The miracle that is spaghetti squash

So last year when I started the Metabolism Miracle plan, I had to do 8 weeks of virtually no carbs, and it was REALLY hard (that's what she said), at least in the beginning. But after the first week or so, things started to get a lot easier, and one of the reasons why was because I found that I could eat everything that I loved (almost) with just a few little changes. One of those changes was pasta. Now, I LURVE me some pasta, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to live without it until I discovered the miracle that is spaghetti squash.

  

 

This little miracle veggie right here has brought me so much joy, you see now I can have my favorite foods like spaghetti, chicken fettuccini alfredo, shrimp scampi pasta, etc. And you know what??? I don't even miss the pasta! Seriously, I am not shitting you. Even my hubs and bro in law agree that they too actually prefer it over regular pasta. Not only are you ridding your meal of carbs, but you are also adding in another serving of veggies... it's WIN-WIN!

Here's a regular rotation meal at our house - you should totes try it sometime!

Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 lb of ground turkey (or you can make this with just veggies for a meatless Monday option)
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 med size zucchini
10oz of sliced mushrooms (give or take)
1 jar of homemade marinara (see recipe below)
1 med sized spaghetti squash
shredded parm for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe for homemade marinara. It seriously doesn't take long to make your own, and you can freeze it for later use. Plus, you get the added benefit of non-processed sauce with no chemicals and lower carbs - Holla!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2.. Cut your spaghetti squash in half length wise and remove all the seeds. Brush the insides with olive oil and place both halves on a cookie sheet cut side down and cover with foil.
3. Bake squash in oven for about 40-45 minutes.
4. While the squash is cooking begin to brown your turkey in a skillet over med heat.
5. While turkey is browning cut up your veggies.
6. Drain any excess fat from browned turkey and add in bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and marinara. Stir until combined. Cover and turn burner to low. Let simmer for 30ish minutes stirring occasionally.
7. When the squash is finished, I take a pair of tongs and turn them over and then use a fork to scoop out the spaghetti strings into a bowl. Once it's all in a bowl, I like to add a little bit of butter and garlic salt and stir it all up.
8.Place spaghetti squash on plates, top with the sauce, and garnish with some shredded parm.

Voila! You have Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash! We usually have ours with a piece of low carb garlic toast and a side salad. I hope you try this recipe out - and if you do, please tell me what you think and if you will take the challenge to replace your pasta with spaghetti squash - your waist line will thank you :)

-Candice