Meatless Monday: Eggplant and Mushroom White Lasagna

Happy Meatless Monday! As most of you remember, I have been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my diet. I always feel better (full without being weighed down) after a good vegetarian meal, but this doesn't mean I have made the switch permanently yet!

For those of you who are trying to do the same, I modified a recipe I found on the Whole Foods website and it was an instant success! If you prefer meat, you could always add some shredded chicken breast to this recipe! 

Eggplant and Mushroom White Lasagna

Serves 5, Modified from Whole Foods 
Ingredients:

4 cups Eggplant - 1 large eggplant

9 Enriched Lasagna Noodles

2 tbsp All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Garlic - minced

2 Leeks

1 cup Portobello Mushroom - diced

1 1/4 cup 2% Reduced Fat Milk

2 tbsp Rosemary Olive Oil - from Wegmans

1/2 cup goat cheese

1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Set leeks aside and wipe out skillet. Cook your diced mushrooms.
Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thickness. Coat pan with olive oil and brown eggplant. Blot with a paper towel afterward to soak up any excess oil.
Cook noodles according directions on package, then drain and set aside.
For the sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk until combined well. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, goat cheese, salt and pepper, and reserved leeks and remove from heat. Stir just until cheese melts, then set sauce aside.
Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and spread 1/4 cup of the sauce on bottom of pan. Top with 3 noodles, then layer with eggplant slices and minced pre-cooked mushrooms mozzarella/goat. Repeat until all layers are complete and top with remaining parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 minutes more. Set lasagna aside to let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Pre-oven. I added 3 tablespoons of smoked gouda on top. It was an amazing addition.

This was a winner. I suggest serving it with a glass of Skinny Girl Sangria. Which, in my opinion, just tastes like a sweet white wine. But, it's always nice to end your day with one of those. Add raspberries and peaches to feel really special.

I have started tracking my food and workouts on livestrong.com for bootcamp where I am also going to publish all the recipes I make so you can track their nutritional info! You can find this recipe's page here.

At 400 calories per serving I think that makes a great dinner served with a simple salad with balsamic vinaigrette. :)

Me and Neal before our first morning of bootcamp! It was definitely intense but we made it through! We bought a groupon for 6 weeks of unlimited bootcamp and geared up for our first session this past Saturday. Silly me for thinking it was only 60 minutes. 90 minutes later I was drenched in sweat and physically and emotionally drained. 

See those rashes? From my yoga mat from doing so many plank moves. I didn't even think that was possible! My mile time wasn't my best (9:28) but since I haven't ran in over 2 months I was satisfied.

So how did we celebrate our first day of bootcamp?

Yes I wear spandex under my bunched up dresses for bull riding instances. I'm classy haven't you heard?

fail.

Hope you have a great Meatless Monday full of non-meat bulls and meals!

Homemade Vanilla Almond Granola

Homemade Vanilla Almond Granola

Ingredients:

non-stick spray

4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup applesauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Toppings: Golden Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Coconut Flakes

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spray your baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment. Mix granola, salt, almonds, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Combine applesauce, honey and sugar in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in vanilla. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well until thoroughly mixed. Spread granola on baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar and your toppings. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes (but check after 20). Transfer sheet to rack; cool granola completely. Keep in an air tight container like seen above!

I love granola mixed in with my greek yogurt and fruit. You could also use it as cereal or an afternoon snack! This granola is extra good because instead of oil I used applesauce!

Me and CL are off to go see Harry Potter and grab Panera for dinner with my mom! Hope you guys had an exciting weekend!

Holy Weekend Batman

Congratulations Jessica! You won the Food Should Taste Good giveaway! I used a random number generator and 33 was the winner! Email caramundy at gmail dot com where they should ship your prize and what 5 flavors you want!

Fun fact: 3 and 9 are my two favorite numbers. I picked them when I was 9 (hence the number) with my best friend Nikki at the time and it never changed. 33 is extra special because 3 x 3 = 9 (yes, this is proof I graduated the second grade).

Mediterranean Orzo Salad 

modified from A Healthy Passion's original Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 C water

1 C orzo

1/2 lemon juiced

1/3 cup Parmesan/Feta cheese

3 T olive oil

1 roma tomato diced or 5-6 grape tomatoes finely diced

1/4 C cucumber diced

1/4 C red bell pepper diced

1/2 tsp oregano dried

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 T fresh basil

1/4 c black olives (optional)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt (used garlic salt)

pepper

Directions: Bring water to boil in a medium pot, add orzo and cook for 9 minutes. Add a cold water afterwards to stop pasta from cooking. This also prevents the pasta from sticking. In the meantime, dice up veggies and add to a large bowl, mix in oil, lemon, and seasonings. Once orzo is cooked fluff with a fork and add to bowl, stir to combine and mix in Parmesan/Feta cheese and let sit for a few hours to allow flavors to combine before serving. Can be served hot, cold or room temp! I love this salad cold, which is perfect for a hot summer day like today!

This pasta salad was so light and easy to make! I am glad I remembered her recipe because it was perfect! I made this for dinner last night and it was even better for lunch today. This would be great to bring to a pot luck or summer picnic!

I also made some delicious pancakes for me and CL this morning. 

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup TJ's buttermilk pancake mix (any mix should work fine)

1/3 cup water

2 heaping spoonfuls of vanilla or plain greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 apple diced

1 egg white

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spray hot pan with non-stick cooking spray and pray to the breakfast gods that they do not burn! Serve with sugar free syrup and enjoy!

I'm off to a family picnic to celebrate this little guy's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Noah!

What I Ate Wednesday {WIAW}

It's WIAW --> What I Ate Wednesday hosted by the gorgeous Jennifer over at Peas and Crayons. She gives us all something to talk about on Wednesdays and that makes me love her mucho mucho!! If you haven't joined the party yet go to her blog and link up!

Last night I made the best stuffed chicken for dinner. You are going to want to copy cat this recipe because it was delish and made my boyfriends mouth drool! Okay, maybe not the last part but I heard lots of "mmmm's" come out of his mouth!

I am a seasoning packet lover. I never use a full packet of seasoning when cooking tacos or fajitas so I always have plenty of leftovers to help flavor my dishes.

Tomato, Basil and Feta Stuffed Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1/4 cup diced tomatoes (canned works better)

8 leaves of fresh basil, shredded

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles

2 tablespoons tomato basil grilling seasoning

1 tablespoon butter/earth balances butter

Directions:

1. Take each chicken breast and act as if you are butterflying it - i.e. take a sharp knife to the center of breast's thickness and slice until there is about a cm left. Be sure not to slice all the way through, you want to make a pocket for your stuffing. 

 2. Within the center add half of your diced tomatoes, feta cheese and fresh basil. Rub 1 tablespoon of seasoning on top of your chicken {if you don't have tomato basil salt and pepper would work just fine!}

3. Place both chicken breasts in an oven safe dish and top with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Bake at 350 for 30-35  minutes, or until chicken is cooked fully. Baking your chicken in the oven helps to make it juicier and tender! You could also grill your chicken on top of foil, using toothpicks to keep the pocket closed!

I paired my chicken with some fresh asparagus cooked in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. And of course some Sangria after a long day of work! You could stuff your chicken with other ingredients too like spinach and bleu cheese, mozzarella and mushroom or goat cheese and chorizo. The possibilities are endless!

I am trying to detox from all of my weekend eats with huge bowls of fruit for a snack throughout the day. Watermelon, strawberries and blueberries. Fruit, especially watermelon always keeps me full!

Happy Hump Day!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes great meal ideas come to me in the middle of the day. Sometimes they come to me when I have leftovers that need to be revamped. Leftover tilapia almost always turns into fish tacos and leftover pot roast turns into pulled BBQ beef sammies.

Last night I came up with an idea of how to turn leftover taco meat into a new dinner! You may know that I love stuffed peppers. I have shared my meatloaf stuffed pepper recipe with you before. But this may be a new favorite stuffed pepper recipe!

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Filling:
1/2 pound ground turkey breast or lean beef
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup canned (drained) corn
half of a diced jalapeno

Rice:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon jalapeno diced
2 tablespoons fajita mix
1/4 cup black beans

Take one red pepper (or green) and cut them in half long way. scrape out the insides. Put in the filling and top with a little reduced fat Mexican cheese. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and has browned slightly. Add all ingredients for the rice into a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook until all water has been absorbed. Mix in black beans when cooked fully.

These are great! Half a pepper is one serving size so they are already portioned out for you! You can double the recipe if you have a pound of meat and want leftovers for lunch! Don't stop there... you could triple the recipe for a crowd ;-)

Not to brag, but yesterday when I found this picture on CL's uncle's website I instantly became obsessed. He is too adorable and I definitely think it captures how happy in love we are!

We have some pretty awesome ideas for our photo shoot in September that I need to start writing down! I love the vintage feel of all the photos on Green Wedding Shoes blog! It inspires me so much! We are lucky to have a 2 hour shoot, so we plan on doing two themes! For all of you out there who have had a photo session -  engagement or couples, what was your favorite photo like?

I grabbed the idea from LC and ran with it... here is my recipe for a sweet summertime romance to kickoff the first official day of summer!

1 Tablespoon: Grilling outdoors
3 Cups: Sunset walks around the park, hand in hand
A sprinkle of spontaneous kisses
2 Cups: Roadtrips to the beach
3 Teaspoons: Sunday brunch at a restaurant on the water
1 Pint: Laughter and Giggles
A splash of midnight swimming
1 heaping scoop of intimate romance
A pinch of wine festivals with all your favorite vendors
2 Ounces: outdoor concerts with plenty of wine, picnics and blankets to snuggle up in
1 stick of cocoa butter, lip gloss, sunglasses, over-sized hats and SPF

Directions: Mix all ingredients together over a 3 month span and fall in love!

Hope you guys are enjoying the longest day of the year! Spend it doing something you love!!

Sunday Funday and Kabobs

Sunday funday was in full effect yesterday!

I woke up at 1 pm (yes, even CL was shocked and said something because i never sleep that late). Usually I am up for hours by myself before that boy wakes up!

After shoving my face with honey nut cheerios and strawberries, straightening my hair and changing 3 times I left to hang out with my blogger bff Jess at Stylish Stealthy and Healthy. btw. her blog is amazing and she is hilarious so if you haven't checked it out, it is one of my all time favs.

Did you ever have a pen pal as a little kid and wonder what they were like in person?

I have always heard of people meeting up for "blogger dates" like Katie and Sara but never took the plunge myself. Idk... maybe it's because I have watched the movie Craigslist Killer on Lifetime a time or two, or maybe because I didn't want people to think I don't have any real friends... let's be honest. 90% of  the people I talk to on Twitter are my blogger friends and you guys are what keeps me sane halfway through my work day!

Thankfully she didn't turn out to be socially awkward or the next Blogger Killer. Meeting Jess was actually a way too short visit of 2 hours and like meeting up with one of those best friends you haven't seen in awhile, but pick up exactly where you left off.

The second I saw her in H&M we couldn't stop talking, joking and laughing and I can honestly say I have made a new best friend (in person) haha

After trying on one too many dresses in the hot dressing room of H&M we were off to grab some frozen yogurt. This poor girl had never experienced frozen yogurt walls where you can mix and match your flavors and add all the toppings your little heart desires. She obviously needs to pack her bags and move!

Cake Batter, PB and Raspberry Tart for me and Cake Batter and PB for Jess!

It felt so good to have someone who also carried around their cameras everywhere they go and who didn't give me the crazy eye as I took a picture of my food!

Of course it was also nice to experience someone who enjoyed parking lot photo shoots as much as me. Isn't she gorgeous! And we were the same height... don't believe her when she says she is freakishly tall (that means I would be too). All in all, her and I plan on making this a monthly meet up. She is only 2 hours away and I would gladly drive an hour to hang out with her in a second!

After she left I was off to the store to pick up grilling essentials. I was in the mood to grill. You can never go wrong with grilling. No clean up? No dishes? Count. Me. In.

Steak Kabobs with Caribbean Jerk marinade 

If you have never made kabobs before it is important to soak your bamboo sticks in water before assembling them! That way they don't burn!

I used steak, button mushrooms, green peppers, and precooked potatoes. I places them all (minus the green peppers) in the marinade - different bowls for steak and veggies for 45 minutes while I lit the grill.

Yes! I lit the grill all by myself. CL was at work until later so this girl lit the gas grill all by herself. And I only managed to burn a few arm hairs off lol I joke...

CL kept saying. "Honey, this marinade is so good. No seriously, I love these things!" I used store bought because I was exhausted from shoving mounds of frozen yogurt into my mouth earlier but here is a recipe you should try out!

1 ts Steak sauce
4 ts Fresh lime juice
3 ts Allspice
2 tb Green Onions; chopped
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1 tb Honey
3 Jalapeno chiles; stems and seeds
1/2 ts Nutmeg
2 tb Water
1/4 ts Salt

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and pour over your veggies/protein before grilling for at least a half hour!

What did you guys do this weekend? Have you ever met up with a Blogger bff?