Butternut Squash Lasagna

Good evening everyone! Sorry I've been MIA this weekend. But this is basically how it went: work, sleep, work, sleep, work, go to a movie, sleep.Yep really fun weekend haha! I went to Shutter Island on a date last night. The date was good but the movie not so much. It was really, really creepy! It kind of reminded me of the Sixth Sense but not as good. Anyways, I didn't really take any pics of my food this weekend because it was all pretty boring. Just filled with breakfast cookies, PB and banana sammies, fruits of all different kinds, salads and Kashi bars. For supper on Friday and Saturday I had leftover turkey tacos and for supper Sunday night was honey-balsamic chicken on brown rice with some steamed broccoli. Last night at the movie was my first Coke Zero in 3 weeks! I was pretty proud that I made it that long and that I didn't even drink half of my drink. I guess I don't love it as much as I thought I did (which is a very good thing)!

Today was a good day off. I started off waking up wwwaaaayyy too early and dragged myself to the gym. I didn't go to the gym all weekend because I didn't know they're only open 7-7 on weekends. That's really convenient since I work 6:45 to 7:15. I might consider switching gyms because of this. Or getting a gym pass at the hospitals gym. I think its only like 13 bucks a month so I'll look into that. Anyways, I got to the gym and did 3 miles on the tready followed my arms, abs and legs exercises. I think it was a pretty good workout! My abs are really feeling the new moves I've been doing (thank you to Ali for showing me them)! After the gym I came home to a wonderful bowl of some new cereal:

Kashi go lean crunch topped with blackberries and half a banana with some skim milk!

I love this cereal! I love how crunchy it is! I've already decided this is tomorrows breakfast as well! After breakfast I did some laundry, showered and cleaned up the apartment a bit. Around 12:30 I decided to have some lunch even though I wasn't all that hungry.

Spring mix salad with roasted chickpeas, broccolli, tomatoes, carrots, radishes and cucumbers with zesty italian dressing! Mmmmmmm!!

This was the first time I decided to put my roasted chickpeas on salad and I loved it!! I dont like regular chickpeas because of their texture but roasted with a little salt is too die for!! Especially on top of a massive salad!! I also had a red plum with this as dessert. After lunch I headed off to run some errands. I filled the car with gas and was going to wash it but the line up was way too long so maybe thats tomorrows chore. Then I went to Superstore to pick up the ingredients needed for supper and a bit of fruit. I decided to make butternut squash lasagna. Here it is:

Butternut squash lasagna with 1/2 cup corn

This lasagna was really good! And it has filled me up for a long time. Its been 4 hours since I ate supper and I still feel stuffed. Usually Im hunting the cupboards for snacks about this time! Heres the recipe for the lasagna:

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients

• Cooking spray

• 3 cups chopped onion

• 10 cup fresh spinach

• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 large eggs

• 1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese

• 1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese

• 3 cups diced peeled butternut squash

• 6 cups Smoky Marinara (recipe below)

• 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla) (I used PC Blue Menu whole wheat noodles)

• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine provolone, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheeses in a large bowl.

Place squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on high 5 minutes or until tender.

Coat the bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup Smoky Marinara in the bottom of one prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup Smoky Marinara evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients in remaining pan. Cover each pan with foil.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

To freeze unbaked lasagna: Prepare through Step 6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover lasagna with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Smoky Marinara
Yield: 6 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)


Ingredients

• tablespoon olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano; sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

I got this recipe from Cooking Light online. This recipe makes 2 lasagnas but just cut the ingredients in half to make one. I made 2 so I could freeze individual portions for down the road. I also brought some to my family. I was really surprised when my Dad and brother ate a meatless meal. Wow!! My brother complained at first but then he said he liked it. My Dad even had two pieces!! Now these are two people that wont even eat whole wheat Kraft Dinner! My mom really enjoyed it! She likes when I cook healthy meals because if she does the boys complain haha! Shes taking leftovers for her lunch tomorrow.
After I got home from my parents I had a nice hot bath and watched the Red Wings vs Penguins game (Red Wings won surprisingly). Now Im about to hit the books. Goodnight all! Hope you enjoy the recipe!