Dinner was fantastic. I have never really liked lasagna – I’m not a fan of ricotta cheese and have never really liked all the dry layers of sauce, heavy meat and of course the ricotta. HOWEVER, tonight’s vegetarian lasagna was soooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!! My mother in law made it with cottage cheese, whole wheat noodles, tomato pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. The whole wheat noodles were chewy and the cheese was melted and I loved the cottage cheese filling and vegetables. I couldn’t get enough and even had seconds! I was stuffed when we left, especially after dessert.
On the side we had a chopped endive salad with bacon and bleu cheese in a homemade lemon-olive oil dressing.
Yum!
Seconds….(which always look gross and unappealing in a photo!) I totally didn’t need this because I was full after my first portion, but my mouth wanted it and I was so excited for liking lasagna that I decided to go for it.
I also had 2 oz or so of wine for cocktail hour –
Desserts!!!
I may not be into dozens of roses or cards and flowers, but to me Valentines is all about chocolate! I was going to prepare some decadent chocolate dessert….but then I had 4 tests this week. Damn Valentine’s for not being on a weekend every year! So we picked up these from Dean and Deluca. I have to admit, while we were in there they had samples of toffee, chocolate bread, and different dips and I had more than my share of samples and no photos to show for it. Whooops!
Chocolate Ganache (the absolute BEST chocolate dessert I have ever had. I LOVE ganache and this guy was so rich and dark – just how I like it!!), a Peanut Butter Buckeye, and a Heart-Shaped Cheesecake.
My servings (plus a tiny bite of buckeye) – 1/3 of the ganache and 1/5 or so of the cheesecake (which was bigger than it looks in the photo) –
No idea how many calories, fiber, etc. this meal was, but I’m guessing after some quick math about 900 kcal for lasagna, seconds, salad, 2 oz wine and desserts.
We have leftovers and they sat beside me the whole ride home from my test and I did NOT peek into the box! I’m hoping they are gone (well maybe just a bite of chocolate left) for tomorrow night’s dessert – hint hint husband!
I also ate the other half of my Luna bar at 3:30 but since we ate dinner at 5:00, I didn’t need any more snacks.
Stats test went well! I’m sure I missed some, but I’m also sure that I got at least 50% of partial credit on all problems, so I’m guessing a high B?
Husband’s interview went well. Cross your fingers he gets an offer on Monday. AHHHH!
Spinning first thing in the morning. Then 2 classes, then a fun weekend!
I’m off to relax in the bath and get Valentine’s Day finally started!!
Sarah says
The lasagna looks SO yummy!! I just ate supper and my mouth is still drooling. haha…:D Desserts look delish as well…
HAPPY VALENTINES! 🙂
VeggieGirl says
So glad you enjoyed the vegetable lasagna; and those chocolates look so elegant!! ALMOST too pretty to eat ;0)
Best of luck to Matt with getting that job!! Keeping my fingers crossed!!
Enjoy the rest of your Valentine’s Day :0)
Susan says
Oh you have to ask your mother in law to share that recipe with us! I love cottage cheese but hate ricotta as well (which is weird since I think they are supposed to be similar)
Thanks and good luck Matt with your interview!
Tina says
Those desserts look amazing! Happy Valentine’s Day, Kath!
Kelly says
Wohooo! Chocolates, warm bath, husband…. Sounds like you are going to have a good Valentines Day night. 🙂
Dinner looked great. Looks like you had a great evening.
BethT says
Yes, PLEASE share that veggie lasagna recipe if MIL is willing! (drool)
Karen says
I would love to know how your MIL did the cottage cheese in the lasagna too.
Beth says
The little heart cake is so cute!
I have a question I am hoping you can help me with. I hate zuchhinni as much as you hate onions. I have a turkey meatball recipe that calls for 1/4 shredded zuchinni, any ideas what I could subsitute? The recipe already calls for carrots so I’d rather include a different item.
Thanks and we have our fingers crossed for ya husband!
random question, what do you typical eat you chili with- as a soup, over a potato, spaghetti, etc?
Ala says
love the last part- enjoy your Valentine’s night!! 😉
I know I have/am/will….hehe!
That lasagna looks amazing by the way…yum.
kay says
Do you store your flax in the fridge or freezer?
I am just curious to hear your (future RD!)opinion on this: What do you think of the Eatlikeme blog and Cristin’s eating choices? Do you think it is a good example of balanced meals?
While you were dieting before your maintenance stage, did you ever overeat? I know you really don’t overeat anymore only small splurges; when and how did the overeating stop if any? I am not trying to lose weight or even avoid sweets but every now and then I just eat a bunch of them…. yummy but not very healthy (sigh)…
Kath, thank you for being so dedicated! I am sure you will be a great RD one day. I have a feeling that we will see you a lot on TV and on print too. You just have that extra spark and fun personality from what I can see on the blog!! And you are photogenic too 🙂 I hope your husband gets a job offer but hope he continues to bake sometimes!!!
Susan says
Kath, I am thinking of buying the sunshine veggie burgers but they are a lot higher cal and fat than typical veggie burgers. Are they bigger and more filling or just higher cal because they contain mostly sunflower seeds but the size is the same? Thanks!!
Leah says
I love adding cottage cheese to lasagna!! When layering I usually layer it on top of the beef sauce but of course it’ll be a bit different with vegetarian ingredients so I am curious to know where she layered it!
Looks like you had a great night! Those desserts look divine!!!
Enjoy your Friday!
Christy Greene says
2 oz of wine was a nice compromise!! :0)
Have a fun weekend!
Kath says
Re. Lasagna recipe,
I’ve requested it by email and will post it when she sends it!
Beth,
Potato might work, or eggplant, or green pepper, if you can shred any of those. I would just leave the zucchini out and use a little more carrots and your other ingredients.
We usually eat our chili as a soup with some plain yogurt on top.
Kay,
We store about 1/2 a cup of flax in the fridge for easy accessibility and the rest in the freezer and get more when we need it.
I’d rather not comment on Cristin’s blog on my own, but do know that I read her blog every day and look up to her as a role model R.D.
As for overeating, my biggest trigger was and always will be special occasions, especially those where wine is involved. I have always struggled with special occasions – parties, holidays, weddings, dinners out – because they all seem to have the “worth it” factor. I’ve NEVER been tempted by fast food or store-bought foods, as they are not “worth it.” But generally the food at special occasions is extra special! I’ve gotten a LOT better at eating “normally” at these occasions over the past 6 months, which I attribute mostly to lessons learned and experience. It takes practice, but I’m getting there. During my weight loss I really only splurged and really overate at these occasions because we don’t keep junk food in our house. I rarely overeat at home, and we don’t go out to eat very often, partly to save money, partly because restaurant food is loaded with calories and fat, and partly because we just love to cook ourselves! Hope that helps…
Susan,
You’re right, they are quite a bit higher in calories than normal veggie burgers. I’m not sure how much better they held me over, but I don’t think it would make a big difference. 50-70 extra calories will almost always keep hunger at bay a little longer than without, especially if those calories come from healthy fat, protein and fiber, so my guess is they would be a little more satiating than a Boca or MorningStar burger, but probably not worth hunting them down and switching if you enjoy those kinds. I need to give the Sunshines another try, but I wasn’t bold over by them.
Christy,
I thought so too! I didn’t have the hangover feeling like I said I would during my test, so I’m glad I didn’t have any more than that! Have a good weekend – see you Tues 🙂
Kath