Turkey Spaghetti

Ingredients:
Whole Grain Pasta
Zucchini
Marinara sauce
Can tomatoes
Black olives
Garlic
Basil
Spinach 
Oregano
Red pepper flakes
Mozzarella 

Directions:
Cook turkey.  Add garlic near end, then add sauce, tomatoes, black olives, spinach, and seasoning.  Turn on low and let it all simmer together for a while.  Shred zucchini longways for more noodle length slices, and add to pasta for last minute or so it is cooking.  Strain, put on plate, top with meat concoction, shred some cheese on top.   

Apple Sage Turkey Meatloaf

• Courtesy of Whole Foods Market (slightly modified)

• 
  

(I cut recipe in half for a mini-loaf for myself)

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, cored, peeled and grated (strain out the juice)
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2/3 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs*
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (I used a BBQ marinade sauce that was delicious)
• I threw in some shredded carrots & zucchini

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sauté onions.  Combine apples, onion, carrots, zucchini, bread crumbs and milk in a large bowl and let stand 5 minutes to soften bread crumbs. Add turkey, sage, egg, salt and pepper and mix until combined. Scrape the mixture onto the baking sheet. With water-moistened hands, shape the mixture into a loaf about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide (I think I would prefer individual smaller loaves!  All of them would have more yummy crust). Spread top of loaf with 1/4 cup of the bbq or tomato sauce, if using, and bake until meatloaf is lightly browned and cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 165°F), 50 to 60 minutes.

Let meatloaf sit 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with warmed tomato sauce/bbq if desired.

*Breadcrumbs:  I don't buy them, they have way too many ingredients to just be bread crumbs.  Toast bread in oven at 250, keep checking it and breaking it up.  Throw it in a blender when its all dried out.  Add oregano, basil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, viola! italian breadcrumbs!

Honey Italian Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:
Multigrain bread
Honey
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella 
Fontina 
Tomatoes 
Oregano

Directions:
Spread honey on bread then top with the other stuff, sprinkle with oregano, then cook with olive oil in pan.  Cook on a little lower temp, takes a while to melt the cheese, or wrap in foil and shove in oven for a bit to melt.

Lemon Pepper Spinach Tortellini

Ingredients:
Tortellini (this is my favorite)
Marinara sauce
Spinach
Cheese
Garlic powder
Lemon
Pepper
Oregano
Parsly
Olive oil

Directions:
Cook tortellini as directed.  Sauté chopped spinach with olive oil and garlic powder.  Add grated lemon (easiest to do if lemon frozen) and pepper.  Cook a few minutes with cover over it.  

Lentil Florentine Soup

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (3-4 sliced up)
Chicken (2 breasts) (optional)
Chicken broth (1 box) (or veggie)
Lentils (half a bag)
Spinach
Chopped onion
Chopped carrots 
Shredded zucchini 
Cream cheese (few scoops)
Oregano
Basil
Cayanne Pepper
Black Pepper
Garlic (lots)


Directions:

Cook chicken in crock pot or oven and shred.  Cook lentils on stop top (20-30 min, should be chewy) until ready and sautee onions a little before adding.   In large soup pot on stove, add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, lentils, chopped spinach, and seasonings (if adding carrots and onions, cook a bit first so they soften..).  When hot, add cream cheese and cook until melted.  Amounts depend on taste, just wing it, should be a thick soup.

Pizza Burrito

Ingredients:

Pizza sauce
Natural Tortilla (I find them hidden among the refrigerated tortillas)
Pineapple
Olives
Ham
Shredded cheese
Butter
Red pepper flakes
Fresh basil
Rice or Quinoa (why not?)
(whatever you would want in it..)

Directions:

Wrap up in tortilla, butter pan, and brown on each side.  Sprinkle with oregano

Homemade Pizza Rolls

Ingredients:

Wonton wrappers (or bigger eggroll wrappers)
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Optional:  Pepperoni, fresh basil, sausage, olives, onions, garlic, green peppers
Optional:  Hide healthy things inside like spinach, kale, or chipped up carrots
Olive oil spray

Directions:

If using onions and peppers, might want to saute them first for best flavor, and precook any sausage..

In a bowl, stir up all of the toppings with the sauce.  You can also stir in the cheese, so place it next to the toppings on the wrapper.  Put the innards into the wrapper, wet the edges of it with water, and seal it shut.  Spray pan with olive oil spray, and spray completed rolls.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 min.

Bagel Pizzas

Ingredients: 

Bagel
Pizza sauce
Fresh basil
Mozzarella 
Any pizza toppings... I like olives.

Make it healthier and add some spinach.


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook for about 10 min, just watch it and don't burn it.

One Pot Italian

Ingredients: 

12 ounces pasta 
3-4 diced tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
3 large sprigs basil, chopped
Some chopped up spinach 
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth not low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Toss in some milled flax, why not?  It's healthy!


Directions:

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot.

Sprinkle with cheese!