Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats

For a summer spin on taco night, try these zucchini stuffed with ground turkey, seasoned with cumin and spiced and topped with a blend of Mexican cheese – cheesy goodness!!

I actually got the inspiration for this dish from a comment I read on my sausage stuffed zucchini boats, I love when you guys give me new ideas! They turned out so good, and will be a part of my summer rotation.

As part of the Target Inner Circle, I got this very large casserole dish from Target's FEED USA collection. Target partnered up with FEED USA, and with every purchase you make from them, you help provide meals to children and families across America – such a great cause! By purchasing this dish you will provide approximately 20 meals for children and families across America. I always try to do my part and donate to the food pantry at my local church and to other organizations, but this another great way to help. They have everything from bags, to lunch bags, t-shirts, jewelery and lot of great kitchen items I want to go back and purchase. Back to the recipe – these are low-carb and gluten free, and made with nothing but clean ingredients so you can enjoy two pieces without the guilt!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Eggs and Tomato Breakfast Melts

I'm in love with these easy open faced breakfast sandwiches made on a whole wheat English muffin with egg whites and scallions, then topped with heirloom tomatoes and melted cheese - mmm!

Tomatoes, eggs and scallions are always a winning combination for me - especially now when summer tomatoes are at their sweetest! If you can't find heirloom tomatoes, red grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes would be just as great.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Sauteed Julienned Summer Vegetables

Zucchini, yellow squash and carrots cut into spaghetti like strands and sauteed with garlic and oil. I make this side dish ALL summer long – not just because it's low-carb, gluten-free, clean and paleo friendly, but because it's delicious, good for you and also happens to be my husband's favorite way to enjoy zucchini!

This goes great with anything you grill, but I especially love serving this as a side to fish. It almost feels like you're eating noodles, maybe you can call them "zoodles".

The trick to quickly cutting the vegetables into thin long strips is to use a mandolin with a julienne blade. You could also do this with a sharp knife if you have serious knife skills, but I say splurge on a mandolin. My mandolin is from OXO, I've had it a few years and I get so much use out of it. I basically run the vegetables through the mandolin until I get the center where the seeds are, then I turn it. The carrots are a bit tougher to cut, so sometimes I just buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots. Once the cutting is done, it takes less than 4 minutes to cook, or vegetables that are tender crisp like al dente pasta.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Greek Yogurt and Goat Cheese Tzaziki Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Rolls with Pesto Dip A.K.A. Extremely Creative and Interesting Snacks for an Unbearably Boring Mom.

Let's talk about creative energy, or rather the lack there of. For instance, I'm pretty sure that I had something rather interesting to say 15 minutes ago but since then 1 million and 1 other extremely important things have happened. Such is the life of a mom of 4. Any mom actually, but I speak for myself (disclaimer numero uno).

Case and point. In the last 15 minutes I have:

Tried to console a very distraught 4 year old little girl about a broken crayon which her 8 year old very artistic brother absolutely had to have because it was  "Imperial Blue" and the exact shade he needed to finish his bird drawing and "NO!" another shade of blue from the enormous bucket of crayons wouldn't do and excuse me please but it in fact is not a crayon but a pastel! ..............................

Stopped 3 times to put on baby doll clothes. On the same baby doll.

Tried to reason with a dramatic 6 year old over why it's not the end of the world when someone touches him, looks at him, breathes on him.

Prepared myself for yet another night of over reactive drama and whining about how grosssssss dinner is before they even know what it is.

Tried to take a picture or two of for mentioned dinner when the house we moved into several months ago does not have ONE SINGLE north facing window, or any decent window for food photography for that matter.  (note to self, look for new house immediately. post note, be in complete denial that the housing market is yet again rising faster than my strategic abilities allow.)

Exaggerating? Who me? NO. Not this time my friends, not this time. Life as a mom, end of story. 

Again, I'm pretty sure I had something very creative or mildly interesting to say in regards to this post 15 minutes ago but alas, you will forgive me as my creativity has been sucked away over the years and replaced with the cutest of cute, adorable, little, needy monsters. 

What's the opposite of boring? These super cute snack containers from Planet Box. I. heart. their lunch boxes and so when they offered to send me one of their brand new sectioned snack boxes, 

"The Shuttle" with a perfect little dipping container I was waiting by the window for the UPS guy.  

This little snack container was much roomier than I imagined and perfect for my portioned, 5 a day small meals. As you can see it held my 'second' lunch quite nicely and I won't even mention the fact that my dear husband swiped it from me the  next morning. I did get a nice text message around lunch time about how fantastic my zucchini rolls were. Cudos.

I love Planet Boxes sleek and convenient  design and that the magnets were interchangeable. My boys loved this alien one and when mommy wants to take it to work I simply take the magnets off or I can switch them out for one of their other cute magnets. These cute space guys ended up on our fridge. 

Several different sizes to choose form with eco-conscience design and cute carriers. I love it!

Back to School Time Already! Time to get a sturdy lunch box that will last through the year! 

Planet Box sent me these items, all opinions are my own.

Eggplant Panini with Pesto

My friend gave me eggplants from her garden, and I used it to make this delicious hot pressed sandwich. If you can find a whole wheat baguette, even better! A perfect summer panini made with eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella and skinny pesto on crispy French bread. Make this for one, or for the whole family.

I love, love, LOVE Panini night in my house because everyone is happy and they are so easy to make. If you're capable of making a grilled cheese, then you can make a panini, that's how simple and you don't need a fancy panini press to make it. Prior to owning my panini press, I used my George Forman grill or made them on the stove in a grill pan with an iron skillet on top to press it down.

I grilled the eggplant right on the panini press, so there's no dirtying extra pans. A perfect Meatless Monday dish, and even the meat-lovers in your house will enjoy this sandwich. 

If you're a newbie to Skinnytaste, check out my tip on how to make a larger sandwich for less calories. If you are making this for one, simply divide the ingredients by four.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Creamy Corn Soup with Queso Fresco and Cilantro

I love this soup, and this is the perfect time of year to make it with summer corn at it's sweetest! The temperatures we were having last week were in the high nineties and soup was the last thing on my mind. But finally we are back in the eighties, and a bowl of soup is always comforting to me.

Inspired from a Colombian soup called Crema De Mazorca from the Andean region of Colombia, this soup is sweet and creamy, made with fresh summer corn. I didn't use any cream, instead it's simmered in low fat milk and thickened with a potato, once pureed it's thick and velvety. Then I finished it with some crumbled queso fresco and fresh cilantro with gives it that sweet-savory finish that we love in my home!

If you can't find queso fresco in your area, try another salty cheese like cotija, ricotta salata or a mild feta.

Sure, you could probably make this from frozen corn, but I don't think it would taste nearly as good so for best results, make this with fresh corn while it's in season. This is a great meatless soup, perfect for vegetarians and it also happens to be gluten free!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chipotle Lobster and Avocado Wrap

Chipotle lobster salad with avocado, scallions, cilantro and lettuce on a whole wheat wrap – fabulous!!

A few weeks ago I grabbed a bite at Lenny's clam bar with my husband and daughter and we ordered the special – the chipotle lobster avocado burrito. It was SOOO good I HAD to recreate a lighter version of it myself.

I don't eat lobster often because it's not cheap, but I love it and like to treat myself once in a while, especially in the summer. I went to my local fish market and bought a 2 pound lobster and had them steam it for me (I personally don't love cooking live lobsters). All the fish markets near me steam them for you for the same price as buying it live. This yielded enough lobster meat for 4 servings.

Then I tossed the lobster with lemon juice, a little light mayo and yogurt to make it creamy and added some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to give it a little kick. Tossed in some chopped scallion and fresh cilantro and the lobster salad was delicious.

I wrapped it on a whole wheat tortilla with avocado and lettuce (you can lower the carbs and make it gluten free by turning this into a lettuce wrap) and had myself a fabulous lunch over a bed of greens.

If you want to make a lunch to impress or even a light dinner, this is the perfect wrap!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Baked Eggplant Sticks

Strips of eggplant, breaded and baked until golden and served with a quick marinara sauce. Serve these as a snack, appetizer or side dish. I'm making these tonight with an eggplant I bought at the farmer's market and figured I would revive the recipe from the archives. Enjoy!

I can vividly remember the day when my picky daughter, who was in middle school at the time, told me she liked eggplant.  

Eggplant? Really? She was eating dinner at a friend's and they were having breaded eggplant for dinner and she loved it. Kids are always more willing to try new food when they are eating over their friends'. I was delighted she liked a new vegetable and I made breaded eggplant for her at least once a month, only I baked them instead of making them fried.

Eggplant is probably not for everyone, but if you like eggplant, or want to try introducing them to your family and don't know how, this is a good place to start. There are many varieties of eggplant, Japanese eggplant is a bit sweeter and milder. If you have a farmer's market near you, you will find a lot of varieties is season right now.



Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chilled Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad

Chilled watermelon and chunks of cucumber are tossed with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, fresh mint and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It's that salty-sweet thing going on here that's so good – and will keep you cool as a cucumber during these dog days of summer.

This is the ONLY salad I want this week; temperatures are going to be in the high 90's all week long here in New York. During these sultry months, I usually make my watermelon salad with arugula, feta and red onion, but I loved this new combination with cucumber, mint and olives for an alternative, and a great way to use up any cucumbers you may have lying around.

You can double this to make a big bowl for a crowd, or cut it in half if you want to serve two. This makes a great side dish to grilled chicken, or seafood.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Albion Fit Give Away! What's your inspiration?

Inspiration. It's a big word. It can mean so many different things to different people. It can be a person, a place or a state of mind. What exactly does it mean to you? What do you aspire to be?  To do?
To become? We all have different goals, hopes, dreams and on the flip side, distractions, obstacles and difficulties. What is your inspiration? Your aspiration?


When you were a child maybe you dreamed of being picked first to play on the kickball (or tether ball in my case)  team. Maybe you wanted to be popular. Be fastest, strongest, have the coolest clothes. Maybe you hoped for unity in your family, peace in your life, consistency and security. Not to be picked on. To have a best friend. Did someone inspire you to want to become a dancer, a teacher, a writer,  a rock star ;)





Now that you are an adult your aspirations and goals most likely have changed. Maybe the are simpler, maybe they are more complex. Do you hope to pay off debt? Save for retirement? Be a more fit and healthier you. It's funny the things we worried about as a child, a teenager and young adult as apposed to what we worry about and dream of now. The things we took for granted then and what we hold near and dear now.


I suppose I took health and fitness for granted when I was a teenager. Well, more like I had no clue what being healthy and fit was at all. I thought that if I ate a can of Chef Boy R D (is that how you spell it?) for lunch and that was all  I ate that day then I was golden. All that mattered to me was not hitting 120lbs which was  not healthy for my 5' 7" frame.  {I had a boyfriend in the Marines who jokingly called me fat}


Then I started having kids..... and kept having them ;} I had my first son at age 19 and after that, the weight came off pretty easily. I actually had time to go to the gym and looking back I was in pretty good shape even though I weighed closer to 150lbs  instead of 120 and at the time thought I was fat. Looking back I was actually in great shape, again with the taking things for granted.



Fast forward 18 years later....... wow, 18 years... and tack on another 25-30 lbs. and a whole lot less energy and spunk and I have come to a point in my life where I am in desperation to get back into shape. To get into the very best shape of my life. That is my goal.

 I need it.

 Feeling good about myself again and being healthy for my kids is my inspiration. My drive. It keeps me sane.



What inspires me? My children's energy. My very energetic and triathlon loving younger sister, Rachel, my new group of friends doing the "Drop a Dress Size in 30 Days" program with me on Facebook. Going to Nordstrom Rack and trying on cute clothes and then refusing to buy them until I can look good in them. Boy am I saving money! ;}

What inspires me to actually get off my butt and work out? Well comfortable and cute work out clothes totally help! You've gotta look cute while working out right?  Right!

Albion's super cute tennis clothing reminds me that I've been telling myself for 2 years now that

 I want to start playing again!

 And their swim suits? ADORABLE! 

Lucky you, Albion Fit is giving away a $50 Gift Certificate to 

one lucky Simply Healthy Family fan!

Wooop!

To enter:
Only available to residents of the U.S. (sorry to my peeps abroad)
Can not have won an Albion Fit give away in the last 6 months.

Please visit Albion Fit and tell me what your favorite piece is.

Also, Albion Fit is offering $20 off any purchase of $50 or more for 
Simply Healthy Family readers!
Just use the code: simplyhealthy20 at checkout. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Savory Zucchini Asiago Tomato Scones

Light and biscuit-like savory scones made with a blend of whole wheat and white flour, shredded zucchini, sun dried tomato, Asiago cheese and fresh rosemary. Almost smells like pizza when it comes out of the oven!

I was at the farmer's market in Long Beach this past weekend and bought lots of zucchini and tomatoes. I also came across a stand selling savory scones, a concept I fell in love with. Rather than my usual scones that I make with fruit, these are made with seasonal summer ingredients – perfect for brunch, lunch or with dinner. Today I had a scone for lunch with a beautiful heirloom tomato salad from the tomatoes I bought over the weekend. I'm thinking the leftovers would be perfect for dinner tonight with my homemade tomato bisque using the rest of the tomatoes I have.

Scones are usually made with double the amount of butter, to lighten them I have been having great success replacing butter with whipped butter in my baked recipes which is a lighter since it's whipped. I also use half the amount of butter used in traditional scones, and adding the zucchini really helps give the scones lots of moisture. The scones come out tender and soft with lots of wonderful flavor.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Simply Obsessed Frozen Coconut Mango Pops

Frozen popsicles made with coconut milk and pureed mango, so good!!

We're having a heat wave here in New York. The kind of heat that you don't want to be outside, unless you're in a pool or sprinkler keeping you cool. I won't dare turn my oven on this week, even grilling is out of the question until things cool down.

But these ice pops... I'm obsessed!! I'm making these all summer long, I can't even begin to tell you how delicious they are. I don't think any of my other ice pops come close. And since so many of you asked about what popsicle mold I use, I linked the popsicle maker from Progressive available on Amazon here.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Almost Meatless Sloppy Joe's

It's been a long week. I just finished Day 6 of my Extreme workout program and I feel AMAZING! Tired and sore but also stronger and better. Even something as simple as bending down and putting in a load of laundry I could actually feel my shoulder and back muscles working. They do actually exist. Who knew? One day I might even find my ABS!





Independence Day was a fun day spent with my sister and her cute family. My 4 little nieces came over and we all swam and BBQ'd and then swam some more. Then we had a banana split party complete with cherries, star sprinkles, chopped walnuts, strawberries, chocolate fudge and of course lots of whip cream. I only had a couple of bites...... mostly banana, honestly.

Anyhooo, since I've been working out I've found myself hungry all of the time. Literally starving. I've been lifting weights and doing interval training and so my body is building lots of lean muscle which really revs up your metabolism. Good thing I planned ahead and had lots of healthy foods around like hummus and crudites, cottage cheese and fruit, nuts and lean cheeses and chicken and broccoli.



I have found myself craving meat for the very first time ever, well except for when I was pregnant with baby #2.  I still don't really like to sit and eat a big pile of meat however and would rather incorporate a small amount of it into my meals so it's more balanced with veggies and good carbs.

Summer Supper!

The finer you grate cabbage, the sweeter it is.
 I used bagged cabbage this time which isn't nearly as sweet.
Serve with baked sweet potato fries tossed very lightly with corn starch and flour. 

These sloppy joe's really hit the spot and the husband and kids loved them! The sauce was really the key and they tasted just like the original deal. Just a small amount of lean ground beef added that beef flavor instead of just tasting like beans, which I love but get bored with them sometimes.

These are really and truly a perfect weeknight meal, so stinking simple!

recipe adapted from Mark Bittman

• 
  
• SERVES  4      TIME   40 MINUTES TOTAL
• You Will Need:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces lean ground beef or ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup grated carrot (adds sweetness)
• 2-3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can low-sodium red beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 4 (2-ounce) whole-wheat sandwich rolls, split and toasted
• 4 (1/4-inch-thick) red onion slices, separated into rings
• shredded cabbage to top on sandwich
• 
  
• Putting it all together:
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and beef to pan; cook 5 minutes or until meat is browned and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to crumble beef.
•  Add carrot, chili powder, sugar, oregano, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes or until thickened and carrot is tender, stirring occasionally.
•  Partially mash 1 cup beans with a fork or potato masher. Add mashed beans and remaining whole beans to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Spoon 1 cup bean mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 1 red onion slice, shredded cabbage and top half of roll.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 405
• Fat: 14.4g
• Saturated fat: 3.2g
• Monounsaturated fat: 7.5g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.3g
• Protein: 19.4g
• Carbohydrate: 53.3g
• Fiber: 10.4g
• Cholesterol: 28mg
• Iron: 5.1mg
• Sodium: 633mg
• Calcium: 148mg

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Hope you all had a happy July 4th!! With zucchini season in full bloom, I thought I would revive this from the archives - one of my absolute favorites!! Enjoy!!

Summer zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with lean Italian sausage, then topped with marinara and cheese.

OMG! You guys are going to love these!

I've had this concept in my head for a while, but now that zucchini is in full season and my friend gave me some fresh from her garden, I put my idea to the test. The results were simply amazing, thumbs up all around, especially from my picky teen!

One boat fills me up, but you can enjoy two and still be in good shape. I love Polly-O part-skim mozzarella because it melts beautifully as you can see in the photo. I'm pretty picky about my Italian sausage, but I love al fresco's sweet Italian chicken sausage, you forget it's chicken while you eat it and it's 75% less fat that pork sausage, and it's gluten-free. Hope you enjoy.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Day 1 of "Drop a Dress Size Challenge" What I'm eating this week.

Day 1 of holding myself accountable. Day 1 of no more excuses. Day 1 to the new me. I'm excited and a little nervous I'll screw it up. Today I'm doing pretty good, I had my vegan chocolate Shakeology for breakfast which is pretty yummy and really hits the spot. I blend it up with almond milk and ice so it's more of a shake which I need to cool me off here in July in Phoenix. Even first thing in the morning it's hot, damn hot. I've had my coffee because there's just no way around that for me. I did have almond/coconut milk in it instead of my usual half and half. I've had a big glass of water, I plan on keeping a big glass of water next to me at all times, with a straw, you drink more with a straw.

However, it's 12:37 p.m. and I haven't worked out yet. I'm soooo not a morning person and I always find 47 other things that I 'need' to do in the mornings like making out a grocery list and weekly menu while sipping on my coffee. I need to work on that.

I did take my measurements which wasn't pretty. At all. It will be good to see the changes in my body as the weeks go by though and seeing those numbers were a huge eye opener! This is a 90 day challenge I'm doing with 8 other ladies and run by my long time blogging buddy Jennifer at The Fit Housewife, she's amazing!






So, here's what I'll be eating this week. It's important to have a healthy meal plan so there is no last minute "I guess we'll have to order a pizza" nights. I work 3 days this week, one day until 9:30p.m. So I have to accommodate for that.


Breakfasts:

Mostly Shakeology
On my days off from work, veggie scrambled eggs
On Saturday:

Healthy Eggs Benedict with Creamy Avocado Dill Sauce

Snacks: 

Fruit, berries, peaches & nectarines are in season

 Apples w Almond Butter

Veggies and Hummus

Crudites with goat cheese or Laughing Cow cheese

Lunch:

Tuna salad minus the mayo w radishes and celery on top of baby spinach

Grilled Chicken salad  Iced Tea

Turkey Roll ups w lettuce and red bell pepper  Iced Tea

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Miso Avocado "Butter"

Dinner:

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Caponata

Lighter Sesame Chicken w Broccoli

Zucchini Black Bean Chopped Salad w Yogurt Dill Sauce

Lentil Burgers with Smoked Gouda and Salad

Friday Night Pizza: Grilled Portobello

I've purged my pantry of my trigger foods, really only potato chips and stocked it with plenty of healthy foods and have made healthy grab and go snacks like my banana sunflower cookies from my previous post.

My Goal this Week:

No wine after dinner! ;}

The Best Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I set out to make a great tasting grilled portobello mushroom burger that even a meat lover would love. The mushrooms are marinated then grilled and topped with melted Swiss Cheese, grilled red onion,  tomatoes, spinach, and avocado – yum!!

The only thing my husband said would make these burgers better is adding bacon... maybe next time.
I wanted to give the mushrooms a meaty flavor, so I marinated them with balsamic, soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning. These were so good, perfect for meatless Mondays or any night of the week.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...