Grilled Tuna | Italian Pasta Salad | Grilled Zucchini

Dinner outside again tonight. I'm not great at grilling. My husband does a much better job grilling, but he had to work late so I was master of the grill tonight, the zucchini paid for it. It was a little overcooked but I still ate it.

Grilled Ahi Tuna
I buy the frozen Trader Joe's Marinated Ahi Tuna.
Grill it for 9 minutes.
**I have used the dressing below to marinate seafood just add some chopped herbs.

Italian Pasta Salad
6 oz. Whole Wheat Orzo, cooked al dente
3/4 cup chopped fresh mozzarella
1 can black olives, cut in half
1 tomato, chopped
Fresh Basil, chopped
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 garlic clove minced
kosher salt & cracked pepper to taste

Take already cooked and cooled orzo pasta and place in a medium size bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

Make dressing. In a small bowl add lemon juice, garlic clove, salt and pepper and whisk. Next slowly drizzle the olive oil to emulsify the dressing.

Pour the dressing into the bowl with the pasta. Mix, taste, then salt and pepper if needed.

Grilled zucchini 
Nothing fancy here. Just slice the zucchini in half or quarters lengthwise. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to the grill, for 3-4 minutes.

After everything is on the plate I like to squeeze a lemon over all the food to brighten the flavors up a bit.   Great summer meal!

Zucchini "Spaghetti" Low Carb Pasta Substitute- Dinner

During my Whole Foods Market challenge I tried a few new recipes and one of them was Spaghetti Squash with Italian sausage  and it was delicious. Someone gave my husband a giant zucchini from their garden and I started thinking about the spaghetti squash and how yummy it was as a low carb and a nutrient dense substitute for pasta so I made Zucchini Spaghetti with meat sauce and it was really great! Another wonderful thing about using zucchini instead of spaghetti squash was that it is super quick to make and quick is always good.

The giant zucchini.

Quick work shredding in the food processor.

Zucchini "Spaghetti"

Recipe by: Simply Fit Mama

• 1 giant zucchini or 3-4 regular size
• 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Peel zucchini. Cut the zucchini in half and scoop the seeds out of each half. You should have little zucchini boats. Use your food processors shredding blade and shred away. If you don't have a food processor you can make zucchini ribbons with your vegetable peeler which will give you a wider "noodle". Or you can use a mandoline slicer with a julienne blade.

Heat your pan to medium-high heat (I used a medium cast iron skillet). Once your pan is heated add your oil and quickly add your shredded zucchini. Using tongs toss the zucchini a time or two then add the garlic, salt and pepper. I like this cooked al dente so don't walk away your zucchini "pasta" will be done in 3-5 minutes. If you leave it longer it will release water and get soft and a bit mushy. 

Now top with your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy!

Easy Chicken Dumpling Soup

Easy Chicken Dumpling Soup
recipe by: Simply Fit Mama

• 1 1/2- 2 cups leftover Chicken, shredded, cubed (however you like it)
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced - I use dorot frozen garlic
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 can Trader Joe's buttermilk biscuits 
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp chicken bullion
• Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

Heat large pot or dutch oven over medium- high heat. Add olive oil and onions, heat until softened not brown. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, garlic and chicken. Stir for another minute or two. Now add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, bullion then cover the pot and let simmer on low for  45 minutes to an hour or until the veggies are tender. 

Now comes the fun part. Pop open the can of biscuits and lay them out on a cutting board. Cut the circles in quarters and then roll each one in little balls (this is great to do with the kids, practice fractions and fine motor skills). Add all the little balls to the pot of soup cover and cook on low-medium (simmering not boiling) for 7-9 minutes.

Turkey Meatball Stroganoff

I have really been in the mood for some comfort food lately. This is a healthier version of a traditional stroganoff. I don't use the heavy cream, I feel like the sour cream is enough to make this dish nice and cream without the extra fat. I love using good egg noodles like pappardelle instead of the traditional egg noodle. You can make your own turkey meatballs or use pre-made if you are short on time, just check the ingredients list before buying. 

Turkey Meatballs

created by: Simply Fit Mama

1 egg

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

3 to 4 turns of fresh cracked pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 lb ground turkey breast

Preheat broiler. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray. 

Mix first five ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Once they are well combined add the ground turkey and bread crumbs. Lightly mix until combined, don't over mix. Next make meatballs into 2 inch balls.**If you give your hands a light coating of olive oil the meat won't stick to your hands** Place the meatballs on the sheet pan and into the oven for around 10 minutes, they should have a nice brown color to them.

Stroganoff Sauce 

created by: Simply Fit Mama

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 8 oz. package of mushrooms, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup white wine

2 tsp flour

1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 to 1 1/4 cup beef broth

1/2 cup light sour cream

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onion and let them sweat a little until translucent 5-10 minutes depending on how finely chopped the onion is. Next add the garlic and mushrooms. Go ahead and add the wine now and crank up the heat to a medium-high temperature. This will reduce the wine. After the wine has evaporated from the pan turn the heat back down to medium and let the mushrooms brown up a little. Once the mushrooms have a little color add the flour to the onions and mushroom and stir it up so that it's combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the beef broth, Dijon mustard and sour cream. Add this mixture to the skillet. Let it come up to a low simmer, where there are little bubbles at the surface of the sauce. You do not want to boil this sauce. Next reduce the heat to low add the meatballs and keep warm until ready to serve. 

Egg Noodles

Boil according to directions. While you are making the sauce you want the water boiling and ready to add the noodles. Drain the noodles and serve warm with the Stroganoff sauce and turkey meatballs on top.

Fight over the leftovers!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a yummy soup recipe a friend shared with me about ten years ago. The original was delicious but it used mainly canned ingredients and cream soups. I have adapted this over the years to make a healthier but still very tasty and easy soup. This is my son's favorite soup.

Goodies on the bottom of the bowl

Soup ladled on top 

Mixed together...mmmmm

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Created by: Lori Smith

Adapted by: Simply Fit Mama

• 1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2lb - 3/4lb  leftover roasted chicken, shredded in bite size chunks, or poached chicken
• 1/2 cup  diced tomatoes with green chili's (you could use rotels, I use Trader Joe's version because it's organic)
• 1 1/2 32oz.  cartons of chicken broth or (6 cups) homemade broth
• 1/2 cup flour  (you could also use corn starch or arrowroot)
• Spices: 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder,  1/2 Tbsp chili powder, (to taste) sea salt and fresh cracked pepper 
• 1 cup frozen peas

Stuff for the bottom of the bowl:

• Shredded mexican cheese blend
• Crunched up leftover tortilla chips (you know the stuff no one wants to eat because it's small and broken)
• A dollop of sour cream

Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven on medium-high add olive oil and onions. Cook until translucent keep an eye you don't want burnt onion bits. Add the carrots and let cook for a minute or two. Turn your stove down to medium. Now add the chicken, flour and spices. Mix the ingredients until well combined. You want the flour to coat the chicken and veggies. Next add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. In the last 10 minutes go ahead and add the frozen peas.

Get your bowls out and add a dollop of sour cream, tortilla chips and a little cheese. Ladle soup on top and then enjoy! 

I know a lot of people have tortilla soup recipes if you have a recipe that you love please share it in the comments below. 

Menu Plan

Monday

Crockpot Chicken | Sweet Potatoes 

Tuesday

Roasted Pork Shoulder | Mashed Potatoes | Green Beans

Wednesday

Zucchini Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | Garlic Bread

Thursday

Baked Pork Taquitos | Chopped Tex-Mex Salad

(using leftover roasted pork)

Friday

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole | Broccoli

(using leftover crockpot chicken)

I don't know about you but I am ready for a little fall weather. It's still been really warm around my neck of the woods and it doesn't get very cold during fall and winter but I really would love the cool crisp air of fall to come my way. 

Menu Plan

Monday

Meatloaf | Roasted Fingerling Potatoes | Green Beans

Tuesday

Apricot Chicken Tenders | Broccoli

Wednesday

Taco Night

Thursday

Roasted Chicken | Baked Sweet Potatoes | Salad

Friday

Grilled Tuna | Italian Pasta Salad | Grilled Zucchini

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps | Dinner or Lunch

Craving hot wings?

This recipe will satisfy your cravings. This is a little healthier version of hot wings because it uses chicken tenders instead of wings with skin. They are not fried. I still use butter but just enough to give the buffalo sauce a hint of creamy butter.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipe by: Simply Fit Mama

• 1 1/2 lbs of chicken tenders, rinse and pat dry
• 1/2 cup Red Hot hot sauce
• 2 Tbsp real butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Lettuce, rinsed and dried --Bibb or Boston lettuce is best but you could use romaine it just doesn't wrap as well...and you hold it more like a taco.

Blue Cheese Dip

Recipe: Simply Fit Mama

• 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• Salt and pepper

First the dip. Get a bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Don't be shy with the fresh pepper it complements the blue cheese very nicely. Cover the bowl and set in the fridge to let the flavors mingle.

Now for the chicken. Place chicken in a large dish with sides then give them a nice coating of salt and pepper on both sides. In a bowl melt the two tablespoons of butter either in the microwave or stove. Add the hot sauce and garlic powder. Mix together. Reserve half of the sauce for later. Pour the other half on top of the chicken tenders, make sure all sides are coated. Let it hang out on the counter for about 15-20 minutes while you preheat your grill to medium high heat.

Grill the chicken tenders till done. It takes about 6-8 minutes on the grill depending on how hot your grill is.

Assemble. Lay out the lettuce on each plate. Then add the chicken tenders, you can slice it or leave them whole. I liked them whole. Drizzle some of the reserved buffalo sauce on top of the chicken. Now add a dollop of blue cheese dip.

On a side note. This is not a super spicy buffalo sauce. When I make spicy dishes I like to make the kiddos plates a little different. For this dish I pulled aside the chicken and grilled theirs with just salt and pepper. I then put the sauces in little ramekins so that they can explore the tastes on their own and add what they like or leave it plain if that's what they prefer. I always give them the option to eat the big food flavors because I want them to not automatically assume they don't like something just because it's spicy or too grown up.

Here's what their plate looked like:

Menu Plan

Monday

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps | Watermelon

Tuesday

Grilled Pork Chops | Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini 

Wednesday

Sandwich | Salad

Thursday

BBQ Chicken Legs | Sea Salt Sweet Potato Fries | Salad

Friday

Leftovers

Beef and Veggie Kabobs | Dinner

Summer is really here and I have been brainstorming some easy and fun summer recipes. I want quick and easy recipes that the kids can easily help with. One of the first things that came to mind was kabobs. So I have come up with a handful of new kabob recipes. Who doesn't like food on a stick?

This is a wine based marinade but if you want to opt out of the wine part feel free to substitute beef stock. Also you can change out the veggies to what your family prefers. This is a great low-carb recipe without skimping on taste.

Beef and Veggie Kabobs
Created by: Simply Fit Mama

• 1lb beef cut into kabob size chunks--sirloin, steak tips, tri-tip, etc.
• Assortment of veggies cut in big chunks: zucchini, bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms.
• Skewers--if you are using bamboo/wood type make sure you soak them for an hour or so.

Marinade for beef

• 1/4 cup red wine or beef stock
• 1/4 worcestershire sauce--try to get an all natural or organic version traditional normally has some undesirable ingredients.
• 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute
• 4 Cloves of garlic, chopped

In a large ziplock bag add all the above ingredients and combine. Then add the beef. Next let marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours. You could marinate this overnight if you wanted to.

Get the kids to the counter with all those delicious veggies and let them skewer meat and veggies of their choice on the skewers. You'll be surprised at how adventurous they will be when they get to pick.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat and place the kabobs on the grill till desired doneness. I cooked mine around 8 minutes.

Grilled Italian Stuffed Peppers | Dinner

I've never been a big fan of green peppers until a couple of years ago. I really enjoy them now and love the smell of them cooked. I normally stuff bell peppers upright and cook them in the oven but since it's summer most I try to cook everything on the grill instead of the oven. My small kitchen can't handle the heat! 

I split these in half and laid them on their sides on the grill instead of upright mainly because I wanted a charred skin on the bell peppers. The end result was delicious.

Grilled Italian Stuffed Peppers

Recipe by: Simply Fit Mama

• 4 green peppers
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 oz. package of mushrooms, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1lb ground beef
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes--if you want a little kick
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Fresh mozzarella slices--I did not have any and just used a cheese blend but mozzarella slice on top would be superb!

Heat a pan on the stove to a medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil once the pan is hot. Now add the onions and let them cook until translucent and soft, a couple of minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms to the onions and let them cook until they reduce in size, about 4 minutes. Now you can add the garlic let it cook for another minute with the veggie mixture. Pull the pan off the heat and transfer the veggie mixture to a bowl. 

Place the pan back onto the stove and let it heat up again. Add the rest of the oil and brown the ground beef. While the beef is cooking start prepping your green peppers. Cut them in half. Then you need to remove the stem, seeds and ribs of the pepper. When you are finished with that lightly salt and pepper the insides of the peppers. Your ground beef should be almost done.

Heat your grill to a medium heat. Once the ground beef is cooked add the veggie mix back and add all of the seasonings and tomato sauce, mix well. Also make sure to salt and pepper to taste. 

Stuff each pepper accordingly with the meat. I make sure to under stuff the kids peppers because they don't eat as much as we do and the extra goes to waste. Once the peppers are stuffed add your desired cheese on top ( I hope you pick fresh mozzarella!) then take them to the grill. 

Now that the grill is nice and hot turn the heat all the way to low. Place the peppers on the top rack, close and come back in 8-10 minutes to pull them off the grill. If you don't have a top rack turn the heat off on one side of your grill and put the peppers on the unheated side but keep the heat on the other side closer to medium.

Another easy way to enjoy these peppers is to use leftover spaghetti with meat sauce instead of having more leftover spaghetti.

Enjoy!

Menu Plan for the week

Monday

Grilled Italian Stuffed Peppers | Salad 

Tuesday

Grilled Beef Kabobs | Sweet Corn

Wednesday

BBQ Chicken | Sweet Potatoes | Green Beans

Thursday

Grilled Garlic Lime Flank Steak | Corn Tortillas | Fixins'

Friday

Balsamic Salmon | Rice | Broccoli

*Recipes for this menu plan will be posted this week.

Frozen Grapes

You know when your grapes are getting a little mushy and nobody wants anymore but you still have a bunch left, and you don't want to throw them away. That's when you throw them in the freezer. Frozen grapes are a great treat for hot summer days.

Warning: If you have small children make sure to cut the grapes in half or maybe quarters because frozen grapes can be a choke hazard. 


If your baby is teething, you can cut up frozen grapes and put them in those little mesh bags feeders, they are sweet and cold, babies love them. The bonus is you don't have to worry about them biting through one of those mystery rings with fluid.

**This post has been reposted from last summer because it's hot outside and I have slightly mushy grapes to tend to.

I am also participating in a Fitness Friday link up party by Ang at Sparkles and Bugs.

Oven Roasted Greek Chicken Breast | Roasted Greek Veggies

Or it can look like this...

if you don't like everything stacked. 

This is a pretty easy dinner and it's very flavorful with little effort. It's also a great way to use some of the summer veggies. So without further ado here is the recipe:

Oven Roasted Greek Chicken Breast with Veggies 

Created by: Simply Fit Mama

• 2lbs  Chicken breast--I used skinless boneless because it's what I had on hand but you could use thigh meat or bone in chicken breast too, whatever floats your boat.
• 2 Tablespoons of Oil-- I use coconut oil you could use olive oil just watch it and make sure it doesn't smoke when you brown the chicken.
• 2- 3 Zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch- 1 inch pieces--If they are too small they will get mushy in the oven.
• 1 cup  Grape tomatoes, cut in halves--any small tomatoes or big ones cut into smaller chunks.
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and left whole
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup marinated artichokes, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon
• 1/4-1/2 cup Chicken broth--1/2 a cup if you like more juice at the bottom...yummy
• Seasonings: Salt and Pepper, Garlic powder, 1/2 Tbsp each of the following Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary.
• Feta Cheese 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Get your chicken rinsed and patted dry. Lay it on your chopping board and put a sheet of saran wrap over the top and pound out the thick part of the chicken. You're not making it super thin just even with the thin part so it cooks evenly in the oven. 

Next get rid of the saran wrap and give the chicken a good dose of salt, pepper and a light sprinkling of garlic powder. Do this for both sides. While you are doing this get an oven safe pan or dutch oven heated on the stove set it at a medium to high heat.

Add your oil to the pan once it is heated. Now place your chicken in the pan and brown each side (it takes me about 2-3 minutes per side to get a golden brown). 

While your chicken is getting a nice tan you can take a large bowl and put the zucchini, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, and half of the lemon juiced, garlic and herbs and mix it all together. 

Once your chicken is golden pull it off the burner and add all the contents of the bowl plus the chicken broth. (You can skip the bowl step above if you don't want to dirty a bowl and just throw everything on top of the chicken, the herbs get better distributed if you combine them first, but I skipped the bowl and it turned out great) 

Put the pan in the oven and let it cook for around 15-20 minutes for boneless skinless breast, bone in I would say 35-45 minutes. If you don't have an oven safe pan (or it's not big enough) you can still make this recipe just after you brown the chicken place everything in a 13x9 dish.

Once your chicken is done make sure to let it rest for 5-10 minutes so you don't loose the juiciness. I like to use the other half of the lemon at the end before serving to brighten up the flavor a bit. Plate your food and add the feta cheese on top as desired. 

Enjoy!

Menu Plan for the week

Monday 

Gourmet Hot Dog Bar

Tuesday

Fish Tacos | Black Beans

Wednesday

Lasagna | Caesar Salad | Focaccia

Thursday

World of Color Picnic at Disney

Friday

Baked Chicken Nuggets | Crudites | Fruit

Menu Plan for the week

Monday

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | Salad | Bread

Tuesday

Mahi Mahi Burgers | Chili- Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday

End of Season Pizza Party for T-ball!

Thursday

Oven Roasted Greek Chicken Breast | Greek Salad | Pita 

Friday

Family Fun Night @ (our elementary school)

Menu Plan for the week

Monday

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | Italian Green Beans | Salad

Tuesday

Ham and Cheese Panini | Salad

Wednesday

Grill Greek Chicken Kabobs | Greek Salad | Pita

Thursday

White Bean and Ham Soup | Salad | Bread

Friday

Baked Spaghetti | Broccoli Slaw

Looking for some healthier leftover ham recipes? I found some recipes that looked great at
Eating Well.com.

Menu Plan for the week

This week will be a busy week for me so I really don't have a lot of time to work in the kitchen. My menu plan reflects the time I have to spend. Two of the items are pre-made items from the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's. We had spaghetti last night and I have already made the casserole so it's ready to just be heated in the oven. So as you can see I have little cooking to do this week!

Monday

Trader Joe's Teriyaki Chicken | Brown Rice | Broccoli

Tuesday

"Brinner"

(Breakfast for Dinner)

Wednesday

Trader Joe's Frozen Pizza | Big Salad

Thursday

Spaghetti Casserole | Broccoli Slaw

Friday

Jalapeno Burgers | Fruit and Veggies

Looking for more menu plans?

• Menu 1
• Menu 2
• Menu 3
• Menu 4
• Menu 5
• Menu 6
• Menu 7
• Menu 8
• Menu 9
• Menu 10
• Menu 11
• Menu 12
• Menu 13
• Menu 14

Want to link your menu plan?

Wordless Wednesday

Grilled Nutella, Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. 

Simply Indulgent.

I posted this @ Angry Julie Monday’s Wordless Wednesday Linky.

Menu Plan for the week

Monday

Sausage and Lentil Soup | Salad | Fresh Bread

Tuesday

Roasted Greek Chicken Breast | Couscous with Veggies | Whole Wheat Pita

Wednesday

Chicken Tortilla Soup | Salad

Thursday

Pork Chops | Grilled Polenta | Roasted Zucchini

Friday

Dinner out!

Two dinners for last week were added onto this weeks menu since I didn't get a chance to make them last week. If you didn't get a chance to see the post on Vons SimpleNutrition program please take a look and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $25 gift card for groceries!

This week I added a link up so that you can add your weekly menus too! I hope you have a chance to participate. I would love to share menu plans to get new ideas and inspiration from each other. 

How to participate: Post a "Menu Plan" on your blog and then link back to this post at the linky below.