104/365 Spaghetti Squash

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Using vegetables is an excellent substitute to cooking with pasta. Spaghetti squash is an ideal vegetable for this purpose. By simply roasting it, you can "make" pasta by running a fork over the fibers. Serve it with your favorite sauce and voila, a healthy dinner with less carbohydrates and more nutrients! Spaghetti squash is in the same family as acorn squash and pumpkin. Clearly you can see that I have a squash theme going; this is definitely due to the fact that they are in season. Here's how to make your own spaghetti squash meal:

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Halve lengthwise and seed spaghetti squash. Drizzle oil on flesh; bake on baking sheet flesh side down. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Remove spaghetti squash. With tongs, flip them over. Run a fork lengthwise down the squash so as to remove the fibers. It will naturally peel off into spaghetti-like strands.

4. Pour sauce of your choice over your "spaghetti" and enjoy!




In health,

Lauren

81/365 Baking Seeds

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Previously I blogged about acorn squash. What can we do with the seeds before we bake our acorn squash? Make them of course! You can do this with pumpkin seeds as well.

My dear friend Sarah did this with the seeds just as her mom does:
1. With water, do your best to get the gooey fibers off of the seeds.
2. Spread seeds out onto a baking dish.
3. Sprinkle salt (you could try different spices like paprika or ground pepper) over the seeds.
4. Bake in a 350F degree oven for about 3 minutes; you'll know when to take them out because they'll start to pop. Time to go!

Seeds in general are very nutritious for you since they are what nourishes the plant it will become. They have folic acid, are rich in vitamin E, fiber, protein, and iron. So, be like the Native Americans and don't let any part go to waste. Seeds make a great snack, just keep it to 1/4 cup (~150 calories)

In health,

Lauren

80/365 Acorn Squash

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Keeping in season with the harvest, I have decided to experiment with Acorn Squash. Today was my first adventure with it. Unfortunately, I was foolish and added salt even though the recipe did not say to; shame on me. I was able to doctor it with more butter and sugar (I think Paula Dean would be pleased). This, in my opinion, does not deem it unhealthy. After all, acorn squash on it's own is very fibrous, has vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B12, and omega 3-fatty acids; one cup is just only 83 calories.

This is from a comment somebody posted onto a recipe I initially found.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Halve the acorn squash, remove the seeds. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
3. Remove (be careful because it will be hot). Coat flesh with ~1tbsp butter. Sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar to your liking (generally nutmeg and cinnamon have a 1:2 ratio).
4. Bake for 20 min or until tender.

You can scoop out the flesh then cut it into cubes; it's really up to you. My only advice would be to not eat the skin. I'm sure you could do this and use different spices instead of going the sweet route. I'll let you know if I do. Enjoy!

In health,

Lauren