White Cheese & Chicken Lasagna

A lasagna is the perfect way to feed a family or a bunch of friends. But, sometimes it's nice to change things up a bit! This lasagna is made with a white cheese sauce (yum) and plenty of chicken. Add a side salad and some garlic bread and you've got yourself a delicious meal! I made this for my family and everyone was pleased. I mean, how can you not love this much cheese?

(I forgot to take a real picture... so please forgive the ugly one below!)

Ingredients
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup reduced fat milk
4 cups reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups chicken breast, cooked, cubed
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Bring water to a boil and cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse noodles with cold water. 
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic until tender. 
4. Whisk in flour and salt and simmer until bubbly. Whisk in broth and milk. 
5. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly for 1 minute. 
6. Stir in 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. 
7. Season sauce with basil, oregano, and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top, then all of the ricotta cheese and chicken. Layer 3 more lasagna noodles over the chicken and add 1/3 of the sauce over top. 
9. Add spinach and remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the 3 remaining lasagna noodle over the cheese and spread the rest of the sauce over top. 
10. Sprinkle with parsley and a little Parmesan. 
11. Bake lasagna for 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

You can find the original recipe here.

BLT Chopped Salad with Ranch Dressing

Lately, I've been trying out a bunch of new salads. My cravings for salads comes in waves. Sometimes I'll avoid them for months at a time and sometimes they become my lunch or dinner go to. This is another recipe for a delicious chopped salad that's just as good as this one. There are so many bright toppings you can barely see the lettuce underneath - definitely the way to go!

Ingredients
For the salad:
4 strips diced bacon
2 cups romaine lettuce
1/2 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 English cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup peas
1/4 corn

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 green onion
1/2 tablespoon ranch salad dressing mix

Directions

1. Cook bacon according to package instructions. 
2. Combine mayo, Greek yogurt, milk, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, green onion, and ranch mix in a mini food processor and pulse until emulsified. 
3. Assemble the salad in a large bowl. Add dressing (may not need to use all of it) and lightly toss to combine.

Life Through My Lens

I'm a day late, but here's what happened in April through the lens of my iPhone. The weather finally turned beautiful enough to eat outside, wash cars, and go to baseball games. Easter was a lovely late lunch with my family and a fun mother-daughter trip to NYC to see The Wendy Williams Show was a great getaway. My best friend and I tried the new Grilled Cheese Bar in DC and J and I tried Olazzo in Bethesda this month. I can't get enough of trying new restaurants lately.

I'm happy to announce that most of the month I was celebrating (and I will continue to celebrate) because I got accepted into a dietetic internship program! I will officially be moving to Philadelphia in August to continue my journey to becoming an RD and I couldn't be more thrilled!