Years ago when the gluten free train started my antennae has been up. Then I began my research. But I was always half on the train and half off. My health seemed pretty fine if I ate a sandwich or a bowl of pasta… so why bother? Or so I thought.
Well one of the first things I found when I was diagnosed with breast cancer was how hurtful grains are. Grains, carbohydrates break down to sugar. No way around it.
Yes our nutritional food pyramid is WAY off.
So I started cutting out grains, reading Grain Brain was also quite eye opening to see the effects of grains on the function of our brain. When seeing my nutritionist I started figuring out what diet was best for me... a little keto, a little whole 30, a little Mediterranean, a little paleo, always grass-fed, preferred raw dairy, preferred local, always pasture-raised eggs.
When I started cutting grains and sugar out I could see huge changes in my energy, my skin and my overall health.
I love cooking, and when you are wired that certain foods are good for you and generations of people have been making them, we get in the habit or we rely on modern food to make it real easy for us to whip up dinner.
Everyone can makes excuses, but everyone puts forth effort and time for what is most important to them and the health and wellness of my family became crucial for me.
Am I in a perfect place health-wise? No. It is a constant ebb and flow in this life, but I am always aiming to get better, to evolve, to make hard changes because I know it is better for us. And decisions I make now, teach my daughters which better their lives later.
So in all that I started trying to take some of my favorite recipes that before were laden with grains and sugar and changing this script to something that is nutrient dense for our family.
No Pasta Lasagna
Ingredients:
Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin
Organic (no sugar) tomato sauce {mine was from Trader Joes}
Organic mozzarella cheese
4 oz organic cream cheese
1 ¼ cup of organic heavy cream
½ cup whole milk (we use raw)
Organic baby kale
Organic cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
Organic white onion, sliced thin
Organic, grass fed ground beef
Directions:
I start by making a keto béchamel sauce, by adding the heavy cream, milk and cream cheese into a cast iron skillet. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until it thickens to your likeness. I added salt and pepper, you can also add a pinch of nutmeg for depth.
Then I cook my ground beef.
Then I start to layer, I start with the marinara sauce, then potatoes, then béchamel sauce, then onions, then ground beef, then fresh mozzarella, then arugula, then mushrooms, then repeat until you fill the 8 x 10 glass dish to the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then let rest for 10 minutes, next: dig in!
This recipe was so good y'all and we hardly missed the pasta! Make for a weeknight, weekend or for a family gathering and you're sure to please!
I hope you enjoy!
Yes I include potatoes, here’s why.