Zucchini Noodle + Pesto Chicken Bowl Recipe

I'm a few days behind on this recipe.. you've gotta forgive my foggy brain, please!

This recipe was actually whipped up mainly by the HUBS, so I can't take full credit.

Thanks, boo!

It was EASY, flavorful & healthy.

PLUS, you can definitely tweak it to your tasty or modify the ingredients depending on what you have at home.

Ingredients:

Zucchini (spiralized)

Chicken Breast (cooked & shredded)

Pesto Sauce

Mushrooms (sautéed)

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Garlic (minced)

Himalayan Salt + Fresh Pepper

First of all, we spiralized 2 large zucchinis.

Which fed both of us 3 times each.

You could definitely do a quick sauté & season on these, but we decided to go raw with ours & let the topping warm the "noodles!"

We also used two (large) boiled then shredded chicken breasts, which was the perfect amount for two zucchinis.

Sorry this is how I measure.. or don't measure.

It's mostly guesstimating!

In a pan, we sautéed sliced mushrooms with the minced garlic & then added in sun dried tomatoes. The sun dried tomatoes we had were stored in olive oil so we squeezed them out a bit so they weren't saturated!

Then, we tossed in the shredded chicken & coated everything in pesto sauce!

Top off with some red pepper flakes if you like a little SPICE!

This was awesome night one.. & even better as leftovers!

Give it a try & if you make any tweaks, let me know.

I bet some artichoke hearts or sautéed spinach would be AWESOME in here too!

Go crazy.

Teriyaki Chicken, Veggie & Rice Bowls

Teriyaki Chicken, Veggie & Rice Bowls.. oh my!!

I found this recipe on pinterest earlier in the week to share with the women in my online accountability group (shout out to the gals in my February Virtual Fit Camp). While I was typing it up to share with them, I decided to try it out THAT night because it sounded so good!

I mean, having defrosted chicken already laid out in the fridge just seemed like a sign also.

Right!??

First of all, this was SO darn easy to make.

It seriously took me 30 minutes or less to get EVERYTHING together.

Secondly, this recipe was flavorFULL & guilt free.

There are several substitutions that can be made from the original recipe to tweak it to your taste!

Lastly, you could absolutely make this in bulk for meal prep to eat on the whole week.

And no.. it would NOT get old & boring.

Okay, so the original recipe can be found HERE via GimmeDelicious

These are the instructions from that blog post, but I'll drop my own tips & modifications at the bottom!

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 17 mins

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
2 cups cooked brown rice
4 meal prep containers

For the teriyaki sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Instructions:

Heat a large pan to medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink 2-3 minutes.

Whisk all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce in a small bowl.

Add the teriyaki sauce to chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until sauce is thick.Remove chicken from heat.

Add the broccoli florets and bell pepper to the same pan. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the bell pepper is slightly softened.

Divide the chicken and broccoli into 4 meal prep containers. Add ½ cup of brown rice into each container. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and cover. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

My PERSONAL modifications & tips..

For me personally, recipes are more like guidelines.

I'll peek at the list, see what I have & WING it.

Occasionally I'll substitute based off what I have at home OR just leave things out & hope for the best. Let's just say I'm not a fan of making multiple grocery store runs throughout the week & that fuels my creativity.

Let's start with the chicken!

To cut down on cook time, we chopped the trimmed breasts into SMALL bite-sized pieces. I seasoned them on the cutting board with himalayan sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder & some red pepper flakes for heat. For the actual cooking, I browned up those little "nuggets" in coconut oil - I prefer it usually over other oils.

Now, for the veggies.

I went with what I had. And NO. I am not above frozen veggies - I can buy them inexpensive & in bulk at SAMs. I always prefer fresh produce, but use frozen veggies as a secondary option on the regular. This week, I had frozen broccoli florets that I steamed in the microwave with fresh carrots & onion that I minced up & mixed in. Once those veggies were all steamed, I seasoned them a bit & put to the side until everything was done. I then mixed the veggies IN with the chicken & sauce so they too were lightly glazed.

For the sauce, I only made a couple of tweaks.

I used liquid aminos instead of soy sauce (same measurements) & agave nectar instead of honey (same measurements).

As a side/carb, I whipped up a quinoa + brown rice blend. It was a perfect little bed for the teriyaki combo!

Both hubby & I were big fans of this recipe!!

In the future, I'd try a few modifications:

adding green onion or cilantro

using shrimp or lean beef instead of chicken

leaving out meat if I want a lite, ALL veggie meal

subbing peppers, snap peas or cauliflower into the veggie mix.

or tossing some chopped water chestnuts on top for crunch

I really think you could customize this completely to your taste!!

Give it a try & let me know what you think.

Happy, healthy eating, friends.

Recipe Swap: Asian Lettuce Wrap Chopped Chicken Salad

Source: Skinny Taste

Recipe timeeeeee!!!!!

Asian Lettuce Wrap Chopped Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SALAD DRESSING:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey


1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp kosher 
salt and pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN:

1/4 cup hoisin sauce*


1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce


2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce*


1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

cooking spray

1 pound ground chicken

8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and diced

2 tbsp chopped unsalted cashews


2 scallions, thinly sliced

FOR THE SALAD:

1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce, chopped

1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped

2 carrots, grated

DIRECTIONS:

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oils, honey, ginger, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Set the dressing aside. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the hoisin, vinegar, Sriracha, soy sauce, and ginger. Set aside. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray then add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the water chestnuts and cashews to the pan. Pour the reserved hoisin mixture on top and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through. Stir in the scallions. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For the salad: In a large salad bowl, combine both of the lettuces and the carrots. Toss the salad with the dressing and divide in 4 bowls. Top each with 3/4 cup chicken mixture. Serve immediately.

#HealthyRecipes #AsianRecipes #ChickenRecipes #GracefullyBalanced