Spaghetti Squash

So, in my journey to eat as little sugar as possible, preferably NONE, I have been trying to eat a lot healthier in general, as well. This has always been a battle for me, because I HIGHLY dislike vegetables, and those I do like, I will only eat them smothered in ranch dressing. Bad bad bad. So, I'm reforming. It's hard. Sometimes I feel like I am yelling at the wind to change directions. 

However, I have found something that I love! Spaghetti squash! I love it with just butter, salt, and pepper, I love it with spaghetti sauce, I love it, love it, love it! I even found a recipe for Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin, and I am anxious to try it! 

What I wanted to share today was my new found trick in cooking the spaghetti squash. While perusing Pinterest one day, I saw a pin about cutting the squash into circle strips, like this (to the left), instead of in half, like so many people do. The reasoning? The strands of squash go AROUND the squash, not back and forth! After it's cooked, you are able to get longer, more finer strands out of your squash. I guess in the long run, it doesn't matter, because it will all taste the same, but I love it cooked in circles, rather than in half. I'm probably turning into a spaghetti squash snob, but I'm okay with that! 

Just a note, as I've been trying to eat healthier, the biggest change I have noticed has been my hair. It FEELS and LOOKS a lot more healthy! It's softer and shinier. I am loving it! That is incentive enough for me! My next goal will be to try to Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin and let you know how it goes!

Berry Tropical Ice Cream

I am such a sweet fanatic. It's not a good thing! This week has been particularly bad in the cravings department... It also got up to 100 degrees here today and I was dying for a fruity slushy sugary drink or ice cream... Well tonight I decided to be semi-good and experiment with some ideas I have seen on Pinterest to make ice cream from frozen fruit!

I never knew how much a food processor could come in handy! I love that thing. 

So here's what you need.

1 1/2 c of frozen mixed berries, banana, and pineapple 

4-6 tbs of Coconut/Almond milk blend

Throw it in the food processor & blend until smooth. I added about 3 tbs of the milk and then just added more until it got the right consistency. 

This was so yum! It would be really good topped with some dark chocolate too! 

Maple Bacon Brussel Sprouts & Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Okay, I am terrible with both making healthy meals and also remembering to take pictures and remember the recipes to post. Here are two that I just so happened to post to my Instagram feed, and finally decided to share. Both meals were delicious!

This first one is just some bacon and Brussels sprouts and it was absolutely delicious! It is a pretty light meal because I wasn't that hungry at the time. You could always add a side of rice or something to make it a full meal. 

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

3 slices of bacon

A handful of Brussels sprouts washed & cut in half

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbs pure maple syrup 

(you could also omit this if you are being really strict with sugar intake)

a pinch of salt & pepper 

(you could also add some cayenne for a kick!)

Chop up the bacon and brown it over medium to medium high heat with the garlic and maple syrup until just before the desired crispness. Add the brussel sprouts and saute until tender.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

4 oz thawed salmon filet

1 tbs avocado or EVOO 

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

Squeeze of a lemon wedge

A dash of: lemon pepper seasoning and red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put fish in some tinfoil (enough to be able to fold it up) and add all the toppings. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until it comes out flaky. 

*Note: This picture also included about a tbs of mayo which makes it even more yummy.. and fattening.
I replaced it with the EVOO or avocado oil for a healthier version.

Making a Plan

I finally forced myself to create a meal plan for next week to follow! (Go me!) I am trying hard to keep things simple and cheap. I like to get my meat and fish from Costco because they have some good quality stuff in bulk, which should last about a month (sometimes 2, depending on how on top of things I am..) in our house. I like to get ground beef, chicken, tilapia, salmon, and one other choice like steak, meatballs, pork, roast, etc. Meat is expensive.. :( Then I plan on getting some of the staple foods I plan to eat a lot of throughout the week like spinach and lettuce for salads, cucumbers, some sort of fruit that looks good and is a decent price. Then I just get the rest at other places since I don't need bulk everything!

So, here is my plan for next week:

(Sorry for the tiny typing.. I couldn't figure out a way to get this table from Word, so I sent an e-mail to myself, opened up the document, took a picture and cropped it with my phone, then uploaded it onto my Google+ account so that I could access it as a picture from Picasa Web albums. There has to be an easier way? Haha.. I guess I need to work on my tech-savvy skills.)

I have no idea what the calorie intake is on any of this. I have tried to calculate calories in the past, and it stresses me out. The Insulite Labs program guide tells you not to worry so much about calories, so thank heavens for that! I figure if I am eating that many veggies every day I will be in good shape! :) I am not quite used to having 5 meals either, and so looking at it makes me feel like there is a lot of food there to eat, so I may have to make adjustments here and there. I plan on shopping and preparing on Saturday to that everything is ready to go for the week.

I kept breakfast super simple because I am not a morning person and I just don't take the time I need to to make something awesome. I do realize though that breakfast is when your body really needs the most energy to get through the day. I hope as I go I will be able to make some adjustments and find some recipes to make ahead of time to eat throughout the week so that breakfast is bigger and dinner is smaller (at least proportionally!). Notice I didn't leave out carbs altogether. I don't plan to! I believe the body needs those complex carbs at least once in awhile, so I am going to have them. I will also allow myself to have some Dove dark chocolate if I feel like I am going to die without something sweet.

I also added in my workout plan, which also may end up different, depending on how my body feels. I tried to do this same plan last week and spin class nearly wiped me out, so I ended up taking it a little easier through the weekend.

I'll try to take pictures and write out the recipes for easier reference next week, but that's it! We'll see how it goes! :)

Jalapeño Turkey Wrap

First off, buy the Jalapeño Greek Yogurt from Costco. This stuff is amazing for dips, or to use in place of salad dressing, or as a spread on sandwiches. 

Then all you need is some good quality sliced turkey, some lettuce, and tomato or whatever toppings you want to add. 


It's no sub but it's pretty darn good for being a healthy meal!