Coconut Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Coconut Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins 

Tis' the season for an abundance of zucchini! Summer means zucchini overload, which is fine by me! My grandma gave me some zucchini from her garden this past weekend. I just happened to have all the ingredients to whip up some zucchini bread, and decided to put a little twist on it. If you follow my blog you know about my coconut obsession, so I opted to go in a sweet direction, adding coconut oil, shredded coconut, and some chocolate chips! At about 250 calories per muffin, this recipe is perfect for breakfast or a low-guilt dessert! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 medium zucchini, shredded squeezed and drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan and set aside. 

2. In large bowl whisk together both flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

3. In another bowl, mix together zucchini, sugars, oil, egg, and extracts. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Finally, mix in shredded coconut and chocolate chips. 

5. Spoon mixture evenly in to muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from tin. Enjoy!

Easy Weeknight Chicken Teriyaki

Easy Weeknight Chicken Teriyaki

Cooking a healthy dinner every night might be difficult for those of us who are super busy. Don't resort to greasy, fatty, high-calorie and low nutrition options at fast food restaurants! This recipe is perfect for a quick and healthy week night meal. This recipe is also a great dish for meal prepping. Just cook up a big pan and portion out for the rest of the week! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped in to bite-sized pieces

1 bag fresh or frozen stir-fry vegetable mix

1 small can water chestnuts

1 small can baby corn

1/2 bottle Teriyaki sauce

Sriracha chili sauce to taste

Directions:

1. In large fry pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add chicken breasts. Sautée until cook thoroughly, stirring every few minutes. 

2. Add vegetable mix, water chestnuts, and baby corn to pan. Drizzle with teriyaki sauce and mix well. Cover pan and let simmer about 7-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring every few minutes. 

3. Add sriracha sauce and additional teriyaki sauce if desired. Serve over rice or chow mein noodles.

4. If you're feeling fancy, garnish with sriracha drizzles and chopped green onion.

"Zoodles" with Avocado Cream Sauce

"Zoodles" with Avocado Cream Sauce

I'm so obsessed with zoodles! They are the perfect substitution for pasta, not to mention, low-cal, gluten free, and vegan! They are super easy to make using any julienne peeler or spiralizer! I got my Veggetti spiralizer for about $15 at Bed Bath & Beyond and I love it!

This recipe combines my love for avocado and my new Zoodle obsession! This recipe is super creamy even though it doesn't contain any dairy!

Note: If you have a more picky crowd (like my boyfriend) and don't care about the meat, dairy, and grains, use the sauce recipe and add it to whole wheat pasta. Also, you can top it with shrimp or chicken breasts and fresh-grated cheese! Yummy and still healthy!

Ingredients:

2-3 large zucchini, julienned

OR 2 cups whole wheat pasta 

2 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1/4 cup fresh basil + more for garnish 

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup almond milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Roma tomato, diced 

Non-vegan option: top with sautéed shrimp, grilled chicken breasts, or grated Parmesan 

Directions:

1. Sautée julienned zucchini in large fry pan with 1 tbsp olive oil until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain excess juices from pan. 

OR 

1. Boil pasta in water according to package. Cook until tender. Drain and rinse. 

2. In food processor, combine avocado, basil, garlic lemon juice and almond milk. Pulse until smooth. Add more almond milk if thinner consistency is desired. Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Toss warm zoodles/pasta with diced tomatoes and sauce. Garnish with fresh basil or other optional toppings. Enjoy!

Bruschetta "Zoodle" Pasta Salad

Bruschetta "Zoodle" Pasta Salad

Well, it's officially BBQ season here in Chicago! So excited for the nice summer weather! However, with the nice temperatures comes smaller outfits and bathing suits. Don't ruin your healthy eating in the summer! Here's a great side dish for grillin' season. This recipe is fresh, light, and low-cal! Also, it's vegetarian and gluten-free...BONUS!

Ingredients:

2-3 large zucchini

2 tbsp. olive oil (seasoned if possible)

1 Roma tomato, diced 

6 small marinated mozzarella balls, quartered

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. balsamic glaze/balsamic reduction

Directions:

1. Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler, cut zucchini in to thin, noodle-sized pieces. 

2. For soft, pasta-like zoodles, sautée zucchini in olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let chill, and stain excess juices before assembling salad.

3. For crisp zoodles, toss zucchini in 1 tbsp. oil. 

4. Add tomatoes, cheese, and basil to zoodles and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Drizzle salad with balsamic and garnish with basil leaves. Let chill atleast 30 min before serving. Enjoy!

Skinny Jalapeño Ranch

Skinny Jalapeño Ranch

Usually I am not a huge ranch fan. I know it is totally defying my Midwest roots to dislike the stuff, but I think it just makes everything else taste like ranch and I want to taste the other flavors. However, we have a wonderful Chicago pizza chain we like to order from when we feel like splurging and they have amazing jalapeño ranch. It completely changed my mind about ranch. I wanted to put it on everything. However, slathering veggies and chicken with fattening ranch kind of ruins the health incentive. So I found a way to lighten up this yummy dressing for all the flavor without the cals! I hope you love it as much as I do! 

Skinny Jalapeño Ranch

Ingredients:

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped (de-seeded if you want less spice)

1 7 oz. can sliced jalapeno peppers, juice drained

1 bottle light ranch

Directions:

1. In food processor or blender, add fresh and canned jalapeños. Blend until smooth consistency. 

2. Slowly add the light ranch, mixing every time, until well combined. 

3. Pour mixture in to jar or container and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!