Chicken & Veggie Zoodles- Scampi Style

Good morning! It’s hard to believe that we are entering our last full week of August. On the one hand, this summer has gone by in a blur, but on the other, I feel like it’s been one of the most relaxing summers I’ve had in a long time. We only had 1 wedding, we didn’t have any big trips planned and we were able to get to the Cape for a few nice weekends. Even though I always want a nice, sunny weekend, this past one- rainy/gloomy/humid weather and all- was actually welcomed.

It was nice to be able to do stuff inside my apartment rather than go to the beach! Plus, my parents came down on Saturday for the night to help my sister and me with some packing and to celebrate my dad’s birthday. We ordered lunch when they got here on Saturday and then headed to Piers Park to hang out and relax before going food shopping in order to make dinner on Saturday night. We ended up grilling burgers- some were beef/veal/pork and the others were plan ol’ beef burgers. So good! On Sunday , mom and I went to church and then we all helped pack up some stuff that they were gracious enough to take home for us. All in all, it was a great weekend and so nice to just be home. I can’t remember the last time I woke up in my apartment on a Sunday and then had most of the day to do whatever the heck I wanted to do (which, consisted of watching part of a movie, doing a quickie workout, cooking, reading and blogging).

IMG_2359 IMG_2366 IMG_2371 IMG_2372 IMG_2373

Anyway! The point of this post was to share an easy “zoodle” recipe with you. It seems like spiralizers are all the rage these days, and I can’t lie- I love using mine! I’ve used it for carrots, zucchini and summer squash, but zucchini is my favorite. This recipe came together pretty quickly and I enjoyed it all week. Loaded with wine and garlic and veggies, you can’t really go wrong 😉

chicken & veggie zoodle scampi bowl

Ingredients- rough estimate- I didn’t measure 🙂

  • 2 large zucchinis, spiralized
  • 1 ear of corn, steamed and kernels cut off the cob
  • handful of small Brussels sprouts- cut in half
  • 4 chicken breast tenders
  • 2 tbsp. pine nuts (or nut of choice)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup EVOO
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • S&P to taste

Directions

  1. Steam the corn & cut the kernels off. Meanwhile, cut the Brussels sprouts and steam for 2-3 minutes to speed up the cooking time.
  2. Spiralize your zucchini and set aside. Head a skillet at medium heat and let the oil, garlic, wine and lemon juice simmer.
  3. Once it’s simmerd a bit, add in the steamed Brussels sprouts and let them cook for a bit. Once they are mostly soft, add in the pine nuts and corn and raw zucchini. While that is cooking, heat up another skillet and cook the chicken.
  4. Once the chicken is cooked, chop it up and add it to the veggies.

chicken & veggie zoodle scampi bowl 5

I’ll be honest, I had no idea what I was creating when I started this dish- I just knew I had a bunch of things in my fridge that I needed to use up so I went with it and I have to say- I’m pretty happy with the end result!

chicken & veggie zoodle scampi bowl 2

 

I loved the flavor combination as well as the bright green and yellow colors- and the slight crunch from the pine nuts was great for a texture queen like myself.

chicken & veggie zoodle scampi bowl 4

I ended up even eating it cold throughout the week and it tasted just as good as when it was nice and hot.

chicken & veggie zoodle scampi bowl 3

I tend to eat more veggies in the summer (because everything is fresh and they are light and easy), and this meal totally hit the spot in that department. Nothing like quick, easy & healthy meals to throw together and eat throughout the week!

Questions for you: How was your weekend? Has your summer been busy with weddings and travel? What’s your favorite dinner to make in the summer? Do you have a spiralizer?

 

 

 

Weekending in Boothbay Harbor

Hi! Last weekend was one for the books, so I just HAD to share 😉 My friend Meredith was getting married in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, so we figured we might as well make a little weekend out of it. I hadn’t taken time off of work since Italy, so it felt nice to have a 4 day weekend planned. After a long walk and breakfast, RM and I hit the road.

IMG_2246

Since it was such a gorgeous day, we planned to leave early enough to accommodate a stop at Wells Beach for a few hours. The sand was soft, the sun  was shining and the wine was flowing… not a bad start to the weekend!

IMG_2252

(side note- have you seen these CANS of wine? they are the perfect thing to take on the road with you and I have to say, the rose was delicious!)

We packed up and hit the road to make the remainder of the trip around 4pm and unfortunately hit lots of traffic. We finally made it to the Inn around 6 and were ready for a shower and dinner. The Inn we stayed at was Topside Inn and we cannot say enough good things about our stay there. The owners, Mark and “Buzz”, were awesome and have done a really great job with the business that they bought just a year ago. The rooms were gorgeous and very “beach-y” feeling, everything was immaculately clean and detail was paid to just about everything you could think of- including leaving a wine opener with the wine glasses in each room 😉

IMG_2318 IMG_2319 IMG_2320 IMG_2321

(snacks and vino- a man after my own heart!)
Continue reading

Weekending: Girls night, Cape Weekend & Boston Sunday Funday

Good morning! Although we ended up leaving the Cape early on Sunday due to crap weather, it was a really fun weekend! Here’s a picture recap- with some descriptions, because I love words! My girlfriends and I went to Brewers Fork in Charlestown on Thursday night for my friend Jessi’s birthday- if you’re looking for good pizza, I suggest checking it out. We all loved it!

IMG_2157

Sunset on the way home.. yes, we were on our way home before 8pm. We have officially gotten old because our weeknight get together events end early.

IMG_2158

Since I took a rest day on Thursday (more on that tomorrow), I went to the gym on Friday. I did an Jill Fit workout and felt it was appropriate for a #flexfriday post 😉

IMG_2161

Friday night, RM and I headed to the Cape for the weekend and stopped at the local Cotuit hang-out, the Kettle Ho for dinner. Mom- how about this pour of Kendall Jackson?
Continue reading

Weekending: A Boston Summer Weekend

It’s crazy to think that we spent all of last weekend in Boston. I can’t remember the last time we did that during the summer months and even though I had wished we were at the Cape since the weather was so gorgeous, it was so nice just being close to home and not having to deal with summer traffic! Here’s a picture-focused post with the weekend highlights- enjoy!

  • Making good use of time by going for a walk while waiting for my oil to get changed

IMG_2083

  • Beautiful sky on my way to dinner with some friends in the North End

IMG_2092

  • Saturday afternoon at the beach

IMG_2095

IMG_2101

  • Dinner and margs at Tico in the Back Bay- absolutely delicious!

IMG_2103 IMG_2104 IMG_2105 IMG_2106

  • To get some movement in on my rest day, I walked to church and then walked to Shaws and the liquor store- it was a heavy walk home!

IMG_2109

  • Delicious fruit salad that I whipped together before going to a pool party

IMG_2114

  • I could get used to this- absolutely gorgeous!

IMG_2116 IMG_2124

  • Hazy, hot and humid during my morning 4 miler- so happy to have done it first thing!

IMG_2126

Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Did you go anywhere or stay local? How did you survive the heat? Do you prefer the beach or pool? 

Weekending: Cape Edition

And we are already amidst another week…. can time please slow down?! RM and I escaped to the Cape last weekend and it really was the most perfect weekend from start to finish. The only bad thing was it ending! I was saying to RM on our way back to Boston yesterday that normally I’m OK with weekends and parties and vacations ending because I love my normal day to day life, but for some reason I really didn’t want last weekend to end.

Friday night, we packed up and headed south around 6:45, but not before I packed up some “healthier” weekend treats. I don’t like to travel without some staple food items because they help me stay more on track with the way I like to eat- here are some staples and some splurges, all picked up at the Whole Foods in Lynnfield.

IMG_1817

We hit ZERO traffic heading to the cape which was awesome! Before we knew it, we were saddled up at The Kettle Ho which is just down the road from RM’s family’s house. We had a few drinks and some dinner and called it an early night since RM had a 7:40 tee time on Saturday.

IMG_1821

While RM was golfing, I took advantage of being down on the Cape and took Aly’s class at the B/Spoke Cape House “pop up studio”.

IMG_1823

The class was AWESOME and judging by the crowds and waitlists, this was a great business venture for them. Aly’s class was crazy high energy, the tracks were challenging and I left there literally dripping with sweat.

IMG_1824

Continuing on with my “morning of me”, I treated myself to a post class smoothie and pedicure at the Mashpee Commons.
Continue reading