Mmmmmmmoms and Mmmmmmexi-Lasagna

What a fabulous today we had today! The perfect spring day for the Vancouver Sun Run (apparently fifty thousand runners - wow!) and for all the moms out there who are getting spoiled today for Mother's Day - hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day! I slept in today until about 9-ish as I'd done a lot of the food prep on Saturday as Hubs was out for the day. The extra sleep was much needed and I felt refreshed when I got up. I'd heard Sunday was supposed to be fabulous so didn't want to spend all day inside cooking. I wanted to get out in the garden - we have weeds galore so I'm trying to get them under control before they take over. I did a quick 30 minute workout on the stationery bike, and then toodled off to finish up on the last few dishes for our weekly cooking. One of the dishes that makes our regular rotation is this mexican lasagna from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry - another delish, healthy recipe from the Podleski sisters. The recipe calls for ground chicken, but I usually use extra lean ground beef...but I'm sure you could sub in ground turkey or veggie ground round for all the vegetarians out there. I've even made it without the cheese (gasp!) and it was still delish. It makes a big pan and freezes really, really well so I highly recommend this one.

No Weigh Jose! Mexican Lasagna - from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry

1-1/2 lbs extra-lean ground beef
1 cup each diced red onions and diced green bell pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen or canned corn
1-1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups your favorite tomato pasta sauce
1 cup medium salsa
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
4 large or 8 small whole wheat flour tortillas
1-1/2 cups packed shredded light old (sharp) cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large, non-stick pot or skillet, cook ground beef, onions, green pepper, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Break up any large pieces of beef as it’s cooking.

Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, and cumin. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add pasta sauce, salsa, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 sauce mixture over bottom of casserole dish. Top with 1/2 the tortillas, overlapping and cutting them as necessary to fit. Top with 1/3 sauce mixture, followed by 1/2 the cheese. Cover cheese with remaining tortillas, followed by remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese over sauce and top with green onions. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let lasagna stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing for easier serving. Top each piece with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

per serving (8 in recipe) - 319 calories, 7.9g fat, 31g protein, 30g carbs, 5.5 fibre

Just had to give our hometown boy Steve Nash a nod today - they won against the Spurs to get into the Western Conference semi-finals! The awesome thing was that Steve had a massive shiner after being elbowed by Tim Duncan (for all you non-basketball fans, Tim Duncan is a giant). His eye was swollen shut but he continued to play and STILL made all his shots....that's our boy!