Healthy Dinner| Zoodles & Chicken Sausage

Working full time sometimes makes cooking dinner tough. When I am researching recipes, it seems as if all of the easy recipes are unhealthy. I am all for comfort meals here and there, but overall I try to cook healthy dinners. In this blog I am sharing an easy and healthy recipe that is perfect for busy nights!

In my house, we love home cooked meals. My husband and I almost always eat dinner together. On the nights that he gets home late I usually don’t cook or go to my parent’s house. Mike is my #1 taste taster and recipe critic. I always joke that his taste buds have come a long way since we started dating in college. These days he will try anything. Today I am sharing one of his hands down favorite and most requested meals.

​One of my go-to weeknight dinners is zoodles with chicken sausage and sundried tomatoes. It’s a quick and easy low-carb alternative for pasta. To save time on busy nights, remove the sausage from the casing and slice the tomatoes ahead of time. You can also find pre-made zoodles at the grocery store.  I find using the food processor to chop veggies is a great timesaver too. Prep and cook this meal in about 30 minutes, making 2-4 servings.

Ingredients

1 package of organic chicken sausage

5 cups spiraled zucchini (aka zoodles…they shrink, so the more the better!)​

1 cup sundried tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 medium yellow onion

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Directions

Remove chicken sausage from casing then brown over medium heat and break sausage into small pieces. I suggest using a sauté pan that is deeper than a regular frying pan.

While sausage is browning, slice sundried tomatoes into thin strips and chop onion. Once sausage is cooked transfer into a bowl. Using the same pan add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and sauté garlic and onions (5-7 mins) then add the tomatoes (medium/low heat). Sundried tomatoes tend to soak up a lot of oil, so add a bit more to the pan and cook until they soften (5 mins).

Next, add sausage back to the pan to blend flavors together (5-7 mins).

Finally, over medium/low heat add the zoodles to the pan and mix together. I prefer to keep the zoodles on the firm side (they can get very mushy), so I won’t let them cook for more than 10 minutes. If you’re like me and don’t have a very large sauté pan you will probably need to leave the zoodles in a bit longer and may want to add a lid.

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EASY Appetizer for Football Sunday!

With NFL playoffs this weekend, I thought it would be a good day to share a great game-day app. It’s one of the easiest appetizers I have ever made. You can prep most of the ingredients ahead of time which makes them perfect for parties. Pop them in the oven when your guests arrive and in 30 minutes you’ll have a great snack ready. to eat I actually made these one Christmas Eve and my family really liked them. Be warned – jalapenos can be very hot, so be mindful of the seeds. Heat is not for everyone. These so easy that you don’t really need to follow a recipe.  Here is super easy spin on loaded potato skins!

Need more game day ideas? Follow me on Pinterest!

Spicy Potato Skin Bites

Ingredients

4 Medium Size potatoes

4 Jalapeno Peppers

1-1.5 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4-5 Slices of Nitrate Free Bacon

Scallions

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Directions – The Prep

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice potatoes into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and place on baking sheet (note: do not slice potatoes ahead of time because they will turn brown (similar to an apple). I made this mistake and had to cut up more potatoes).

Slice japalenos into small rounds (keeping or discarding as many of the seeds as you like – the seeds hold the heat).

Use a kitchen scissor to cut the bacon into small bite sized pieces

Directions – The Assembly

Using a basting brush, VERY lightly spread olive oil on the top of each potato (the bacon will release oils). You just need enough oil to help the salt and pepper stick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper,

Place 1-2 jalapeno and bacon slices along with shredded cheddar on each potato.

Bake for about 30 minutes then top with fresh scallions.

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Wedding Planning: I Didn’t Plan for a Pre-Wedding Cold!

Four days before my wedding I woke up at 1am with a headache. It had been weeks since I slept through the night, so at first I didn’t think much of it and moved myself to the couch. I get head aches fairly often (tired, stressed, dehydrated). I took Tylenol, did a few yoga stretches, made herbal tea, sat on the couch and waited. It didn’t take too much longer for me to realize I had a sinus head/face ache…and I started to PANIC. I knew I was probably getting a cold, but how?! Almost a month before the wedding Mike and I started taking multivitamins. A week before the wedding we both started taking Zicam because we knew a few people with colds. Clearly, neither preventative pill helped me out. To make matters worse I also had a horrible pimple even though my skin was super clear for months.

I was supposed to work one more day before taking off for my wedding, but I knew if there was any day to take a hardcore sit-on-the-couch sick day, Tuesday was that day. I pretty much texted my boss,”SOS I’m sick. Say a prayer. See you in a week!” Never have I ever, tried SO hard to get rid of a cold. I drank endless amounts of water and Gatorade. I went to a salt therapy spa. I ordered the “Cold Buster Tea,” from Starbucks. EVERYTHING. But by Tuesday night I wasn’t feeling better and took myself to the walk-in clinic. The doctor actually said it was too soon to give me a clear diagnosis and she didn’t think I had a bacterial infection. Fortunately, she sympathized and want wanted to help me feel better in time for the big day. She gave me medicine to knock-out the sinus pressure and inflammation. I am so happy I went to the clinic because by Wednesday afternoon I felt SO much better.

I definitely think stress contributed to my pre-wedding cold and pimple. Overall, my skin is usually pretty clear. I had really focused on my skincare pre-wedding and was getting facials regularly. I was shocked when I woke up with one of the worst pimples ever, so I immediately made an appointment with my dermatologist. Although it’s not something you should do frequently, I got a cortisone injection which deflated my pimple within 24 hours. From what my doctor has told me and what I have read, frequent cortisone injections can cause damage to your skin’s texture and elasticity, so they’re really supposed to be used for emergency events…like a wedding!

Fortunately, by the end I the week I was feeling great for my wedding. It was the best day ever and I enjoyed every minute. If you wake up the week of your wedding with a cold, here are some tips that worked for me:

  1. Drink A LOT of water. I hate drinking water. If I can do it, you can do it!
  2. Rest! Take a sick day and actually relax.
  3. Visit a doctor. Even if you’re not huge on doctors or medicine your wedding is no time to mess around.
  4. Try a salt spa to help soothe your sinuses and relax. I definitely think it helped me sleep better.
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