Welcome to Body & Soul week. I thought this would be a perfect time to start a new feature, being pre-summer (if we ever see summer) and all. This is the other time, besides New Years, that we start thinking of ways to get our bodies looking great. Part of looking great is feeling great which means you must also adjust your diet. It’s a big deal people. We all need a little encouragement and/or motivation to get our booties back to the rhythm, no matter how in shape we [think] we are, right? Right!
Day 3 :: What's on your plate? {by Deidra Wood}
The last letter of the alphabet already? Sheesh! Where has the time gone? Welp, I think I have definitely saved the best for last but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Our dear friend Deidra is a super gardener. Seriously. I think that should be on her license plate frame or something. When she isn't gardening, cooking, or being a great mom she is the most amazing softball coach. True story.
Anyhoo, she told me about this yumma zucchini lasagna a while ago. People, I stopped by her house when she was cooking this and it smelt SO DELICIOUS! Now, run to your kitchens and do the following:
Zucchini Lasagna, from Deidra's kitchen to yours
[super gardener, cook, mom, teacher,
softball coach ... phew my fingers are tired]
I usually make this lasagna in a round casserole glass dish.
Ingredients:
2 zucchini - sliced lengthwise in thin ribbons
1 lb ground turkey - browned
1 small container low fat cottage cheese
1-2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese - shredded
2-3 cups spaghetti sauce - homemade or your favorite jar
Spoon spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom and sides of the dish. Cover the sauce on the bottom and sides with zucchini ribbons. Add a thin layer of: turkey, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauce. Repeat the zucchini and other items for 2-3 more layers until the dish is near full. The last layer should be a layer of zucchini. Cover with more spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with the last of the mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 30-40 mins. It should get bubbly, gooey, and yummy looking. --> I LOVE her description!
The lasagna will be a little watery from the moisture of the zucchini. You can try to slightly pre-cook the zucchini before layering it in the lasagna. Doing this will make the end lasagna a little less watery, but some of the zucchini will fall apart if you pre-cook it too much.
** Make sure you use lots of herbs and seasonings! I used some basil, oregano, and garlic when I browned the turkey. I also added them in every layer of the spaghetti sauce.
ENJOY!
I am sure we will Deidra! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your healthy delicious-ness with others!
