The Right Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash

So I love fall. Seriously. It's my favorite time of year for food. I should probably preface with the fact that I really dislike pumpkin though. The taste is pretty gross to me - and the texture of pumpkin pie just reminds me of bad pudding. Eww. But I digress. 

I love squash of all kinds. Summer squash is great, but by the time fall gets here, I'm ready for a change. 

Besides, just think of al the amazing things you can make with spaghetti squash. Above is quite possibly my new favorite, spaghetti squash Alfredo with tomatoes and turkey bacon (sometimes you just need some bacon in your life. Don't judge me, you know you love bacon....mmmm bacon). Although very close behind that is spaghetti squash pad Thai - which was lunch tonight (night shift fun!). But a good standby was last weeks spaghetti squash with homemade marinara and clean turkey meatballs (both recipes for another day). 

Have you ever wondered how all those food bloggers end up with lovely long spaghetti squash noodles and you only ever get the short stumpy ones? It all comes down to how you cook it. 

Most traditional recipes for how to cook it start with cutting the squash in half lengthwise. DON'T DO IT! RESIST THE TEMPTATIONTO FOLLOW THE CROWD!  This solitary step is why you end up with short, crummy looking noodles. 

I chose to cook my squash whole - the other option would be to cut into 1 inch rings (which I'll probably try next time). Make sure you poke some steam release holes in them first (otherwise it will be a case of the exploding squash. Messy.) But you can just pop the squash in the oven at 375F for about an hour (turn it at the half hour mark, or else you'll end up with one "soggy" side). Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes (or until it doesn't feel like you're going to burn your fingers when you handle it). 

Next, if you baked it whole, you'll cut it into 1 inch rings (if you baked it in the rings then you already did this step).

Cut around the center to remove the seeds. 

Then, take a fork and go around the squash in a circle - voilà! Long noodles! (I know, mind blown - right?)

So I like to do this over a colander lined with cheesecloth. I got really tired of having everything be super runny because of the excess moisture from the squash.

 

So squeeze that extra moisture out (some is ok, I'm just picky and don't like my food to look like it is drowning). And you have a fantastic low-carb, healthy, and clean alternative to pasta! Enjoy ☺️

My favorite comfort food

When I was in Costa Rica for study abroad, we had the option of taking a cooking course. If I ever get a rice cooker, I'm making the heart of Palm rice. But that's another recipe that I don't have with me - nor have I made it in 10 years. One that I could absolutely live off of however is Refried Black Bean Soup. It is absolutely simple and so delicious. 

1 can organic refried black beans (no it doesn't have to be organic, but most organic can linings are free of chemicals) or make your own refried black beans from dried beans

1 tbsp butter

1/4 small onion - diced

2/3 cloves garlic - diced

1/4-1/2c water

Optional:

Diced avocado

Diced tomato

Tortilla chips (I love Trader Joes organic corn salt free)

Mozzarella cheese

Add the water and beans to a blender and liquefy. 

Melt the butter in the saucepan, add the garlic first to sauté. After a minute or two add the onion and sauté it as well. Stir well to prevent over browning. 

Add the bean mixture to the pan and cook on medium heat. Cook until bubbling - should be 10-15 minutes, stirring well. 

Remove from heat. Serve in a bowl over tortilla chips and topped with avocados, tomatoes, and mozzarella. 

You gotta know when to hold 'em

As I sit here post workout (and shower), and yes, at 2 am (night shift nurse schedule, don't judge me), I ponder why I do this to myself. It something that Shaun T says at the end of Pure Cardio in Insanity. And I have to agree, I want to look good. But it's more than that. I want to be healthy, the healthiest me possible. 

Unfortunately, that's going to come with some bumps in the road. This isn't the first and it certainly won't be the last. I haven't been the kindest to my body over the years - whether directly or indirectly. Though interestingly, all of my injuries are right sided (wrist, rotator cuff, hip, knee). 

I'm interested in you, what has been a setback for you? What have you struggled with?

Sweet Potato Fries

Te adoro sweet potato fries! Seriously, I just love them! When I started clean eating in September 2013, I thought I had to give them up. Sweet potatoes are clean and good for you, but fries....ehh deep frying is not kosher with the clean rules 😞  

There were a couple other things going against me in September. As a traveling nurse my assignment took me to Boston (yea! Another dream assignment checked off the list!) however, with that also meant a studio apartment. And it was tiny. Like a shoebox. No joke, my traveling friend that was in NYC at the same time also had a studio - it was twice the freaking size!

So my kitchen was practically nonexistent. As was storage (but that's another story). I made it work and learned to make some really awesome clean eating foods (butternut squash ravioli ☺️), but did not tackle sweet potato fries. 

Back in Hartford for a repeat assignment (love my peeps here), I decided to finally tackle it. And I found a super easy recipe - I made it and couldn't stop eating them. Seriously, they are that good. Well except that I didn't really measure my spices and got a little heavy handed with the cayenne. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had left overs. And I burned them (oops), but that just added to the flavor (at least I'm convinced). 

Recipe found on simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large)

1/4 c EVOO

1-2 tbsp sugar (I used honey per clean eating)

1 tbsp salt (I skipped it - not noticeable)

1-2 tbsp spice mix of your choice (I used cayenne, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder - but you can use anything)

Preheat oven to 450 (if using honey, preheat to 425, cook cooler and keep an eye on them so they don't burn)

Peel the potatoes, cut off the ends, and start slicing - mine were about 1/4 in thick slices that were then trimmed down to fry slivers (about 1/4 in all around)

Put your pots in a bowl; mix your oil, honey (sugar), and spices together, then mix with sweet potatoes in large bowl. 

Spread them out in a single layer (as best as possible) on a baking sheet (I did grease mine, but it didn't say you had to).  Put them in to bake for 25-30 min. Turn them after the first 15 min. 

 

Deliciousness 😋

Your Moment...

Listening to the National Wake-Up call this morning, the ending quote was my favorite - will you define the moment or will the moment define you?

It's still early in January of 2014 - for some reason everyone thinks that you need a new year to start something - or a Monday.

Guess what?

You just need a day - any day! Pick one! It's up to you! Make 2014 your healthiest year ever! Carpe Diem!