Zoodles!

Are you going to eat ALL of that meatloaf Mom?.

I've been lucky, I didn't gain any weight over the winter, but I'm still up 5 pounds from last Spring.

One thing I've had to cut back on was the amount of  simplecarbs I eat.    I tried the Paleo Diet for a few days.  No pancakes, no waffles?  And no processed meat or cheeses but simply low sodium healthy stuff like caveman ate.

 I don't think cavemen ate bacon waffles.

I only lasted a few days with nothing but meat, eggs, berries, and veggies.   I got a call from my dear friend Lynne out in Maryland who is also trying to lose a few pounds.  This is how that call went.

Me:  I tried to do the no bread/no processed food Paleo thing - it didn't go so well.

Lynne.  - What happened?

Me:  I made it almost a week.

Lynne: And?

Me:  I just ate an entire box of vegetarian corn dogs. . . . .  With a beer chaser.

Lynne (laughing)  I love you.

The problem is I tried and do it cold turkey and that just doesn't work.  

But cutting back on cheese, sugar, processed food and supersized portions IS a healthy way to cut back, but it's easier if you start by just replacing a few meals as you gradually adjust to healthier eating habits as you eliminate that white bread with every meal habit which for many of us is a hard one to break. I'm going to cut back on processed grains and have at least two meals a day that are high in protein and "clean" (no junk).  This was my lunch today with some olive oil and apple cider vinegar salad dressing.

I love the stainless steel Lunchbots Box (from my favorite shopping place - Amazon).   It's a tad bigger than most Bento Boxes and I like having an assortment of stuff to nibble on especially on those days I don't have time for a formal sit down "lunch".

For dinner - something totally new.

ZOODLES.  That's right, noodles made out of zucchini.  I bought the little julienne tool at Amazon and figured - worst case scenario we could eat the sauce.

Simply wash the zucchini's, cut off the ends and make a thin slice on the top and  bottom. so it stays in place on the cutting board and you have a level surface to julienne,  Then, simply  run the slicer over it to make long strands of zuchinni.

This was about 2 pretty good sized zucchinis, enough for two people.. This is what it looked light before cooking.  I did slightly peel the squash with the julienne tool so the noodles weren't too dark green.

Some onions were cooked up with garlic to add to some leftover pasta sauce.

Cover the zoodles and nuke for two minutes when the sauce is heating.  (If you're doing a big batch you might want to  cook a bit longer). 

Top with sauce (this sauce was loaded with tomatoes and carrots.  (Note:  Drain the zoodles after nuking - they had a bit more liquid than she expected after cooking so I had a bit of liquid on the plate.)  They were surprisingly good as a base for the sauce and had a bite and texture just like spaghetti.

It's great to know I can use my zoodle and have a healthy low-carb dinner.