Roasted Veggie Lasagna

I forgot to take the normal step by step pictures, but I wanted to post this one anyways because it came out totally tasty and very low calorie!  Double bonus :)

Veggie Lasagna 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 servings whole wheat lasagna
• 1 jar of sauce
• 2 servings chick peas
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta
• 1 cup pieces or slices mushrooms
• 1 cup spinach
• 3 medium zucchini
• 2 large peppers
• 2 cups shredded mozz cheese

Directions

1. roast veggies ahead of time by layering them on a cookie sheet, lightly misting with olive oil and adding some garlic and pepper, cook noodles, layer everything together, bake at 350 for 1 hour covered.

Meat free Hummus Wrap

Okay so I made this one afternoon and fell totally in love. I've made it about 10 times since, adjusting things around, trying different stuff in them and no matter what, it's always good!

First of all, I found these awesome low calorie wraps. They are called "Flat Out" and they are 90 calories. I love that they are soft, but be warned, wet wraps like stuff loaded with salsa causes them to fall right apart. But for the hummus wrap, these are perfect.

So onto the super easy part...
Just spread some Hummus (I've used plain and roasted red pepper) onto the wrap. I use 2 tablespoons. Then I add one tablespoon of ranch. I just love ranch and can't seem to cut it out of my diet.

I slice the cucumbers into long slices and layer them onto of a bed of spinach. Then I added some sprouts and some egg whites on this one.  Sprinkle a little garlic salt and enjoy!!

Alternate foods I've used have been onions, peppers, sunflower seeds and fresh green beans, but the options are unlimited!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry "Green" Smoothie

So, I've been seeing the term "Green" smoothie a lot lately, but never really understood what it meant.

Since stepping into this lifestyle change, I've figured out what it means! It means blending green veggies (such as Spinach or Kale) with other vegetables and fruits...go ahead and read up on it more RIGHT HERE. Because I haven't even scratched the surface with that explanation haha.

Anyway, they are delicious!! I know what you're doing right now...you're turning your nose up, waving your arms back and forth and saying "No way, No how".

Well...

Get over it, chump.

They are SO good for you, and they aren't necessarily "Green" in color either, if that's your main issue. Depending on what you mix with them, they could be pink, red, blue, purple, brown...it goes on and on! And if your issue is the leafy greens...you can't even taste them. Ok...well you can taste Kale a little I think, but you can't taste the spinach AT ALL.

So here's the recipe for my first concoction, but don't worry...there will be many more down the road...I can assure you of that ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 good hand fulls of baby spinach
• 1 cup Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk
• 1 container of Strawberry Greek Yogurt
• Sweetener to taste (such as Agave Nectar or Stevia)
• 1 1/2 cups of ice

Note: I would also recommend a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder and some frozen strawberries. I was out of both (well I had 2 frozen berries left...wth? LoL), but it would have been tastier with those things I think :)


Directions:
Throw spinach and milk in first and pulse a few times (just to get the spinach chopped up a little), then throw in your other ingredients and blend until it's to your desired consistency!

I garnished with  a frozen berry and a frozen banana treat

 

There are so many ways to make these smoothies your own! If you change up the recipe, We'd love to hear your suggestions or additions in the comments section!

Carrot Orange Smoothie!

Remember those delish orange creamsicle pops? Well you're in for a treat if you like those, because this smoothie loaded with vitamin A and C!

Did you know that carrots are an excellent source of antioxidants, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots antioxidants help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision. Pretty awesome huh?

This was super easy to make and turned out great! The kids sucked a glass right down as well, which is always a plus.

Ingredients

• 1 serving  vanilla whey protein
• 1 small orange
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 cups chopped carrots

Directions

1. Rip up 1/4 of your orange peel and add it into your blender or processor. Add in 2 cups of carrots, half the orange, one scoop of vanilla cream whey protein, 1 cup of orange juice and 1.5 cups of ice, blend together, add more juice if needed.
2. Drink fresh and enjoy!

This makes 4, 1 cup servings. Serving size below is per 1 cup.

Lemon Pepper Chickpea Stir-fry!

This turned out very yummy and at 200 calories a serving, makes a great meal!

Chickpea and Zucchini Stirfry

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 medium onions (I used one yellow, one purple)
• 2 medium zucchinis cut into chunks
• 1 medium red pepper
• optional 1 cup of chopped spinach, kale or other green leaf
• lemon zest and juice from half of lemon (I thought this was too much, next time I'll use less)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil or ghee over medium-high heat and stir in a good pinch of salt. Add the chickpeas and sauté until beginning to color, then add the onion or shallot. Continue cooking until the chickpeas are deeply golden. Add greens and cook until wilted, then remove everything in the skillet onto a large plate.
2. Heat the remaining oil  in the same skillet over medium heat, and sauté the zucchini until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pepper and cook for an additional minute, then add the chickpea mixture back in.
3. Mix well, taste for seasoning, and remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice, and toss well. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper.

Servings: 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish ● Total Calories: approx 808