Recipes

WELLNESS WEEK // WHAT I’M EATING THESE DAYS

01.14
EASY ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND VODKA SAUCE

In addition to being in a fitness rut over the last year and a half, I’ve also been in a bit of a food rut throughout that time too. I fully blame the pandemic, current events and more for my stress eating and have definitely been comforting myself with food since this all began. It wasn’t until recently that I really reset my diet! I want to clarify that I’m not actually on a diet though. I just mean I’m trying to make healthier choices where I can, but letting myself indulge when it sounds/feels good to me. For awhile there I was letting myself eat pasta every night! And while that’s fine for a bit, I really feel (and look!) my best when I’m eating more vegetables and less gluten. Like I said, I haven’t been following anything super strict so I don’t really have a meal plan or anything for you, but I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been eating and cooking lately!

For breakfast I’ve been having either fruit or oatmeal with my coffee! Last summer I was all about peaches while they were in season, then moved on to pears in the fall, and now I’m enjoying grapefruit. The oatmeal is just your typical Quaker Oats flavored packets – I love the Peaches and Cream and Strawberries and Cream! Not super healthy, but it’s satisfying and filling, even for a single small packet. I’m trying to eat less sweets after dinner, so I’m getting my sweets in at breakfast, you might say.

When I’m eating lunch and/or dinner at home, I usually whip up one of the following – these are all really easy for me to throw together and don’t require many ingredients:

  • Steamed broccoli with marinara and parmesan
  • Zucchini noodles with spicy Italian sausage, vodka sauce and parmesan (photo above!)
  • Butternut squash noodles with spicy Italian sausage, sage and goat cheese (recipe here)
  • Roasted veggies with either roasted salmon or chicken (I love roasting okra, sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc!)
  • Veggie bowl (prepare whatever veggies I have on hand and serve with some massaged kale, avocado and/or hummus)
  • My mom’s Lemon Chicken with massaged kale
  • My mom’s Dijon Chicken with cauliflower rice (will share recipe soon!)
  • Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi (here’s how I make it)

If I get bored of those things, I’ll make one of the following recipes to eat over a few days:

As you can see, I don’t have a huge range of recipes I use! I’m a creature of habit, so once I find things I love I’ll make them a ton. I usually go out to dinner 2-3 times a week, so that breaks it up a bit in terms of cuisine and what I’m eating.

QUICK MEALS I GET ON THE GO

Whenever I’m at one of the below stores, I’ll grab a couple of ready-made/pre-packaged items I can eat if things are super busy or I’m feeling lazy. These are my favorite things to grab:

TRADER JOE’S: Harvest Chicken Salad, Mozzarella and Tomato Salad, Chicken Ginger Miso Soup

CENTRAL MARKET: Hummus Sampler (like a Lunchable – has hummus, pita bread, sliced grilled chicken and berries), Beef and Barley Soup, Chicken, Sausage & Seafood Gumbo

EATZIE’S: Vegetable Soup, Southwest Chicken Salad, Grilled Chicken Meal (comes with broccoli and mashed potatoes)

HOW I MAKE MY ZOODLES

I’ve made these a lot lately, so naturally I’ve been getting questions on how I make them. Truth be told, most of the “recipes” I come up with are not really recipes. I just throw stuff in the pan and see what works! I don’t measure anything, especially when I’m just sauteing things in a pan… but with that said, here’s how I do it!

  • Brown about 1/2 ground spicy Italian sausage on medium high heat. Once done, put in a bowl and set aside.
  • Try to use some of the sausage grease in the pan, but you may need to add a little olive oil as well!
  • Throw one package of zoodles (or 1-2 zucchini noodles spiralized) into the pan with the hot oil/grease and cook for about three minutes.
  • Add the sausage back into the pan with some vodka sauce, stir and make sure vodka sauce is heated through.
  • Use tongs to get zoodles and sausage out of the pan and into a bowl, leaving the more watery part of the sauce in the pan
  • Top with grated parm!

PS: I dedicated an entire podcast episode this week to my food and fitness journey, detailing my yo-yoing with weight gain over the years, what caused it, and where I am now. Click here to listen!

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