Smokey Squash Casserole

What you need...
3 large yellow squash
3-4 medium zucchini squash
4 strips of bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 smoked gouda, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato strips (I used California Sun Dry in a pouch, no oil)
3 eggs
cracked pepper

Trim the ends off the squash so it's easily spiralized.  Spiralize all those yummy squash, I used the larger noodle blade for this!  Of course, if you don't have a spiralizer, (you need to get one!) you can slice the squash for this recipe too, just make sure you slice it thin so it cooks through!

Using a pot large enough to toss everything in, add the bacon, butter, onion, garlic to the pot.  Turn to medium heat and sauté for about 2 minutes or until the onions begin to become soft and translucent.  Add the squash noodles and toss well to combine, allow to cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir to make a loose paste.  Add the paste into the squash and stir very well.  Pour into a lightly greased/sprayed 9x13 baking dish and bake at 400, uncovered for 40 minutes or until set and golden along the edges! Enjoy!

Anti-Pasta Salad - Greek Zucchini Noodle Pasta Salad

What you need...
3 medium zucchinis
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, choppped
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I used some NatureSweet Cherubs and some Zebrinos to get a variance of colors)
1/2 half of an English cucumber, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
*drained and rinsed chickpeas would make a great addition!!!

for the dressing...
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Greek Season Blend
1 tsp Dried Parsley
a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes

First, trim the ends off the zucchini so they will easily spiralize, then slice about halfway through them length ways so that as they spiralize, you will actually get half rings instead of long noodles.  I used the larger blade for this, so that the noodles have some weight to them!
I spiralize them right into a huge bowl, then add in the next 8 ingredients and toss well.

Using a jar or shaker, add all dressing ingredients and shake well to combine.  Add the dressing to the salad and toss well to combine.  Cover and allow to marinade for 4+ hours.  Add the brush basil and feta cheese and stir to combine.  Serve!

Get it!  Use it!

Zone - 2 block snack options

So, this is kind of putting the cart before the horse, because I have not yet had a chance to finish my post explaining Zone Blocks, portions, meals and snacks!  But...I have had several people ask about snack options so I am getting a few out there!

In short, Zone blocks are 91 calorie servings of strategically balanced protein to carbs to fat.  A snack is usually 2 blocks of each.  So...approximately 180 calories, give or take a tiny bit depending on what protein you are including.  Obviously most proteins include some scant amount of fat, but for the most part, meat/fish/egg protein is simply counted as the protein in the meal.

For most animal proteins 1oz = 1 block, some outliers would include fish, shrimp, ground turkey where 1.5oz = 1 block
Fat and Carb blocks vary from item to item, this is where my charts are ALWAYS on hand.  You memorize many of the common items, but then thee are others that you have to check the chart for the proper quantity per block.

You can learn all about this, it's really not that tough, but most of my recipes are pretty true to those guidelines, so if you don't want to hear the chatter, you can just follow them! ;)

I like to keep several protein options, carb options and fat options on hand at all times for quick combos! I ALWAYS do a little weekend prep so these things are on hand, sometimes more and sometimes less!

Protein: Grilled chicken, tuna/mayo, cooked ground turkey, hard boiled eggs, egg muffins

Carbs: apples, berries, roasted asparagus, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes (we eat a ton of tomatoes), salsa, cucumbers, broccoli

Fats: almonds, avocado, mayo, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee (I sauté/roast all my veggies in olive oil or coconut oil and count that as the fat in my snacks)

Some of our favorite snacks are:

Tuna/mayo/apple - 2 oz. drained chunk light tuna on a bibb lettuce leaf wrap (1-2 leaves to wrap it in), 1/2 tsp. mayo stirred into tuna, 1 small apple

Spinach berry salad- 60 grams baby spinach (about 2 cups), 144 grams strawberries (about 1 cup), 36 grams blueberries (about 1/4 cup), 2oz. grilled chicken, 6 almonds, Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Balsamic Dressing

Egg Muffin with Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts or Asapargus - 1/2 cup egg white muffin, 51 grams sweet potato (about 1/3 cup), 12 asparagus spears OR 117 grams brussels sprouts (about 1/2 cup)

Egg Muffin Recipe here - then you can add more or less veggies to these as your snack depending on what's already in them!  I made some yesterday with 1.5 oz. ground turkey (cooked), 1 egg, 51 grams of sweet potato.  Fabulous!  But then I only add 12 spears of asparagus for the perfect snack! OR 180 grams of tomatoes is a fantastic addition! The awesome thing about egg muffins is that they are SO easy, and you can use just about any veggie that needs using and clean out the fridge when you make these!

We love them with 1/4 cup egg whites, 1/2 link sliced chicken sausage (Al fresco, Gilberts, Aidell's)

Hard Boiled Egg & Apple - 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 tsp mayo, salt & pepper mixed + 1 small apple

Chicken / Apple /Almond - 2 oz. grilled chicken, 1 small apple, 6 almonds (we keep several grilled chicken breasts on hand for quick snacks)

Ground Turkey w/ Sweet potato and Asparagus - 3 oz. ground turkey, 75 grams sweet potato, 6 spears of asparagus

Broccoli Salad with 1 oz. grilled chicken

Ground Turkey Stuffed Poblanos - my post workout GO-TO!

Tarragon Chicken Salad Cucumber Boats

Ground Turkey Meat Sauce Zucchini Boats - 2 servings!

Salsa Salad w/ Grilled Chicken - so quick and easy!