Zoodles? What? Before you run away, I want to tell you about zoodles. They are my new favorite thing. I found a recipe online that called for zoodles and went on an investigation because if there’s a healthy way to get around using pasta, I’m going to do it.  Zoodles are noodle shaped zucchini strips.  There are fancy zoodle making machines at Williams Sonoma that make lovely spiral zoodles but I found a julienne peeler that does the same thing.  You can also use a Mandolin with a julienne blade.  The beauty of these are that they cook in literally 2 minutes are are really healthy and delicious. You can use them with any Italian style dish or just as side for any meal you make.  Here I paired them with barbecued chicken for a high protein healthy meal. 

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large zucchini
• 2 cleaned chicken breasts
• 1 lime (for lime juice)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp Barbecue sauce
• Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Season chicken and brush with half your barbecue sauce. On a pre-heated grill, cook until one side is sufficiently grill marked and flip. Brush with remaining barbecue sauce.

For Zoodles: Wash zucchini and cut off both ends. Using your julienne peeler, run down length of zucchini on 4 sides, leaving the seeded portion in tact.  Collect zoodles in a bowl.  Once your chicken (or whatever protein you’re cooking) is about done, place olive oil, pepper flakes, half a lime squeezed and black pepper in a pan on medium heat.  Add zoodles and saute for 1-2 minutes under tender.  They cook fast so be ready.

Serve together with lime wedge.  Makes two servings.

It’s Easter next week and if you celebrate it, you may be planning on making Brunch for the family! The sweet temptations and high fat foods that accompany holiday gatherings can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.  Here’a great little recipe I found and tested out this past weekend that would be great for a gathering (because you can make a bunch at once and they look pretty) but you can also just make a couple for a quick breakfast on the weekend.  I refrigerated the leftovers and reheated for a high protein snack later in the day.  Worked like a charm! Here are the instructions for making a set of 12 but I made 4 and it worked just as well. A friend of mine suggested using ham for this recipe and that sounds great too – just be aware of the sodium and calorie changes if you try it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 1-oz slices deli turkey breast
• 1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 12 eggs
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut parchment paper into 12 4-inch squares. Arrange 1 piece of parchment in each of 12 muffin cups.
3. Place 1 slice of turkey breast over parchment in each cup, using fingers to line cups with turkey. Divide cheese and onion evenly among cups, then break 1 egg into each. Sprinkle evenly with pepper.
4. Bake on middle rack of oven for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on desired firmness of yolk.

I found that if they were placed too close to the heating coils the edges of the turkey got pretty crispy (but I also used peppered turkey so perhaps that was my problem).

Nutrients per cup: Calories: 105, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 1 g, Fiber: 0 g, Sugars: 0.5 g, Protein: 12 g, Sodium: 274 mg, Cholesterol 227 mg

Recipe from Clean Eating Magazine

One of my favorite meals to enjoy when I’m out is Fish Tacos. Here is a super clean and very balanced version of fish tacos that I love to make. Takes all of 20 minutes tops!

Ingredients:

• 2 4oz Mahi Mahi steaks (I got it frozen at Sams Club)
• 2 Limes
• 2 Cups Shredded Cabbage
• 1/4 Cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 Cup  Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp.  coriander
• 1/4 tsp.  cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste
• Fresh Cilantro
• Salt & Ground black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine , Greek yogurt, honey, spices, pepper to taste and the juice of an entire lime in a bowl and whisk together. Mix 3/4 of your sauce mixture in a bowl with your shredded cabbage and shredded carrot (tip: I bought a ready made cabbage slaw in a bag to speed this up.  broccoli slaw will work too) then let sit in the fridge until slightly softening. Save remaining sauce to pour over your fish when it’s ready. Follow directions for Fool Proof Fish cooking method and add 2-3 slices of fresh lime to the packet. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your piece of fish.

Serve fish over your slaw with sliced tomatoes, chopped cilantro,  add additional pepper if needed and enjoy with a few fresh slices of lime.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 210; Carbs 28g; Fat 1g; Protein: 28g; 

 

We’ve all done it…  busy day at work, school projects, after school activities, doctor appointments, errands. Last thing on your mind was making a wholesome dinner and you opted for something quick and easy that maybe doesn’t fit into your nutrition plan but hey – you got the family fed.  I am here to tell you that I’ve been there!  Thus, the Emergency Meal Kebab was born.  Here’s the beauty of it: There are no real rules to this.  Kebabs are purely “seat of your pants” and “whatever is in the fridge”.  It takes no time to cut up some veggies, stick them on skewers and cook.  Here’s a few ideas and pointers to get you on your way to meal salvation when time is tight.

1. Grilling is optional.  Sure now that the weather is nicer you can toss stuff on a gas grill and be done. But for whatever reason, or if you don’t have one, kebabs works in the oven on a baking sheet at 375° too.
2. Any protein works.  Kebabs can be whatever you want. I’ve done chicken (pictured), fish, scallops, pork, firm tofu, or any lean red meat you like. It all works.
3. Most veggies work.  The only tricky part to this is the type of veggies you put on here and how long you cook them.  For example, cherry tomatoes take very little time to cook (and they are really delicious this way), versus peppers which take a bit longer.  Veggies I’ve used on kebabs: Peppers, onion chunks, pearl onions, small potatoes, asparagus cut into smaller pieces, eggplant cut into small triangles, brussels sprouts, and small tomatoes.
4. Skewers matter. Okay not completely but here’s the thing.  Wood skewers require you soak them in water prior to use.  Stainless steel skewers are ready to go, hence a time saver.  Once less step in the process.

Directions:

Cut all protein and veggies to size and and load in an alternating pattern on your chosen skewers.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper.  You can be creative and use other flavors here too if you fancy.  You can also load the skewers with one item only if there  are uneven cooking issues.  All tomatoes on one, all protein on another, etc.

Line up on a baking sheet and bake at 375° until protein looks complete.

These always look pretty for guests and really aren’t that time consuming.  It’s a great meal to get kids involved with too if you have them chose the items and load them on the skewers for you.