Spaghetti Squash: One of the Finer Things

As the great Steve Winwood once said “the finer things keep shining through.” Well, to me, spaghetti squash is most definitely one of the finer things in life. Is it really squash?? I’m not completely convinced it is. With a texture akin to pasta and a sweet-ish flavor, this stuff is crazy good. AND you can use it as a substitute for pasta if you want to take a ride on the low-carb train. Of course, when I made this dish last night I kinda cheated by adding in a substantial piece of ciabatta bread (okay, and 2 glasses of wine), but I enjoyed the hell out of this meal. Even my discerning, meat-loving husband who has been so tolerant of my veggie fanaticism over the past few weeks was able to choke it down (of course, I watched him like a hawk while he ate it to be sure he wasn’t just being nice but he truly seemed to not hate it. Score!).

Here’s the recipe:

Spaghetti Squash Sauteed Surprise Mmmmmm…..

1 spaghetti squash

1 package of portabella mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups spinach

Herbs de Provence

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Parmesan cheese

Slice the spaghetti squash in half and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Rinse the hell out of the portabellas (this is a botulism-free recipe) and then toss them in olive oil and a few pinches of Herbs de Provence. Stick them in the 350 oven for about 30 minutes (if you’re smart like me you’ll do it when the spaghetti squash has been in for about 15 minutes). Remove all of your goods from the oven and sauté the garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. After just a couple of minutes, scoop the spaghetti squash out of its peel into the sauce pan and toss with the garlic. Add in the portabellas and spinach and continue to sauté it all together. Season with sea salt and finally mix in some parmesan (use your own discretion as to how much, I personally think you can never go overboard with the parm).

See – just like pasta!

Roasted portabellas

This is what it looks like in the pan. Yummy!!

I served this with an avocado split topped with balsamic vinaigrette.

No yogurt for breakfast :(

I've had really terrible digestive problems for months. Soooooo it finally occurred to me that I need to change something about the way I eat. Considering the possible culprits, I finally reached the conclusion that my daily breakfast routine of Greek yogurt and cereal may not be the best way to start my day, as there is a strong likelihood that I have lactose intolerance. So I tested my theory by eating no dairy products for a day, and found that, holy crap, my stomach didn't hurt NOR did I have any cramping or bloaty-ness!! It's now been three days and I am feeling loads better AND lighter. Yay!

Now I love Greek yogurt and cereal so the mere thought of changing up my breakfast routine had me seriously stressing out. BUT it has forced me to be creative in my breakfast-y creation game. Woo!! Most of this has involved just finding whatever I can in the kitchen and getting creative.

Super Healthy Delicious Powerhouse Oatmeal Yeah!

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup almond milk

3 tablespoons raw hemp seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

sprinkling of almond slivers

a few dried strawberries for flava

drizzle of maple syrup (the real stuff - it's worth it)

Mix the oats with water and almond milk and microwave for 2.5 minutes. Then mix in everything else. Add additional ingredients at your own risk :)

(I would put a picture in here but the one I have doesn't look very appetizing. Trust me though, it's good stuff.)

Egg and Kale and Avocado and Goat Cheese Scramble

2 eggs

dash of liquid smoke

handful of kale

sun-dried tomatoes

sliced avocado

goat cheese

Scramble eggs just a bit, adding in a dash of liquid smoke. Scramble in the kale and sun-dried tomatoes. Put on a plate, top with avocado and sprinkle with goat cheese. (The picture below is sun-dried tomato-less, not because I ate them but because I didn't have them in the first place. I just thought it would be good to add them in.)

TJ Groupie

I am a Trader Joe's groupie. I've told many people that I should, seriously, be the spokesperson for this amazing company. I love everything about this store. It's like the "Cheers" of grocery stores. All of the employees are super happy and I swear some know me by name. (Really, I caught one of them outside my house the other day - I think TJ's must pay them to stalk their customers - oh well, makes me feel special, plus every girl should have a stalker at least once in her life but that's another post for another day).

Not to mention, many of the products they carry are spectacular, especially condiment-type goodies. Here are a few condiments that you have to try:

Trader Joe's Fresh Blueberry preserves are insane. I will never, ever go back to regular jam or (ewwww) jelly. I go through like 2 jars of this stuff a month. It has tiny blueberries actually IN THE JAM which make the consistency oh-so-fun. And they're really cute too :P

TJ's Creamy Almond Butter goes well with the blueberry preserves or just on it's own, spread on a banana or apple. I've eaten this stuff straight out of the jar and been happy as a clam doing it.

Oh my god. You HAVE to try TJ's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce. It is spectacular on anything from omelettes to burgers. I even use it as a marinade for tilapia. Nom nom nom.

This balsamic vinaigrette will LITerally blow your mind.

If your life is unfulfilling (aka you don't have a TJ's within driving distance of your home), I would highly suggest a road trip, just for the fantastic condiments alone.

LOOK at this Guess coat I found at Ross for $62. I could not believe my luck! It fits like a glove and retails at $250.