Whole Wheat Lasagna

More comfort food! Here's a healthier version of lasagna that tastes totally unhealthy :)

First, make the turkey spaghetti sauce. It's much healthier than jarred or canned sauce. This recipe makes twelve cups so you can freeze the leftovers for another lasagna or serve it over whole wheat pasta:

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey

2 lb ground turkey

2 T olive oil
1 c onion
3 oz baby carrots
3-4 cloves garlic
28oz diced tomatoes
29oz tomato sauce
12oz tomato paste
2 c water
3 t fresh basil (or the stuff in the tube)
2 t dried parsley
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 c red wine

Process onion, carrots and garlic in food processor until finely chopped. (I do this to "hide" veggies for the family I cook for. The kids love spaghetti and don't know it's full of the good stuff!) Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook ground turkey, drain, return to pot and add veggies. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until tender. Add all tomatoes, water, spices and stir well. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Add in wine. Simmer on low 1-2 hours (or longer) stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn! Makes 12 - one cup servings.  Serve over whole wheat pasta or use in lasagna. 

Whole Wheat Lasagna with Turkey

4 cups Spaghetti Sauce with turkey

6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked per package directions

1 1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese

8 slices part skim mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Here are the layers:

Scoop one cup of sauce into an 8x8 baking dish. 

Layer 3 noodles (trim off 1/3 of noodles to save for another layer) on top of sauce. 

Top with 1/2 c of cottage cheese and spread evenly. 

Top with another cup of sauce,

Then 4 slices of cheese to cover. 

Layer 3 more trimmed noodles, 

Then 1/2 c cottage cheese,

Then another cup of sauce (no mozzarella on this layer). 

Use the 6 trimmed pieces of noodle to make the last layer. 

Top with 1/2 c cottage cheese, one cup of sauce and 4 slices of mozzarella. 

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting into 4 servings. Enjoy!

Salmon Patties

It's always fun to update a "comfort food" classic to a "clean eating" recipe. I grew up eating salmon patties and they definitely remind me of my childhood. I made a few small changes to my mom's classic recipe:

1 15oz can of red or pink salmon

1/2 c whole wheat bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/4 c minced red onion

1 t parsley

1 t lemon juice

1/4 t Old Bay Seasoning

Coconut oil (optional)

Drain salmon and reserve the broth. You can leave the skin and bones in the meat if you want (it's perfectly edible) but I like to remove as much skin as I can and at least remove the larger round bones. Flake salmon with fork in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add bread crumbs (I made my own in the mini food processor from one slice of whole wheat bread), eggs, onion, lemon juice and Old Bay. Mix ingredients well. Form into 1/4 cup patties. If they won't hold together and are a little crumbly, add in a little bit of the reserved broth. Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle to medium heat. I used a tiny bit of coconut oil to "fry" them but it's not necessary. Fry about 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Makes 8 cakes (four servings) Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Chips

This is the ultimate "clean eating" recipe.. ONE ingredient! (Which technically disqualifies it as a "recipe") Ha! You could sprinkle them with a little bit of kosher salt or cinnamon before cooking, but they honestly don't need any seasoning. Drew, Brett, Reese and I all love them plain and they go quick when I make them.. daily.

Take a few medium sized sweet potatoes and wash and dry them. Leave the skins on and use a mandolin slicer to slice 1/16" thickness. I used the glass rotating plate that's in the microwave as a cooking surface (so you might want to wash that too before you cook on it). Lay slices on plate, touching is ok but not overlapping, and cook on high power for 5 minutes. They will start to turn a little brown, which is fine, but watch to make sure they don't burn. Flip over after 5 minutes and cook 1 more minute. *I used a little "trial and error" to get my cooking time and all microwaves are different so just keep and eye on them while cooking. If they come out too chewy then cook them a little longer. Remove to cooling rack and let them get crispy! One sweet potato makes about 75 chips. Enjoy!

Roasted Cod with Edamame

Here's another "clean eating" recipe to try. It's really easy and has a lot of fresh flavors. You could substitute any firm, white fish for the cod like halibut or mahi mahi. You could also use lima beans or white kidney beans!

4 4oz cod filets

2 c frozen edamame (whole soybeans)

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

dried parsley

crushed red pepper

4 t olive oil, divided

8 T white wine, divided

fresh squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Heat oven to 375. Lay out 4 pieces of foil (about 15" long) and place 1/2 c of edamame on each piece. Add 1 t garlic to each pile, salt and pepper and 1 t olive oil. Toss to combine. Lay one piece of cod on each pile of edamame, season with parsley, more salt, and crushed red pepper. Dribble 2 T white wine over each filet of cod. Fold foil into a packet, bringing long edges together first and fold down twice, then bring up short sides folding two or three times, sealing all sides to keep steam in while baking. Place packets on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. To serve, open packets and pour contents into serving bowls, squeeze fresh lemon on top if you like. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Everyone has a favorite recipe for Spaghetti & Meatballs. Here's mine:

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

2 T olive oil
1 c onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes in puree
2 c beef broth
3 t fresh or freeze dried basil
2 t dried parsley
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes until tender. Add all tomatoes, broth, spices and stir well. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low 1-2 hours (or longer) stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn! Makes about 10 one cup servings. It freezes well too!

Beef Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

2 T milk

1/4 c bread crumbs (I use one slice of whole wheat, processed into crumbs)

1/4 cup onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except the beef) and mix well. Add in beef and mix with fork or your hands. Make 20 meatballs (I use a small cookie scoop so they're about 1 1/2" each). Bake 20 minutes. Add to sauce, after it's ready, and keep warm. Enjoy!