Zany for Zoodles!!

I'm a carb lover, and a pasta lover.  As I've been slowly trying to replace "bad" carbs with "good" carbs, my pasta has become an occasional treat vs. a once-a-week meal staple.  A while back I saw a quote from Cindy Crawford about how these days a bowl of pasta is viewed the same as a giant ice cream sundae now!  That helped change my view on the effects of refined pasta on our bodies. 

So a while back I invested (ok, they're actually pretty inexpensive) in a zoodle maker.  It's really simple to use, but I followed a bad Pinterest recipe on how to prepare the zoodles and it was a raging disaster.  As a result it's been MONTHS since I've made them again.  Like, they were so bad I had to choke them down and gave up after a few bites. 

Well I tried a recipe from Fixate for turkey meatballs and wanted to attempt zoodles again.  This time it worked really well!  You've got to try this as an alternative.  Here are a few options!

Making the Zoodle noodles:
- Get one medium sized zucchini per person
- Cut both ends off the zucchini
- Using a spiralizer (similar to this one), attach the holder onto one end of the zucchini and insert the other end into the spiralizer.
- Twist the zucchini stick in the spiralizer, catching the resulting "noodles" in a bowl.

Boiled Zoodles:
- Fill a small sauce pan about half full of cold water.
- Over medium heat, heat the water to a boil
- Once boiling, add the zoodles to the water
- Watch carefully and stir occasionally.  Boil for about 2-4 minutes or until slightly softened.
- Drain the water in a strainer and move the zoodles to a bowl.
- Add your toppings and enjoy!

Sautéed Zoodles:
- Heat 2 tsp of EVOO in a skillet
- Add 1 clove of pressed garlic
- Add the zoodles and stir frequently for 3-4 minutes
- Add salt and seasoning to taste
- Remove from heat; add your toppings and enjoy!

Why Shakeology is the BEST!

As I've mentioned before, I never thought I'd be a shake person.  I just didn't get it!  It seemed like an odd thing to drink your calories, I wasn't into protein, and $129 felt like a lot of money.

Oh wow, then I tried it because as an exhausted mama working full time, I NEEDED energy like no other.  After only a few days I UNDERSTOOD the value.  How often do you drop $129 on groceries, a meal out, a pair of jeans, a new golf club, whatever your splurges are, without even thinking??

So why have I committed to making one of these shakes every day?

✅ energy!!! If I can't siphon my kids extra energy then I need to find a healthy way to keep up with the kiddos
✅ I have a serious sweet tooth, especially in the morning. This is only 150 calories (or about 290 with the stuff I add). And having my nutrition in line cuts my cravings. Seriously!
✅ my nutrition is better than ever. I can focus on eating what my body needs vs what my brain wants. 
✅it takes <2 min to make
✅ my kids love it and I know they're getting something good in their belly every day
✅ so many super foods, vitamins, plus protein. I wasn't and can't get all this in on my own.
✅ <$4/day, or <$3/day as a coach. A bag of candy costs that. A meal at chipotle is 3x that. Heck a coffee at Starbucks costs more too! I could keep going but won't. When you're buying a whole month of meals at once it sounds like a lot but it really isn't when you see what you save me how you feel.

You won't regret this. And if you want to save money on it ask me about how to sign up for a discount!  It's super easy to be a discount coach.  There's no obligation, plus we have a super-fun coach group, you get access to more personal development to dig into the root of your challenges, and there is so much opportunity!  AND you get MY pricing and discounts!!

Homemade Healthy Baked Beans

So as I've mentioned *many* times before my son is a terrible, picky eater.  BUT he loves baked beans.  After reading recently how horrible they are for you (hello sugar!  hello - reason why he loves them!) I became determined to find a healthy version that I could make.  No, it's not as fast and convenient as popping open a can of Busch's baked beans and microwaving them for 2 minutes, but you'll do about anything to make sure your kids have a chance to be healthy and safe! 

So this recipe came from someone online a while ago, and says it's adapted from the Country Heat nutrition plan.  Unfortunately I didn't save the link (face smack) and googling it didn't help me.  So here it is below retyped, but note I did NOT come up with this on my own. 

Healthy Baked Beans

Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauced, no sugar added  - *note: I used 1 15 oz. can instead
1T Worcestershire sauce
1tsp Dijon mustard
3T pure maple syrup
2 cans (15oz each) cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
sea salt to taste

Directions:

• preheat oven to 325F
• Heat oil in ovenproof medium saucepan (*note: I used a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat
• Add onion, cook and stir frequently for 4-6 minutes or until onion is translucent
• Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, syrup, and beans.  Season with salt, cook stirring frequently, over medium-low heat for 5 minutes
• Place pan in the oven uncovered; bake for 45-50 minutes or until sauce is thick

Roasted Zucchini

I'm not usually big on roasting my veggies.  I prefer them raw and crunchy.  But I decided to try roasting them one night recently, and wow it turned out well!  Even my husband who kind of grudgingly eats veggies said they were good! 

Directions:
- Slice zucchini into 1/4" wide slices
- Toss in EVOO and a seasoning of your choice
- Heat oven to 400F
- Lay zucchini slices on tin foil
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly browned

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Grilled Corn

Being from Iowa, we LOVE corn!  I was so excited to see Hy-Vee carrying it already.  My goal is to get us as dairy-free as possible (or me, really, the kids still need milk) so I decided to try something different.  OMG it was so delicious we all wished I'd bought more corn! 

Ingredients:
- Corn
- extra virgin olive oil
- seasoning of your choice (I used Wildtree's scampi blend)

Directions:
- Husk and wash corn
- Place corn on a plate and lightly drizzle with EVOO. 
- Lightly sprinkle your choice of seasoning on the corn
- Roll the corn around until it's evenly dispersed.
- Grill at about 350-400 for about 10-15 minutes, using a tongs to roll the corn every few minutes so it's evenly cooked.
- Remove from the grill and enjoy!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wrap/Salad

Now I've done different versions of lettuce wraps.  This one includes green apple, and since I love apples I had to give it a whirl!  I totally forgot to save the big lettuce leaves and chopped all my lettuce (whoops - got on a roll while food prepping!) and ended up eating it on salad.  Even several days later my mom and I ate it heated up and she raved about it! 

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 1½ tsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper
  

Filling:

• 2 tsp. EVOO
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 cups diced peppers and grated carrots
  
• ½ green apple, finely chopped

Directions:

• Cook the ground turkey through
• Once cooked, drain and return to the pan. 
• Add the spices and veggies, along with 1/4C water if needed
• Cook until headed through
• Add prepared sauce and warm
• Serve either over a lettuce salad or in large leaves of lettuce

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Shakeology Tips

Anytime you try something new, it can take a while to perfect it.  For example, when you first got on a bike did you just take off down the street?  Or did you learn on training wheels first?  I've found that mastering the perfect shake is similar.  It took me a few weeks of testing different ingredients and amounts to find the texture and volume that was perfect for me.  I have to always make a little extra for the kids, so I learned that I need to add some water and extra ice.

Personally, I like my shakes thick and creamy.  It tastes like a DQ shake or Wendy's Frosty that way.  The tip to getting them to taste like that is:

- 1/2 frozen banana (I cut them into slices and freeze each half in a little container)
- 1C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 3/4 shaker cup of ice
- 1 scoop Shakeology
- Blend until smooth in a blender.  You can use a large one or a single-serve blender.

Now you can add other fruit, nut butters, extracts, or veggies to change the flavor.  But in order to get the perfect texture follow the directions above!  Hope this helps those who are just starting on their Shakeology journey!