My Love Affair With Spaghetti Squash
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 [...]