Archives for posts with tag: zucchini

White Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

April 8, 2015 //
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I haven’t had a new recipe up since last week. Easter was on Sunday and I have two boys who have been sharing germs. My older one was sick at the end of last week and the baby started it on Sunday evening. With a 101 degree fever! He is still not feeling well. My poor little man. I also tried to get this up before 7am and that didn’t work out with him being sick. Then my 4 year old started in the Kindergarten Prep classroom at his school today. Big day!

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The baby had a Dr appointment immediately after that. Then he has been fussy (because he has a cold virus AND a stomach virus!!!) and my kitchen was filthy and needed a good once over. Now I am quick finishing this up while he tries to settle (unsuccessfully) for a nap. Poor sweet sick babe!

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I was wearing him while trying to get this meal started last night. He just wanted momma snuggles right around 4:30ish. Then he wasn’t settled in the wrap. Because he doesn’t feel well. Eventually I was able to get him to feel settled and dinner was under way. But it was already almost 5:30. This was a nice quick recipe I whipped up on the fly. It turned out nice and fresh and yummy tasting.

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White Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Lemon, juiced
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 1 tsp Mediterranean basil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 vine rip tomato, sliced thinly
  • 2 small zucchini
  • Fresh mozzarella, to taste, and sliced thinly
  • Volcano Rice 

Prepare rice according to package.

Preheat ove to 385

Combine olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and sea salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Slice chicken breast into thinner pieces lengthwise. I did this because I was on a time crunch for dinner. They cook a little faster. If you have time to cook them longer, you don’t have to thin them out.

Place in a square baking dish. Pour the olive oil combo over the chicken. Place tomato slices over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Time will increase if you did not thin out chicken.

Meanwhile, use a spiralizer on the zucchini. After the chicken as cooked for 20 minutes, add the zoodles around the edges of the chicken and then some on top of the tomatoes. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the zucchini begins to look tender.

Add the mozzarella on top of the chicken breasts and cook for another 5-7 minutes. So the cheese gets nice and melted.

Serve over the volcano rice! Drizzle a little extra vinegar over your bowl if desired.

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Categories Chicken, Recipes

Blood Orange Chicken

April 4, 2015 //
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I wanted to make something with chicken and veggies. I also wanted to use a new vinegar I recently purchased. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. My 4 year old really wanted pasta. This creation came from those three factors. I then started thinking about how gorgeous all the blood oranges I bought are. I am just in love with their color. They are truly beautiful.

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Blood Orange Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 blood oranges. One juiced. One cut into pieces and set aside.
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp O Ginger Rice Vinegar
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 small carrots, julienned
  • 1 zucchini, julienned
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, blood orange juice, lime juice, ginger rice vinegar, coriander, sea salt, and pepper. Cook chicken through. Add the honey and blood orange pieces. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and zucchini. Cook until the veggies are tender but still bright.

I served it over whole wheat spaghetti, but brown rice would be another great option. You can also sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over your bowl if you wanted a little kick.

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Categories Chicken, Recipes

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Bell Pepper with Lemon Balsamic Sauce

March 27, 2015 //
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Veggies veggies veggies. Vegetables are where it’s at for me. Not a day goes by where I don’t consume them. This recipe is one I adapted last second from another tried and true recipe of mine. I actually haven’t posted that one yet. I have shared it with other people personally. It is one of my meals that my mom is nuts over. Last night this twist turned out just as yummy. It was different, but delicious. It is always great to have more veggieful recipes in your arsenal.

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Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, and Red Pepper with a Lemon Balsamic Sauce

  • 1/2 medium eggplant, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pasta of choice for serving

Preheat oven to 425. Start water for pasta of choice. Combine all veggie ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well to combine and cover all pieces with olive oil. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, pour veggies on. Bake for 20-25 minutes. This will vary on the size of your diced pieces. Make sure they are tender and some have started to brown.

While veggies are roasting you can get pasta started.

Remove and scoop back into bowl, cover with foil and set aside.

Meanwhile for the dressing….

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 12 twists fresh black pepper
  • several handfuls of spinach
  • fresh chopped chives, to taste
  • fresh chopped basil, to taste
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • Feta

Heat the garlic and olive oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, balsamic vinegar, fresh pepper, and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Meanwhile, add the chives, basil, and pine nuts to the bowl of veggies you have set aside. Mix well. Once spinach is wilted, pour the sauce over the roasted veggies and mix well to combine. Scoop over cooked whole wheat pasta of your choice. Top with a dash of feta.

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Categories dinner, Reicpes

Red Meat Sauce

March 21, 2015 //
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Last night I wanted something simple and fast to whip up. We decided to go swimming around 5pm, which is often dinnertime in our home. We had a blast. I eventually had to get out of the pool because the baby was not napping and the monitor was going nuts. Jackson and Jason stayed swimming. I had Alex, who wanted to play and be by me in general. I kind of wanted to play too! Which I did. So simple it was. My meat sauce is the easiest!

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Red Meat Sauce for Pasta or Zoodles

  • 1lb white meat ground turkey
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning. I use this
  • Several handfuls of spinach, chopped
  • 1 Jar all natural pasta sauce. I use Mario Batali Tomato Basil Check out the ingredients. No junk is added. No added sugars. All natural ingredients. There are even carrots in it! So it is my go to pasta sauce.
  • Cooked pasta of your choice or zoodles. The boys had pasta I had zoodles.

Prepare a pot with boiling water for your pasta. Once boiling add your noodles and cook until al dente.

Heat garlic and olive oil in a large pan. Add the turkey. Begin to brown. Add the vinegar and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Continue to brown. Once all pieces look like they have begun to cook, add the spinach and again mix well. Let spinach wilt a bit. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Let sauce continue to simmer until your pasta is done.

Meanwhile if you are opting for zoodles, take 2 zucchinis (more if you are feeding more than one person with them) and spiralize them with your spiralizer. 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve the meal, sauté the zucchini in a drizzle of olive oil until the zoodles are tender.

Serve sauce over your noodle of choice!

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Rosemary Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini

March 20, 2015 //
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There are times where I just get a craving for rosemary. There is something about the scent and flavor of rosemary that I just have to have sometimes. This week was one of those times. If you are looking for a meal that is very light and fresh tasting this is it.

If I could eat rice every single day I would. Well, actually I kind of do, for lunch. But if I could eat it for dinner every day as well I would. I think my boys would most likely get a little sick of it. I had a craving for brown rice as well. This meal came out of those two wants.

Jackson loved this meal. He mentioned several times that it was a good dinner.

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Rosemary Chicken with Arugula and Zucchini

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cup up into pieces
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh finely chopped rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste (I added about 11 twists)
  • 1 large zucchini, zoodled I use this
  • Several handfuls of arugula, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Brown rice, cooked (optional)

In a large pan add the olive oil and garlic. Begin to cook garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken. Coat well with olive oil and garlic. Add the white wine vinegar, rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. Cook chicken through. Once chicken is cooked add the zoodles and lemon juice. Continue to cook for several more minutes until zoodles are tender. When zoodles are done add the arugula. Mix well. Turn off the heat and just let the remaining heat wilt the arugula.

Serve over prepared brown rice.

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Categories Chicken, dinner, Reicpes