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Oodles of Zoodles

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Riley Nichols Student Contributor, Sonoma State
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Sonoma Contributor Student Contributor, Sonoma State
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Sonoma chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The busier I have gotten in college, the worse I have eaten. Growing up I was lucky enough to have parents who would cook healthy meals for me everyday, and now I find myself in the Starbucks drive through feeling ashamed as I eat another breakfast sandwich as a late lunch. I think the hardest part of getting my daily vegetable and protein intake (carbs never seem to be a problem) met is simply the time it takes to make even one square meal. A few weeks ago I invested $15 in a vegetable spiralizer from Target, and I have been able to make noodles of all sorts. I found that making a huge amount of zucchini noodles with sauce at the beginning of the week can feed me once per day throughout the week! It takes about 30 minutes to concoct a pot of pasta sauce, vegetables, and zoodles. You get the satisfaction of twisting your noodles, while also eating most of your vegetables for the day with this recipe I completely made up on the spot last Sunday! Replace my favorite foods with yours, and see how creative you can get.

Ingredients:

  • Ground turkey
  • Chopped onion
  • Sliced mushrooms
  • 1 zucchini
  • Mini bell peppers (I like to have multiple colors in my food)
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • 1 jar of tomato sauce  

Directions:

  • Cook your ground turkey in a large pot (I like to only use 1 cooking tool because I hate doing dishes)
  • While your turkey cooks, spiralize your zucchini (be sure to check on your turkey and move it around every 45 seconds) cut them into 6-7 inch pieces, set them aside
  • Put your cooked turkey on a paper towel
  • Leave the fat in the pot, and put your pre-chopped onions in the grease. If there isn’t enough (I like a lot of onions) put in a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil
  • After a minute or 2, put in your mushrooms. Mix them together for another minute or 2.
  • Use your hands to break up some broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces. Put them in the pot with your mushrooms and onions, then cover it for 3-4 minutes or until they’re tender.
  • While it is covered, slice your bell peppers. Put them the pot and let them steam, too.
  • Remove the lid, and put some spinach in
  • Now the zoodles go in the pot to play around
  • Pour your jar of tomato sauce and the turkey in, stir until all combined
  • Let it all simmer together for 5 or so minutes
  • EAT

I put all of this in a giant container, and eat it throughout the week. It has so many nutrients and is very filling! Here is a link to the spiralizer I use! I hope you find this inspiring, and attempt to zoodle your life away.

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