is also company worthy.  It is great if you are having friends over for barbecue, because you can prep everything before your guests arrive (even the night before), and when your guests are ready to eat you just throw it on the grill, and cook as you entertain.

It's All About Salmon

One of my go-to to weekday meals is Roasted Salmon.  Salmon is really good for you, and my husband (who never used to eat fish at all) is willing to eat it (and my son L-O-V-E-S it!).  It is super easy to make, but worthy of serving for company.

It also is really easy to have on hand.  We buy it in bulk at Costco, cut it up in portions, and then freeze each portion.  We usually move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before we cook it, and it defrosts in time for dinner.  But if we ever forget to defrost it (which is more often than not), it defrosts pretty quickly in a bowl of warm water.

Most important of all, it meets all five of my requirements for a great weekday meal:  (1) healthy; (2) doesn't taste healthy; (3) very little hands-on time; (4) my husband's not afraid to make it or I can make it in advance; and (5) I can have it on the table within 15 minutes of getting home (even if my husband didn't help).  I rotate between four different seasonings/marinades (and have a fifth if I have more time), but all are based on the same formula.

1. Pick one of the twists on seasoning or marinades (see below).
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Place salmon on baking dish and cook in oven for 12-15 min (increase time if cooking more than four pieces of salmon; when I cook the entire bulk package from Costco it takes 20-30 minutes). 

Twists on seasoning and marinades:

1. The "OG" - Lemon Roasted Salmon:  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over each piece of salmon and rub to coat top.  Sprinkle "Lemon Herb" McCormick seasoning over salmon.
2. Soyaki Salmon - Pour Soyaki (from Trader Joes) over the salmon.  Can be marinated for 15 minutes or more, which does make a slight difference, but it's also fine without the pre-marinating.  
3. Island Soyaki Salmon - Same as Soyaki Salmon, but use the Island Soyaki from Trader Joe's, and use that instead of the Soyaki
4. The Purist - Drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon and rub in, then sprinkle a little Lawry's seasoning (or Mrs. Dash alternative), and rub in a little minced garlic. 
5. Fancy Mustard Salmon -  Although you won't catch me making this one on a weekday (unless it is also a holiday), this is a great marinade as well (I sometimes cook this one at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but 425 works too):  Mix the juice and zest from half a lemon with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, then add 1 minced garlic clove.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then drizzle (and spread) over salmon, set salmon aside for 15 minutes before cooking. 

Pear Pepita Salad

I am a HUGE fan of Brianna's Homemade Dressings.  The Ginger Mandarin Dressing is one of our favorites.  After we got a little sick of the citrus salad I kept making (baby spinach, oranges, apples, almonds, dried cherries, and Brianna's Ginger Mandarin Dressing), I tried a variation with pears.  It has turned into a favorite of ours, and I often make it for brunches and showers.

Ingredients:
Bag of baby spinach
2 Pears, chopped in 1 inch cubes
1 Cup of raisins
1 Cup of pepitas (which are shelled pumpkin seeds)
Brianna's Homemade Ginger Mandarin Dressing

Directions:
Add spinach, pears, raisins, and pepitas to serving bowl.
Toss with dressing if serving right away, or serve with dressing on the side to avoid sogginess (and have a chance at leftovers).

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #3

Plans with friends and a road trip lead to a short cooking week.

I didn't want a busy work week to get in the way of the few nights I would be cooking, so I made the most of leftovers. The key was that on Monday I roasted eggplant and zucchini, which found its way into each meal (first in a cous cous, next as a side dish, and lastly in a pasta).

Monday:

1. Diced Onion Chicken




2. Israeli Cous Cous with Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant

Tuesday:

1. Left Over Onion Chicken
2. Roasted Zucchini and Roasted Eggplant in Tomato Sauce

Wednesday

1. Wheat Pasta with Roasted Zucchini and Roasted Eggplant (all I had to do was cook wheat pasta and stir it into the side dish I made the night before)

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #2

While I was off to a good start, a cold and plans with friends made for a pathetic cooking week (that is unless I get bonus points for baking six loaves of pumpkin bread and an apple tart).

Sunday:

1. Cesar Salad
2. Chicken Parmigiana
3. Wheat Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Monday:

1. Greek Salad
   
   
2. Schnitzel
   
3. Israeli CousCous
   
   
4. Roasted Zucchini
   

Tuesday:

1. Fall Salad
   
   
   
2. Arroz Con Pollo

Wednesday & Thursday: Out sick :(

Friday & Saturday: Plans with friends made for a short week of cooking.

On the Menu: Weekly Dinner Challenge #1

OK, so here goes nothing, my first weekly dinner menu post:

On The Menu:

Sunday:

1. Fig Salad



2. Glazed Salmon




3. Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
4. Grilled Corn

Left over tip: Leftover fig salad made for a great lunch on Monday. The side dishes were turned into another dish for Tuesday.

Monday:

1. Organic Tomato Soup (from Trader Joe's)





2. Pan Grilled Cheese on Wheat Sourdough Bread (using soy cheese . . . but you couldn't tell the difference)
   
   
   Inspiration: I knew I would be working late, so I decided to use a little help from the store. It took me about 7 minutes to make this dinner, and it will be back again (although I might try a different tomato soup next time).

Tuesday:

1. Fall Salad





2. Lemon Garlic Chicken


3. Zucchini and Corn in Tomato Sauce
   
   

Leftover Madness: I combined the side dishes I made on Monday to make the zucchini and corn in tomato sauce. The fall salad made for a great lunch on Wednesday!

Wednesday: Plans with friends translated into a night off from cooking.

Thursday:

1. Santa Fe Salad
2. Fajitas

Leftover Magic: When I made the fajitas, I made an extra batch with just onions, so I wouldn't have to cook a main course the next night.

Friday:

1. Challah
2. Caesar Salad
3. Onion Chicken
4. Asian Broccoli

Leftover Magic: Since the chicken was cooked the night before, I didn't have to spend any time on the main course.
Stretching Ingredients: I used the leftover romaine lettuce from the package we bought to make the Santa Fe Salad (for Thursday night) for the Cesar Salad. Since I am trying to minimize my time at the market, I used frozen broccoli. The Asian broccoli allowed me to use some of the ingredients I picked up for the glazed salmon.

Saturday: We went to a friend's house for a dinner party, so, sadly I only cooked a total of 5 nights this week.

Weekly Dinner Menu Challenge

I'm not quite sure what makes someone "ready" to be a parent. However, my husband and I have joked that we will be ready to have kids when we can make our own lunches and cook dinner every night (or at least, most nights) for a year. It turns out this challenge was harder than it sounded. Sure, there were times when we were on top of it, and were cooking healthy almost everyday . . . and then . . . not so much. What can I say, I have a demanding career, a very tempting couch, a need to veg out after a long day, and a long slew of other excuses that keep me from the kitchen. Let's just say it's a good thing that this challenge was more of a joke than a reality, or we would never have kids.

But, if the fifteen pounds I've gained since I graduated from college weren't motivation enough, my husbands newly discovered heart condition was the motivation I needed to cut down on the fast food, and start cooking. Sure, I haven't always excelled at meeting this goal, but if I've learned anything this year, it is that no matter how busy I feel, the only way for me to have the time to do something, is for me to make the time.

I'm proud to report that for some time now, I've been cooking again. The down side - I haven't really been taking the time to blog lately. So, I've decided it's time to multitask and post a weekly menu every Sunday. In order to share the successes, failures, and lessons learned, I will post the menu at the end of the week.

Now-a-days, many of us struggle to balance work and life. Hopefully others who are facing the same struggles, will find these posts helpful.

Stay tuned for the first weekly menu . . .

Quick and Easy: Onion Chicken

Cooking dinner on a weekday can be a difficult task. Over time, I have accumulated recipes that are quick and easy, and never fail to please. One of the easiest chicken dishes I make is Onion Chicken. It takes about 10 minutes to make from start to finish, and is worth the effort! It goes well with almost any side dish, so the possibilities are endless. When I'm really tired, I pair it with couscous (another quick dish), and dinner is ready in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken fryer breasts (thin) (or 10 chicken tenders)

1 onion, sliced into long slices (about 1/4 inch thick) or diced (use pre-diced onions to save time)

Lawry's seasoned salt

Canola Oil

Directions:

1. Heat pan
2. Add oil to coat pan (about 2 tbsp. or 4 sprays of Pam)
3. Add sliced or diced onions
4. Stir occasionally until onions are almost golden brown (about 3 minutes)
5. Push onions to one side of the pan
6. Season chicken with Lawry's
7. Place seasoned side down on pan
8. Season top side of chicken
9. As you add the chicken pieces, move the onions so that each piece touches the bottom of the pan (e.g., move the onion on top of the chicken)
10. Cook each piece about 3 minutes on each side (until cooked through)
11. Remove chicken from pan when cooked all the way through
12. Add a tbsp. of oil
13. Continue to stir and cook onions until golden brown, or if you prefer onions well done, continue to cook until onions are dark brown
14. Top the chicken with the onions and serve

If you have leftovers, you can slice the chicken into small pieces and serve as fajitas the next day with tortillas, sour cream, and salsa.