Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna


 

 

 

 

This recipe serves:  8  
Preparation time :   25 minutes
Cooking time :   35 minutes 

Ingredients
1 pound lasagna noodles
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 bunches fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups basic tomato sauce, homemade, jarred or canned
1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs Read more

Protein and Your Workout

Protein has many benefits and is one of the essential nutrients your body needs.  It can be found in all animal and fish products, as well as many legumes.  Your body uses protein to build and repair muscles (including the heart), bones, skin, and other tissues among other uses.  There are some diets high in protein which can help overweight individuals lower the blood sugar levels and reduce food cravings throughout the day.  This may or may not work for you. That, however is a much different use for the consumption of protein than what I want to discuss.  What is the importance of protein in a workout? Read more

  • Tip of the Month

    June 2010

    Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

    Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
    First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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  • Recipe of the Month

    June 2010

    Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

    This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

    4 large eggs
    4 large egg whites
    1 cup nonfat milk
    2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
    4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
    1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
    1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
    3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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