Zucchini Breadwich Sandwiches, by Diane

 

This week for dinners I tried the viral zucchini breadwich trend, which I tried before with pickles and it was a serious hit! This time I used summer zucchini, and flipped the way I cooked it so the cheese was on top instead of below and got super crispy! I filled the breadwich with smoked honey turkey, pickled red onions (I saw a hack online to place leftover red onion in leftover pickle juice!), and a diced pepper tomato spread (roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and yellow cherry peppers diced for some smoky heat and flavor!) with arugula and summer basil. While this combo was absolutely a hit, the zucchini still got too soft and it was easier and less messy to eat with a knife and fork. Still delicious!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning and salt/pepper

Directions:

On a baking sheet, top with parchment paper and stack zucchini slightly overlapping to form the shape of a square as in photo above. Top with cheese and seasoning, cooking for about 25 min at 300 (I used my airfryer)3, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool then flip and fold over your fave sandwich ingredients!

Healthy Roasted Veggie and Egg Breakfast, by Diane

 

While at the beach visiting a friend, I made breakfast using a few leftovers from the fridge. This turned out to be a serious hit, and I've been having it for lunches all week- Yum!

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 rounds

1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small container portobello mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas and removed the stem)

10 or so brussels sprouts, halved and stem removed

6 eggs, cooked over medium

1 cup fresh tomato sauce, or eggplant pepper spread from TJ's

12 fresh baby mozzarella balls

Directions:

1. Roast the veggies with salt and EVOO until browned. Set aside in a bowl with the mozzarella balls, letting them melt into the veggies.

2. Cook eggs until yolks are just set, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

3. Combine eggs, veggies and cheese with sauce and enjoy.

Zucchini Pizza Bites, by Diane

 

We wanted a healthier appetizer option to balance out the rest of our superbowl party and found these online. Overall they were good, but next time I would follow my instincts and draw the water out of the zucchini or use an air fryer on these as they were a bit wet. Otherwise you can't go wrong with this flavor combo!

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 thick rounds

pepperoni

mozzarella cheese

pizza sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 and assemble the zucchini with sauce, pepperoni and cheese.

2. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and set the broiler to high.

3. Broil on high for 5 more minutes or until the cheese browns. Serve warm (but they are also great cold as leftovers!).

Summer Steak Kabobs, by Cheryl

I forgot to take a picture! This is from Taste of Home

I see a lot of kabobs in my future...

Ever since Jon showed me how to use the grill last fall I've been open to a whole new way of cooking. Kabobs have been a favorite for me this year and this marinade really hits the spot! We ate them as is with a tomato salad side, but on rice or in a tortilla like my daughter did is great too! You can change up the meat or veggies to your liking. Yum!

Ingredients (from here):

1/2 cup canola oil (I think I used olive)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 lbs top beed sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1) In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. Add beef, turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

2) On metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread beef and veggies. Discard marinade. Grill kabobs, covered, until beef reaches desired tenderness, about 10 minutes. Turn occasionally.

Blueberry Banana Açaí Bowl, by Diane

This has been my go to breakfast even though it’s winter for the past few weeks. I love smoothie bowls, but the place on my block has added sweeteners and granola, etc., and so I had to get creative while on Whole30. Its super easy to throw together and I always decorate it a bit to make it a little more special. This is the best version I’ve made all month, so I decided to post it!


Ingredients:

1/2 frozen banana
1/3 frozen zucchini
2 tbsp Sunfoods Açaí Maqui Bowl Mix (I’ve also subbed frozen açaí kale mix from Whole Foods!)
Small handful frozen blueberries
1 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp collagen
1/4 cup almond milk (can add more based on consistency)
Toppings: chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, shredded dehydrated coconut, pepitas, almond butter


Directions:

Whip all ingredients except toppings in a blender, adding more milk if needed. Top and enjoy!

Chimichurri Beef Kabobs, by Cheryl

So we're doing it.. Jon and I have embarked on the journey of Whole 30. It just kinda came about and I dove into research and recipes! I have the first two weeks planned out and things seem to be going well so far (I'm on day 5). I feel like a lot of the meals that I make are pretty Whole 30 compliant anyway, but the snacking is killing me! I'm so used to just grabbing whatever I want! Anyway, this is the first dinner we had on Whole 30 and it was soooo good! We loved it. Actually it would have been good with some rice, lol. But seriously, it was super tasty and fairly easy to make although making the kabobs took a little bit. I'd make it again! I got this recipe from the Whole 30 book. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean steak (I used flank) cut into 1 inch dice

1.5 cups Chimichurri sauce

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, cut into 1.5 in squares

1 onion, cut into 6 wedges

1 zucchini, cut into 1.5 in thick rounds

Chimichurri sauce:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 shallot, minced

1/5 cups EVOO

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 parsley leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1) If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour to prevent them from burning. 

2) Place steak in a resealable bag. Cover the steak with enough chimichurri sauce to coat thoroughly. Seal the bag  and marinate the steak in the fridge for 1-8 hours, more is better. 

3) Remove the steak 30 min before cooking. Preheat the grill to high heat (500).

4) Remove the steak from the marinade, discard the marinade. Prepare the kabobs by threading the steak, bell pepper, onion, and zucchini onto the skewers, alternating meat and veggies. 

5) Grill the kabobs directly over high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and grill to desired doneness (12 min). Serve with the remaining chimichurri. 

Chimichurri directions:

1) Combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic and shallot in a food processor and mix on low speed. Drizzle in the olive oil while mixing, the dressing will being to emulsify. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and continue to mix on low until the dressing is uniform in texture and the herb pieces are chopped quite small. 

It'll last 2-3 days in fridge. 

Breakfast Casserole, by Diane

This recipe is from @realsimplegood on Instagram, and it was SO easy to make and lasted all week. I would eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I love how you can customize the veggies and meats easily too. One note, I put the recommended salt amount in here but it was WAY too salty because the sausage was so flavorful, so next time I'd put less (reflected below). The original recipe used bacon as well, but I didn't use it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage (I used sweet Italian)
1 large yellow onion
1 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
3 cloves garlic
12 eggs
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp ground sage (I subbed poultry seasoning bc I didn't have this alone)
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large pan, brown the sausage and crumble.

2. While the sausage cooks, place onion through garlic in a food processor until rough chopped.

3. Add the veggies to the pan with sausage and cook 4 minutes until the veggies soften.

4. Preheat oven to 375 and spray a large 9x13 baking dish.

5. Drain the sausage mixture and add to the bottom of the baking dish.

6. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and seasoning together and pour over sausage mixture. Mix well.

7. Bake for 30 min or until eggs are set in the center.

Steak & Veggie Kabobs, by Cheryl

I made steak and veggie kabobs last night and they were oh so good! We had zero leftovers which I was happy and sad about. Happy that everyone loved them, but sad that I couldn't enjoy them for lunch today. Julia enjoyed putting the meat and veggies on the skewers and it kept her busy for a while! For my veggies I used onions and zucchini (was also supposed to have red pepper, but ate that earlier in the day), but you can put whatever you want on them. I marinated the meat in a soy sauce and honey mix that was great. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb flank steak
zucchini
onion
red pepper
mushrooms
whatever other veggies you want
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1/4 rice vinegar

Directions:

1) Combine the last 4 ingredients in a ziplock bag. Put the meat in the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 8 hours.

2) Grab some skewers and start putting things on in whatever order you want!

3) Broil on high for 3 minutes each side. Eat on its own or with rice.

Savory Chicken and Veggie Patties, by Diane

HOLY MOLY these are amazing. They are SO healthy, uber easy to put together, and literally so addictive I'm in danger of not having enough for lunches this week! I made these for lunches for week 4 of Whole30, and got the recipe from @thenourishinghome with a few adaptations (posted below). No more need for words- make these NOW!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach
1 small zucchini, cut into sections
1 carrot, cut into sections
1 clove garlic
4 scallions, white and green parts
1 lb ground chicken (using dark and white meat will make this juicier than chicken breast)
1 egg
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
Red pepper flakes (I used a cajun seasoning here that is a house staple, Tony Chachere's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a food processor, blend all ingredients through scallions until finely diced. Squeeze excess liquid and put in a large bowl.

3. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well, then form into patties (mine made 7!).

4. Bake for 20 minutes, flip over, and bake 20 more minutes.

Zucchini patties, by Cheryl

First new recipe in the new house! Woohoo! Making a new recipe is always a milestone every time we move - it means the kitchen is finally unpacked fully!

So the new recipe is a very easy one since I've had two buggers on my heels for the last 6 weeks. I had a lot of zucchini to use. More than I needed. I didn't want zoodles and didn't feel like making fried zucchini circles. So I decided to use these in a recipe that's similar to my eggplant balls (except instead of boiled I shredded them). They were sooooo good! I loved them plain with a sprinkle of sea salt on them and Julia loved them dipped in some applesauce like potato latkes. Definitely making these again! Yum!

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, shredded
1 egg
breadcrumbs
salt

Directions:

1) Take the shredded zucchini and place in a colander (preferably one that has very small holes). Sprinkle salt all over to coat the zucchini. Leave in the sink or in a bowl for an hour or more to allow the water to get out of the zucchini. Squeeze the water out. Pat dry. Preheat the oven to 350.

2) Mix zucchini in a bowl with one egg. Mix in some breadcrumbs (maybe a cup?) until you are comfortable forming patties that stick together. Take about a handful and make a patty! Place on a baking sheet with some spray. Bake for a total of about 25 minutes at 350 flipping the patties halfway through.

3) Sprinkle some salt on top and eat hot!

Flourless Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies, by Diane

We found this recipe on facebook from Cleanfoodcrush and decided to make them as our dessert for family dinner night this Sunday. They sounded fantastic, and smelled really great too, but unfortunately they were so disgusting we each took one bite and threw the whole pan out. Who knows what went wrong here, but we have to post the good's and the bad's- and this one is BAD. :(


Ingredients:

1/3 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp, all natural peanut, or almond butter
1/4 cup raw honey, or pure maple syrup grade 'b'
1/2 cup unsweetened all-natural applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup finely shredded zucchini (skin left on)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:

 Blend everything together and bake for 23-25 minutes at 350 in a greased 8x8 pan.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats, by Diane

This squash was the width of my hand plus about 1.5 more hands length!

My dad got this MEGA squash from a neighbor's garden, the size of which we have never seen (see photo above for reference- a whole pound of meat plus all the toppings fit in here!). We were looking for things to do and I came across this recipe, and man was this delicious!! Although ours turned out more like zucchini yachts instead of the little boats as pictured in the recipe due to the size! We topped it with parmesan cheese before roasting it in the oven, and every time we opened the oven door to check it the whole kitchen smelled amazing! I would definitely make this again. I'm adding the little changes we made here and there below.

Ingredients:

3 large zucchinis, seeds removed
EVOO
1 lb. ground turkey (we used lean turkey breast)
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 pack crimini mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes in italian herbs
1 jar marinara sauce (we used Classico rustic marinara- man this stuff was good!)
1 tbsp dried italian herbs
Salt and pepper (be generous with the salt)
Parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. Cook the turkey with EVOO, crumbling in the pan and remove.
2. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook until soft. Drain the liquid and add the turkey back in.
3. Turn off heat and add in the tomatoes, marinara, herbs, and salt and pepper. Stir well.
4. Stuff the mixture into the zucchini boats, top with parmesan, and bake at 375 for 15-20 min (or until squash is soft in the center).

Banana-Zucchini Bread, by Cheryl

Photo from here

Julia and I wanted had a baking day last Tuesday since we were once again stuck inside due to this never-ending rain!!! I decided to make some bread to bring in for her preschool class to have at snack time. This bread was a big hit with the two and three year olds (and their teachers), and was an easy way to sneak some veggies in. I made a few adjustments from the original recipe. I omitted the walnuts because they are a nut-free school. I substituted the dried cranberries with dark chocolate chips. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour since that's what I had on hand. I cut the original recipe in half. I also, mistakenly, baked the bread at 350 instead of 325, but everything turned out fine! I loved this bread warmed up in the microwave. Yum!

Ingredients (modified):

1 egg
1/2 cup apple sauce (or 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 grated zucchini
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.75 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Beat egg in a large bowl. Add apple sauce (or oil), sugars, zucchini, banana, and vanilla and mix together. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan.

3) Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until toothpick is placed in the center and comes out clean.

Garlic Spring Zoodles with Crunchy Almonds, by Diane

This side dish was created out of leftovers that I had on hand, and it was such a delicious concoction that I have made it three times this week including one occasion for a dinner party side and it was a complete hit! It's easy to customize and quick to make. For the first time I created this dish, I pulled all the veggies out of a batch of chicken zoodle soup so they had been soaking in my homemade chicken broth, but you can use fresh veggies on hand as I did the next two times I made this dish.


Ingredients:

4 tbsp EVOO
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup slivered almonds
2 large zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
4 carrots, shredded/spiralized/chopped
1 cup frozen sweet peas
Sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes


Directions:

1. Heat EVOO in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in garlic and almonds, cook until garlic becomes fragrant and both garlic and almonds brown slightly. Remove garlic and discard (or chop finely and throw it back in at the end).

2. Add in remaining ingredients, cook until softened.

Chicken Zoodle Soup, by Diane

It's been colder here, so my next two posts are my lunches and dinners for the week in an attempt to warm up! This first recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, The Body Book, and is a healthy comfort food that is packed with nutrition. Using bone broth instead of regular store bought chicken broth really helps to amp up the nutritional factor as well. The zoodles are zucchini noodles, and I made them really thin here so the whole bowl taste like pho. I also added in cilantro, which made it taste even more authentic!


Ingredients:

2 organic chicken breasts
2 tablespoons organic butter
1 tsp herbs de provence
1/2 onion
3 carrots
2 cloves garlic
4 cups homemade chicken bone broth (I used my recipe)
1 cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 zucchini
Optional: chopped basil


Directions:

1. Cook chicken as desired and shred
2. Chop onions, carrots and garlic
3. Heat pan and melt butter in large soup pot or dutch oven.
4. Saute onions, carrots until onions are clear, then add garlic and herbs and sauté until fragrant (few minutes)
5. Add broth, peas and simmer until vegetables are soft (10-15 minutes)
6. Meanwhile, use a spirlizer to make the zucchini noodles
7. Add shredded chicken and zucchini noodles
8. Let simmer for 10 more minutes
9. Add lemon juice, zest and basil (optional)
10. Season with salt and pepper and additional lemon wedge

Red Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, by Cheryl

This is a Cheryl original! It's a super easy recipe that is healthy and ensures that you get your dose of delicious veggies and some yummy quinoa. It's in a white wine and butter sauce with an onion and garlic base. I wasn't in the mood for meat the night I made it, but I added some shredded boiled chicken to the mix for Jon and it tasted great. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
water to cook quinoa
1 eggplant
1 red pepper (I would use more next time)
1 zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup wine
olive oil
salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Cut up all the veggies into one inch pieces. Spread out on onto baking sheets, cover lightly with oil and salt. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

3) Cook quinoa according to package directions.

4) Saute onions and garlic in butter until softened. Pour in wine and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes. Mix quinoa into pan and cover with sauce.

5) Mix quinoa and veggies together and enjoy!

Zucchini "Pasta" with a Tomato, Garlic, and White Wine Sauce, by Cheryl

This is something I whipped up quickly when I was in the mood for something pasta-like, but not in the mood for the heaviness that accompanies pasta. In comes my vegetable spiraler device, which turns ordinary pieces of produce into long strands of "linguine". The sauce is great and I've used it many times when making a quick pasta dinner. I love how the Parmesan cheese gives it an extra punch! Adding chicken, shrimp, or cannellini beans makes this dish a very healthy alternative. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, spiraled
10-15 grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
parmesan cheese (optional)
grilled chicken, shrimp, beans (optional)
salt

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil over medium heat with the garlic. Add in the tomatoes and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the juices come out.

2) Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and salt and mix. Cook until zucchini softens, or about 7-8 minutes. Add cheese if desired and cook until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Baked Yam and Zucchini Fritters, by Diane

I found this recipe from a celebrity chef online. They sounded a lot like latkes but had a healthy spin with great seasonings, gluten-free flour, and baking in the oven instead of frying. These were a bit time consuming to make with all the grating, but I cut that down by using a Cuisinart with a grater attachment. I also doubled the dijon as well as the salt and garlic, removed the honey (a good call since the final product came out surprisingly sweet!), and added cumin. They are really versatile as you can customize the seasonings. They definitely work for lunch and dinner, but I also plan to eat them for breakfast with a fried egg this week!My only criticism of these is the texture- the inside was still wet and the outside got chewier the longer I cooked it over time. So my suggestion is to bake them at 400 in the last ten minutes, and let them sit to dry out of the oven.

Ingredients:

3 cups grated peeled yam
2 ½ cups grated zucchini
1 cup grated sweet onion
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cups finely ground almond meal (I used brown rice flour bc I had that on hand)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Add the yam, zucchini and onion to a bowl.
3. In a separate dish mix the dijon, olive oil, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
4. Add the sauce to the grated vegetables and coat well, then add the almond meal and mix everything together well with hands.
5. Shape small patties into circles that are 2-inches wide and 1-inch thick. 
6. Place parchment onto a baking sheet and place fritters on the paper equally spaced from one another.
7. Bake 40 minutes on one side then carefully flip and bake for 40 on the other side.

Zucchini Banana "Ice Cream", by Diane

I am always looking for dairy-free desserts, and have been making banana cream (blended bananas) as a great option for years. The sweetness of the bananas can sometimes overpower the other ingredients I add in though, usually some form of chocolate and/or peanut butter. So when I read about zucchini cream, I got excited to create a less sweet option. And- what a healthy way to get your greens in! This version is a cinnamon chocolate chocolate chip, but you can tailor it to any flavor you like because the zucchini has no real flavor of it's own. It isn't sweet though, so to avoid adding in a sweetener I added in a ripe banana and that worked great! I also added in some almond milk to make it easier to blend and creamier, but you could blend it without and create a thicker texture.


Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, cubed and frozen
1/2 ripe banana, sliced and frozen
2 tbsp chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp cacao nibs
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4-1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together until creamy. You will need a strong motor (I use a nutribullet!), and will have to stop and scrape the sides down multiple times before it becomes blended and creamy. Resist the urge to add more liquid, however, because at the end if you don't add any extra in you will have a custard-like consistency that is insanely good!

Southwest Cilantro Lime Chicken Zoodles, by Diane

This recipe is a twist on a previous post, Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad. Lately I've been obsessed with summer squash, and the best way I've found to eat them is in the form of "zoodles," or zucchini noodles. Using an amazing gadget called a Veggeti, I can quickly turn any vegetable into fettuccine-shaped strands that can be cooked or eaten raw and combined with anything you'd normally put over pasta. Today, I decided to make a version of this delicious salad but with zoodles instead.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, shaped into zoodles
4 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
2 red peppers
2 ears yellow corn
2 sprigs green onion, sliced
Raw pepitas
Guacamole

Dressing:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cilantro


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 and place the red peppers whole onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning twice. Remove from oven and immediately cover with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and slice peppers, discarding stems ribs and seeds.

2. Grill corn on a outdoor/indoor grill or grill pan, turning occasionally until all sides are slightly charred. Cut kernels and set aside to cool.

3. To make the dressing, add ingredients through honey into a food processors and blend until honey is combined. Slowly add in oil while blending. Finally, add in cilantro and process until blended well.

4. Combine all ingredients together and toss with the dressing.