Dinner is served! Sweet Potato + Spinach Quesadillas with a side of Pickled Onions

Yummy yummy in my tummy! Here's the finished product for this week's dinner: Sweet Potato + Spinach Quesadillas.  It's hard to tell that these quesadillas are filled with nutritious spinach and sweet potatoes and pack a punch of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, iron, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese, but it's true! Ready to try it out for yourself? Find the full recipe HERE.

Are you going to try this recipe? Let us know what you think of it with a comment below:

Dinner is Served! Pumpkin Pizza Pie

Just in time for Halloween we found an AWESOME pizza recipe from our friends at the American Council on Exercise.  Usually when we share recipes with our fans, we've tried them out first.  However, when we saw this cool recipe idea a few days before Halloween we decided to take a risk and share it pre-trail run.  Well, we made this Pumpkin Pizza Pie and it was absolutely amazing!  It reminds us of a pizza version of those delicious Trader Joe's butternut squash raviolis we are so obsessed with that we have to avoid TJ's in order to not try to live off of these pasta pockets of goodness.  If you didn't make this pizza tonight, try it out tomorrow.  We think you'll love this Halloween inspired delight. The pumpkin is found in the sauce.  The original recipe uses olives and peppers and some extra cheese which we decide not to use tonight, however, these toppings can make the pizza even more festive if you use them to make a Jack-o-Lantern type face.

Did you try this pizza? If not, what are you waiting for?!  Let us know your thoughts with a comment below: 

What's for Dinner? Wednesday

H-A-L-L-O, ho, ho, W-E-E, eh, eh, N (anyone remember this song from the third grade...or just us?) Only 1 more day until Halloween! That's why we're making Pumpkin Pizza for this week's What's for Dinner? Wednesday meal.  We found this recipe on the American Council of Exercise's website and had to share it with you.  Check the site for some other great healthy Halloween ideas here. Now let's make that pizza!

Here is the list of the ingredients you'll need for your Pumpkin Pizza Pie:

1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup tomato sauce look for a no sodium or sugar added option
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 olives, sliced horizontally so they make round circles
3 slices red bell peppers
3/4 cup spinach
Ingredients for a side salad (we love ours with balsamic vinaigrette)

Step One: Preheat your oven to 450 °F and prepare your pizza dough.  Clean a spot in your kitchen so you can roll out your dough.  Then sprinkle some flour down so the sticky ball won't stick to you (after making pita bread this weekend and laughing about this step we advise you to just do it! While we appreciated our hubby getting us out of our sticky situation during the football game, it wasn't our finest hour). Roll the dough out on your stick-resistant surface and then transfer it to a baking sheet that you've also sprinkled with flour.  By now your oven should be heated up so you can move your pie to the oven and bake it for 8-10 minutes.  While you're waiting, clean your formerly clean surface and move on to step two.

Step Two:  Grab a bowl and mix together your tomato sauce, pumpkin puree, and garlic powder.  Once your pizza crust is done baking in the oven, spread your Halloween inspired sauce on top and top it with your cheeses. Then add your additional toppings.  You can arrange them to make a Halloween face or just mix them all up (that's how they'll be in your tummy anyways). When you're done, put your pizza back in the oven and bake it for 10-12 minutes or however long it takes for your cheese to melt.

Step Three: Slice up your Halloween Pumpkin Pizza Pie and serve it up to your almost goblin and ghouls.

Feeling inspired to make your Pizza Halloween ready? Not so sure about adding more veggies to your pie? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below:

What's for Dinner? Wednesday

Happy What's for Dinner? Wednesday! Today we're making a healthier version of a comfort food favorite: lasagna!  We love this recipe because it makes it easy for you to practice two tried and true healthy eating tips.  What are these healthy eating tips, you ask? Portion control and meal preparation.

Go to a restaurant these days and it's hard to find a meal that doesn't contain close to 100% of your daily caloric needs because of out of control portion sizes.  With portion sizes out of control everywhere you look, it can be hard to figure out what to serve at home as well.  For this meal you'll be able to easily see how many portions you are serving.

Another reason it can be hard to eat healthy is that life can get pretty busy.  When you are running out of hours in the day and starving, the last thing you'll want to do is run to the grocery store to cook up a healthy meal.  Especially if you can buy something that's already made for you - healthy or not! This week's meal can also be a part of your healthy meal preparation plan for those busy nights.  How? Instead of preparing your lasagna as one dish, you'll make lasagna rolls.  Each roll is about 250 calories and can be frozen individually so you can easily reheat one or more on one of those chaotic days coming up this holiday season!  Excited to practice portion control and meal preparation with one easy meal? So are we! Here are your ingredients:

Makes 10 Lasagna Rolls:

10 whole wheat lasagna noodles
24 oz marinara sauce (no sugar added)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups baby spinach, loosely packed and chopped
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups part-skim, shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese
1 egg white
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make lasagna rolls Garfield would be proud of:

Step One: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  While it's warming up, get out a 13" x 19" casserole dish and spread 1 1/4 cups of your marinara sauce along the bottom and boil water in a pot so you can cook your lasagna noodles.  When the water is ready, cook the noodles for 8 minutes.  Drain the noodles and set them aside.  If you're feeling adventurous, you can start step two while cooking the noodles. Just don't try this with more than one person in the kitchen (trust us, it will not end well).

Step Two: Take out a large skillet and add your olive oil.  Heat your oil over medium-low heat and add in your minced garlic.  Saute the garlic for about 1 minute or until it is fragrant (did we mention this recipe will help keep any vampires away? You're welcome!). Next add your chopped spinach and cook it until it wilts (about 3 minutes more).

Step Three: In a large bowl, mix together the contents of your skillet (garlic + spinach) with your ricotta, 1 cup of your mozzarella, cottage cheese, egg white, oregano, salt and pepper. Can you tell this is going to be good? Mmmmm....

Step Four:  Flatten your lasagna noodles on a clean work surface and spread 1/4 cup of the cheese/spinach mix over each noodle.  Roll the noodle by starting at the end closest to you.  Once your lasagna roll is rolled up, place it seam side down on the bed of marinara in your 13" x 9" pan. Continue this process for all 10 noodles.  Then add another cup of marinara over your rolls and sprinkle them with the rest of your mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. 

Step Five: Cover your pan and lasagna rolls with aluminum foil and bake them for 20 minutes, or until your cheeses are bubbling. (You'll probably smell the cheesy goodness before then - mmm mmm mmmm!)

Step Six:  Take your lasagna rolls out of the oven and serve them to your guests.  You'll have extra marinara so, add some to the top if you wish (you'll want to heat it up a little first). We love these lasagna rolls with a side salad made of any leftover spinach, fresh tomato and balsamic vinegar. However, feel free to add your own side of choice.

Step Seven (optional):  If you have some rolls left, pack them up and put them in the freezer so you can make this meal again in 5 minutes or less! Wrap them in tin foil and freeze for up to three months, however, you'll probably use them before then.  To reheat out of the freezer warm on low for 1-2 minutes and then on high for 1-2 minutes. 

Are you going to try this meal with us? How do you prepare for busy nights? Share a thought with us by posting a comment in the space below:

Dinner is Served! Healthy Mac 'n Cheese

Last night we enjoyed some healthy Mac 'n Cheese (to see the full recipe CLICK here). Check out the final product above made with whole grain pasta, green peas, ham, and mushrooms. Enjoy cheesy goodness without the guilt when you cook up this dish.  Not a big fan of ham or our veggie choices? Feel free to experiment with your Mac 'n Cheese masterpiece.  

Did you cook with us? Let us know how it went by posting a comment below: