Recipe: Chocolate Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

Attention: this is my new favorite breakfast recipe, super easy to make, and healthy! Plus, it has chocolate, and who doesn't love a little chocolate in their breakfast?

Ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats
-1/3 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. almonds
- 2 c. strawberries (sliced)
- 1/3 c. chocolate chips (I used mini's)
- 2 c. milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp. butter, melted
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 banana, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, generously spray the inside of a 8" by 8" baking dish with cooking spray or butter and place it on a baking sheet (in case of overflow. I didn't have any, but you never know).

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the almonds, half the strawberries, and half the chocolate chips. Add to prepared baking dish, then arrange the remaining strawberries, chocolate, almonds, and the banana on top.

3. In the empty bowl you just used, whisk together the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Pour over the oats and fruit into the baking dish and shimmy the dish to gently mix the milk mixture throughout the oats.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until milk mixture is set. I also sprinkled brown sugar on top and put it under the broiler for about 30 seconds to make it crispy on top!

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Recipe: Healthy Spinach Lasagna Rolls

This recipe has become a favorite of mine and Brian's, and since it's yummy AND healthy, I tend to make it a lot. Since it's just the two of us, we don't have to buy a ton of cheese so it's not too expensive. I loveeeee Italian food, more specifically, CHEESE lasagna, CHEESE ravioli, CHEESE stuffed shells, and these :) They're easy and relatively quick to make. I found the recipe on Pinterest, but it's from www.skinnytaste.com.


Ingredients:

• 9-10 lasagna noodles, cooked (I like the oven ready noodles because they take less time to cook!)
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups red spaghetti sauce
• 9 tbsp part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

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Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

Apparently I've been on a squash kick lately, but anyone who knows me well knows I am positively addicted to butternut squash soup. So I had to find a recipe that satisfied the never-ending desire! This recipe comes from Wannabite.com, but I had to edit it a bit to make it fit my sweet tooth. Here it is!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large roasted butternut squashes
• 1 pint of half and half
• ¾ stick of butter (browned)
• 2 tbsp of oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2½ cups of chicken stock
• ** I added a teaspoon of cinnamon, a few dashes of ground ginger, a dash of nutmeg, and probably 1/4 c. of sugar.
• 
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the squash in half
2. Lightly coat it with oil, salt and pepper
3. Roast the squash for an hour or until tender
4. Scoop out the squash, put it into a blender or food processor add the half and half and the chicken stock.
5. Blend well and then place into a pot on medium heat.
6. Add browned butter (simply brown butter in a small pan) oil, salt and pepper and stir and cook on low for a few minutes. *add my ingredients, if you dare ;) *

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Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

This is a total win for me!! Brian (the meat and potatoes man) is actually happy with me making him eat healthier! As long as it's filling. I'm getting much better with making something that fits my healthy standards while still being heavy enough to fill up the black hole that is his stomach. This was super yummy and a definite repeat recipe, so I thought I would share it!

This recipe comes from SimpleHealthyKitchen.com

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 2 lbs.)
• 6 slices bacon (or ⅓ cup cooked pancetta)
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• extra Parmesan cheese for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Slice spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to tail. Remove seeds and stringy flesh. Place squash flesh side down in a microwave safe glass baking pan. Cook 10-12 min. until flesh is soft . Let squash cool to touch, turn over and "rake" a fork through the flesh to create the "noodles".
2. While the squash is cooking, use kitchen shears to cut bacon into small pieces. Cook bacon in a large skillet.. Place on a paper towel lined plate when cooked. Reserve a small amount of bacon drippings in frying pan.
3. Combine eggs, cheese , salt and pepper in a small bowl.set aside.
4. Just prior to serving, add garlic to frying pan and cook until fragrant (about 1 min.) Add the spaghetti squash and bacon and heat thoroughly. Turn off heat, and add egg/cheese mixture. Toss to combine. (The egg will cook when combined with the hot squash).
5. Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.

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