Real Food – and recipe of the week

Where I am from I grew up doing a lot of eating from truly hunting and gathering what we ate.  While my parents both grew up on farms, they decided they wanted to live “in town” when they married and were raising a family.  That being said, we still had grandparents and more than enough friends and family with farms and gardens to keep us quite busy during the summer months.  My mother thought nothing about getting my brother and me up at 5:30 to head to someone generous person’s garden so we could pick vegetables and spend the rest of the day cleaning and preparing them to then take them to the canning plant or our own kitchen to freeze, can or pickle.  Later, during the Fall months we did our fare share of hunting.  Now, I know there are lots of vegetarians or non-vegetarians who can’t bear the thought of actually killing animals.  I get that – in fact, I spent a couple of years eating no meat.  I’m just relaying the facts of growing up in the South!  My father, friends, brother and all I knew were big hunters, so there this tomboy was right in the middle of it.  What we got from it was  lots of venison, quail, duck, fish and other meat to freeze and eat later.  While I don’t do that as much as I did growing up, my boys have learned to sit in a deer stand and shoot straight so we have venison for stews, chili, spaghetti sauce and other recipes calling for ground beef.  

BENEFITS OF VENISON:

Deer meat, whether hunted or farmed, is known in the culinary world as venison. While it isn’t a common dinner staple for most folks, this lean, red game meat is nutrient-rich and offers health benefits. Like beef, venison is rich in protein, iron and many B vitamins; however, it is lower in total and saturated fat than beef. As a low-fat and lean protein food, venison may aid in weight management and prevent nutrient deficiencies.

A 4-oz. serving of venison, baked or broiled, provides only 179 calories, 3.6 g of fat, 1.4 g of saturated fat, 0 g of total carbohydrates and 34 g of protein, according to the World’s Healthiest Foods. Choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as venison, or foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories, makes it easier to manage your weight and avoid slow weight gain as you age.  , according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Credit:  U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/289788-what-are-the-benefits-of-deer-meat/#ixzz1syQHjx2e

HEALTHY SPINACH LASAGNA

1 lb ground venison
3 cups marinara sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 C water
1 3/4 C low fat ricotta cheese
2 Cups Low fat shredded mozzarella
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
1/4 C chopped fresh Parsley
salt and pepper to taste
chopped garlic, to taste
1 container frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
9 pieces Whole Wheat lasagna noodles, cooked

Heat oven to 350. Over medium high heat brown meat and chopped onion in a drizzle of olive oil and a little chopped garlic.  If you use venison you will not really have any fat to drain, if so, drain and wipe out pan and put back in pan.  Add marinara sauce and water.  Simmer about 10  minutes.  In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheee, half of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese eggs, parsley, spinach, salt and pepper.  Pour about 1 cup meat sauce into bottom of 13×9 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 uncooked noodles lengthwise over sauce; cover with 1 cup sauce.  Spread one half of cheese mixture over sauce.  Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce and cheese.   Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

This was a great dinner for a little cold snap in the weather here last night!  Hope you enjoy!

By the way, Seven Day Stretch Challenge is over!  How did you do?  I confess I didn’t do as well as I wanted!  I realized I do not stretch as  much when I don’t need to . . .meaning I am not suffering from tight hamstrings, piriformis, calves, or back.  When I am, boy do I make time to stretch!  So, that’s a true confession – hope you don’t wait until you are hurting to get a feel good stretch!