Zucchini Lasagna

Hokay folks, no falafel yet, but I did find a great recipe for low-carb lasagna that I made altered slightly to fit our needs. I basically added more veggies and replaced some ingredients for better ones :-)

Here's my version of the recipe:

Zucchini Lasagna  

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded chicken breast 

(I actually left it out for my first time making it, since I'm a Veggie)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup mushroom

A few handfuls of spinach

2 cup tomato/spaghetti sauce 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 medium zucchini sliced thinly in long strips

1 cup plain greek yogurt 

1 egg 

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour or cornmeal

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. 
2. Cut your zucchini into thin slices the length of the zucchini. (These will act as your noodles.) 
3. Boil zucchini for 3 minutes and then lay out on paper towel with another paper towel on top to absorb the excess water. While these are drying make sauce.
4. In large skillet sprayed thoroughly with cooking spray, combine cooked shredded chicken, pepper, mushroom, and onion over medium heat. 
5. Once onion, pepper, and mushrooms are sauteed, add tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to boil;  reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
6. While your sauce is cooking, combine the yogurt, egg, and flour/cornmeal (I also tossed in some extra seasoning as well). 
7. Line the bottom of a 9x13 sprayed baking dish zucchini strips. 
8. Top with the yogurt and egg mixture, then spinach leaves, and then the chicken/sauce mixture. 
9. Repeat layer of zucchini and top with the yogurt and egg mixture, then spinach leaves, and then the sauce.
10. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
11. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

So How Was It?

This meal was great! Dennis said it was one of this favorites, so it goes on my mental list of things to make. I loved the extra spinach, and the red pepper and mushrooms were fantastic. We didn't even miss the noodles at all with the zucchini!

The greek yogurt was actually a substitute for cottage cheese... which it not my favorite thing in the word, to put it lightly. But if you enjoy that sort of thing, then you can feel free to sub it back into the ingredient list. 

This meal is super healthy because it is full of protein (especially if you use the greek yogurt), and has the taste of home-cooked comfort food without all the usual fat. It's chock full of veggies too! 

Overall, wonderful meal. Hope you can try it soon!

Daniel, Get Your Protein!

Hello everyone. I have not come up with any spectacular recipes as of my last post, but I did want to write about ways to get your protein during the Daniel Fast.

Being a Vegetarian, most people look at me dumbstruck when I tell them that I don't have any trouble getting my protein. 

"But you don't eat meat!"

...Yes, I am aware of that... 

But really, even with being a Vegetarian, I don't have to worry about my protein intake as much as many think I do. 

Okay... if you live on twinkies and dr. pepper, then maybe you could end up protein deficient.... Nevertheless, I'm sure some of you want to know precisely how much protein you need, so here's the way to figure it out:

The rule of thumb for determining your protein needs is to aim for .8 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body weight. (For those that are not math folks: 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds).

So, for example, if you weigh 120 pounds, that's about 54.5 kilograms (120 lbs divided by 2.2 lbs per kg). Multiply 54.5 kilograms by .8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, and you get 43.6 grams of protein (or about 44 grams). 

Forty-four grams of protein isn't much! And don't worry, protein is in way more foods than you think!

To give you an idea of how easy is it to get the protein you need, take a look at the list of foods and their protein content below. 

Legumes (dried beans and peas)

1/2 cup most legumes, depending on type = 5-9 

1/2 cup bean burrito filling = 6

1 cup black bean soup = 16

1 cup vegetarian chili = 24

1/2 cup vegetarian baked beans = 6

1/2 cup garbanzo beans = 6

Nuts and Seeds

1 oz. nuts, depending on the type = 4-7

1 oz seeds, depending on the type = 4-11

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter) = 6

2 tbsp. cashew, almond, or peanut butter = 8

Grains and Grain Products

1 slice whole-wheat bread = 2-3

1 bran muffin = 3

1/2 cup whole-grain flake cereal = 2

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal = 3

1 whole bagel = 6

1/2 cup cooked whole grain pasta = 7

1/2 cup cooked rice = 2

1 peanut butter sandwich with 2 tbsp. peanut butter = 14

1 bean burrito = 8

Vegetables

1 cup most vegetables (green beans, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kale...) = 4

1 cup cooked pasta mixed with 1 cup assorted veggies = 18

1 Avocado = 8 

Think about what you eat in the course of a day and the size of portions you take. Calculate your own protein requirement using the above formula, then compare that to the amount of protein you eat in a typical day as well as a Daniel Fast day.

Stay strong and trust in the Lord. No matter who hard it gets, turn to Him and think of His sacrifice for you on the cross. You can do this! He will and has already helped you!