Green Bean Lasagna (Lean & Green)

Green beans are a family favorite! 

(My dear daughter typed this up for me...as co-author of my blog, she's a great help to me in a number of ways.  After all - SHE'S the reason I began a blog..

Deb: "Mom...you should start a recipe blog!"  

Me: "But I won't know what to do and I'll need lots of help"...

(And there you have the rest of that story!) 

She is a GREAT help to me!! 

This is a very tasty dish, even if you're not following the

Lean & Green 'program'. 

It's so cheesey and good.  I tried it with cut beans first, and prefer

using the french cut green beans 10 TIMES better than the cut. 

It makes an awesome lunch or a 'dressed up' side dish for your family meal. 

Do hope you'll have fun with it...the kids will love it too! 

 A note from my daughter, Deb:

Every time I see green beans, I will always think of Dad. I remember him telling us that when he was sick as a little kid and had to start eating, the only thing he would or could eat was beans right from the can! [Hence, his nickname, BEAN. lol.]  I remember our garden when we lived in Washington. Dad always asked me to weed around the green beans (and we ALWAYS had green beans growing in every garden). I would get SUCH an itchy rash from the leaves and HATED weeding them. I remember sitting on the back patio cleaning them and then you would cook them and they would be SO DELICIOUS!!! I can't believe I married a man who hates green beans, but I still eat them and think of Dad when I do.

Needless to say, this casserole would be a big hit for my kids, and bonus: It's Lean 'n' Green to boot!!!

GREEN BEAN LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups green beans, cooked (from frozen or can) and drained
(I prefer french cut over regular cut) 

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 cup skim ricotta cheese
(I used lowfat cottage cheese) 

2 Tbsp marinara sauce (no sugar added)

3/4 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp low-fat grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place beans in bottom of lightly sprayed baking dish.  Mix basil & garlic with ricotta cheese and spread evenly over top of the beans.  Spread the marinara over the ricotta cheese mixture and cover with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  

Lean 'n' Green:   1 Lean, 3 Greens, 2.75 Condiment

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BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cauliflower Crust (Lean & Green)

Oh my!  Once you've tasted this amazing dish, you'll want it again and again!

What wonderful flavor!  And that cauliflower crust is not only simple but AH.MA.ZING! 

If you're on the lowfat/lowcarb 'program' of 5 fuelings a day and one 'real food' meal...

this is my absolutely favorite Lean & Green!

1 Lean, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments

A fabulous way to enjoy your low carb meal of veggie and protein without a lot of fat!

Trust me - it's worth trying!  PLEASE! 

Even if you're not on 'program'! 

I really really like the G Hughes sugar free BBQ sauce, but if you have another favorite....go for it! 

This crust is just simply spread out on parchment paper and baked about 30 minutes, so you do have to plan ahead...

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA 

Crust:

1/4 c low fat shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 c egg beaters

1 c grated raw cauliflower

Toppings:

4 1/2 Tbsp chopped cooked chicken breast

1/4 c low fat shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c your favorite veggie topping 

(I have only tried broccoli, but there are plenty of options!) 

3 Tbsp sugar free BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly.

Combine cheese, egg beaters, and cauliflower.  Spoon mixture onto prepared parchment paper and form crust shape, about the size of a dinner plate.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn over and bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Spread BBQ sauce over crust.  Top with chicken and your veggies.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and broil for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

1 Lean, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments

You might also enjoy this Lean & Green...

Crustless Spinach Quiche

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Crustless Spinach Quiche (Lean & Green)

Oh my - this pie is SOO good!

I've made it numerous times in the last few weeks..it always gets

'gobbled up' quickly.  I've been dying to share it with you...

today's the day!  Whoop!

After sharing the recipe with a friend, who had just found out she was low on iron (& realized that eating spinach made her feel better!) she said she will make this

again and again. She enjoyed it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not

all the same day=) but loved that she could enjoy it any time of day.

This would make an awesome side dish with your entree. 

I like adding a little bit of minced garlic also...to each their own...

It's a great 'Lean & Green' if you are on that program - 

otherwise, it's just plain good for you.

Since I'm not big on eating meats, 

I LOVE when I can get my protein with cheese...and eggs! 

I got this L & G recipe from Pinterest (click on the link for my page) - I don't have a link back for the original recipe. 

Hope you enjoy soon. 

CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE 

5 servings total...

l serving = 

1 Lean protein

1 vegetable

2 condiments

Non-stick baking spray

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 (10 ozs.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

6 eggs, beaten

3 c. low fat shredded Muenster cheese

(I've also used Gouda) 

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a 9" pie pan with non-stick baking spray. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. (I've also done this in the

microwave with a little 'light' butter - which would add another condiment) Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated. 

(If I cook the onions in the microwave, I dry the spinach with paper towels) 

In large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt & pepper.  Add spinach mixture; 

stir to blend. (I use a whisk). Pour into prepared pan. 

Bake until eggs have set, about 30 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes

before serving...if you can wait that long! 

You might also like this Lean & Green 

Taco Bake

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Taco Bake (Lean & Green)

I've been trying to drop some pounds for some time and am pleased to have finally found a program that works for me. 

I'm eating a 'fueling' every 2-1/2 hours...and enjoying a good

ole healthy meal once a day.

(Options can be a brownie, soup, oatmeal, shakes, etc etc that you mix from a packet - really is some delish stuff! ) 

So far so good! It works well for me and my busy lifestyle. 

And the scale shows it!  WOWZA! 

I don't have a 'credit' for this recipe as I found it at another

Lean & Green recipe page at Facebook. 

But I really liked this.  I halved the recipe and baked it in 

a deep dish pie pan.

It's 8 servings if you bake the whole recipe, so do whatever

floats your boat! 

Enjoy!

TACO BAKE 

Crust:

8 Tb. or 1/2 c. reduced fat cream cheese, softened (8 Condiments)

1/4 c. egg beaters (.125 Lean)

5 Tb. fat free half and half (5 condiments)

1/2 tsp. taco seasoning (.25 condiment)

8 ounces low fat Mexican cheese blend, shredded (2 Lean)

Topping: 

24.37 ozs;. 93% fat free Jennie-O ground turkey, cooked (4.875 Lean)

4 tsp. taco seasoning (2 Condiments)

1 c. tomato puree - tomatoes chopped then pureed to equal 1 c. (4 Greens)

4 ozs. chopped green chilies (8 condiments)

4 ozs. Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 Lean)

Preheat oven to 375*. 

For the crust, beat the cream cheese and eggs until smooth.  Add cream and seasoning. Grease 9" X 13" baking dish; spread cheese mixture over the bottom; sprinkle cheese over top, then press into batter using the back of a spoon.  Bake 25 - 30 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before adding topping. 

For the topping, brown the turkey; drain any grease.  Stir in seasoning, tomato sauce and chilies. Spread evenly over the crust.  Top with shredded cheese. 

Reduce oven to 350; bake another 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

Serve with your favorite veggies!

8 servings: 

1 Lean, 3 Condiments, 1/2 green per serving

(You'll need 2-1/2 more greens per serving). 

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