Pasta Roll Ups

                      

 I first made this tasty meal a few weeks ago (picture doesn't do it justice).  Greg was out of town, so it was perfect, because he isn't a ground turkey fan.  I'm sure you could subsitute another meat without a problem, but I wanted to try it with the turkey.

 

I ended up getting a ground turkey that had italian season added, and I think this was a great addition.  Thinking about it now, it's probably not as clean as it could be because I'm not sure of what the actual seasoning is.

This ended up being a really good freezer meal.  Since it was just me, I ended up having several extra rollups.  I put them in individual containers to save for lunch on another day.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 small onion, finely chopped

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 lb ground turkey breast (try the Italian flavored turkey, it's probably not as "clean" but it's yummy)

·         3/4 red pepper

·         1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice (find the lowest sodium option possible, they're out there if you look)

·         1 tsp salt

·         8 high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna (it was a Friday, and I went with the standard white flour pasta I had in the pantry already)

·         1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used fresh, because it seems cleaner, and it worked great)

·         1 15-oz container nonfat ricotta cheese

·         1 egg

·         3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

2 jalapenos (my meals are always spicy, but you can easily omit the jalapenos)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.     In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey and jalapeño, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Red pepper, then add tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

2.     Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander. (note to self, make extra noodles, because several end up ripping in the draining and drying process)

3.     Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in large bowl or chop the fresh spinach. Add ricotta cheese, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined

4.     Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9 x 10-inch casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella

5.     Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly. 

Serve and Devour!!

XOXO,

Jessy 
Source for this recipe and many more click here: Pasta Roll Ups

*My nutrition facts are per the website that I find my receipe.  Any of my noted changes obviously affect the nutrion content

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 234, Total Fat: 3 g, Sat. Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 27 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 7 g, Protein: 28 g, Sodium: 508 mg, Cholesterol: 76 mg

Clean Eating

I'm excited to be posting some of my recipes tonight.  I had really hoped to be getting this blog going in January, but it just got away from me.  So here we are Feb, is my fresh start.

My goal for the recipes is to keep them clean.  If you're not familiar with 'Clean Eating' there are a ton of great resources out there.  The main idea is to not eat anything out of it's "natural" state.  No more of this preservatives, sodium filled, not sure what I'm really eating junk.  It's about eating food the way it was intended to be eaten.

I myself am still learning the ropes.  You'll find I will probably make side comments where I'm cheating the cleanliness of the recipe.  I either have a stock pile of the unclean ingredient that I don't want to waste, or I just have not found a clean substitute that I enjoy eating (ex; whole wheat pasta is not tasty to me).  I'm cheating myself in the end, but I'm hoping in due time I can be  100% clean on my cooking.

I've always enjoyed cooking, but when I discovered clean eating it has almost become a challenge for me.  I always complain that I want something healthy for dinner.  So many times the so called healthy choices we make aren't always that healthy.  This is the kind of healthy I've always been searching for and didn't know existed.  I can eat some of my favorite meals and not feel guilty about the unknown ingredients.  

A word of advice: For anyone wanting to go clean, for me it is a process.  You'll find there are A LOT of ingredients you've never heard of or don't know where to buy.  As I mentioned above there is no need to dump you whole pantry of food, start slow.  I usually try one or two new recipes a week that require one or two new ingredients that I can stock my pantry with.

Well I hope you enjoy some of these recipes as much as my belly has :)

XoXo,

Jessy

About Messy Jessy

I'm Jessy.  Born and raised in Cave Creek, AZ.  I recently transplanted to the beautiful Golden Coast in Ventura, CA for my job.  I moved with my BF/BFF, Greg and dogs Roxy and Elvis (our babies).

My job takes a toll on me and I've been looking for a way to balance work and personal.  I think a blog is what I need to keep me accountable.  My hope is that this blog will be a great way for me organize my thoughts and set my goals in writing for all to see. 

I have to admit I've never even followed a blog.  I've glanced at a few friend's blogs over the last year that gave me inspiration that this is what I need for 2012.  I'm putting this online, because if it is there for anyone to see I'll feel the pressure to keep true to myself.

My Goals for this blog is to create a less Messy Jessy version of me.  Messy Jessy has always been a nickname, but it's honestly at times been a lifestyle.  I hope to accomplish the 'Not So Messy Jessy' version of me in the following ways:

1. Clean my eating habits.  I've recently discovered the meaning of eating Clean.  I've always tried to eat "healthy" but I always knew there was a better route than just eating salads and avoiding my beloved pastas.  Follow my recipes tab as I dig deeper into Cleaner eating

2. Clean up my body.  Along with Cleaner eating habits I hope to get into a workout regimen and take better care of myself.  With the hours I work and the stress I deal with this is where the blog accountability comes in.  Yoga is a favorite, but is sometimes not in the budget.  I hope to find some fun and creative ways to clean up my body.

3. Clean my home.  It was no surprise that moving from a spacious home in Chandler, AZ to a beach bungalow in CA would be a tight squeeze for my belongings.  However, it's time to purge and organize this year!!  No more pack rat.  I’m hoping to come up with some budget friendly organizing and decorating ideas.

4. Clean up my finances. Graduating from college, buying a house, trying to start a business, and moving to California sure has taken a toll on my lifestyle over the last 4 years.  I'm working to pay off my credit cards and save some money this year.

5. Set regular challenges.  I'm lazy by nature and like to set challenges for myself from time to time.  Thanks to my stubbornness I can typically get past my laziness when I have a challenge in place.  Feel free to join me on some of these or send me words of motivation J

I'm nervous to put myself out there to everyone, but I think I'll be able to accomplish some great things for 2012.

Thanks for taking the time to read and stop in.

XOXO,
2012's Not So Messy Jessy