Salad Free Week at Stomach Rumblings Continues!

I'm really enjoying trying as many new ways as possible to fix my veggies so that I can avoid salads. As you have probably seen if you've read my back posts, I try to cook my veggies with the entree as often as possible. It makes a bigger meal, plus the entree and the veggies both taste better as a result!

Here's a dinner recipe that I got from the Nutrisystem Recipe Club. I had some doubt about it at first- I've never been crazy about eggplant and the Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes but I figured in the spirit of Salad Free Week I would give them a try! I did make a couple of modifications- here is the recipe the way I prepared it. It's fairly labour intensive but worth trying!

Meatloaf & Tomato Sauce with Mashed Potatoes (Dinner):


Eggplant Rollatini:

1 pkg Nutrisystem Meatloaf & Tomato Sauce with Mashed Potatoes
7 thin slices of eggplant
4 tbsp ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Aylmer Accents Chili Tomatoes
diced onion
sprinkle of mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning
chives

Take the eggplant, cut off the top and bottom, and attempt to cut it into thin slices. Realize that the first few chunks you've hacked off are way too thick. Set them aside and try again. Start cutting a slice and then notice it is so thin that it falls apart. Swear, hope you'll have enough eggplant, and try again. Eventually we hope you'll have seven reasonable slices of eggplant, although in my case they were definitely not uniform in size and some parts got crispy from being overcooked and some parts were really thick and mushy.

Anyway- take your eggplant slices and put them on a baking tray that's been sprayed with PAM. Arrange the slices in a single row on the tray and spray the tops and add Italian seasoning. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 depending on how thick your slices are, then set aside and allow to cool.

Open the Meatloaf entree and scoop out the meat and mashed potatoes and place in a bowl- try to leave as much of the sauce as possible in the tray. Add the ricotta cheese and chives and mash with a fork until smooth. Spoon the filling on top of the eggplant slices and roll them up.

Spoon a little tomato juice into a glass baking dish and arrange the eggplant rolls seam side down in the dish. Top with the remaining meatloaf sauce, onions, and tomatoes. Add the cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is all gooey and melty.

I had to take the photo in the pan because I was sure I couldn't scoop them onto my plate and have them look as pretty! Believe it or not, that is ONE serving. It's an enormous amount of food- much more so than you get in the little tray! I was stuffed when I finished eating and surprisingly, I really enjoyed the meal.


Flex Meals (Lunch):

I've really been enjoying portabello mushrooms lately. They are so rich and hearty and you can stuff them with just about anything and they'll taste delicious. It's also refreshingly simple!


Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms:


3 large portabello mushrooms, insides scooped out
4oz chopped lobster meat (or crab if you prefer)
1 wedge light Laughing Cow Herb & Garlic cheese
2 tbsp Philadelphia Ultra Low Fat Herb & Garlic cream cheese
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
diced green onion
garlic
1oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Place the mushrooms on a baking tray. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended (but not liquid!). Spoon into the mushrooms and top with cheese. Bake until the cheese is gooey and enjoy!

This counts as lunch + veggies + dairy/protein + free food, minus the carb. I am betting you won't miss it though- I couldn't eat another bite after finishing the mushrooms. Enjoy that carb serving elsewhere in your day- I had it with my afternoon snack to make a sandwich with my sliced chicken. Yum!