Food of the Week: Spaghetti Squash

Photo credit: http://www.steamykitchen.com

My first thoughts…YUCK!!!  But then I gave spaghetti squash a try and it wasn’t so bad…maybe even good!?!?!?

The newest craze in real, clean eating seems to be the infamous spaghetti squash.  I mean, could it really get any better – a substitute for noodles that you can eat TONS of and not rack up the calories and even add in some nutrients!  I had been leery to try out this veggie because for one, my husband HATES squash (we’ll get to a funny story about that later) and two, I’m not super keen on it either.  However, I had found some interesting looking recipes and decided to give it a try.

Photo credit: http://www.pepperlynn.com

Photo credit: steamykitchen.com

According to Wikipedia, spaghetti squash includes the following nutrients:  folic acid, potassium, vitamin A and beta carotene.  And with only an average of 42 calories per cup, approx. 1.5 grams of fiber and only .5 grams of fat, you really can’t go wrong!

I’ve tried out a couple of ways to cook this versatile squash.  For my first attempt, I put the squash in the crock pot whole with some water and cooked it all day long.  It did the trick, but the strands of ‘spaghetti’ were a little too mushy for my (and my husband’s) taste.  My go to method now is cutting the squash in half lengthwise, placing it cut side down on a baking pan and roasting it at 400 or 425 degrees F for approx. 30-40 minutes, or until the outer skin punctures easily with a fork.  This seems to produce slightly crunchy ‘spaghetti’ which is my preferred consistency.

Now, how do you make this thing taste good??  I’ve actually grown to like it with olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe a sprinkle of parmesan cheese with some veggies and chicken.  Or, take your favorite spaghetti noodle containing recipe and sub in spaghetti squash and see what you come up with.

Below are a couple of our favorite recipes so far:

Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

Recipe from Keyingredient.com

Photo credit: keyingredient.com

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (I get ours from a local farmer)

8 oz chopped pepperoni, divided (I always use turkey pepperoni)

1 small onion, diced small

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon EACH oregano, basil, and thyme

4 cups roasted spaghetti squash noodles (see cooking notes above)

2 cups favorite spaghetti sauce – (I use my homemade spaghetti sauce)

2 eggs

½ cup Daiya mozzarella cheese or pecorino romano, and few tablespoons extra for sprinkling, optional (Or if you’re not Paleo – use mozzarella cheese)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef, 1/2 of the pepperoni, onion, and garlic.

3.As the ground meat cooks, sprinkle in the seasonings. Taste (when cooked!) and add more to your liking if necessary.

4.In a large bowl, mix the warm beef mixture, spaghetti sauce, squash threads, eggs, and cheese of choice.

5.Place into a greased casserole dish ( I used a 9 X 9).

6.Top with the remaining pepperoni and a sprinkling of cheese.

7.Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Recipe:  Bacon & Gruyere Egg Casserole

Recipe credit:  Detoxinista.com

Photo credit: AgainstAllGrain.com

This is where we get back to the funny story about my husband.  He hates squash…can’t even gag the stuff down.  Until now!  I made this casserole and wasn’t around when he was ready to eat it.  I asked him how it was – he said awesome – that he’d had 3 servings of it!  I’d say that’s a victory in my book!  Now to the recipe:

Prep time: 15 min, Cook Time:  55 minutes, Total Time:  1 hr 10mins.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

•2 cups cooked spaghetti squash strands

•8 oz. nitrate-free bacon, cut into ½” pieces

•1 yellow onion, chopped

•4 whole eggs

•4 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded and divided (I used Swiss as an alternative)

•1 teaspoon sea salt

•black pepper to taste

Directions

1.  If you haven’t done so already, prepare your spaghetti squash. (See cooking instructions above.) Preheat your oven to 350F and generously grease an 8″ x 8″ glass dish with butter or coconut oil.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and sauté the bacon pieces for 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion to the skillet of bacon, and cook together for an additional 10 minutes, until the onions are tender and the bacon is just crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions and bacon to a large mixing bowl, and combine with the cooked spaghetti squash, eggs, 3 ounces of shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well.

3.  Transfer the mixture to the greased dish, and top with the remaining ounce of shredded cheese, which will create a crispy topping. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is firm. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

4.  Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

*Note:  While this is an egg casserole, I have always made it as a supper entrée.

Enjoy!

Natural Dyed Easter Eggs

Blog of the Week:  JustShortOfCrazy.com…Natural Dyed Easter Eggs

 As Easter quickly approaches, I’ve heard and seen many people wondering how to dye their eggs the natural way.  While the kits you can buy in the store provide almost neon-like colors, it can be interesting to dye eggs using ingredients we can find in our own pantry.  The colors may not be as bright, but they produce a look that is rustic and much more natural looking than what can be achieved from the store bought packages.

When researching different ingredients to use, I came across the blog JustShortOfCrazy.com.  She offers excellent instructions about how to achieve amazing looking dyed Easter eggs with dyes that most of us already have in our kitchen.

Take a look, give it a try, and let me know what you think!!

Food of the Week: The Almond

So an almond is a nut, right?  Nope.  An almond is actually a seed but has many qualities of being a nut.  Besides tasting delicious, almonds can be touted as lowering cholesterol, regulating blood pressure and even preventing and protecting against cancer and diabetes.  They can aid in weight loss because of their nutritional density…helping you feel fuller longer and reducing cravings.  And as seen on many ads on TV, almonds are also a natural energy booster which makes them great as snacks.

Probably more than any other nut (let’s just refer to them as nuts), the almond can be found in many different forms.  Think almond milk, almond paste, almond butter, almond flour, almond liquer…just to name a few.  Many people have switched to drinking almond milk because of it’s lower calorie count versus cow’s milk.  Almond flour is also a great alternative for individuals who have gluten intolerances.

On the subject of almond flour, which can be pretty expensive, you can actually make your own.  Purchase raw or roasted almonds in bulk and simply grind them up until they are a fine powder.  Be careful not to mix too long or you will end up with almond paste!  By buying the almonds in bulk, you can drastically cut down on the cost of the flour.  Grind a little extra for next time.  I guarantee, this flour will be must tastier than store bought, simply because of the freshness achieved by grinding the almonds yourself!

So next time you’re in need of a snack, reach for a handful of almonds and not only enjoy their tastiness, but all of their health benefits as well!!

Food of the Week: The Banana

This week’s pick for Food of the Week is non other than the simple banana!

Bananen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bananas are versatile, delicious fruits that have so many different uses, it’s amazing.  They can be eaten as snacks, blended in smoothies or even used as a replacement for eggs or oil in baking.

Some people who are trying to eat healthy shy away from bananas because they think they are too starchy.  Complex carbs like those in bananas are excellent for your health and do no spike blood sugar like eating refined carbs would.  They are also fat, cholesterol and sodium free, and with only 110 calories per serving, bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S. with Americans eating more bananas per year than both apples and oranges combined.

Photo Credit: http://www.chiquitabananas.com

Just think of all the uses for bananas; smashed bananas are often the first foods infants are started on.  Kids love to eat them either whole or mixed in smoothies for snacks.  When baking, you can often substitute bananas for the eggs or oil in your recipe.  You can even make ‘ice cream’ by blending together frozen bananas with berries, peanut butter or even chocolate for a guilt free cool, refreshing snack.

So next time you’re looking for a power snack, think about a banana.  Whether it be with a little bit of natural, sugar free peanut butter or right out of the peel, you really can beat the banana.

Source: http://www.chiquitabananas.com

Recipe:  Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

2.5 Cup old fashioned oats

1 Cup plain low fat greek yogurt

2 eggs

1/2 Cup honey

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1 tsp vanilla

2 ripe bananas (the more brown spots the better, means they are sweeter)

Sugar Free or Dark Chocolate Chips, nuts, raisins or the mix-in of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray with olive oil or line with silicone or foil liners 12 muffin tins.

2. Pulse oats in a food processor for about 10 seconds, and then add remaining ingredients.

3. Continue pulsing until everything is blended and the oats are ground fine.

4. Add chocolate chips, nuts or any other mix-ins you’d like at this point.

5. Divide batter between muffin tins.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

7.  ENJOY!

These muffins are delicious and don’t last long at our house.  We often even eat them for breakfast!

Orka Ice Pops – Product of the Week (March 1st)

So at times it’s difficult to get my 3 year old to eat fruits.  She’ll eat bananas and unsweetened applesauce like crazy and loves strawberries, but she has to be in the mood for it.  My 1.5 year old would eat mandarin oranges until she turned into one.  So in an effort to mix things up, I saw these nifty little Orka Ice Pop molds on Amazon and decided to give them a try.

Photo Credit: BigKitchen.com

And the results have been great.  No recipes come with them, but I was ok with that.  Instead, I have used two different variations on the smoothies they love with great results.  The first time we made them (I say ‘we’ because my 3 year old loved helping), we used our Yonana (review to come at a later date) and made ‘ice cream’ out of 2 frozen bananas and some frozen mixed berries.  Filled the silicon molds, stuck them in the freezer and enjoyed them a few hours later.  The second time, I added milk to them with similar results.  The only difference was that with the milk, the mixture was a lot runnier so easier to get in the molds.  And the nice thing about them is that you know exactly what’s in them!  No artificial anything…just fruit and milk.

Once you’re ready to eat the pops, the mold just peels right off.  Don’t try to pull the pops out of the mold, but rather pull on the tab and pull the mold off the pop…takes a bit of practice. 🙂  There is also a nifty little tray to catch any melting drips…I’ve appreciated that with my youngest.  The only downside I have experienced so far is that there are only four molds, so one batch doesn’t last very long, especially in our house.

Definitely a nice option to have for the upcoming warm summer months.  Looking forward to trying different mixtures…maybe even blending some veggies in there too…shhhhh, don’t tell!