Zoodles and Meatballs (zucchini noodles)

 

The weather is changing, and I kind of like it. I'm looking forward cooler weather, but I'm not quite ready for zucchini season to end – we've been eating "zoodles" all summer long!

This is sorta a two part recipe, I made a pot of my Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs at my toddler's request but rather than eating mine with pasta, I served it over zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a lighter low-carb alternative (perfect for using up zucchini from your garden).

A good rule of thumb is one medium zucchini per person, since you lose some when you cut them and the shrink a bit when they cook. To cut them I used my OXO mandolin with my julienne blade and I stop right about when I get to the seeds, then I rotate and slice. A word of advice, please be careful when using a mandolin, the blades are VERY sharp.

You can also use a spiralizer instead to make them more spaghetti-like. I'm going to be making these as much as I can as long as I can find zucchini at my local farmer's market!


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Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas

Cheesy meatless enchiladas filled with zucchini and cheese, topped with my homemade enchilada sauce –so delicious whether you are vegetarian or not.

While zucchini is still in season, I'm sharing this recipe from the archives. You all know how much I love enchiladas, well these zucchini enchiladas are huge and filling, and one of my favorite meals in the summer. Perfect topped with chopped cilantro, scallions or jalapeños.

For more enchiladas recipes try; chicken enchiladas, chicken and white bean enchiladas with salsa verde, and turkey and black bean enchiladas. This meatless recipe is also a favorite, and since it has no meat I can splurge a little more on the cheese –yum!

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Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

This creamy, rich tasting tomato soup is made in the slow cooker, with tomatoes, herbs, milk and Pecorino Romano cheese, plus the cheese rind for an added flavor boost.

Last night for dinner, we had a big bowl of this soup with some grilled garlic bread and a simple garden salad. For lunch, I usually like to have a small cup with a half sandwich (whole wheat grilled cheese – yum!).

Thanks to my parents, I'm real picky when it comes to soup. I grew up in home where we had homemade soup practically every night. Almost always dinner usually started a meal with a bowl of soup (not something I was always happy about as a kid) but I always loved when mom made her tomato soup.

Her recipes are usually more labor intensive than mine, I much prefer quick and easy. This slow cooked tomato soup, comes pretty close to her original, without all the extra work.  I always cook my vegetables on the stove, I think it gives you the best tasting results. You can do this the night before to save time in the morning. What really makes the soup over the top in my opinion, is the cheese rind (you toss it after the soup is done). I always freeze them after I use up my cheese, just to make soups, but don't worry if you don't have one the soup will still turn out fine.

You can also make this on the stove top: just simmer it in a big pot on low for about 1 1/ 2- 2 hours. If you want to use fresh garden plum tomatoes, as I often do in the summer when I need to use them up, I just blanch them in a big pot of boiling water until the skins crack, then remove them and peel the skins off.

This soup freezes well, so don't worry if this makes too much, you can make it and freeze it in small containers for quick meals on busy weeknights.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Banana Split Bars

The heart-healthy power bars have all the ingredients one might have on a banana split: made with quinoa, rolled oats, dried cherries, nuts and honey plus antioxidants from the cinnamon and chocolate – and they taste good too!

I got a copy of the Power Hungry: The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook and couldn't decide which recipe I wanted to make first, they all look so good. Such a fun book, I asked them if they wanted to give some away to my fans and they said YES! So, three lucky winners will have a chance to win this cookbook, with loads of recipes for protein bars, granola bars, endurance bars, and even knock-offs of many store bought bars like Luna bars, Clif bars, and Kind bars to name a few. All the recipes are healthy, easy to make and use all natural ingredients. For a chance to win, visit Skinny Bits and leave a comment there.

These make a great snack, perfect to pack in your lunch bag, or great for powering up a workout or post-workout. While these bars weren't a big hit with my picky 3 year old, I thought these were tasty (I think she'll love the chocolate chip protein cookies). For variations of this, you can make a Maple Blueberry Bar, swapping out the cherries and honey for maple syrup and dried blueberries, or she suggests a Peanut Chocolate Banana Bar omitting the cinnamon and cherries and adding 2/3 cup of dry roasted peanuts in place of the walnuts.

To store, wrap them individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months, keeping them airtight. 

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Tomato and Zucchini Frittata

 

Garden tomatoes, summer zucchini, and Asiago cheese make a scrumptious frittata that highlights the end of summer's bounty.

Summer tomatoes are abundant and delicious right now – my garden is overflowing with them! I've been enjoying them in salads and quick garden sauces, over grilled flank steak, and in my egg sandwiches. But today I wanted to make something different, using up some zucchini that I bought at the farmer's market this weekend and I came up with this delicious frittata.

What I love about frittatas is that you can enjoy them for any meal and they are so inexpensive to make. Today's leftovers from lunch are going to be tomorrow's breakfast. Perfect for meatless mondays, gluten free, clean eating and low carb diets.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Sweet and Smokey Slow Cooked Garbanzo Beans on Flax Seed Crepes and a Set of Spices and Flavored Salt from Gourmet Nut Give Away!

Nothing beats a slow cooked dish that makes your mouth water from the sweet and smokey flavors wafting through your home all day. And when the flavors have soaked into your slowly cooked chicken and garbanzo beans and you can finally spoon the contents from your slow cooker and place them in a super healthy, simple home made wrap, you are basically giddy with joy. Pure bliss I tell you.

Sure you could throw the onion into the slow cooker and cook it all day with the rest of the stuff, but I have a strange affection for searing my onions until they are beautifully browned.  I could eat them by the spoonful that way.

The fine people from Gourmet Nut sent me a nice goodie box filled with their trail mixes, power snacks  and some pink and smoked sea salts to try. They also sent me some of their different spices/rubs to hang out with. We were more than eager to try out the Coffee Steak Rub on our T-Bones and I massaged my fillet Mignon with the Sweet and Smokey Steak Rub.


Mouth watering, sweet Heaven coming from our grill.



I was quickly addicted to the Sweet and Smokey rub and had to come up with a weekday dish other than steak which we only eat on rare occasion. So when I saw these tacos using smoked paprika over at Family Style Food I immediately knew what I had to do.

Crazy simple and insanely delicious, even picky eaters 2 and 4 loved these!  You can easily make these vegetarian/vegan by omitting the chicken but I knew my little guys would be more willing to eat them with just a bit of chicken in them.

Gourmet Nut is going to give away a Set of their spices and flavored salts to not one but THREE lucky Simply Healthy Family readers!

Please visit Gourmet Nut and tell me which spices or salts are your fav and what you would make with them! This isn't mandatory but I am interested at all of the possibilities with their range of 

salts and spices!

serves    6          Time |   prep  15   cook  8 hours    

ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped white onion

½-1 of a jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed, minced

1 1/2 cups dry garbanzo beans 

2 chicken thighs, bone in

4 cups chicken broth, veggie broth or water

1 tablespoon Gourmet Nut Sweet and Smokey steak rub

1 teaspoon salt

Optional Garnishes:

cilantro

avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 ripe tomato, sliced

Arugula greens

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

instructions

1. rinse and drain dried garbanzo beans. soak garbanzo beans overnight in plenty of water, this step is important.
2. in the morning drain the garbanzo beans and add to your slow cooker along with broth or water, salt and sweet and smokey spice. add bone in chicken thighs. cook on low setting for 8-10 hours till beans are soft. do not lift lid during this time.
3. make tortillas, recipe below.
4. when beans are done, sauté onion in olive oil over high heat till browned, add jalapeno and cook 2 more minutes.
5. Using a fork, shred the chicken off the bone and stir into beans, discard bones and skin.
6. spoon mixture onto tortillas, top with onion and garnishes.

notes: This is easily converted to a vegetarian meal by omitting the chicken. Also, in a pinch you can use canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)

Recipe adapted from  Wheat Belly Cookbook

MAKES   4 wraps       time   15 minutes

Flax seed Wraps

1/3 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs

1. In a small bowl, mix together the flax meal, baking powder, onion powder, paprika and salt. Stir in coconut oil. Beat in the water and eggs until blended.
2. Heat a small, non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Add a bit of oil to lightly coat the pan. Pour in a small amount of the batter to just thinly coat the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles form on the top and you can easily get a rubber spatula under the wrap. 
3. Carefully, flip the wrap over using a rubber spatula. Cook and additional minute. Remove from heat, repeat. 

notes: I suggest making a big batch of these and refrigerating or freezing them. They will keep in the fridge for several days and can be used in place of tortillas or as a sandwich wrap. 

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Grilled Stone Fruit Salad with Honey Goat Cheese Dressing

Grilled peaches and plums served over baby greens with walnuts and a sweet honey goat cheese dressing, this salad is light and delicious utilizing some of my favorite summer fruits.

While I hate to think of summer as having an expiration date, the fact that it’s coming close to the end has me savoring every last moment. I'm a little excited about the change of seasons, but I always mourn the end of summer. So I'm trying to enjoy every last bit of summer’s bounty.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Agua De Sandia (Watermelon Water)

Can't think of anything more thirst quenching that this on a hot summer day like today – chilled watermelon pureed with water, a squeeze of lime juice over a large glass of ice. Agua fresca is as common in Mexico as ice tea is here in the States. And BONUS, since watermelon is naturally sweet, there's no need to add any sugar!

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene and a great choice for it's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits, so eat as much as you can, before the summer's over.

Last weekend I spent a few days out in Montauk for a little family getaway. It's only about 2 hours away by car (if you don't count traffic) but since it's on the most eastern tip of Long Island, where all the highways from NYC merge into one road, there's always traffic. It's worth it though – the beaches, lighthouse, restaurants, shopping  – it's so much fun!

After a morning at the beach we went to the town to grab some lunch at La Brisa. Aguas frescas, horchata, fish tacos – I was in heaven. Probably had the best ceviche I've had in a long time (although a bit overpriced) but I couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. I had a fish taco and pork taco with the watermelon agua fresca. As I sat there, I kept thinking I can't believe I don't have this recipe on my blog. So of course, I came back, bought some watermelon and here it is, tasted exactly like the one I had in La Brisa.

And you may even want to make some skinny fish taco's to go with it!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Matcha Green Tea Shots

These healthy energy shots give you a BLAST of antioxidants, the perfect afternoon pick-me-up for a healthy Happy Hour!

I'm in love with Matcha, not just because of the antioxidants, or because it has two amino acids (theophylline and L-theanine) which have both an energizing and calming effect (which explains why Buddhist monks have been drinking Matcha for centuries!)

I really just love the taste of Matcha, more than I enjoy drinking a regular cup of green tea. Because it's a fine powder form of the tea leaf, it quickly dissolves in anything you put it in, hot or cold, so if I want to drink it cold, I just mix it in – no heating required!

This is so easy, and takes just 1 minute to make. I combine sweetened vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk and Matcha powder – then shake, shake, shake! That's it! You could even use unsweetened almond milk and a few drops of stevia.

For a quick afternoon pick me up, rather than reaching for a cup of coffee (which I prefer to drink in the mornings) I go for Matcha instead. It's the perfect pick me up without the jitters.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chiarezza Parfait and a giveaway!

More often than not these days I have negative zero interest in preparing breakfast at all, especially one that takes any sort of preparation. I've been sticking to my Shakeology concoctions on the days I work but like a variety in my diet and a sit down breakfast on my days off.






Chiarezza sent me some of their cereals to review and I couldn't be more impressed. Not only was it delicious, it's as simple to prepare as heating some of my almond vanilla milk, pouring a bit of the cereal into the bowl, stir, wait, eat. Perfect.


The bits of Organic dried fruit gave it the perfect amount of sweetness and the texture was surprisingly thick and creamy. Chia seeds expand the longer you let them sit in liquid and so the consistency is up to you. Any liquid will do, water or your favorite milk product. I like coconut milk, almond milk and hemp milk.

Add some fresh fruit and you have a beautiful and healthy breakfast to fuel you for hours.

A completely revolutionary way to have cereal, Chiarezza’s all Organic cereal is an exceptional way to start your day. It is free of so many unnecessary filler ingredients. After you eat this, you’ll never go back to eating “regular old” cereal again.

The base is made from all Organic dried fruits and seeds so you start your day like a Superstar without crashing like yesterday’s one hit wonder.

Chiarezza is giving away a full size bag of their Forbidden Fruit cereal to one lucky

Simply Healthy Family fan. 

You can eat this completely raw by adding cold water, or you can add hot water or milk (whichever kind you like). Each pouch contains 8 servings. If you’re wondering how that can be, it’s because the ingredients are filling and powerful. The chia seeds will expand and it’s ready in 5-7 minutes after adding liquid.

Raw. Wheat Free. Dairy Free. Tree nut free. Peanut free. Dairy Free. Egg. Free. Soy Free.

Ingredients: Organic chia seeds, organic hemp seeds, organic mango, organic buckwheat, organic banana flakes, organic goji berries. 

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Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa

Grilled chicken breast, seasoned with cumin and spices and topped with a fresh salsa made with sweet mango, protein-rich black beans and lots of lime and cilantro for flavor.

Let's face it, grilled chicken can be pretty boring, but not if you serve it with this zesty salsa. You may want to even make this salsa on it's own, it makes a fantastic dip if you serve it with chips – seriously good! Sometimes, I even throw in some diced avocado – yum!

This is perfect to make for a weeknight dinner, it's quick and light, high in fiber, protein, and gluten-free.
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Zucchini Pizza Bites

This recipe is an oldie, but goodie! I had a big zucchini that needed using up and I was sooo in the mood for these yummy (and guiltless) zucchini pizza bites!! A perfect way to use up all the zucchini in your garden and satisfy your craving for pizza in a low-carb way.

I make these all the time, sometimes for lunch or as snack. Even my husband thinks they are pretty darn good! They also happen to be gluten-free, and perfect for meatless Mondays. Of course, you could add some leftover sausage, pepperoni, basil, or whatever you like on your pizza. If you haven't tried these yet, they are a must while zucchini is in season!

Note: My zucchini was very large, if your zucchini is smaller, you can cut them on an angle for large ovals.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chocolate Espresso Kahlua Cake

Disclaimer: This is not a healthy recipe. This is a died and gone to heaven, lick your plate clean, roll your eyes to the back of your head amazingly good chocolate cake recipe. 


Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved cake. However, not just any ordinary cake would do. Only the most decadent, moist and  sinfully  rich chocolate cake would please this girl. Only a chocolate cake that had notes of espresso in every bite and left a lingering of Kahlua liqueur on her lips.  Oh yes.  This was not any ordinary girl nor should she have any ordinary chocolate cake.

This was........

The Birthday Girl !!!

 Moi. Yours truly. Not telling you how old I am but I will say that sometime in the last few years I have gone from people telling me  "You're just a baby"  to  "Oh! Well you look good for your age." Which is almost as much of a compliment as when I get the "OH! Well you look good for having 4 children."

sigh.

This birthday girl didn't ask for diamonds or pearls, she didn't want a big birthday bash nor did she did ask for a trip to Spain (o.k. maybe I did, but I didn't expect it, just have to throw it out there).   

What she did make  perfectly  loud and clear was.................. 

Let there be cake! Kahlua Cake!

Chocolate, Espresso, Beautiful Kahlua Cake.

The End.

Did I mention that I look forward to this cake starting in early May and start talking about it in early June?

I had the props ready to go in early July.

My Birthday is August 1st.  What?

Apparently it was my "Blog Birthday" as well. Simply Healthy Family turned 4 last week. 

That calls for another piece of cake if you ask me!

Thanks for making me the best cake ever (again) mommy! xoxo

Happy Dance!

"It's my birthday, let's party, with Kahlua!"

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup strong coffee, divided
3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup Kahlua

Frosting Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Kahlua
3 Tablespoons hot coffee
(reserved coffee)


Directions for cake:

Make 1 cup strong coffee and refrigerate overnight.  Grease and flour 2 (9") round cake pans. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat egg whites until frothy; beat in sugar until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy.  Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together in small bowl.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with 3/4 cup cold coffee and the Kahlua (reserve remaining coffee for frosting).  Fold in the egg whites & sugar mixture till just combined. Don't over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until done (when toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean).  

Cool 10 minutes, invert onto wire rack and cool before frosting.

Directions for frosting:

In large bowl, cream 6 Tablespoons softened butter with 1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.  Add in the 3 T Kahlua and 2-3 Tablespoons of the reserved coffee (heated); beat until smooth.  

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage

A fun twist on eggplant parmesan - these eggplant "boats" are hollowed out and stuffed with sweet Italian chicken sausage and tomato sauce, then topped with melted mozzarella – Oh ma gaaaa!

I've been dreaming up this recipe since last year when I created my Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats. If you love eggplant parmesan these are going to knock your socks off! My husband loved these even more than the zucchini actually, but he's also more of an eggplant guy. I thought these were fabulous, you gotta give them a try!

I picked up some white eggplant at the farmer's market because they looked like the perfect size to make these boats. You could use any variety as long as they aren't too large. The pulp that gets scooped out goes right back into the stuffing so nothing gets wasted. One boat is a complete meal and super filling, you can serve it with a side salad if you have the room!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skillet Mexican Zucchini

This zucchini is incredibly delicious with a little bit of a Mexican kick from the jalapeno then topped with melted queso blanco. It's also easy and quick, a must try!

I'm a bit of a cookbook addict. It's a problem as I'm running out of room in my home for all my books, but that never stops me from buying new ones. But the biggest problem is that I kinda neglect them. But this weekend I was thumbing through the Aaron Sanchez's (who is one of the judges on Chopped - one of my favorite shows) cookbook Simple Food, Big Flavor who is also one of the judges on Chopped (one of my favorite shows) and I came across his Mexican recipe for zucchini. I can't get enough of zucchini in the summer, in fact I have an entire Pinterest Board devoted to skinny zucchini called Yummy Zucchini, so I decided to test this out...

You MUST try this! I only made a few tweaks using less oil, and and rather than making a cilantro pesto, I added Garden Gourmet cilantro paste and minced pickled jalapeno for kick. It totally exceeded my expectations.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...