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!

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: