Zucchini ”Pasta” & Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

[Blog Update: I’ve created a Foodie Meets Fitness Twitter account. There’s now a “Follow me” button on the sidebar here! Also, I just updated my recipe page.]

Earlier, I had a pretty good headache. It probably had something to do with my day’s happenings: after a night of tossing and turning, my super early wake-up call from my bank notifying me of fraudulent activity on my account once again (thanks, asshole!), concentrating a little too hard at my laptop screen and confusing the heck out of myself working on a project, and getting my taxes done this afternoon (woohoo, check that off my to-do list!). The solution to get my head feeling better and to kick off my 3-day weekend right?

Firstly, forgoing the gym to instead go for an hour hike with Harley at the park. The fresh air felt glorious, and the park was nearly empty, which is ideal when you have a wild puppy who zigzags from one side to another and has a minor conniption every time she sees another human being or dog (or bird or lizard for that matter). The low-key workout was also perfect since my strength training sess yesterday has my legs feeling nice and sore.

Second solution, one word – DESSERT. Trying out a new sweet recipe somehow makes stress nearly melt away! I didn’t want to completely skip over dinner, but since I knew I was going to indulge in dessert, I wanted to make something on the lighter side. I saw a recipe on Pinterest last night for zucchini “pasta” from The Daily Meal, and it turned out to be a great dish that I will most certainly be making again. I take no credit for it, and this was one of the rare instances that I didn’t alter a recipe I found. It was already as simple and delicious of a dish as it could be. You can find the original here, but I made it as a one person serving:

Lemony Zucchini “Pasta” with Goat Cheese & Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 2 TBSP pine nuts
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus zest
• 1/2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 oz goat cheese
• Salt & red pepper flakes

Boil a pot of water. Meanwhile, shave zucchini into thin strips with a vegetable peeler (or cheese slicer or mandoline). Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

Place zucchini in boiling water for 30-45 seconds. Drain pot, and immediately put zucchini in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain, and place on a towel-lined plate to dry.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini with olive oil and lemon juice. Add the pine nuts and pieces of goat cheese. Zest some lemon on top, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Nutrition stats: 275 calories, 21 g fat, 13 g protein, 16 g carbs

If you’re looking for an awesome dessert to make for any occasion, seriously, this is it. They’re certainly not the healthiest dessert I’ve ever made, but they’re a perfect treat to satisfy a serious peanut butter craving! The recipe comes from Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet (which is a really interesting book by the way!). Honestly, I’ve made a few of her meal recipes and have not been a big fan, but the desserts of hers that I’ve tried so far are delicious. I halved the recipe because I don’t really need/want 12 of these bad boys around!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 6

• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
• 6 TBSP smooth peanut butter
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 2 TBSP almond milk
• 2 TBSP chopped pecans

Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the PB, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar, and mix well. Remove the mixture from heat and spoon into the muffin cups evenly.

Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan and stir over medium heat until chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the PB mixture, and top with nuts. Stick in the fridge to set for at least an hour or so before serving.

Facts per cup: 300 calories, 19 g fat, 6 g protein, 33 g carbs

Off to bed, goodnight!