Chocolate zucchini brownies

So I loved the taste of the "No flour/sugar banana muffins" so much, that I wanted to use it as a base for another muffin recipe. I had a huge beautiful zucchini and wanted to make zucchini bread, but instead we did chocolaty goodness with it :)

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

2 cups oats

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup honey

1 cup flax

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup yogurt

2 cups shredded zucchini 

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

chocolate chips

Shred your zucchini and make sure to squeeze out the water as much as possible! 

Spray a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners, preheat the over to 400.

Put the oats in a food processor and grind until fine but not powder. Add in the rest of the ingredients (minus the chocolate chips).

Mix until everything is incorporated and the banana cannot be seen as chunks.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin pans and top with your chocolate chips. Bake for 20-30min. Depending on how much liquid you left in the zucchini  you may need to bake them longer..do the toothpick test, if it comes out clean your good to go! 

I kept 6 out to eat during the week, and placed the other 6 into a freezer bag to take out later, that way nothing goes to waste!

(you may get more than 12)

No flour/sugar muffins!

Nothing in the recipe is "unnatural." nothing is processed and its all healthy which is a super big plus! And whats even better? The WHOLE family loved them :) It always makes my heart flutter when I know that my 4 year old is eating healthy but she thinks its a treat. 

I found this recipe off of pinterest but after making the original i took it, tweaked it, and made delicious breakfast brownies..the reason i say breakfast is because i only eat my carbs in the morning before working out. 

No Flour/Sugar 

Banana muffins

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

2 ripe bananas

1 cup non fat yogurt 

( I use fage for its low carb/high protein)

2 tbsp ground flax

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla or any flavor extract of your choice

chocolate chips, almonds, raisins

Spray a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners, preheat the over to 400.

Put the oats in a food processor and grind until fine but not powder. Add in the rest of the ingredients (minus the "toppings").

Mix until everything is incorporated and the banana cannot be seen as chunks.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin pans and top with your toppings. Bake for 18-20 min.

I kept 6 out to eat during the week, and placed the other 6 into a freezer bag to take out later, that way nothing goes to waste!

Flank steak roll up

I don't care what people have to say about red meat, I LOVE it, and I will NEVER stop eating it..rawr! This is a really good recipe, high in protein, low in carbs, and since its flank steak its not very fatty either.

Flank Steak Roll-Up

1 Flank steak 

1 pack frozen chopped spinach

1 small jar of marinated bell peppers
 (drained and chopped)

1/2 container of crumbled blue cheese
(you could sub in feta if wanted)

Olive oil

S&P

cooking twine

Lay your flank steak out on a cutting board, trim off any excess fat. Salt and Pepper it. Mix the spinach, bell peppers, and cheese in a small bowl. Then place the filling in the middle of the steak. Roll it up with the twine and tie it tight. I clearly need to practice this part :)

Bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour (depending on the size/how rare you like it). Let the meat rest for at least 5 min, slice and enjoy!

"Globe" squash Enchilada stacks

So I've seen this little beauty in numerous recipes all over pinterest, but I've never seen them in my grocery store..until today! I'm SO glad too. This squash really is versatile and has a faint taste so its great to sub into recipes calling for lasagna noodles or tortillas. In this recipe, I used it to make Enchilada stacks, and they were delicious. It had all the flavor as typical enchiladas but without the extra carbs, and one was filling enough with a side of "refried" black beans. 

With this recipe I also made my family a regular enchilada pie using the same ingredients but with tortillas instead of the squash, if your planning on just making say 4 stacks, half the recipe.

Enchilada Stacks

1.5 pounds lean ground beef (or turkey)

home made red enchilada sauce

Shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 Globe squash, thinly sliced

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

handful of olives

S & P

garlic powder

cayenne pepper

paprika

cumin

Cook the meat in a skillet over medium high heat along with the peppers and onions. Add in the spices to your liking. If your using extra lean meat there shouldn't be any fat to drain after cooking, if there is line a colander with paper towels and pour the meat in to drain. 

While this is cooking slice your squash really thin. 

I used three slices per stack.

Spoon in enough red sauce to cover the bottom of a small square pyrex dish. Place your first slices in the dish, spoon some of the meat mixture on top, a spoonful of sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.

 Repeat with the next layer. Top it off with more sauce, cheese, and olives if wanted.

Bake in the over at 350 for about 30 min until the cheese is melted and the squash looks wilted a bit.

My squash was still a little crunchy ( I cooked it for 20 min), but I didn't mind..it was soooo delicious!

Teriyaki glazed salmon

This, was super yummy. In fact I think seeing this picture makes me want to make it tonight for dinner :)

One of the best things about this dish is that its made in individual "tin foil" packets making clean up a breeze! You can put any sort of vegetable in the packet with the fish, we did broccoli since that's what we already had but I imagine snow peas, shredded carrots, and boc choy would also be super yummy.

Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

4 4oz. Salmon Fillets (skin removed)

1 tbsp Cornstarch

1 tbls brown sugar

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tbls minced ginger ( or garlic)

about 2 cups your choice of veggies 

Rip 4 pieces of tin foil big enough for the fish to be sealed in. Drizzle your fish with a bit of olive oil and some S&P.

Mix all the ingredients (minus the fish/veggies) in a bowl. 

Place the veggies first in the tin foil then place the fish on top, spoon over the sauce. The sauce is really good so don't hesitate to use it all up :). Fold up the foil to make a sort of tent, leaving room, not "smooshing" it flat but making sure its sealed.

Bake in the oven at 400 degress for about 15-20 min, until the salmon is flaking. 

Mushroom pizza bites

Pizza, whats not to love? 

I know the best part of the pizza to me is the crust, but lets face it, its also the worst. So if you want to have all the flavors of pizza without the guilt this should work ( I have another recipe i'm wanting to try with my oopsie bread too)! I wasn't a big fan of the cauliflower "pizza" crust and way prefer this.

Super simple, and way low carb. You can use whatever toppings you'd like, I did a combination version.

My daughter made regular french bread pizza too for herself and daddy :)

Mushroom Pizza Bites

3 mini portobella mushrooms

1 small can of tomato sauce

Turkey Pepperoni

Chopped bell pepper

Chopped onion

Cooked Italian sausage (crumble)

Shredded cheese

Olives

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the steam. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them and some S&P. Spoon in pizza sauce and gently press in a couple pieces of pepperoni into the space. Pile on the rest of the toppings and back for 10-15 min at 350.

Viola! 

Sloppy Squash

Sloppy Joes are a comfort food in my household. The sauce though isn't so health friendly so I went on the hunt for a good recipe that could pass the test. It was SO easy and so awesome knowing that you can make this from scratch and add in way more veggies to make it even healthier!

1 pack lean ground turkey

2 cups of water

1/2 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cup all natural ketchup 

(look for low sodium and low sugar)

2 tbls brown sugar

1 tbls mustard

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste (if wanted)

Brown the meat and the onions together in a pan (about 10 min). Add in the bell peppers and garlic till the bell peppers are soft ( about 3 min). Mix in 1 cup of water and scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits of flavor that may be stuck. Add in the remaining ingredients and 1 cup of water, bring it back to a simmer- stirring occasionally until the mix thickens to your liking. We cooked it for about 15 min on low and we like it saucy! If you like it thick and less saucy let it cook longer.

We will never by a can of sloppy joe mix again. I served mine over some spaghetti squash with a little sprinkle of cheese. Delicious!