Glazed Zucchini Lemon Loaf- Take 2

I'm Back!

Yes, I know, my last post was in Nov. 2016. 😲

But a lot has happened since then! My son is now almost 2, I have another little one on the way AND we moved back to California!!!! (I'm going to have to change my blog blurb hahaha).

Another big change is I am now a stay at home mama! This is a new adventure for me --my amazing husband worked part time and was a stay at home dad for over a year with our son-- but it has been such a wonderful experience to be with my son every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm exhausted, sometimes bored, and force us to get out every day for my own sanity but truly, seeing my son grow has been a gift. I'm not sure how long it will last but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

So since I have all this time on my hands (sarcasm my friends) I wanted to pick this food/health blogging thing back up.



So here goes:

Zucchini Lemon Loaf --Take 2.
You can read and make my first version HERE but this one was a little different so I thought I'd share.

Makes 1- 9x5 Loaf

Ingredients: 
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tbs lemon juice ( ~1/2 of a large lemon's juice squeezed)
1 cup grated zucchini - patted dry.

Lemon Glaze 
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
milk drops as needed ( to get desired consistency.) 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix your flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Wisk your applesauce, sugar and butter in a small bowl until well combined. Blend in eggs and lemon juice.
Fold your wet ingredients into your dry and add in the grated zucchini.
Gently and evenly pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45-60min until a knife comes out clean.
Let cool for 15 min out of pan.

Blend the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. If not liquid enough, add in a few splashes of milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Gently pour glaze over your cooled loaf and let sit for another 15-20 min.

Enjoy!

Store in a refrigerator for up to a week.

Turkey with Zucchini "Pasta"

So, have you seen those "make pasta from your veggies" machines? If not, Google them.

Some look really cool, others look like a gadget thought up on Star Trek.

But hey, neat idea.

For this dish however, I used the good ol' fashioned potato peeler. I didn't get uniform "noodles," but I did get thin cuts of zucchini that I sauteed in the pan to make a delicious base for my ground turkey and my husband's homemade awesome tomato sauce.

This dish can be whipped up in minutes and is super healthy, clean eating, paleo, and ready to be in your tummy.

Ingredients
makes ~2 servings
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 large zucchini
1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 
Cook and brown your ground turkey in a skillet. Season with some garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Take your zucchini and hold upright on a cutting board. Using your peeler, stroke from the top of the zucchini to the bottom in a quick motion to produce "strands". They should be thin.
In another skillet, heat a little olive oil on medium heat. Add in created zucchini noodles and saute them for about 2 min--until they are fragrant and beginning to get some brown spots on them. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder as desired.
Heat up you pasta sauce.

Now place your cooked zucchini noodles as the base of your dish, then top with ground turkey and pasta sauce.
Mix it all up, and enjoy!

Feel free to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese, or crumble some croutons on top; No need to worry about calories with this "pasta" dish.

Enjoy!!!!

Lemon Zucchini Chicken

I am not one who can have the same meals every single day.

 My husband sure can, but not me. 

I love variety, I love texture, I love taste, I LOVE FOOD. 

So this dish came out of my desire for a quick, protein packed lunch with a kick.


I really love the taste of lemon and chicken. One of my all time favorite Italian dishes is chicken piccata where it is infused with wine, lemon, and capers. 

However, this dish may not have battered chicken in a wine sauce but it does have quinoa--a new staple to my diet-- lemon, zucchini, and sauteed onions. 

So if your looking for a quick, clean eating, and filling dish give this a try 


Recipe adapted from The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients: 
5-6 oz chicken breast, cooked
1tbs  olive oil 
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tbs lemon juice 
1 zucchini, chopped 
1-2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste 
1/4 quinoa, cooked

Directions: 

Heat a skillet with oil on medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2-3 min, until onions start to turn clear. Add in chopped Zucchini and cook for 1 min, until tender.
Add in chicken and stir in seasoning. 
Add lemon juice and let cook for 2 min until everything is well heated and juices are combined. 

Remove from heat. 
Scoop out lemon chicken mixture and top over a bed of quinoa. 

 

ENJOY!!!!

Zucchini Blondies

"Blondies" are lighten-up brownies.

 Honestly, I prefer brownies 

because they're pretty much a gooey chocolate bar, 

but hey, 

anything that is sweet and in a "bar" form 

is fair game for my palate. 

Now these ones are like blondes who got a tan,

 because they are made with whole wheat flour. 

Plus they are healthier than the typical butter and sugar filled babes, 

I mean, 

bars,

 so take your sun-tanned "Blondie" and enjoy it in a bikini.

***Yes it is march, it's still snowing, and I am thinking about swim suit season--

Oh the life of a California girl stuck in the mid-west. (it's really not that bad, but I can dream!)***

Recipe adapted from Webicurean.com

Makes 15 bars

Ingredients: 

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tbs coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs water

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbs sugar

2 medium-small zucchini's, peeled and chopped

Directions: 

Preheat oven 350 F. 

Non-stick a 7x11 or 9" in pan. 

Whisk together applesauce, coconut oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth. 

Sift together flour, baking soda and powder, and salt together. 

Blend well together the wet mixture into dry. 

Fold zucchini into batter, it will be thick. 

Evenly pour mixture into pan and if desired, sprinkle 1-2 tbs of brown sugar on top. 

Bake for 25-30 min-or until knife comes out almost clean--you don't want to over bake it. 

Let cool for 10 min. 

Slice and serve. 

Enjoy!!!!

Nutritional Information

1 bar

120 cal  * 21 carbs * 3g fat (good fats!) * 3 g protein * 2g fiber

Zucchini Chips

Snacks are  very important to me. 

On my weight loss journey I learned the power of eating and eating often but in small portions; i.e. the snack.

I planned out an eating schedule that allowed me 2-3 snacks a day and found that I was less hungry, and more energized.

The schedule was, and pretty much still is, as follows:

7-8 am: Breakfast: Most important meal of the day!!!!
10-11 am- Snack
1-2 pm Lunch
3-4 pm Snack
6-7 pm Dinner
8-830- Snack/Dessert.

Now I am a person who loves variety, so I love finding new and creative snacks for myself to enjoy; and these are one of them!

They are sooo easy to make, hit that salty and cheesy crave spot, and, of course, are healthy!

So make a batch or make two to share!

Recipe adapted from Dashing Dish
Ingredients:
1 zucchini

1-2 egg white whites
2 tbs reduced fat Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbs bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Directions: 
Preheat oven 450 F.
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Place egg whites in a small bowl.
Mix together Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in another small bowl.
Slice Zucchini into small chips--the thinner the crisper.
Dip sliced zucchini in egg whites then bread mixture.
Place on lined baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray/olive oil.

Bake for 7 min. Flip chips, spray again and bake for another 7-9 min until a crisp golden brown.

Server warm.

ENJOY!!!!

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