can still be happy, healthy and hot!
In other words, you can make a super easy, healthy dinner, and still have plenty of time to take a long walk, go shoe shopping, take a nap…or all three!
Here’s one I just threw together that tasted great and took no time at all…red clam sauce over zucchini noodles, with a side of roasted broccoli.
Clams are a great protein source, and are loaded with vitamin B12 and iron. They even contain some vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the iron.
To keep things simple, I bought frozen clam meat, already out of the shell. I used to buy canned baby clams, but there are always some funky preservatives added.
Cooked tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. They also contain more vitamin C. Not only does it help you absorb the iron from the clams, vitamin C supports collagen production.
I used a jarred organic sauce from my local Giant grocery store. Many sauces in a jar or can have crappy processed seed oils…this one just had olive oil. Unfortunately it had some sugar added, but I went with it anyway. Wegman’s has a great organic jarred pasta sauce without added sugar.
Zucchini is another good source of vitamin C, and many other vitamins and minerals.
I bought pre-cut zucchini noodles...remember, this was a lazy Sunday! These are available in the produce section of many grocery stores now. Sometimes I make my own with a julienne cutter. I had a spiral slicer but it never really did a great job. If anyone has one that they love, let me know!
Broccoli, like all cruciferous veggies, is pretty amazing. It has high levels of many powerful antioxidants, and supports the detoxification process. And I bought pre-washed broccoli florets. Again, keeping things simple.
Ok, so here’s what I did with those ingredients. You can’t even call this a recipe. Just instructions for throwing shit together!
First, I dumped the broccoli on a baking sheet, drizzled with my fave Kasandrinos olive oil, and sprinkled with a little pink Himalayan salt. It went into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
I like my roasted veggies to brown a little bit. You will want to check on it and stir once or twice to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Roasted veggies are also amazing with Primal Kitchen avocado oil, which gives a more buttery flavor. I like to mix things up with my healthy fats!
Next, I poured about half a jar of the sauce in a saucepan. Added the thawed clams and brought to a simmer. Then heated a frying pan on medium, poured in a little more olive oil, and added the zucchini noodles. I stirred these and cooked until they softened up, which only took a few minutes.
By the time the zucchini noodles were ready, the sauce was good to go. And that’s really all it took.
Of course you could serve this sauce over regular pasta as well. There are tons of gluten free options out there, and even some new pastas made from beans. My body just functions best on fewer carbs most days, so I stick with the veggie pasta.
This is all so flexible. The way I prepared the sauce made about 3- 4 servings. Get extra clams and use the whole jar of sauce if you want to make more!
So, can red clam sauce on zucchini noodles with a side of roasted broccoli help you feel happy, healthy and hot? You know it!
You’ll be happy with such an easy, tasty dinner. Not just on a lazy Sunday, on any day! The veggies, clams and olive oil give you a great combo of vitamins and minerals to keep your healthy. A nutrient dense meal like this will keep you satiated, which in turn helps to maintain your weight. And all the antioxidants and vitamin C will give you healthy, glowing skin. Very hot!
SHOP THE POST:
Kasandrinos Olive Oil
Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
Pink Himalayan Salt
Tanya E says
Yum, that looks really delicious! I’m a fan of frozen fish, so easy and often much cheaper. I have a spiraliser from amazon called a Spiralo. It spiralises downwards, if that makes sense. It seems to work pretty well and has various blades. At the moment spiralised apple with cinnamon on top is quite popular in this house.
Elizabeth Resnick says
Oh thank you Tanya! I’ll have to check out the Spiralo! And never even thought about spiralised apple! What a great idea. I love using cinnamon on apples. Lately I’ve been using the pumpkin spice, just for something a little different.