Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

I love carbs. I have proclaimed my love for all things wheat on this blog and in articles I have published on the Mediterranean diet. 

Our cheap little spiralizer

I have tried my hand at cauliflower crust pizza and other wheat like substitutes and was left less than impressed but zucchini noodles, or zoodles, is one trend I wholeheartedly love. Our favorite way to serve zoodles is cold or room temperature (cooking them gives them a soggy texture I do not enjoy) perfect for the warmer weather headed our way.

You don't have to go out and spend a ton of money on a spiralizer for this dish, we have an inexpensive little gadget that does the trick but if you wanted to spiralize harder veggies like beets or butternut squash you may want to invest in something a bit fancier.

I made enough pesto for 3 recipes of this dish, so portion out the remaining pesto into small containers and freeze the leftovers for another day. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. 

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
1 tbs Italian Seasoning (salt free)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 medium Zucchini, spirialized into noodles
1 C Grape Tomatoes

Pesto
3 C Basil leaves, packed
3/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated or crumbled
4 cloves Garlic

In a quart size freezer bag combine 1/4 C olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Make pesto by combining basil, cheese, garlic cloves and 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil in food processor until it forms a paste and is free of lumps.

Grill chicken over medium heat for about 12 minutes, turning once. While chicken is cooking grill tomatoes for 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl combine cold zucchini noodles with sliced grilled chicken breast, tomatoes and about a third of the pesto.

I would imagine that this would make great leftovers but we ate it all.

Banana Muffins to Boost Lactation

These nutrient packed muffins are great for lactating mothers, or anyone who could use a boost of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

These aren't your grocery store muffins that are a super sweet cake like creation. These muffins are a nutrition packed breakfast or snack that you don't have to feel bad about.

Ingredients:
3 large Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 C Maple
3 oz Applesauce
2 Eggs
1/2 C Oil
1 C White Wheat Flour
2/3 C Oats
3 tbs Flax Seeds
3 tbs Brewers Yeast, debittered
1/2 C Pecans
1 tsp Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two muffin tins with non-stick spray, set aside. Put oats, flax and pecans in a blender, pulse until ground into flour (flax seeds will still be large but broken up). In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin tins, it should make about 2 dozen muffins. Bake 20-23 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

Before embarking on a car trip to San Diego I thought these muffins would be the perfect breakfast to eat in the along the way. We like to get an early start and need something easy to store and eat in the car. You could certainly add nuts to these, I skipped them. The three year-old doesn't like nuts but he did give the nut free version a thumbs up.


Carrot Raisin Muffins
Makes 16 Muffins
3 large Carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 Cups)
1 C Raisins
1/2 C Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
1/2 C Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
1/3 C Sunflower Oil
2 C Unbleached White Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2  tsp Cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat together Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Eggs and Oil. In a small bowl mix together Flour, Baking Soda and Cinnamon. Mix dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Stir in Carrots and Raisins. Prepare two muffin tins, spray or line with cupcake papers. Fill  cups nearly to the top with muffin batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes.