Protein Packed Zucchini Lasagna

I made up this recipe this afternoon while trying to use up one of those GIANT Zukes my neighbors gave us.  I made my pasta sauce myself by simmering garden tomatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, garlic, and seasoning all afternoon and then blending it up, adding a touch of EVOO and salt to taste.  You can make your own or use jarred.  This recipe is a fusion between paleo lasagna with noodles made from eggs, traditional Zucchini lasagna, and regular old noodley lasagna.  My recipe is lower in calories than regular, higher in protein than veggie, and much more delicious!

Prep: 30 minutes (if using premade sauce)
Yield: 12+ servings

Ingredients:
Pasta sauce
Thinly sliced Zucchini
4 large lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta, but I used what I had)
Italian Seasoning
6 eggs
Grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in 9x13 pan.  Arrange uncooked lasagna noodles in pan to cover the bottom. Cover with another thin layer of sauce.  Over this, arrange layer of sliced Zucchini.  Now another layer of sauce.

In a small bowl, whisk 5 eggs.  Pour this over the top of the casserole.

 Top this with another layer of Zucchini slices.

In another bowl, mix remaining egg with cottage cheese, spread this over the casserole.

Top with another thin layer of sauce, spread mozzarella cheese over the top and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes or until noodles are done and eggs are set.

If you wish, divide into two smaller pans and freeze one for later before baking.

Pumpkin Muffins with Pumpkin Glaze

I found this recipe browsing on a forum where many were raving about how good it is. I haven't tried it out yet to see how much it makes or how long it takes, but it has great reviews and I love pumpkin so I'm looking forward to trying it out!

This is a double batch:

3 C sugar
1 C applesauce
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix together until combined

3 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda

sift dry ingredients, then add wet to dry

2/3 cup soy or dairy milk
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin

add half the milk, mix, half the pumpkin, mix again,
the rest of the milk, mix, the rest of the pumpkin, mix

optional:
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

(just fold these in)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Icing/Glaze:

2 T butter
2 T canned pumpkin
1 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 C powdered sugar

Melt butter, stir in pumpkin, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the sugar. Blend until smooth. I love to add it on the muffins when the muffins are still warm, I generally wait 10mins then slather the mix on and watch it melt into the muffins and give such a nice texture and taste when you bit into the muffin.

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

This recipe is courtesy of My Life as a Mama. Enjoy!

1 c sugar
2 lg eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
½ c veg. oil
1 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ c confectioners’ sugar
¼ c cream cheese
2 TBSP butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 inch square pan. Prepare cake, In bowl, with mixer at med speed, beat sugar and eggs 2 min. Beat in pumpkin and oil. At low speed, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt, beat 1 minute.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cook cake in pan on wire rack.

Prepare frosting: in bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat confectioner’s sugar and remaining ingredients 2 minutes or until fluffy, use to frost cake.

More Fun Fall Dessert!

This recipe is from Palm Tree Fanatic, she didn't specify amounts, so have fun experimenting to see what you like best!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Marshmallows
Chocolate Chunk Chips
Butter Flavored Crisco
Seasonal Dark Chocolate M&M's

Spread cookie dough in a bottom greased 9 x 13 dish and bake till done. Then lay large or small marshmallows over the that while hot. Mix chocolate chunk chips and butter flavored crisco together either on stove or in microwave. Drizzle over marshmallow and top with seasonal Dark chocolate m&ms.

How kids can help:
Kids can help layer marshmallows & sprinkle M&M's

Make it Healthier:
Use real butter instead of Crisco to eliminate trans fats.

Harvest Bread

Prep: 80 minutes, plus baking Yield: 10-12 servings
	2 tbsp. active dry yeast
	1-1/4 cups warm water
	1 tsp. sugar
	1 cup milk
	1 tsp. salt
	4 tbsp. light molasses
	6 tbsp. butter, softened
	3 cups whole wheat flour
	3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
	1/4 cup chopped walnuts
	1/4 cup chopped pecans
	1/4 cup sunflower seeds
	1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
	1/4 cup chopped raisins
	1/4 cup grated carrot
	1 egg
	Dash of salt Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, salt, molasses, and butter. Stir well and add to yeast mixture. Slowly add the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a floured surface, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary to keep the dough from getting too sticky. Knead in the nuts, seeds, apricots, raisins, and grated carrot. Try to distribute the treats evenly through the dough. When the dough feels smooth after about 10 minutes of kneading, form it into a ball and coat with butter. Place the ball into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. After about an hour and a half, the dough should double in bulk. Punch down the dough, divide it into two loaves, and place in buttered 8-1/4 inch loaf pans. The loaves should be left to rise again for about 45 minutes. Beat together the egg, water, and salt for the egg wash. Brush the loaves with the glaze, then bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. The loaves should sound hollow when you tap the bottom of the pan.

Indiana Corn Casserole

	Prep: 20 minutes, plus baking Yield: 6-8 servings 1 pound bacon
	1/2 cup butter
	1/2 medium onion, chopped
	1/2 cup chopped celery
	1 red pepper, chopped
	1 green pepper, chopped
	5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
	2 cups sour cream
	2 pounds fresh corn (or frozen corn, thawed)
	Salt and pepper
	1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the bacon, then chop it into bite-size pieces and set it aside. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and peppers until soft. Stir in the flour, then the sour cream, until well combined. Add the corn and most of the bacon bits and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle on the remaining bacon bits and the parsley. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Make it Healthier:
Cut fat by using half the bacon, butter, and flour. Use reduced fat sour cream and omit salt.

Crockpot Applesauce

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
Yield: at least ten servings

8 to 10 medium sized apples
1/2 cup water
cinnamon to taste

Peel, core and chop the apples. Place in a slowcooker and add the water.

Cover and cook 6-8 hours or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add cinnamon to taste (about 1-2 Tbsp), stir and cook an additional 30 minutes.

Cool Completely before transferring to storage containers. Freeze or keep refrigerated.

Tips and Tricks
Sweet apples work best for this recipe, but any variety will do. If you are using tart apples, you may want to add cinnamon sugar instead of plain cinnamon to cut the tartness a little. Chop the apples as finely or as coarsely as you prefer. My family likes it chunky. The apple pieces will turn brown while cooking, and don't be surprised if the apples smell like they are burning for the first hour or two. As the fruit releases natural sugar, this is normal. This applesauce also freezes well.
How Kids Can Help
Older kids can use a peeler to peel the fruit. Add water to crockpot. Push buttons on crockpot. Sprinkle cinnamon and stir.

Spotlight On Produce: Apples

If there is one sure sign that fall is here, it's the scent of baking apples. When I was a kid, my family used to camp in the mountains and stop for homegrown apples on the way home. The smell of crockpot applesauce is one of the strongest scent memories of my childhood, and now that I'm grown, I make my own applesauce every fall.

Apples are a white-fleshed fruit with red, yellow or green skin and a crisp texture. Apples range in taste from sweet to tart, depending on the variety. The apple is a member of the rose family.

Apples are an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, as well as antioxidants and Vitamin C. Apples contain fructose, a natural simple sugar, that helps stabilize blood sugar.

Apples are in season in the northern hemisphere from late summer to early winter, but are available year round due to importing fresh fruit or cold storage. Try adding diced apples to fruit salads or dipping raw apple slices in caramel sauce for a sweet treat. Add apples to breads and muffins, or pair apples with cheese for a European-style dessert. Bake an All-American apple pie, or use applesauce to replace most of the oil in baked goods for a healthy alternative.

When selecting apples, look for rich, vibrant color and firm flesh. Pass on apples that are soft, those that have broken skin or those with bruises. Whether you choose sweet or tart apples is up to your personal preference, but tart apples, such as Granny Smith, retain their texture the best when cooked.

What are some of your favorite ways to cook with apples?

Pumpkin French Toast

Prep: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of canned or freshly cooked pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp pf brown sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 16 slices of stale bread or croissants
• 5 tbsp of butter

Mix together all ingredients except bread & butter. Soak pieces of stale bread in the wet mixture, & fry in butter until both sides are browned.

Apple Pockets

Another recipe from Parents, I made these with the kids tonight-they turned out scrumptious!

Prep: 20 minutes, plus baking
Yield: 10 pies

2 Golden Delicious Apples
2 Tbs Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Flour for dusting rolling surface
1 pkg refrigerated biscuits

Heat oven to 350. Peel apples & grate into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine sugar & cinnamon. Stir half of cinnamon sugar into grated apples. Roll each biscuit to about a 5" circle. Spoon apple mixture onto circles. Fold circles over and pinch edges to make half-moons. Place on a baking sheet. Brush pies with water and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake 20 minutes.

Tips & Tricks:
I had crescent roll dough instead of biscuit dough and it worked well. I used granny smith apples, and used squares to make triangle pies instead of circles for half-moons.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can fill pies, fold over & pinch edges. Older kids can help roll out dough.

No Baste-Turkey Dinner and a Week of Delicious Leftovers

Here's a delicious way to plan meals and save money! Whole turkeys are typically extremely inexpensive (especially this time of year!), and with easy leftover meals, you can enjoy an entire week of delicious turkey-based dishes! Turkey is delicious, healthy, and is high in Triptophan so it is a natural antidepressant.

Prep: 20 minutes, plus roasting
Yield: varies by size of your turkey. For my family of 4, a 12 lb turkey will feed us for a week.

1 turkey, thawed
Pam cooking spray
1 brown paper grocery sack

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove neck & giblets from turkey. Rinse with cold water inside & out. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place turkey in brown paper bag & staple closed. Place in roasting dish in oven. On a lower rack place a cookie sheet to catch drippings. Roast until meat thermometer reads 190 degrees, about 4 hours for a 12 lb turkey. About one hour before turkey is done, remove bag & discard bag, spray turkey with Pam. Return to the oven.

Carve turkey, and clean all visible meat from bones. Reserve any tiny pieces in a bowl for casseroles. Reserve carcass for soup. Reserve drippings for gravy.

Tips & Tricks:
Almost any chicken recipe can use turkey in its place.

Sunday: Turkey dinner with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy (make extra mashed potatoes & gravy, reserve leftovers for Tuesday & Wednesday.)

Monday: Turkey Noodle Soup

Tuesday: Leftover Turkey & Potatoes from Sunday

Wednesday: Turkey Dinner Casserole

Thursday: Turkey Divan

Friday: Enchiladas (use the tiny bits of turkey you reserved from Sunday to save time-no chopping needed.)

Saturday: Leftovers from the week. Or, for more recipes, try here.

Pumpkin Maple Pie with Fresh Pumpkin

You wanted more pumpkin and we heard you! This delicious take on a traditional pumpkin pie comes to us from Real Life. She has a great Mom Blog with lots of frugal tips and a Christian perspective. Check her out!

1 unbaked single pie crust
1/2 cu sugar
1/3 maple syrup
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 lg eggs
1 cu evaporated milk
1 (15oz) can pumpkin or 2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin**


Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate, coated with cooking spray. Beat sugar and next 5 ingredients at medium speed until well-blended. Add milk and pumpkin. Beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. (Do not remove pie from oven) Bake an additional 50 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

Tips & Tricks: Want a home-made pie crust look without all that work?
I love Pillsbury refrigerated roll out pie crust. You can use your own decorative pie dish and decorate it any way you want. The easiest way to decorate the crust edge is to fold the extra under, and press a fork around the rim.

**How to cook with fresh pumpkin:
This is super easy, and, in my opinion, always tastes better than canned pumpkin. You can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin.

* Cut a medium sized pie pumpkin in half sideways (not up-and-down)
* Place the halves open-side down on a baking sheet
* Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the "meat is easily scraped out and mashed
* Scrape the pumpkin out with a spoon into a bowl, then mash with a potato masher. If you need a super fine texture, such as for soup, blend in a food processor.

Sweet Potato Fries For Fall

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

butter flavored cooking spray

Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch or thinner slices. Use pumpkin and leaf cookie cutters to cut shapes from the slices. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Tips and Tricks

I used the Pampered Chef Creative Cutters set (see sidebar) to make these fall themed fries, but you could use any cutters you have. Make them for every holiday! I also diced up the remaining potato, coated and baked it, and it made perfect finger food for my baby. Coat with olive oil if you don't have cooking spray, but be sure to check them often, because olive oil has a low smoking point.

How Kids Can Help

Cut shapes from slices. Stir to coat.

Halloween Spider Cupcakes

Prep: 1 hour
Yield: 24 Cupcakes

1 cake mix prepared according to package directions to make 24 cupcakes
1 container chocolate icing
1 bag skittles
1 bag twizzlers pull-aparts
1 bag candy corn

Bake cupcakes, cool, & frost. Create spiders by arranging 8 twizzler strings, 2 skittles, & 2 candy corns to resemble leggs, eyes, and fangs.

How kids can help:
Kids can help assemble spiders

Halloween Mummies

Prep: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 sandwiches

8 hot dogs
1 package of crescent roll dough (8 rolls)
ketchup
mustard

Preheat oven according to roll dough directions. Cut dough into thin slices using a knife or an egg noodle cutter. Wrap each hot dog in strips to resemble a mummy. Bake according to directions for rolls. Create eyes & mouth using mustard & ketchup by putting each into a ziploc bag, cutting off the corner and using it as a miniature pastry tube.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help wrap mummies

Pumpkin Pudding

I know you are all still craving pumpkin, so here you go! I'm trying this one out this week, as my parents are in town. This recipe is from Lei at My Many Colored Days. She has posted a great list of fun Fall things to do, so check her out.


Prep: 15 minutes, plus 60 minutes baking
Yield: 12 servings

2/3 c white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 package spice cake mix
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 29 oz can pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Blend together sugar, eggs, evaporated milk,pumpkin, cinnamon, salt, clove and pie spice. Pour into baking dish. Spread dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon, margarine, chopped nuts. Bake for 60 min. or until knife comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

Prep: 10 minutes plus baking

Yield: 1 pie

2 cups mashed pumpkin
1 10 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup milk or vanilla soymilk or ricemilk
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients, pour into graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 degree for one hour, or
until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Tips & Tricks:
I omit the rum with no ill effects.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can help measure & dump ingredients, and take overwrap off store bought pie crust.

Spotlight on Produce: Pumpkin

Autumn is upon us! As we lead into 3 months of fall weather with Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner, plan your festivities around the pumpkin, a healthy, delicious and versatile member of the squash family!

In fact, many of your squash recipes can be substituted interchangeably with pumpkin! For those who are interested in saving money, watch for pumpkins to go on sale, and then serve them up mashed with gravy, cooked into soup, baked with butter & salt & pepper, or candied like yams for a delicious dish high in fiber, potassium, and alpha and beta carotene.

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups. The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.

Pumpkins and Halloween
The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced "sow-ain"). The festival was held starting at sundown on October 31st and lasted until sundown on November 1st. It was similar to the modern practice of the New Years celebration.

On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles.

Samhain was not the name of a "Lord of the Dead", no historical evidence has ever been found to back this up, it was simply the name of the festival and meant "Summer's End". It was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye or ask for assistance. It was also a celebration of the harvest. It is still treated as such today by those who practice Wicca or other nature based religions. It has absolutely nothing to do with Satan, this inference was a creation of the Christian church.

When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in many ways ever since!

Fun Facts About The Pumpkin!

• Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.

• Pumpkin flowers are edible.

• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.

• The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.

• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

• Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

• Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.

• Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."

• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

Cooking With Pumpkins

Pumpkins can be used to make breads, cookies, cakes, cheesecakes and even main dishes! Soups and stews can be brewed or baked right in a pumpkin shell.

What is your favorite thing to do with pumpkins?

Pumpkin Cookies

Delicious Seasonal Cookies!

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & cinnamon. Stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add nuts and chocolate. Drop by teaspoonful onto very lightly greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake about 13-15 minutes, or until golden. Cool.

The great thing about these cookies is they stay soft even if you forget to cover them.

Pumpkin Bread

Autumn is upon us, and what better for Fall than a delicious Pumpkin Recipe?

Yield: 3 loaves
Prep: 15 minutes plus 1 hour baking

3 1/2 Cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Soda
3 Cups Sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 Cups water
2 Cups cooked, pureed pumpkin

Grease & flour bread pans. Mix all dry ingredients. Stir in liquid. Add nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

How Kids Can Help:
Kids can dump dry ingredients. Kids can help grease pans.

Make it Healthier:
This bread is a great source of beta carotene. To make it even healthier, reduce sugar and replace oil in part or completely with unsweeted applesauce.