21 Day Fix Approved Lasagna Rolls

So it is a busy week at our house. Extra busy! Soccer 3 weeknights, and a tournament this weekend. My husband and I both have our church groups, and a special event at Church. That makes for just one night where we could actually cook a meal from scratch without being late for something.

Weeks like this it is vital to have a couple of dinners that can be made the weekend before, morning of, or night before. I tend to do my food prepping while my son has breakfast, or lunch, or even in the evening with a podcast or webinar running. 

I have a lot of meals that I stash away for times like these, but a family favorite has always been Lasagna Rolls. Problem is......we are some SERIOUS CHEESE LOVERS. 

Soooooo.....I took an old favorite, and modified it to make it 21 Day Fix approved.

Here it is!

Ingredients:

9 Lasagna Noodle (Whole grain if possible)

9 Green Conditioners Fresh Baby Spinach

4 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tsp Minced Garlic

5 Red Containers (20 oz) Cooked and Shredded Chicken

2 Red Containers 2% Cottage Cheese

1/2 tsp 21 Day Fix All Purpose Seasoning

1/2 Tsp of Pepper

4 Blue Containers of Grated Parmesan Cheese

5 Blue Containers Shredded Mozzarella

4 Purple Containers of Organic Pasta Sauce

1.     Boil Lasagna Noodles until Al Dente, drain, and allow cooling for handling

2.     Heat Oil and Garlic in a large skillet. Hand tear Spinach into 1/2"-1" pieces and sauté until wilted. 

3.     Mix previously cooked Chicken, Cottage Cheese, Parmesan cheese, 21 Day Fix Seasoning, and Pepper, in bowl. Add in sauteed Spinach, Oil, and Garlic. Set aside.

4.     In a baking dish, place 1 purple container of Pasta sauce around the bottom of the dish. Spread evenly.

5.     Lay a piece of wax paper on your counter, place lasagna noodles on paper and dab with paper towel to make sure all moisture is gone.

6.     Spread Cheese and Chicken mixture evenly over each piece of lasagna. Begin rolling one strip of lasagna at one end and roll all the way up. Place in baking dish seam side down. Continue process with all lasagna pieces.

7.     Top Lasagna Rolls with remainder of Pasta Sauce and Shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve immediately.

21 Day Fix - 1 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue, and 1/2 tsp. (In fact it's a bit less on those, but that gives you room to wiggle)
Pics, Tips, and Tricks:

 I hand tear spinach. Don't get all caught up in the size or missing a leaf. It really shrinks when wilted. Also.....if you don't like spinach this is a GREAT time to get your green containers in. You can't even taste it!! :)

We go through chicken in this house like no ones business. We will grill a ton every few days which makes it easy to prep a dish such as this, and another, and have some left for a salad or wrap. If you don't love to grill, feel free just to bake up in the oven. It actually shreds easier that way anyhow.

Yum....all the cheese. :)

 

As you can see, I don't often use the wax paper. By the time I'm done with food prep my counters really need some attention. 

All baked and melty cheesy. This is a family favorite, but the reason it's MY favorite is because I can make a day or even two in advance and toss in the oven for a busy evening. It makes enough for a couple days worth of left-over lunches or great for company.

Let me know if you try it, what you love, and what you would change! Please ask away if you have questions.

~Shannon

21 Day Fix Breakfast Burritos

I have had a lot of people asking me to post recipes and meal plans and such. One of my major go to's that I get asked about a TON are my 21 Day Fix approved breakfast burritos.

I make a dozen of these suckers every other weekend. I make my husband, David one of these EVERY morning. I can imagine that either you are rolling your eyes because I make him breakfast every morning, or because he eats the same thing every day :)

For the record, let me state, that he has never expected me to make him breakfast. This was something I truly enjoyed doing for him every workday. He is the farthest thing from a morning person you may ever find. I love mornings!!!!

• In my previous job I was based out of a home office so I had the luxury of having a bit more time in the morning on top of the fact that I'm already up at the crack of dawn. 
• I'm usually making myself or the kids breakfast 
• I'm worried that I don't make his grumpy butt something to eat in the morning he either won't eat, or will survive on cookie o's. 

I have asked him a million times if he mind them every workday and he swears he still loves them.
When I changed roles in my work life we had to get out the door much earlier so omelettes and toast were not working anymore, and I had to get creative.

I have made other variations before, you can use spinach, peppers, and onions, turkey bacon, etc.....these are the favorite:

I start by browning 2 packs of Jenni-O turkey sausage, and scrambling and cooking about 20 eggs (give or take) I do not add any milk to the eggs, only salt, pepper, and garlic powder. While this is all cooking up I lay out my dozen whole wheat tortillas on individual pieces of foil.

I am the queen of eyeballing, but I throw about 2 tablespoons of organic salsa (I use a delish version from Aldi) on first. It is helpful if you place this on the upper half of the tort. It will act like glue when you freeze it. 

Next, in the middle I add one orange container (or half of a blue) of shredded cheese cheddar. 

Now that my meat and eggs are all cooked up, I can add them. I use one red container and fill about halfway with turkey sausage, then halfway with eggs.

Then you are free to start wrapping. Fold both sides in and then roll them up! Here is the best part: you don't have to actually be good at this. My husband used to work at a restaurant and he was famous for his perfect wraps. Not me!!! Ha! The great thing is once you wrap them in foil and freeze them they don't fall apart!! Then the cheese melts and acts like glue when you bake them. Even if one busts open while wrapping, it stays together when frozen. I like to just keep one hand on the wrap until I manage to get it all covered in foil. 

Voila!! Pile of healthy, clean, 21 Day Fix approved breakfast burritos!! That is workday, protein filled breakfast for 2+ weeks!

My morning routine: one eye cracked, start the Keurig. Wait for coffee, take sip, open eyes and smile.........grab a burrito out of the fridge and throw it in the toaster oven for 20 mins on 350. Chug coffee, and 20 mins later remove burrito from the toaster, wrap it back up in the same foil it started in. Throw in a lunch bag and hand it to my husband on his way out the door.

Wife points.....no matter what happens during the day I can tell myself I made him breakfast ;)

Leave me a comment and let me know if these are a hit in your home, or if you have an questions!

~Shannon

How do you Write a Blog?

No seriously, where do I start? What should I write about? Ha! I think you are supposed to figure that out in advance. I have been thinking about doing this for a very long time. Seems easy enough right? Do you know what stops me every time? I have a tendency to have, what I refer to as "verbal vomit". I'm afraid that if I don't tell you every single thing about my 35 year long story, then you won't know who I am. Now that is a lot to tell, so then I get overwhelmed shut my computer (or hop on Pinterest) and walk away. So this time, I am committing! Before I get started I would like to state for the record that I am not a writer, an English major, or an expert.....on anything! I plan to keep it honest, genuine, and from the heart. I'm a work in progress, constantly learning and growing.  I simply want to share my story, my thoughts, and my journey with....well, really myself. If you want to come along, that's cool too. So......here it goes. :)

The 3 things you should know about me if you want to know what makes me tick:

I am a woman of Faith

I love when people say this. For me it used to be pretty intimidating. Like "You're what? Oh, I'll be in this group of doubters over here. Later." I haven't always identified myself this way, and sometimes I still forget. So, I'm looking back and wondering how did I make it here, to the point where I consider my first identifying factor that I am filled with faith. I'm thinking two reasons: a) I have spent a lot more time with Jesus this past year. Talking to him, reading the word, spending time with Godly friends, and worshiping (girl loves to sing). I've realized he loves me, and I have the choice to accept that love. b) Frankly......I need to be.

It's been a wild ride, and I need him to be in control or I'll wonder where we are really headed. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". I mean I don't know about you, but I have made some plans for my day, kids, life, etc...and managed to screw them up in royal fashion. Do you have days where it is hard to hope? Days in which you doubt your future? Yeah? ME TOO! I choose faith......I love Jesus, and honestly....it takes the pressure off.

I love my family!

I am a wife to my sexy and awesome husband David. Our 1 year anniversary is in 4 DAYS! We made it through the first year!!! No seriously, I will be growing old with this man, the love of my life. We have bumps in the road, plenty of them. A lot has changed for us since the day we have met. Inside and outside....we navigate these waters together. Some days we do better at that together thing than others....please see above, the hope and future thing :) Thank God we aren't alone in this. I have two amazing and crazy kids. I have a 10 year old little baby girl (kidding.....she thinks she's 30) and an insanely strong willed red headed toddler. We are a blended family, as in David is Alexis' step dad. Between soccer, work, church life, and chasing Josh all over creation we are busy and need a nap. I know these moments are fleeting though....I have to remind myself DAILY to stop and take it all in.

I am a strong, confident, FIT, and healthy woman!

Uh.......fake it till you make it????? Matthew 15:18 says "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart" so, I am a strong, confident, FIT, and healthy woman will be my mantra until it is true. For real though, I have struggled with this my whole life. I could write so much here you'd be reading in three weeks, but I'd like you to continue to get to know me so, I"ll keep it as short as I can. I truly believe this is a generational stronghold in my family. My Dad struggled, I struggle, and I'm already watching my daughter struggle. After I had my daughter I lost 100#'s through a ton of time at the gym and weight watchers. What a blessing that was!!! However.....life happened, and then I had my son, and I had gained a

bout 40 of it back. I thought....no big deal.....I know how to do this! Quickly I realized that hours in the gym with two kids, and a man at home, and a career was not possible. So I quickly hit a wall and got frustrated. David and I got engaged and I was determined to feel confident and healthy at our wedding so I reached out to a friend for help and they steered me to the 21 day fix and Shakeology. Changed my life!!! Got married, changed jobs, and fell off the wagon...AGAIN! Do you see the same pattern I do? Fast forward to now........50 pounds heavier than I was a my wedding, mad at myself, don't have anything to wear, winded and grumpy. I refuse to stay here!!!!! Got it?!?!?! So, I'm recommitting.....for good this time. I figure if I can find a way for myself and others to hold me accountable, share my journey, and conquer this as a lifestyle change than that is a win win. I love building relationships and helping others. I would love for my journey and my plan to inspire someone to embark on their own health focused journey. I would love to do that with someone through faith, hard work, and dedication, If that someone is you, please let me know. Let's connect. I need all the cheerleaders I can get.  

Pregnant With Josh

Right Before Wedding

So that's me in a nutshell :) I promise I won't talk about me all the time. I want this to be a place where I can share my successes and failures on my weight-loss journey, as a mom, wife, and all around human. I hope to share my tips, recipes, and funny stories here and there.

This is totally new to me and I would love your feedback. Please let me know what you want to see or read about, or what you might want to know about me!

~Shannon