Crockpot Zucchini Lasagna

Crockpot Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients 

15 oz part-skim ricotta

1 large egg

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup spinach, chopped

Salt and pepper

4 cups homemade tomato sauce or your favorite sauce

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8″ thick. (I grilled them first to draw out some moisture)

16 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions 

Slice 4 medium sized zucchini and grill them on both sides. 

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, spinach. Stir well and set it aside.

Lightly coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. (I used a crockpot liner instead- no cleanup :) ) 

Ladle about 1 cup of homemade tomato sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it well.

Layer 5 or 6 zucchini slices to cover.

Place some of the ricotta cheese mixture and top with the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the layers until all your ingredients are all used up.

Top the lasagna with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and cook on high for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.

Turn off the slow cooker and let stand for about 1 hours. (It might be a bit soupy if you don’t let it stand)

Before serving top with fresh parsley

And there it is!  And it is delicious! 

Yield: 8, Serving Size: 8

Amount Per Serving:  Calories: 251 Total Fat: 13.9g Cholesterol: 59.7mg Sodium: 519.2mg Carbohydrates: 11.9g Sugar: 4.9g Protein: 20.8g

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Carbonara is one of my favorite dishes but I smile even more knowing that it's low carb and gluten free! 

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 oz pancetta, diced
• 5 oz onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic. minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds. Drizzle squash halves with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

 While the spaghetti squash is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add pancetta to the pan and cook until crispy. To the pan, add the onion and the garlic. Cook until translucent and soft.  Once the spaghetti squash is roasted, use a fork to scrape out the shreds of squash. Add to skillet and toss with pancetta, onion and garlic. Make sure that spaghetti squash is nice and hot.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, parsley, grated Parmesan, sea salt and black pepper.  To the mixing bowl, add squash mixture and toss with egg mixture. The heat of the spaghetti squash will cook the eggs just enough to coat them to the strands of squash without scrambling them.

Lastly, top with Parmesan cheese! 

Per Serving - Calories: 256 | Fat: 19g | Protein: 13g | Net Carbs: 10g

Of course- there are some shortcuts you could do.. you could buy a sauce, you could use bacon, etc.  We actually added grilled chicken into the above recipe and it was fantastic! 

EASY low carb spaghetti and meatballs

It doesn't get much easier than this!  

And let me tell you- this is the best way I think spaghetti squash can be made.  It has the consistency of a noodle- not too crunchy and not too soft. 

You can make it fool proof with simply three ingredients. And talk about a meal that doesn't break the bank!

-1 medium spaghetti squash

- 1 Jar of spaghetti sauce

- 1 pound of meatballs 

Of course you can make the sauce or meatballs from scratch- but if you're going for speed, pick up a jar of sauce and a bag of meatballs. 

1. Wash the spaghetti squash.  Cut it in half like above and then scoop out the seeds.  The halves should then look like the second picture. 

2.  I then put my spaghetti sauce in the crockpot (after putting an awesome crock pot liner in first!). 3.  Then I put the spaghetti squash halves in, open side down.  4. Lastly, I added the meatballs.  

5.  I set my crockpot for 3 hours on high.  If you'd like it to run all day.. you can do low 6-7 hours. 

After 3 hours was over.. I pulled out the spaghetti squash, scraped the insides, divided it into bowls and then topped it with the sauce and meatballs.  Lastly, a dash of parmesan and parsley!  

TALK ABOUT EASY! And LOW CARB italian! 

ENJOY! 

hugs, 

abi 

Burlap Wreath

This is one of my favorite wreaths and it happens to be the first one I ever made.  Most importantly, before you begin, come up with a theme or find some inspiration.  Your inspiration could be a picture of 3 or 4 wreaths that you like!

I started with just the wreath frame, floral wire, burlap, burlap and lace, hot glue, and my large letter "C".

To buy your supplies make sure you find a coupon for the best deal (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or JoAnn's) and then go shopping! 

I'll warn you, it takes time to get burlap to stay the way you want it.. but once you do, you'll fall in love with it!

Below is the finished product on our front door.  I love to show it off in the spring and early fall.