{MONDAY'S MENU} Make it up as you go turns into a winner edition!

Alright, so I am on a roll! All these new recipes...and old good ones, how could I not share?!

This one was born out of a craving for lasagna, zucchini & mushrooms. Oh and a need to use the veggies before they go bad! I think Ryan was a little nervous...ok he was freaking out! However, ever the good sport, as long as I don't put a stuffed bell pepper in front of him, he will eat whatever I make and say he likes it....unless he doesn't. I always require truthful feedback from him. Otherwise, I might make it again! :)

So, here you go....all stuff straight out of my food storage (minus the produce of course)! I even made my own marinara in a last minute "SHOOT! I don't have any marinara left" moment! So the theme of this one....experiment! Be Brave! Trust your instincts! Honestly if it had turned out bad there is always Ramen or Spagetti O's! Alas, it did not! Now I have a fabulous Whole Vegetarian Lasagna and a little confidence in the Kitchen under my belt!

VEGETARIAN WHOLE GRAIN LASAGNA

Now, not to ruin the ending, but this is what it will look like! You KNOW you want to try this!

Grab a carton of mushrooms and a few zucchini and slice them up. Throw them in a hot pan and let them saute for a little while.

Now, get some water boiling for your noodles. I ALWAYS add a bit of this to the water! It makes a WORLD of difference with your pasta, rice, whatever.

While the veggies are going and the water is coming up to a boil you want to make your marinara. If you have some, use it, but I highly recommend at least giving this a try. It makes your lasagna a bit more zesty and mighty delish!

If you don't want a quite as zesty sauce grab one thick n zesty and one regular spice packet.

Empty 2 small cans of tomato paste into a sauce pan. Dump in both packets of seasoning and stir until completely mixed.

Oh hey! The water started to boil. Place the noodles in one at a time. This helps avoid breakage!

Now I had to stop to enjoy the rain beating on my windows and my basil. I LOVE THE RAIN! It totally makes me feel like baking!

CRUD! Back to the sauce.....did I ever tell you I am pretty certain I have an issue with ADD?! Pretty certain!

Alright so the seasoning is completely mixed in. Now whisk in 2 can of tomato sauce and a half can of water. You want to do this slowly and then press out the lumps. That paste has a hard time separating, but it will. Do it over a low heat and it will give in.

Now put a lid on the sauce. You are done until you need it in a minute. It will cook in the oven, no worries if it isn't hot.

Now spray a 9x13 pan lightly, then spread a little sauce all over the bottom. Keeps the noodles from sticking and helps them stay moist and yummy.

Now lay a layer of noodles over the top of the sauce. covering it.

Reserve just enough sauce to spread over the top, then dump the rest in with your zuccs & mushrooms. Give 'er a whirl until it is thoroughly combined.

Spread this mixture over the noodles. YUMMY HUH?!

Now, because I had some spinach I threw a bunch in too. If you don't like spinach, don't worry, you can't taste it. Just makes you feel better about the next part!

Cheese GLORIOUS cheese! Did you know it is one of the most addictive substances? It is! I'm not even kidding! Ryan get on finding that quote you read me about it, could ya please?

Anyway, I grated up a bunch of mozzarella and colby jack. Cheddar would be just fine too. Heck, do what you want. Cottage cheese....your funeral! BLECK! Any other kind would be just fine.

Now add another layer of noodles.

Then the sauce and veggies, spinach, cheese and noodles again.

Spread your reserved sauce over the top and sprinkle with more cheese. Yep, you need the veggies to feel better about the amounts of cheese.

I love these Lasagna noodles. I am not really a whole wheat whole grain pasta girl. However, because I want to live a long, healthy and fertile life I must obey the needs of my PCOS riddled body and eat the whole grains. I do have to say that I LOVED these noodles! You totally couldn't tell the difference, but my heart felt happier about it.

AND VIOLA! So saucy, so cheesy, so yummy!

Ryan grabbed a loaf of whole wheat french bread at Albertsons and worked his magic with it. YUMMY! The trick is small amounts of butter LOTS of Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder!

Mally was totally excited about this dinner!

ESPECIALLY Dad's bread!