Zucchini Lasagna (Low Carb & Diabetes Friendly)

Will's grandmother gave us a plethora ofcucumbers and zucchinis. And the zucchini -- it was a baseball bat! And I was hankering for lasagna, so I thought a healthy alternative would be perfect!

Ingredients:

• Zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound italian sausage
• 2 jars marinara sauce
• Ricotta
• Cottage cheese
• Chopped spinach
• Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• Parmesan

Preparation:

• Slice the zucchini
• Mix the ricotta, cottage cheese, and spinach (thaw & drain). I did a 2:1 ratio of ricotta:cottage cheese.
• Brown the beef and sausage, crumbling into small pieces. Add the jars of marinara and bring to a simmer.
• Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan with some marinara. Put a layer of zucchini, mozzarella, then a layer of cheese mix. Repeat until the pan is full. I ended with a layer of marinara sauce and then I sprinkled the top with grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake in a 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Zucchini Bread

When a recent visit from Will's grandparent's house, I left with a hoard of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and one very large zucchini. And memories of my mom making zucchini bread came to mind; grating zucchini, the smell of cinnamon filling the air... now I'm getting excited!

Note: This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread or one large bundt cake.

Ingredients:

• 3 C flour (I used 2 C AP flour, and 1 C whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 C apple sauce
• 1 C granulated white sugar
• 1 C brown sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 C grated zucchini, not drained (the liquid makes the zucchini moist)
• Optional: 1 C chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

I put Will to work grating the zucchini!

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In my mixer, I beat the eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla extract.

I added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Beat well.

Fold/stir in the zucchini (and if you are adding walnuts, raisins, etc.).

The batter is ready!

Bake for 60 min.

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Ravioli with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Looking for an incredible quick lunch or dinner that every family member will like? This is the one! I used fresh zucchini from the garden and ravioli from Sam's Club. But feel free to use any type of squash and ravioli you have on hand! And if you have a bunch of tomatoes, dice them up and use those instead of canned diced tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of Ravioli (I used Chicken & Asiago Cheese)
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, boil water and cook ravioli according to package directions. 

In a large skillet, add olive oil and zucchini. Cook until semi-soft, about 4 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and sugar. Stir and cook until zucchini is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

When ravioli is done cooking, add it to the skillet.

Stir to combine.

Plate and garnish with a sprinkle (or two... or three) of Parmesan.

The twins ate some for lunch! They really like squash and tomatoes -- so this was the perfect meal for them!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis