Zucchini Spice Muffins
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These Zucchini Spice Muffins almost didn’t make it to the blog. The idea was spot on: budget-friendly flours, added veggies, a grab-and-go THM E snack or breakfast…what’s not to love, eh? Unfortunately they tasted a little bland right out of the oven, so I waffled back and forth about posting them. Finally in frustration I crumpled up the paper with the recipe on it, threw it into the trash can beside my desk, and put the muffins in the refrigerator to eat later. I don’t want to post mediocre recipes, so better safe than sorry.
Later I grabbed one of the muffins out of the fridge for a snack (because I always eat the flops…haha), took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised! That muffin – that unworthy muffin – tasted like my mom’s unhealthy zucchini bread! After getting cold in the refrigerator, the muffins had developed a nice flavor and sweetness that had been hidden when they were hot out of the oven. The texture had improved as well. I shouldn’t be surprised; I’ve learned over the years that baked goods made with a high percentage of oat flour have a tendency to be bland and mushy when warm. (I combat this by using oat fiber, which is drier and lighter, as part of the flour in my E muffin recipes along with oat flour.)
When I thought, “Zucchini bread!” my brain immediately followed up with, “Chocolate chips!” My mom always made zucchini bread with chocolate chips, and they always sank to the bottom of the loaf while baking, leaving a chocolatey layer at the bottom that I would save to eat last. I sliced a muffin in half, popped it into the toaster, waited impatiently for it to crisp up, then topped each half with a smidgen of butter and a few sugar-free chocolate chips. That sealed the deal. These were hitting the blog. (I ran downstairs to dig the recipe out of my trash can and uncrumple it.)
Moral of story: overnight refrigeration, folks. Overnight refrigeration.
I do like them best cold, even though melty chocolate chips on a toasted muffin are hard to beat. The zucchini bread flavor is most prominent when the muffins are cold out of the refrigerator. Trim Healthy Mamas, you can have 2-3 of these in a THM E setting. Try them as a breakfast with some lean protein on the side like low-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese or some collagen in your tea or coffee. The muffins do have some protein of their own from the oat flour and egg whites, so you don’t have to add more, but for breakfast I personally would need a little more than a few muffins to hold me over until lunch. For a quick afternoon snack I would be satisfied with 2 muffins on their own, though. It really depends on your metabolism.
If you decide to add butter and sugar-free chocolate chips, keep your added fat to 5g or less to stay within THM E guidelines, folks. 😉
To forstall questions, no, I do not recommend baking this as a loaf of zucchini bread. I’m guessing it would be kind of mushy in the center. (But you’re welcome to try, and I’d love to hear the results if you do!) I do hope to take this concept and make some tweaks to turn it into a loaf size eventually, though!…
Kate’s Weird Pasta Veggie Bowl
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Today’s recipe is admittedly a bit strange. I thought it was time for another addition to the “Weird Foods” category. (Is it weird that I have a category for weird foods on my website? Nah…surely not.) The credit for this one goes to my little sister Katelyn, as you may have gathered by the title of the recipe. She’s always coming up with neat flavor combinations, and on occasion she’ll let me try them. She never writes anything down, so after I tasted a bite of a noodle/veggie concoction she made that I really liked, I worked backwards to recreate it with my own spin. The result is this yummy pasta veggie bowl. It’s awesome because it gives you a pasta fix without actually using much pasta, plus it incorporates plenty of veggies! There’s a mixture of flavors, temperatures, and textures going on here that has to be nothing short of gourmet. (That’s a code word for “weird.”) Kate’s a genius.
Let’s talk about the pasta.
I used 1/4 cup of Dreamfields elbow pasta in this recipe, which is a rather small amount. Broccoli makes up most of the rest of the bulk in this recipe and makes the pasta go further. You could probably substitute other fresh nonstarchy veggies for the broccoli, but I just love the texture and flavor of broccoli in this recipe. I really recommend fresh veggies over frozen so they stay firmer. Soggy broccoli wouldn’t have the same charm in a pasta dish.
What is Dreamfields pasta? Dreamfields is a pasta that is manufactured in a unique way so as to minimize a blood sugar spike, and it is approved in the Trim Healthy Mama plan in S or E settings as a personal-choice item once in awhile. If you find your weight loss stalling, Dreamfields pasta would be an item to cut back on. I hardly ever use it, but once in awhile it’s nice to fill a pasta craving when veggies just won’t cut it. There has been a ton of hype about whether or not Dreamfields is actually low-glycemic; the general consensus is that each individual needs to see how it affects his or her body and make a personal decision. This pasta doesn’t make my stomach hurt like regular pasta does, so that has been my personal gauge to see if my body can handle it or not. (A more accurate way to tell for sure is to check your blood sugar after eating it.) If you don’t want to use Dreamfields, just use all broccoli and you’ll still be able to enjoy the unique flavors in this bowlful of goodness.
You can usually find Dreamfields at your local grocery store (or Walmart) with the other pasta products.
I currently have two other Dreamfields pasta recipes here on my website: this scrumptious macaroni and cheese, and this Skillet Yumzetti. Check them out if you buy some Dreamfields for this recipe!…
Panfried Chicken Strips
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Mmm…these low-carb Panfried Chicken Strips took 4 attempts to perfect, but the work was worth it. With their thin breading and great flavor, they remind me of Chick-fil-A chicken strips, one of my favorite fast foods.
I wanted a fried chicken recipe, so I started testing this recipe with bone-in chicken but met resistance each time because my family just plain doesn’t like bone-in chicken. It didn’t help that I was baking all of these attempts (sometimes without frying at all to simplify things, sometimes after frying to finish the cooking process). Bone-in chicken releases a lot of juice and all attempts were soggy. Grossness. (I didn’t want to have to use a ton of oil, which is why I wasn’t deep-frying the chicken in butter and/or refined coconut oil.) So I abandoned my traditional fried chicken dream and stuck to chicken tenders, frying them until cooked all the way through to keep them crispy. I loved the results! The chicken is juicy inside but the breading is nice and crispy.
Please don’t omit the sriracha in the egg wash. It doesn’t make the chicken spicy, but it does add great flavor. If you want to kick things up a notch in the heat department, dip these chicken tenders into a sriracha Ranch dipping sauce. (Literally, just squirt some sriracha into some Ranch dressing. This is one of my favorite dipping sauces of all time.) Not into heat? Just use plain ‘ol Ranch! I want to develop a healthy version of Chick-fil-A sauce for my next cookbook but haven’t gotten around to that yet. LOVE that stuff!
If you have leftover chicken, warm it up in a skillet and eat it in a low-carb wrap with Swiss cheese, lettuce, some Ranch dressing, and a drizzle of sriracha. This makes a great lunch!
Are you a Chick-fil-A fan? CLICK HERE to see my healthy version of their Frosted Lemonade!…
September Farm Cheese Giveaway!
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September Farm in Honey Brook, PA, sent me some cheese to review and is providing a Small Sampler for me to give away to one of my readers! All opinions are my own.
Hello, friends! I have something special for you today! You’re going to get a chance to win some of the best cheese you’ve ever tasted! September Farm – a family-run cheese producer in Honey Brook, PA – sent me 5 amazing flavors to try, and I’m going to tell you all about them further on down. Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter to win some cheese! If you’re looking for high-quality cheese in traditional as well as unique flavors, you should definitely check out September Farm. Looking for a gift idea for someone special? Why not have some cheese shipped to them? I think I’m going to do this for my dad’s birthday this year.
September Farm is running a sale for my readers right now! Use the code BRIANA15 to get 15% off your order (before shipping) in checkout. This code is good through April 28 at midnight, EST.
September Farm is a family business started by Dave and Roberta Rotelle in 2007…in their farmhouse kitchen! It has quickly outgrown its humble beginnings, but the product has retained its artisanal quality and received many awards. You can CLICK HERE to read Roberta’s account of how the business grew to where it is today.
September Farm sent me 5 really neat varieties to try: Baby Gouda, Maple Smoked Gouda, Nettle Blend Gouda, Garlic & Basil Jack, and Chives & Dill Jack. All were unique; all were rich and full of flavor; all were greatly enjoyed. Ryan thinks it’s pretty neat that my job involves tasting cheese. ;)…
