Chicken Sausage Zoodles

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Morning friends! Today I'm kicking off my 6-day staycation and I'm pretty excited about it. After the rain subsides, I'm heading down to Kingston to do a little shopping with my mom. I'll probably get in a workout although sometimes Wednesday is a rest day so I'll probably just do something light. Plus, my hamstring is acting up again (oye) so I should probably rest it. Old injuries are so annoying. 

Moving on, I wanted to share this quick recipe with you all because it was mighty tasty and super easy to throw together. Last night, I tried to make it home early enough to go to the 5:30 PWG class but JUST MISSED IT so I decided to prep dinner instead and then head to the 6:30. 

I'm so glad I prepped everything because it made it REALLY EASY to throw together as soon as I got home from the gym. This meal was inspired by a zoodle dish that I saw on Inspiralized's instgram account last week.

CHICKEN SAUSAGE ZOODLE BOWL
Prep: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 11 Minutes

NEED:
- 3 Chicken Sausages (I used spinach & feta)
- 1 Bell pepper (red or yellow)
- Handful of basil and parsley (I snipped this from my garden)
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Couple tbs of feta
- 1 pad of grass fed butter
- EVOO (as needed - couple tbs probably)
- White wine
- Salt/Pepper to taste

STEP 1: Zoodle the noodles, chop the pepper, parsley, basil, and set aside.
STEP 2: While the sausages are on the grill (8-10 minutes). Saute the peppers, half of the parsley/basil bunch, lemon juice, butter, evoo.
STEP 3: After a few minutes of sautéing, add white wine to deglaze the pan and make a bit of a sauce.
STEP 4: When the sausages have about two minutes left on the grill - add the zoodles to the pan and mix around... adding the salt and crushed red pepper as needed. 

STEP 5: Cut the sausage into pieces and add to pan along with the rest of the parsley/basil and feta and toss. (doesn't that look great!)

STEP 6: Plate and serve! 

Yum! This meal is great for workout recovery! Tons of potassium from the zoodles, vitamin C (immune protection) from the peppers (and from the zoodles), and protein from the chicken sausage.

Hope you're all having a great week! xo

Caprese Zoodles

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It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, huh? Lo siento. I've noticed a pattern (you notice patterns in your life when you blog for a couple years). My recipe posts tend to drop off in the summer and pick back up in the winter. This is likely not a surprising little factoid, but, creating and posting recipes is something that I have to consciously think to do in the summer. The warm weather makes me crave salads, grilled protein, and lighter fare that would likely get very repetitive and a bit boring. Anyway, I have an easy dish that is light for summer and includes a creative spin on a caprese salad.

If you've been following my blog for a little while, you know that one of my favorite salads is caprese salad with avocado added! Tonight's dish is a warmer version of a caprese that's a bit more hearty and comforting.

NEED:

- 2 Zucchinis for Zoodles
- 6 Organic Chicken Tenderloins
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 3/4 Pint of Organic Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
- Handful of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley or Basil or Both
- Buffalo Mozzarella (as desired)
- Evoo
- Salt and Crushed Red Pepper to taste

STEP 1: Zoodle the noodles and set aside.

STEP 2: Half all the tomatoes and saute with lemon juice, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper, and evoo

STEP 3: Add chicken and herbs to pan and cook throughly. The tomatoes should be softening and creating a nice light sauce.

STEP 4: Tear most of the mozzarella and add to pan. It should get a bit melty.

STEP 5: In a separate saute pan... add the zoodles with a drizzle of evoo and cook until slightly softened (about 2 mins).

STEP 6: Mix together and top with more herbs and a little more cheese, plate and serve!

That's it! A light summer meal full of vitamins and protein. Did you know that zucchini is an excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins? I had no idea how high the potassium levels were which is great because zoodles are a PERFECT post workout meal.

I hope you are all having a great week! xo

QUESTIONS: Do you have a spiralizer?
Do you love caprese salad as much as me?
How was your Wednesday?

Asian Zoodle Bowl

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Hey guys! How's was your hump day? Mine had some pits and peaks. Pit: Our family dog, Stella, is in the hospital. It's effecting me pretty heavily... I was a mess this morning. I just hope she's ok and not in too much pain. :(
Peak: I have a few! 1.) My car got fixed and the folks at the service shop were super nice. 2.) I found an old iPhone 5 case that I bought over a year ago - it didn't fit my last phone so I held onto it. It has anchors on it - so nautical! 3) I nailed my Asian Zoodle Bowl recipe and was able to eat it outside on my deck (in the warmth).

Sooo, I'm going to provide that recipe to you all tonight. Are you sick of my zoodles and Asian noodle bowls yet? If you are... you can tell me. It's ok, I won't be offended ;)

The main staples I use with most noodles bowls are as follows (I bolded what I used tonight):
-Rice vinegar (a generous couple of pours)
-Low sodium soy sauce (couple of shakes)
-Chopped garlic (1-2 cloves)
-Sesame oil (tbs)
-Coconut oil (tbs)
-Sriracha (couple shakes)
-Organic peanut butter or Tahini Paste (tbs)
-Crushed red pepper (as desired)
-Veggies (lots) (red pepper, broccoli)
-Chicken or Shrimp (as desired)

Saute the veggies and chicken (note: if you use shrimp - wait and throw them in 2 minutes before everything is done) in all of the above. I usually start with the oils, rice vinegar, soy, and garlic. Then, after it cooks down for a bit - add nut butter, crushed red, sriracha and more vinegar/soy, as needed.

Tonight, I used zoodles which brought the whole healthiest level up about 95 notches. Rob actually asked if I mixed both regular noodles and zoodles - I didn't. I'm telling ya - the spiralizer is worth every damn penny. Saute the zoodles for about 2 minutes.

Top the zoodles with the awesomeness and serve!

Soooo goood. You cannot go wrong with noodle or zoodle bowls - you just can't. The flavor combination of the above ingredients is delightful - the vinegar really adds so much flavor. I make these so much because we truly love them. Plus, they are so incredibly healthy. If you need more guidance on the measurements - just shoot me a message. I make them differently every time so it's never really precise!

I hope you all have a great week. xo