Healthy Baked Ziti

Love me some pasta. But I also love me some skinny jeans. Decisions, decisions.

Luckily, this dish doesn't have me squeezing into my stretchy pants after I eat a couple of servings. It's fairly light and even the pasta is good for you. Read that again...pasta...good for you. Nom, nom, nom.

Healthy Baked Ziti

1 14 1/2 oz box whole wheat penne pasta

1 pound ground beef (or ground sausage for GREAT flavor, but also adds more fat)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning1 15 oz container fat-free ricotta cheese4 cups finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (save one cup for topping)1/2 tsp. garlic powder4 cups of a low-fat, low-sodium marinara sauce6 oz. grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (save three tablespoons for topping)Salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until soft, set aside. Brown ground beef or sausage in pan. Combine pasta, meat, seasoning, ricotta, three cups of mozzarella, garlic powder, marinara, salt and all but three tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Place mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until ingredients begin to bubble. Remove and top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon and Sauteed Veggies

Getting a home cooked meal on the table some days is difficult. Getting a healthy meal on the table is almost laughable. I really do strive to give my family the healthiest meals but there are times when a drive-thru run or something with the word "nugget" in it is about all I can do.

This weekend I made a great grilled salmon and sauteed veggies that were incredibly easy and didn't take a lot of time. First, I warmed my grill to about 375 degrees. While I waited, I wrapped about four ounces of salmon in aluminum foil. If you don't have a scale, four ounces is roughly the size of your palm. I did four ounces for each person. After the grill was warm I placed the wrapped salmon on the grill and left it for about 25 minutes. We left our salmon "naked," but you can certainly add your favorite spices or a few squeezes of lemon. Diced tomatoes are also a great addition!

While the salmon sizzled on the grilled, I sliced up one zucchini and several mushrooms. In a medium frying pan I circled some EVOO around the pan twice and set to medium high heat. Once the pan was warm, I sauteed the veggies for about 5-10 minutes. I like my veggies cooked pretty well so mine are a little dark, but you can always go a little lighter if you prefer.

I was pretty stuffed just from this but a sweet potato would have been a great healthy starch to add for those with a bigger appetite.