Lasagna Margherite

I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light Michael approved, even with no meat!

I added some chopped fresh spinach (about 5 oz, or half a bag) after each layer of ricotta. I also added shredded parmesan/provolne blend before putting the lasagna in the oven.

1 (26-ounce) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce
Cooking spray
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.

Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine ricotta, 1/3 cup basil, crushed red pepper, and salt. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1 cup ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Cover and bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Uncover lasagna, and top with Parmesan and 2 tablespoons basil. Bake lasagna an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories:386 (30% from fat)
Fat:12.7g (sat 7.6g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:24g
Carbohydrate:42.4g
Fiber:3.7g
Cholesterol:43mg
Iron:2.8mg
Sodium:959mg
Calcium:620mg
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1998

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training Week 8

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Rest
Mon: 2 mi run easy
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: 2 mi run intervals
Thurs: Cardio + strength (or another run if Mon is a rest day) Rest
Fri: Yoga (Body by Bethenney)
Sat: 7 mi run

This week's plan:
Sun: Yoga for Runners podcast
Mon: 2 mi run
Tues: Power yoga
Wed: Rest (we have dinner plans)
Thurs: 2 mi run
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 7 mi run

Texas Caviar

At work we decided to have a Lunch Around the World potluck. Everybody brought something that represented their heritage or family. I decided to bring Texas Caviar since it was a popular dish at my family's get-togethers, especially around the New Year. Black-eyed peas represent wealth and many people eat them for good luck at the beginning of the year. My parents grew up in Athens, TX, the home of the Black-eyed Pea Festival! (Yes, it's a thing.)

I combined a few different recipes and came up with this one, which turned out really good! I think it is definitely worth it to cut everything up by hand rather than throw it in the mini chopper, it makes a much prettier dish. I made it pretty mild since it was for a potluck, so next time I would definitely add more jalapeno and probably a little lime juice.

This dip is best with Frito's, but I also brought some baked tortilla chips for those of us who try to eat a little healthier.

½ white onion, small dice
1 green bell pepper, small dice
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 ½ jalapeno peppers, small dice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/ mild green chiles
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained
Black pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Ground coriander
Ground cumin
4 T red wine vinegar
4 T extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients and refridgerate overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Snot, Sweat and Tears

That's what winter running is to me! Even though it has been really cold the last few weeks, I have braved the elements and done my early morning long runs. Between my running nose and eyes, I am not a pretty sight. I know I shouldn't complain, winter in Dallas is nothing compared to other parts of the country!

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Yoga (I did one of the workouts from Yoga Journal, a hip-opening series)
Mon: 2 mi run
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: 2 mi run (I played around with adding some extra to my usual interval workout, it went well!)
Thurs: Some kind of cardio + strength Body by Bethenny Yoga and Strength
Fri: Yoga or rest
Sat: 6 mi run

This week's plan:
Sun: Rest
Mon: 2 mi run (or rest, we made tentative dinner plans)
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: 2 mi run
Thurs: Cardio + strength (or another run if Mon is a rest day)
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 7 mi run

Turkey Chili

My coworker gave me this recipe, so easy to put together and it turned out fabulous! I added about half a tablespoon of cumin as well.

1lb ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 oz) mild green chiles
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1-2 tablespoon chili powder

Brown turkey and onion in a pan, add to crockpot with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cook on high 6-8 hours.

Minestrone Soup with Pasta, Beans and Vegetables

This turned out so good! I did two cans of beans, one cannellini and one light red kidney beans. I left out the celery and instead of the dried thyme and sage I just used an Italian herb blend.

Source: Food Network

Ingredients
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Basil sprigs, garnish, optional
Directions
In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.


Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Rock & Roll Half Marathon Training week 6

Last week's workouts:
Sunday: Rest or easy yoga
Monday: 2 mi run intervals + Stairmaster
Tuesday: Lululemon yoga
Wednesday: 2 mi run intervals
Thursday: Jay Johnson Boot Camp + Yoga for Runners So I went to pull up my beloved Jay Johnson Boot Camp On Demand and it's not there anymore! I know they add new stuff regularly, so they must take down things that have been available for a while. So bummed! So I did a Total Body Sculpt workout.
Friday: Rest or easy yoga
Saturday: 5 4 mi easy

Friday night I slept horribly, I woke up around 2am and couldn't get back to sleep until after 4am. Saturday morning was cold and rainy, so I ended up cutting my run short. This week I got my new Brooks Defyance 3's, so I was looking forward to a nice cushy run! I'm sure next week will be better.

Saturday afternoon I redeemed a gift certificate I had gotten for Christmas at the Relache Spa in the Gaylord. I got an amazing massage, it was just what my tired muscles needed!

This week's plan:
Sun: Yoga
Mon: 2 mi run
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: 2 mi run
Thurs: Some kind of cardio + strength
Fri: Yoga or rest
Sat: 6 mi run