The first week of our diet has been difficult. We decided to start with a phase 1 of limited carbs, no alcohol and no sugars. Inevitably once we were no longer allowed to have these things we wanted them. I was craving chocolate. Ian was craving everything else; pasta, french fries, hamburgers, ice-cream, beer... the list could go on. Some of us were getting more and more cranky as the diet continued. Our weight loss results were immediate. I lost 5 pounds in the first 5 days and Ian lost even more. It is the kick start we need for the competition.
Friday August 13th was our 5 year anniversary. Ian said it was appropriate to be Friday the 13th since it was the scariest day of his life. I'm assuming he was joking (mostly!). We have had a good five years. Our relationship is not perfect but we have fun, learn from each other and love each other. I appreciate Ian and could not imagine a life without him. He is my better half.
I wanted to plan a nice evening for us while sticking to our diet and our budget. Without any wine, I had to make sure the food was even more memorable. Since I could not fill most of his cravings, I decided to try and work toward the "pasta" one. I made a Vegetable Lasagna and a low-carb Chicken Parmesan. It actually turned out even better than I expected. It was a nice way to celebrate our anniversary and Ian did allow me to have a small bowl of ice-cream for desert which broke all my diet rules, but was much enjoyed and appreciated.
Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
4 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 t dried parsley
24 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
4 sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 t salt
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 roasted Red Peppers, diced
3 cups fresh Spinach
1/2 C low-fat Ricotta cheese
1 C reduced-shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C low-frat grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare tomato sauce: Heat 2 T olive oil in non-stick sauce pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add dried oregano, basil, and parsley and stir. Add crushed tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and salt. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Brush sliced zucchini with olive oil and salt. Place zucchini on a sheet pan and bake until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Saute Spinach in olive oil and garlic and set aside.
Line bottom of a casserole dish (I used a glass 8inch square) with the baked zucchini slices. Add half of the spinach mixture. Top with 1/3 of the tomato sauce and then spread all the ricotta cheese over. Top with the roasted red peppers and sprinkled with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining spinach mixture. Line another row with the zucchini slices. Spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and all the Parmesan. Bake until the cheese is melted and brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
I found a similar recipe for this vegetable lasagna that called for yellow squash, eggplant and mushrooms. I only had the zucchini, spinach and roasted red peppers so I made it work. I think as long as you have a squash to use as the "noodle" layers you could use any veggie fillings that are in the house.
Healthy Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
1 C tomato sauce (from vegetable lasagna recipe)
1/2 C almonds, finely chopped
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t Italian Dressing seasoning
1 chicken breast
2 T olive oil
1/2 C low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Mix Parmesan, chopped nuts, and Italian seasoning in small bowl. Pound chicken breast into thinner piece and cut into 4 cutlets. Coat both sides of each cutlet with cheese/nut mixture.
Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook cutlets until golden brown and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side.
Place cutlets on a baking pan. Pour 1 T of sauce on each cutlet and top with mozzarella cheese. Broil until cheese melts, about 30-60 seconds. Serve with additional sauce on plates.
The original recipe I found called for pine nuts which I didn't have. I thought the almonds added a more rich flavor to the chicken. I would definitely make both these recipes again. Although the preparation did take some time, the end result was definitely worth it. It was the perfect meal to enjoy with my loving husband and celebrate our five year anniversary. As Ian would say, 5 years down only 45 more years to go!
