Brrrrrr!

It’s snowing like crazy here in Madison, Wisconsin! Everytime I go to leave, Stella stands guard at the door. It’s hilarious because she thinks she’s so tough! Ha!

Anyways, I’m at a nearby Barnes Noble blogging to you guys. I secretly love this atmosphere because I’m surrounded by college students… which makes me feel like I’m back in college!

I’ve been asked a lot of questions on how I’m keeping weight off during my ACL recovery so here it is. I’m watching my nutrition pretty strictly and staying around 1200-1300 calories per day. This is hard for me because I’m a foodie! I miss going on a 3-4 mile run and feeling as if I earned a little treat. Soon enough my friends, soon enough. In the mean time, I have been very focused on finding low cal yet FILLING foods… which is not always the easiest. That’s why I have to talk about my love affair with spaghetti squash (sorry Matthew).

 

This dish is saving me and here is why:

  • One cup of cooked squash = 42 calories. That’s pretty darn good! Especially compared to one cup of pasta which is around 221…Wowza!
  • Spaghetti squash has 7 grams of carbohydrates while pasta has 31 grams.
  • A serving contains no fat unless you add butter or olive oil! (which I occasionally do)
  • It’s definitely nutritionally superior to white pasta which doesn’t contain vitamins or much nutritional content.
  • Most importantly…it legitimately tastes delicious. I mean come on…most of us aren’t going to force down food that taste like pure garbage!
  • If you have not tried spaghetti squash, you best give it a try or you are missing out. I normally eat it plain besides a little sea salt and pepper. However, here is my favorite recipe that I highly recommend (: It mimics actual spaghetti and it so flipping good!

Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash, 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, 2 cups diced vidalia, 1 medium zucchini, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 14 ounces canned, diced italian-style tomatoes, preferably no-salt added, plus their juices, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 pound 95% lean ground turkey, parmesan cheese for garnish (optional).

Directions:
For the squash: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds and throw them away. Place the halves cut side up in the baking dish. Bake 45 minutes. Cool completely.

Now time to make the sauce! Heat 2 TBS of the oil in a large sauce pan- medium heat. Add the onions and zucchini, half the salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
Next, stir in the tomatoes and juices along with the garlic. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
Heat the remaining tbs of oil in a separate skillet. Add the meat. Season it with the remaining salt ad pepper. Cook for 15 minutes!

Back to the squash! Use a fork to shred the squash.Transfer the strands to a mixing bowl and discard the empty skins. Spoon the sauce over the squash. Garnish with cheese and dig in!

This is husband approved! I try to make dishes that benefit us both. I use less sauce than Matthew to save on cals…and definitely less cheese. He would eat the whole bag of he could #noragrets

ENJOY lively folk (: Happy Sunday! or shall I say SMONDAY (almost Monday).