Zoodles? What are they? They are noodles made out of zucchini and they are a delicious low-carb swap for regular pasta. If you haven’t tried them, this week’s recipes are your chance! You can make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer, vegetable peeler, julienne peeler, or buy them spiralized in some grocery stores’ produce section. They are loaded with flavor, vitamins/minerals, and fiber and low in calories and carbohydrates so they are great for dinner especially when eating for weight loss goals! Enjoy!
Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto and Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large zucchini, spiralized (or buy spiralized zucchini noodles)
- 2 ripe avocados
- juice from ½ lemon
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound chicken thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil [to cook chicken]
DIRECTIONS
- Using a spiralizer or mandolin, spiralize your zucchini. Set aside.
- For the sauce: in a food processor add avocados, lemon juice, cashews, basil, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Run the food processor until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is finely chopped.
- Next, while the food processor is running, add in ¼ cup olive oil and run until your pesto is thick and creamy. You may need to stop the food processor and wipe down the sides with a spatula to make sure all ingredients are well combined.
- For the chicken: add 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and season with sea salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.
- To combine dish, add zucchini noodles and pesto to skillet with chicken and stir to combine all ingredients and heat the dish through [this should only take a minute or 2]. Be sure not to cook the zucchini noodles too long or they will become mushy.
From nutritiouslyrooted.com
4 ingredient Garlic Chicken Zoodles
Ingredients
-2 medium chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
-3 zucchini spiralized
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
-salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Heat a large heavy-duty pan to medium/high heat. Add olive oil and minced garlic. Cook garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
2. Add chicken, red pepper flakes and salt & pepper. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
3. Toss in spiralized zoodles and cook for 1 minute then turn off heat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.
From gimmedelicious.com
Challenge of the Week: Cardio change-up! This week try a new form of cardio. Swap out your treadmill for a group class at your gym or video/show on your home tv or youtube. Grab a jump, visit a nearby track, or go for a bike ride with a friend instead of your class. Do something different to challenge your brain and body differently!
Kay Simms, MS, HFI, CSCS