Lasagna Rolls

Serves: 9 lasagna rolls

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained or sauté your own spinach 
• 1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced (optional)
• 32 oz tomato sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
• 9 Tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well. 
2. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take ⅓ cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over a noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
4. Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish.
5. Sprinkle Italian seasoning overtop of the sauce.
6. Top each roll with 1 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.
7. Once cheese is melted, we like to remove the foil and place the lasagna rolls back in the oven and broil for a couple minutes (optional).  

*Adopted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

21 Day Fix: 2 Rolls = 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Purple, 1 Blue, 1/2 Green

It makes for an easy freezer meal too!

I like to make a double batch.  I make one batch for the day and freeze the other. I do not put the shredded cheese on it before freezing.

Pop it in the fridge a few days prior to baking it, making sure it is fully thawed.  Add the shredded cheese then pop in the oven at 400 for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted.

How to Menu Plan

Menu planning does not need to be difficult.  I do very little meal prep for the week.  I don't make up an entire week's food in one afternoon and eat leftovers all week. 

When I meal plan, I follow these simple steps.

 1.  Get out your planner. Look at what you have going on that week.  No sense in making a meal that takes an hour to make when you have soccer practice until 8pm.  And who really wants to make two different suppers?

 2.  Plan supper first.

 3.  Put your shake in the mix for a snack or breakfast.

 4.  Plan for leftovers for lunch the next day.  I typically have leftovers 3-4 times a week.  Plan the rest of your lunches accordingly.

 5.  Plan your snacks by filling in your container gaps.

6.  Make your grocery list.

7.  Go shopping.

8. Enjoy a hassle free week of menu planning!  You've already done it!  Way to go!  :)

~ Coach Ashley Fischer

21 Day Fix Approved : Salsa Chicken

This is a staple in our household.   I usually make a big crockpot full of Salsa Chicken and freeze it in bags to use later.  This is so easy!  I typically make a double batch to have even more to freeze.  If I'm making the mess, why not make more? 


Ingredients:
1.5lb frozen chicken breasts
1 pkt taco seasoning
1 jar clean salsa


How to make Salsa Chicken:

1. Place frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Sprinkle taco seasoning all over the chicken breasts.
3. Pour a jar of salsa over the taco seasoning and chicken breasts.
4. Cover and cook for 6-8hrs on low.*
5. After chicken is cooked thoroughly, with two forks.
6. Put back into the crockpot with the lid off.  Let it cool for an hour or so, stirring occasionally.
7. Put in freezer bags and freezer flat to make storage easier!

*We typically cook on low for 10hrs while we are at work and it always turns out okay!

After Salsa Chicken is shredded.

This is how I bag my chicken.  Place freezer
bag in a cup and spoon in. 

8 bags from my double batch means
8+ meals for the next couple of months!

Some of our favorite Salsa Chicken recipes are:

Quesadillas

Chicken tacos

Nachos

Chicken Taco Salad

What other things could you use Salsa Chicken for?

21 Day Fix Approved : Homemade Chicken Nuggets & Fries

My 4 year old, Cooper told me that he was excited for me to go away for a night on a work trip so he could have chicken nuggets and fries.   It broke my heart a little bit.   He’s excited for me to leave so he can eat crummy food?   Insert guilty mom feeling here.

Well, I knew there had to be a better way to make chicken nuggets and fries that didn’t take a ton of extra time and tasted MUCH better than that frozen junk.  Now, as a disclaimer, I am not against a parent feeding their child stuff from the freezer section.  I was guilty of doing it for over 4 years.   But, I will tell you, this only took an extra 20 minutes or so to throw together.  And the best part… I could use the leftover chicken nuggets on my salad for the next couple of days.  SCORE!

Ingredients:

1.5lbs Chicken (I used Tenderloins)

2 Eggs

¾ C Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

¼ C Parmesan Cheese

½ tbsp. Paprika

Salt

Pepper

2 Potatoes (I used Russets)

¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I started with my fries because I like crunchy fries.  I knew they needed more time to bake than the chicken did.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. 

Fries

1.        Peel potatoes

2.       Cut potatoes into fry shape

3.       Put into bowl and toss with olive oil.   Sprinkle with desired about of sea salt and pepper.

4.       Spread out onto a pan lined with parchment paper, and place in the oven.

Chicken Nuggets

1.       Mix all dry ingredients in bowl (bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, paprika, salt and pepper), set aside.

2.       Break eggs into a separate bowl, whisk them and set aside.

3.       Cut up chicken in desired size (I used 2” pieces).

4.       Line pan with parchment paper, spray with olive oil.

5.       Dip each piece of chicken in egg and then the bread crumbs (making sure to coat the entire piece of chicken).  Place on the pan.  Complete this with all the chicken.

6.       Put in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is done. 

For you "Fix-ers", this recipe would be 1 red for the chicken and 1 yellow for the fries.   Enjoy!!

Weekly Menu 5/11 - 5/17

Monday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology w/ Fruit {1R 1P}
     Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt + Waffle and PB {1R 1Y 1T}
     Lunch: Taco Chicken Salad {1R 2G 1B 1O}
     Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter {1P 1T}
     Supper: Burgers & Green Beans {1R 1G}


Tuesday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology w/ Fruit {1R 1P}
     Morning Snack:Greek Yogurt + Waffle and PB {1R 1Y 1T}
     Lunch: Leftover Burgers & Green Beans + String Cheese {1R 2G + 1B}
     Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter + Seeds {1P 1T 1O}
     Supper: Roast, Potatoes & Carrots {1R 1Y 1G}


Wednesday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology {1R}
     Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt + Waffle and PB {1R 1Y 1T}
      Lunch: Leftover Roast, Potatoes & Carrots {1R 1Y 1G}
     Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter + Seeds {1P 1T 1O}
      Supper: Spaghetti Squash {2G 1P 1R 1B}


Thursday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology {1R}
     Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt + Waffle and PB {1R 1Y 1T}
      Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash {2G 1P 1R 1B}
      Afternoon Snack: ApApple + Peanut Butter + Seeds {1P 1T 1O}
      Supper: Pizza Quesadillas + Cottage Cheese {1R 1Y 1/2P 1B}


Friday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology w/ Fruit {1R 1P}
     Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt + Waffle and PB {1R 1Y 1T}
     Lunch: Pita with Lunch Meat & Carrots {1Y 1R 1G}
      Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter {1P 1T}
     Supper: Taco Salads {2G 1R 1B 1O}


Saturday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology w/ Fruit {1R 1P}
      Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt {1R}
      Lunch: Leftover Taco Salads {2G 1R 1B 1O}
     Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter {1P 1T}
     Supper: Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes & Corn {1R 2Y}


Sunday:
     Breakfast: Shakeology + Fruit {1R 1P}
     Morning Snack: Greek Yogurt {1R}
     Lunch: Pita with Lunch Meat, Cheese, Lettuce & Carrots {1Y 1R 1B 2G}
     Afternoon Snack: Apple + Peanut Butter {1P 1T}
     Supper: Lasagna Roll Ups + Side Salad {1Y1G 1R 2G 1B 1O}

Mashed Potatoes -
I used to make my mashed potatoes with sour cream and butter.  This time around I substituted the sour cream for Plain Greek Yogurt.  You can't tell the difference.   PERFECT!  :)

Transformation Thursday

☆Transformation Thursday☆

These photos were taken in late February and early April after two rounds of the 21 Day Fix.

Was I perfect? No....
Did I workout everyday? No.
Did I eat clean all the time? No.

But guess what I did do...
I tried my hardest to make the right decisions.
I chose salads and wraps over burgers and chicken strips.
I drank as much water as I could each day.
I made time for myself to workout as much as possible.

For those challengers that know me, they know that I was dealing with a lot in my personal life with a new baby and a trashed rental house 200 miles away.

But... look!! I still had some amazing results and it gave me the fuel to keep going! I can't wait to see what two months of piyo does for me!

What is going to be the one thing that keeps you going??

Interested in more information?  Fill out my application and we can start chatting!

https://amfischer2.wufoo.com/forms/z11yxjr0m6d052/

21 Day Fix Approved : Cheesy Chicken Burritos

I saw this recipe on Pinterest.   It looked delicious.   I was NOT a fan.  After opening the cheesy rice and broccoli, it smelled terrible.

So it was time to improvise!

Here's our version of Cheesy Chicken Burritos

Ingredients:
2 servings - Brown Rice {Prepared per instructions}
1 - Chicken Bouillon Cube
4 - Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 - Chicken Breast, Shredded
Shredded Cheese
Homemade Salsa


I usually have shredded chicken already frozen in the freezer.  I make a lot at once so its ready for times like this.  If you have shredded chicken ready to go, I just warm it up on the stove with a little chicken stock so it doesn't get dried out.   If you don't have this, then you'll need to bake a chicken breast, then shred it. 

I start by making the rice per the instructions on the box.  While you are bringing the water to boil, put one chicken bouillon cube.  This gives the brown rice more a chicken flavor.

Once the rice is done, you are ready to assemble the burrito.  On the tortilla, put rice, shredded chicken, shredded cheese then some salsa on top.  Roll up the burrito and enjoy! 

It is now a family favorite.   My husband used the word "amazing" to describe his.   For something that we completely threw together, it was pretty damn good! 

Even Cooper loved it!

21 Day Fix Containers:
2 Yellow {Rice & Tortilla}
1 Red {Chicken}
1 Blue {Cheese}
1/4 Green {Homemade Salsa}