Healthy Mac & Cheese with “Trees” Serves 10
Whenever possible, use organic ingredients. And Barilla Plus pasta is a must for this recipe.
25 ounces Barilla Plus elbow pasta
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 eggs
5 (12 ounce) cans evaporated skim milk
32 ounces reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
5 cups broccoli florets, steamed until just tender, then shocked in cold water.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, return pasta to pot. Add olive oil and stir to coat.
Whisk together eggs and evaporated skim milk. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot pasta into this mix and stir to adjust the egg mixture to the temperature. Pour all of the egg mixture into the pot of pasta and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and creamy, about 3 – 5 minutes. Stir in broccoli florets.
Consume within 4 days of preparation. Spinach Lasagna Serves 6
Adapted from Weight Watchers
Whenever possible, use organic ingredients.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups 1% milk
1 (15 ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese
16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 egg white
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
9 dry lasagna noodles (no need to cook)
Preheat oven to 400º.
Heat oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until well-blended. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Boil until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Combine ricotta cheese, spinach, egg white and nutmeg in a bowl.
Assemble lasagna using a 13” x 9” baking dish. Spoon 1 cup of sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 dry lasagna noodles. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the noodles, top with 1 cup of sauce. Layer 3 more dry noodles, spread with remaining cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup sauce. Layer remaining 3 dry noodles and sauce. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly and a knife inserted indicates that the noodles are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and brown under the broiler, about 30 seconds.
This recipe is a good source of calcium from the low fat milk, ricotta cheese and spinach. We need calcium to keep our bones and teeth strong; and keep our muscles contracting properly, especially our hearts.
If you use whole wheat lasagna noodles, it increases the fiber content, which can also help with calcium absorption. Whichever noodles you use, you do not have to cook them first, so this recipe is pretty quick and easy.
Salmon with Balsamic Orange Sauce Serves 4
Whenever possible, use organic ingredients.
4 four-ounce fillets of wild salmon (pick ‘wild’ over ‘farmed’)
salt & pepper
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
Season salmon with a little salt & pepper. Roast salmon at
450º until cooked through, about 5 – 8 minutes depending upon thickness of the fillets.
While fish is roasting, boil orange juice until it’s reduced by half to ¼ cup.
Spoon sauce over fish.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Consume within 2 days of preparation.
Salmon is a good source of protein as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are a healthy fat that we want to include in our diet. They contribute to overall heart health by helping reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Since they have an anti-inflammatory effect, they can also help reduce severity of symptoms from those suffering from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
© Eating Well, LLC 2006 The information contained herein is offered solely as nutritional
advice, and should not
be used to diagnose any symptoms. For further information, click Contact Lisa.
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