Baked Cheesy Zucchini and Squash

Last week I decided to re-work a Pinterest recipe that I had found. It sounded great and combined two of my favorite things, zucchini and cheese. How could it go wrong? Well, other than my biggest zucchini having a strange bug that had tunneled through the whole thing, it tasted great! (No, the bug zucchini wasn't used, so this recipe for me definitely had way more yellow squash then zucchini.)

Here's the recipe:

What you'll need:

Two Medium Zucchini

Two Medium Yellow Squash

A reduced fat bag of shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese mexican blend)

Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Basil & Parsley

Non stick Spray

Baking Dish

Preheat oven to 350*. Then spray down baking dish with non stick spray. Then cut up the squash and zucchini and combine in baking dish.

Add in all spices to taste (extra garlic and basil for me!) and mix.

Fold in shredded cheese (I used about 1 cup of cheese). Use a little bit of extra cheese to cover the top off.

Place in oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or longer, depending on the crunch level you want on the squash and zucchini. Mine took about a half hour, and I also mixed it up one time in the middle to move the cheese around. Once the veggies are at the doneness you like, put the oven on broil to brown the top of the cheese.

Serve with a chopped up scallion on top, and you're done! 

At only 60 calories a serving (makes 6 servings) this is an awesome dish to curb your cheese craving, while getting a fair amount of veggies at the same time! 

Enjoy :)

Eventful weekend.. But try these roasted chick peas!

After 6 hours at the dentist, sitting in a chair, with my mouth held open and drills going crazy.. I was ready to do nothing but sit for the rest of the weekend. However, by Sunday (and about 6 Motrin doses later..) I was finally starting to feel a bit better, so I decided food shopping would be a good idea. I was running low on ALL of my veggies, and there were a few new things I wanted to try out for this week. 

Here is one of the things I tried. (again, a recipe off of pinterest that I altered a little bit)

Roasted Chick Peas!!

Okay, these are SO easy its almost funny.

Take one can of chickpeas, rinse and blot dry.

Two teaspoons or so of Olive Oil, whatever spices you want (I used a garlic herb mix), and toss the chickpeas in it.

Spread over a cookie sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes at 375*.  

Check every 10 minutes or so, and move them around on the pan to avoid uneven cooking or burning.

Makes 4 servings, each serving is about 140 calories, but still WAY healthier than potato chips. I can just sit here and eat these like candy, its great! I've also seen a cinnamon and sugar variation, so it can either be sweet or savory.

Last nights quick and easy dinner!

I was looking in the fridge to try to figure out dinner, for last night. Turns out, I had baby portabellas, red peppers, and onions, and a bottle of Low Calorie Sesame/Ginger salad dressing. First thought.. quick vegetable stirfry! I chopped up all the veggies and poured some dressing over them, and let them sit in the dressing for a little bit. My little man is sick, so I didn't want to spend the time setting up my wok, which is what I would normally use for this. So I grabbed a pan and started cooking. Just pour the dressing and veggies into the pan and saute until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I tend to keep mine a little bit crispy. 

After the veggies are done, you can do just about anything with them. I was running low on calories for the day, so I just put the veggies themselves over some brown rice (which surprisingly enough, my son LOVED). In the past I've put them over chicken as well, or even cut up some cooked chicken and mix it in with the vegetables at the end. If I were to have brought a lunch with me today, this would have been a perfect leftover to use!

The calorie count for this will vary depending on what vegetables and dressing you use. Another way I cook vegetables in the summer is on a grill wok. I marinate chopped vegetables overnight in teriyaki marinade, and then toss them on the grill in the grill wok. This goes great paired with grilled chicken, burgers, steak, you name it!

Low Calorie Quick Chickpea & Olive Salad

I mentioned a chick pea and olive salad in an earlier post. I've been eating this a lot just because of how quick and easy it is. Its a great little snack, and under 150 calories a serving! I made it again last night so I figured I would post up the recipe.

Quick & Easy Chick pea and Olive Salad

Makes 4 servings - 142 Calories per serving

What you will need:

One large can of chickpeas

One small can sliced black olives

One jar green olives with pimentos

2 Tbs Kens Oil and Vinegar Light Options Dressing (or an equivalent low calorie dressing)

Garlic Powder to taste

Next Combine all ingredients into a bowl:

 

Now Mix! Add whatever spices you like into it as well to taste. I prefer to use just a bit of garlic powder, because come on, everythings better with garlic.

It is too easy! and tastes great!

You can also vary this by adding other vegetables, such as scallions or onion. Fresh tomato would taste pretty good in this as well!

Enjoy!