Lasagna Soup

Sounds weird right?

Lasagna, but a soup.

I assure you though, not only is this completely and ridiculously easy?  It really does taste like lasagna in a bowl.

This is a perfect soup to make on a chilly fall or winter Sunday, and then have ready for the week.  You can top it however you like, but my favorite way to serve it is to scoop a hot ladle of soup over a dollop or ricotta cheese and top with some shredded mozzarella.

Seriously, you aren't going to believe how easy this one is!

Just as a heads up, I cooked the pasta right in the soup.  As it sat for a couple days, it definitely got thicker, so if you want it to be more soup-like for leftovers, just add a bit more broth when reheating!

Lasagna Soup

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pound lean hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 large can (29 oz) tomato sauce
2 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 3/4 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. oregano
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 pound farfalle pasta (or pasta of choice)
3 cups fresh spinach


Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and cook the turkey sausage over medium high heat until cooked through. 

Add in the garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, basil, oregano, chicken broth, thyme, sugar and salt and stir well.  Simmer over medium / low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in the pasta and cook until pasta is cooked through.  Toss in the spinach and allow it to wilt.

Serve over a scoop of ricotta and topped with mozzarella!

Blog Bites: The Gracious Pantry Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

Who wants a super easy chicken recipe that basically calls for dumping everything in a crockpot, is clean, and can provide meal prep for several days?

I'm going to assume you are all raising your hands.

This clean eating recipe from The Gracious Pantry is super easy and flavorful.  I did modify the dressing a bit, to reduce the points.  I made the whole recipe with 8 oz. uncooked chicken breast, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, and 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus all of the spices.

It came out to 4 Smartpoints per chicken breast (honestly, it's probably less because a lot of the sauce is left in the crockpot, but I will count it!).

I served it over some bowties and spinach with garlic and olive oil for a 7 Smartpoint meal in all!

Check out the recipe!

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

Crockpot Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Crockpots are literally the best kitchen tool ever.

Well, next to the avocado slicer.

I mean what is easier than throwing everything in a pot and plugging it in?  Plus, your home smells amazing for hours.

This soup is super hearty and delicious and healthy.  I don't like to repeat meals so soon after each other but this one?  I'm on my second week.  It's THAT good.

I adapted this from my latest cookbook of the week - Crockpot Family Favorites.  To make it healthier and a bit more point friendly, and more to my liking, I made several changes, including upping the veggies significantly, using lean turkey sausages, and using tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes (totally a consistency thing for me).

The great thing about this soup is that it is totally customizable - whatever veggies you like or have on hand, throw them in!  You can also try different kinds of tortellini.  When I made this a second time, I used spinach and cheese tortellini and it was fabulous!

Crockpot Sausage and Tortellini Soup
6 servings (about 2 1/4 cups per serving) at 6 Smartpoints each

3 lean hot Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
3 lean sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
6 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 29oz can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated tortellini
3 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini
2 1/2 cups spinach and kale mix

Cook sausages in a large skillet until cooked through.  Add cooked sausages, broth, tomato sauce, carrots, Italian seasoning, and pepper to Crockpot.  Cook on high for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, add broccoli and zucchini and cook for another hour.  Then, add in tortellini and spinach / kale mixture.  Cook for another 30-45 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

20 Minute Chicken Enchiladas

This may have been one of the easiest things I have ever made.

I got the recipe from here: 

And it is actually about 2 dishes?  But still worth it!

I actually followed this recipe pretty strictly, except I didn't shred the chicken.  I had some cooked Trader Joe's chicken on hand that was already in cubes so I just used that.

This recipe makes 6 servings, with a serving size being 2 of the enchiladas.  I served it with some roasted veggies and it made a super filling dinner for just 8 Smartpoints, for those counting!

20 Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Crockpot Sweet Chili Pulled Chicken

Who isn't a sucker for the crockpot?  Throw something in in the morning and dinner is served hours later with no fuss, no muss.   It's one of my favorite meal prep techniques - throw something in on a Sunday and have lunches or dinners for the week!

I had this bottle of sweet chili sauce and wanted to experiment with that instead of using a more traditional BBQ sauce.  What came out was a little bit sweet with a nice kick, with a hint of sesame in the background.  And super easy!

Crockpot Sweet Chili Pulled Chicken

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup sweet chili sauce, divided
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced

Spray crockpot with a nonstick cooking spray.  Mix 3/4 cup of the sweet chili sauce, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the dark sesame oil, and water in the crockpot.   Place chicken breasts in crockpot, and spoon some of the sauce over the tops of the chicken breasts.  Cover and cook on low for 3/12 hours.

After 3 1/2 hours, take 2 forks and shred the chicken.  Add 1/4 more cup and 1/2 tsp. more of the sesame oil to the shredded chicken, and mix well.  Cover and cook for another 1/2 hour.

(Stay tuned for a few recipes using this chicken!)

Menu Plan - Week 3

This week is sort of a mish mash.  Basically I have leftovers and I want to use them up!

I do have a few new things on the plan though :)

Breakfasts
Guiltless Chocolate Chip Waffles (Skinnytaste cookbook) - side note, they are actually pancakes in the book but by adding a bit of coconut oil I made them waffles :)
Egg and cheese sandwich on multigrain muffin with fresh berries

Lunches
Turkey mason jar salads
Avocado chicken salad wrap (recipe coming soon!

Dinners
Chicken in Artichoke Pan Sauce (Cooking Light)
Fig and Apple Panini (Cookin' Canuck) - I don't have Gruyere so subbing out the cheese!
Pumpkin soup

Snacks
Sugar snap peas / hummus
Greek yogurt / pumpkin granola
Veggie sticks
Berries
Apples
Shakeology

What's on your menu?

Weekly Meal Prep - Week 1

In the same vein as the menu planning, I'm going to attempt to start regularly meal prepping on Sundays. 

Here's the thing, between work, working out, and tutoring, there are nights during the week when I roll into my apartment at about 7:00, and by that time am so hungry and in no mood to cook. Cue unhealthy choice here.

So I thought doing some hardcore meal prepping on Sunday might help.  I'm not prepping every meal, I plan to cook a couple of nights (the nights I'm not tutoring).  But I feel like this will also help me with snacks and lunches on the go, which I also sorely need.

I started about 10:15 Sunday morning and was finished at about noon.  Not terrible!

First up, though, is to be prepared.

Look, you are going to be working, so make it a pleasant experience!  Made myself a cup of coffee, lit my Twisted Peppermint candle, and turned on iTunes radio.

First up, a little breakfast prep. 

I decided to break in my waffle maker using this recipe for Banana Oat Waffles.  It made about 8, so I had one for breakfast, along with some sunflower butter and raspberries.  Then I cooked up the rest and let them cool, before storing them in freezer bags separated by wax paper.  That way during the week, I can always pop one out and heat it up in the oven while I'm getting ready for work!

Next, sweet potatoes! 

I plan to use these as a side dish during the week.  I had 2 sweet potatoes which I just roughly chopped up.  I preheated my oven to 425 and sprayed with coconut oil spray.  After spreading the potatoes out, I sprayed them lightly again with the coconut spray and dusted them lightly with salt and pepper.  I didn't add any extra seasoning because I may want to get creative later in the week.  This is basically a time saver, get them cooked through and then I can prepare them any number of ways during the week. 

I put them in the oven for about 13 minutes, flippped them, gave them another quick spray, and then put them back in the oven for about another 10 minutes.  They came out crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, so perfect!

And now it was time for the rice cooker!

First up, steaming veggies!

I did this first because you need the steamer basket.  Basically I just took a bag of broccoli and cauliflower I had picked up at Trader Joe's and steamed with about 3/4 cup of water for about 5 minutes.  Now it's perfect for a quick snack, side dish, or to throw in a salad!

Then, a batch of quinoa.

I used 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of organic chicken broth.  Again, perfect for side dishes or adding to salads during the upcoming week!

While the quinoa was cooking, I cut up some Persian cucumbers and started portioning them out to use as a snack with some hummus.

Then I got out my lettuce and washed and spun it out :)

I also rinsed and drained some chickpeas and cut up some roasted turkey breast because once everything cooled, it was salad in a jar time!

I ended up with a protein packed turkey salad - recipe will be up later in the week!

So all in all, it didn't take as much time as I thought and I feel really set for the week!

Weekly Meal Planning - Week 1

In an effort to eliminate some chaos (particularly on late tutoring nights), as well as kick off a healthier January, I'm going to be attempting to do some menu planning for the week.  So here is a look at the upcoming week for me!

Breakfasts
Turkey and egg multigrain sandwich
Banana Oat Waffles (Love these because you can make the batches ahead and heat up as needed!)


Lunches
Chicken salad in mason jar (recipe coming soon!)
Leftovers from dinners

Which are...

Dinners
Garlicky Shrimp Stir Fry with Broccolini and Quinoa (from the Skinnytaste cookbook)
Baked Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes

Snacks
Apple slices with 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp. pumpkin flax granola
Cucumbers with balsamic vinegar or hummus
Berries
Vegan Shakeology - Chocolate


Found this great menu planner online - love that it has the grocery list next to it!  Thanks to the Organizing Junkie!

Hitting up Trader Joe's tomorrow!  If anyone has meal prep tips, leave them down below!