ZUCCHINI ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

I mean, I was ready to have about 100 of those. But after devouring that entire donut in 0.152545 seconds, I turned to this instead.
This creamy, buttery, garlicky, melt-in-your mouth alfredo sauce, loaded with freshly grated Parmesan. But don’t worry. It’s completely low carb with these zucchini noodles.
It’s pretty much an alfredo recipe that you can enjoy without worrying about calories – instead, you’ll be sneaking in all those veggies!

ZUCCHINI ALFREDO HEALTHY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 pound (3 medium-sized) zucchini, spiralized*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk, or more, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup half and half*
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and heated through, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
2. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the saucepan. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
3. Gradually whisk in milk, thyme and oregano. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Stir in zucchini and gently toss to combine.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Note

• This is the spiral slicer that I use. It’s so easy to use – it honestly just takes minutes to spiralize!
• Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream

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Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups Healthy Recipe

Ahh you guys, there is seriously nothing I love more than delicious sizzling chicken fajitas!  I could eat them pretty much on any given weeknight, I mean not only are they packed with tons of flavor, but with just a few simple ingredients you can easily make a healthy filling dinner!  Being that fajitas are literally one of our favorite go-to meals, I thought it’d be fun to do a little spin on the traditional fajita dish and simply roll the chicken up around the veggies to make one perfect little serving.
My hubby absolutely RAVED about these and has already requested that we add them into our weekly meal rotation.  As you know we love to meal prep and these chicken roll-ups make perfect leftovers for lunches or dinner.  The chicken is super moist, the peppers are cooked just perfectly inside the roll-ups and the whole dish literally only takes about 30 minutes to throw together (after the chicken has marinated).  I went ahead and purchased thin sliced chicken cutlets just to make life a little easier, but you could of course use regular chicken breasts, slice them in half or into thirds (depending on the size) and pound them out until they are about a 1/4-inch thick.  Either way will work just fine!

Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups Healthy Recipe

INGREDIENTS
For the Marinade:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

For the Chicken:

• 3 chicken breasts or 6 thin sliced chicken cutlets ¼-inch thick
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, sliced
• ½ green bell pepper, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne (if using) and cilantro. Set aside.
2. For the chicken breasts, if you purchased pre-sliced chicken cutlets then skip to the next step. If using chicken breasts, slice them longways into 2 even slices and firmly pound the chicken using the smooth side of a meat tenderizer to an even thickness of about ¼ inch.
3. Place chicken cutlets into a large resealable freezer bag and pour marinade over top, making sure they are completely coated. Allow chicken to marinate for a minimum of one hour to overnight.
4. Once chicken has marinated, evenly place 6 bell pepper slices in the middle of the chicken cutlet, roll up and secure with a toothpick. Repeat this step until all the cutlets have been rolled up and place seam side down in a prepared baking dish.
5. Brush tops of chicken with remaining marinade and bake, uncovered, at 375 for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size: 2 chicken roll-ups • Calories: 255 • Fat: 12.7 g • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g • Carbs: 10.9 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Protein: 27.6 g • Sugars: 2.9 g • WW Points+: 7 • Smart Points: 6

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STIR FRY ZUCCHINI NOODLES HEALTHY RECIPE

If you’ve never tried Zoodles, a.k.a. zucchini noodles, OMG! You.are.missing.out!
But, hey hey hey, sweet friends! TGIF! Weekend plans include catching up with my DVR (I’m seriously itching for a Real Housewives marathon), then coffeeing with my lovely friends, and I’m also thinking about possibly sleeping in 2 days in a row. I’m dreamin’ big!
In other news, I’m spiralizing zucchini and making you believe that you’re eating noodles! Scouts honor, the texture is so spot on that you’ll definitely trick yourself into believing that you’re slurping up pasghetti. You’ll see.

STIR FRY ZUCCHINI NOODLES HEALTHY RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 yellow onions, spiralized
• 4 small zucchini, spiralized, patted dry with paper towel
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons low sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

• Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.
• Add onions and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until translucent and tender.
• Stir in zucchini and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
• Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds; mix and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
• Remove from heat.
• Serve.

Notes
Calories: 116 cal Fat: 8.2 g Saturated Fat: 1.5 g Sodium: 243 mg g Protein: 2.7 g Fiber: 2.4 g

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Low Carb BLT Wraps Healthy Recipe

Enjoy the flavors of a BLT sans bun with our lettuce wrap version which encases savory bacon in a refreshing blanket of lettuce and tomatoes. A smear of lemon aioli escalates lettuce wraps to another level. Serve with a hardboiled egg for more calories and protein.

Low Carb BLT Wraps Healthy Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 slices (40 grams) uncooked center-cut bacon (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/2 medium (30 grams) lemon
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) reduced-fat mayonnaise (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 4 large basil leaves, finely chopped
• 4 large Bibb lettuce leaves
• 2 medium (180 grams) Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 large (50 grams each) hardboiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon until desired doneness. Set aside on paper towels so excess fat can drain.
2. Grate 1/4 teaspoon zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Squeeze about 1 teaspoon lemon juice in bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and basil.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture on each of 4 lettuce leaves. Top evenly with tomato, egg, and bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Wrap leaves around filling.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 2 |  Serving Size: 2 lettuce wraps (includes 2 slices bacon, 1 egg, 1 tomato, and 1 tablespoon aioli)

Per serving: Calories: 280; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 207mg; Sodium: 464mg; Carbohydrate: 12g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 12g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 121mg; Iron: 6%; Vitamin A: 11%; Vitamin C: 11%; Calcium: 3%


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Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Healthy Recipe

Four years ago today, by a dazzling combination of good fortune, mutual sacrifice, and temporary insanity (on his part), I duped a cute guy into marrying me. Thus far, our lives together have involved a healthy dose of all three, though I’ll take responsibility for more than 50% of the insanity. We’re celebrating our anniversary with two special guests: a pan of Strawberry Oatmeal Bars and…my mother.Yes, my husband will be spending his wedding anniversary with his mother-in-law. At my request, my mom is coming to help me decorate our still-bare walls. Where as I feel overwhelmed and slightly panicky walking through a HomeGoods, my mom has a natural talent for picking out just the right touches to make a room feel comfortable and charming. The dates that aligned with her work schedule happen to fall on our anniversary, so my mom and I will spend the day putting a few more nail holes in the walls, progress to a three-person anniversary dinner with Ben, then end with Strawberry Oatmeal Bars for dessert.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Healthy Recipe

Ingredients:
FOR THE STRAWBERRY BARS:

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or substitute all purpose flour or 1:1 baking flour to make gluten free)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or substitute melted coconut oil to make vegan/dairy-free)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 small lemon)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cups, small-diced strawberries (10 ounces)

FOR THE VANILLA GLAZE (OPTIONAL BUT DELICIOUS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU PREFER A SWEETER BAR):

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind you like)

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and heat to 375 degrees F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs two sides like "handles."
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Scatter on the remaining berries, then the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
4. Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
5. While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: in a medium bowl, briskly whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Using the parchment paper handles, lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.

Notes: Recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch baking pan. The bars will be a bit thicker, but still delicious. To make gluten free, substitute the white whole wheat flour with a 1:1 baking mix like this one. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


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