Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash in Marinara with Turkey Meatballs

This was my first time to make spaghetti squash and it was sooooo...good!! Spaghetti squash has a little bit more of a bite to it than spaghetti noodles, and it is a bit more difficult to make, but it has alot less calories and carbohydrates than spaghetti noodles. The one difficult part about this recipe was cutting the squash in half. I got the knife stuck in the squash a few times and I was afraid if I tugged too hard the knife would come flying out at my face! Afterwards, I read that you can put it in the microwave to soften it a bit before slicing, which I think I will definitely try doing next time. Nevertheless, this recipe was delicious and I will for sure be making it again! Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 lb. of lean ground turkey meat (93/7)
• 2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of fresh italian parsely, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 jar of Prego Heart Healthy marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (Note: you will need a sharp knife to do this - please be careful. If it is too hard to slice you can place it in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften it). Place on greased baking sheet cut sides down. Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Let squash cool for about 20 minutes.

2. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. While the squash is cooling, place ground turkey meat, worchestershire sauce, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, dried oregano, italian parsely, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix ingredients together with a large spoon or your hands until well incorporated. Once you are finished mixing, form meatballs by scooping meat out with an ice cream scoop and placing on a large greased baking sheet (you may need to use your hands a little bit to round the balls). Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes, flipping in between to brown both sides.

3. Use a large spoon to scoop out the spaghetti squash and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add the spaghetti squash and marinara sauce. Bring to a slight boil and then turn down to simmer (low).

4. Place spaghetti squash and marinara sauce in a bowl and top with 3-4 turkey meatballs. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!

P.S. This is what a spaghetti squash looks like if you didn't know:

Spaghetti Squash

DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent

We had been hearing about this "Homemade" laundry detergent for months from friends and family members and so we finally decided to give it a try! I first saw this on Pinterest, where a woman said that her homemade laundry detergent lasted her 9 months and only cost her about $20! I said to myself, "If that detergent really works, that would save us alot of money!!" Anyway so we preceded to go and buy the ingredients, little did we know, we could not get all of the ingredients at Target or WalMart. We ended up buying the Baking Soda, Borax, and Oxy Clean at Target and the Super Washing Soda and Fels-Napatha soap at Ace Hardware Store. After we got all of the ingredients this is what we did:

Directions:

1. Add the baking soda, borax, oxy clean, and super washing soda to a large trash bag.
2. Unwrap the fels-napatha soap and cut it up into small rectangles.
3. Place the cut up soap into the food processor and process until it is broken up into very small pieces. Note: If you do not have a food processor, you can hand grate this with a cheese grater.
4. Add the soap to the large trash bag with the other ingredients.
5. Mix all of the ingredients together with a wooden paddle.
6. Store laundry detergent in a sealed container or jar.

Ingredients:

1. 1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) - Target
2. 1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) - Target
3. 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) - Ace Hardware Store
4. 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap - Ace Hardware Store
5. 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) - Target

Some Tid Bits:

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons of laundry detergent for each load (i.e. use 1 tbsp. if you are doing a small load and 2 tbsp. if you are doing a large load)

**This detergent does not make the water bubbly but it is still doing the job!

**This makes your house smell soooooo...good whenever you make it!

**I got this recipe from this blog: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html

 

 

Crank your salad up a notch!

Spinach with Flank Steak, Feta, Cranberries, and Walnuts

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

I guess that's what you get when you marry a soon-to-be dietitian.....A LOT of salad! We do eat a lot of salad in our household, BUT they are not just your ordinary salads. I love coming up with different salad creations instead of just the plain ol' lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and onions. Salads are not only easy to make, but they are also very filling due to all of the fiber (vegetables) and protein (meat, beans, nuts)! Here are the recipes to the salads above....

Spinach salad with flank steak

• Flank or skirt steak (enough for 2)
• 1 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/3 cup of toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 medium roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• Vinagerette of choice (we used a low-fat raspberry vinagerette)

Directions:

1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak on medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes per side. Let steak rest for about 5-8 minutes once its finished cooking.

2. Toss together baby spinach, feta, walnuts, cranberries, tomato, and onion. Lightly dress the salad with vinagerette.

3. Plate the salad and top with grilled flank steak. Enjoy!!




Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2-3/4 cup wonton strips
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup of green onions (white and green part), diced
• 1/2 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 bag of romaine, chopped

Peanut Dressing

• 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 1/3 cup of rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Splenda
• 1 Tablespoon of reduced-fat peanut butter or PB2
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, parika, and garlic powder. Grill on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side, or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle. Once the meat is finished cooking, set aside.

2. Combine spinach, romaine, green onions, wonton strips, dried cranberries, and oranges in a large bowl. Lightly dress the salad with peanut dressing (Note: you will not need all of the dressing in the recipe above).

3. Top salad with grilled chicken breasts. Enjoy!!

Should I do a detox diet?

I have received several questions from people about whether or not detox diets really do work. A dietitian in Candada posted an article today about detox diets and it answers this question pretty clearly (click the link below to read the full article). Another research article I read looked at the effect of detox agents in rats given methamphetamine. It stated that detox agents may not affect the metabolism or elimination of methamphetamine, a major metabolite given to rats. Your best bet to eliminating toxins in the body is to continue eating a well-balanced diet, rich in fiber and drink plenty of water throughout the day!



Article: Do Detox Diets Really Work?

Cauliflower Chicken Pizza

The cauliflower pizza crust recipe is from Eat. Drink. Smile . I saw this recipe originally on Pinterest and then referred to her blog for more information. This is a great recipe for those of you watching your carbohydrate intake and it tastes great too!

Ingredients - Crust

• 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• olive oil (optional)

Topping

• 2-3 Tablespoons of pizza sauce
• 1 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of button mushrooms
• 1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup of fat-free feta cheese
• 1 cup of low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. "Rice" the Cauliflower: Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

2. To Make the Pizza Crust: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

3. Toppings: In a large skillet, add the olive oil, peppers, mushrooms, and onions and cook on medium-high heat until the vegetables are translucent (about 8 minutes). Add in the shredded chicken. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

4. Top the baked cauliflower crust with pizza sauce, veggie & chicken mixture, feta, and mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top. Enjoy!!

Quick & Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Need something nice and warm in your cold, hungry belly?!? This soup is so tasty and does not require an hour and half in the kitchen! The trick to this quick and easy soup is a store bought rotisserie chicken. You don't have to cook any meat beforehand which makes this process alot quicker....the moist chicken is an added bonus! Hope y'all enjoy!!

 

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, shredded into small pieces
• 28 oz. container of 33% less sodium chicken broth
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained  
• 1 cup of frozen corn
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 6-8 corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 small limes
• 1 bag of low-fat shredded mexican blend cheese
• 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large pot, add olive oil, diced onion, and bell pepper. Saute for about 5-7 minutes until softened and slightly browned. Add black beans, tomatoes, and corn and stir until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Season the mixture with cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder and stir. Add the whole container of chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup starts to boil, turn it down to simmer (low) and add the chicken. Put the lid on the pot and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. While the soup is simmering, add the tortilla strips and canola oil to a large cookie sheet. Season the strips with a sprinkle of chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, flipping half way through so both sides get crispy.

5. Assemble: Serve soup in a bowl and garnish with lime juice, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese, and tortilla strips. Enjoy!!

**If you have left overs for the next day, you can add a little bit more chicken broth to the pot to make the soup more liquidy. If you don't have any more chicken broth you can use water, but make sure you don't add too much water because it can drown out the flavor.

 

Do you find yourself constantly talking about your body image, diet, and exercise?

I read this blog post after my sister called me and told me about it and the Lord really convicted me while I was reading it. I confess that I am someone who is constantly thinking and talking about body image, calories, diet, exercise, etc., but I realized when I read this post that I need to be thinking and talking more about what Christ is doing, what He has done, and what He will do. My hope is what Jen said, "that our bodies will one day celebrate function in right relation to form, living in the glorious truth of that future hope now." I hope you enjoy this reading as much as I did!!

http://jenwilkin.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-year-new-self-control.html