{day 1 - dinner}

{dinner}

I am actually more excited about this dinner than I think you can even understand! Why?! Well, it was super yummy, super easy...and super healthy for me! Here's the thing - I'm not really a 'pasta' kind of girl...just ask my sisters. If you give me a choice of pasta {and/or soup and salad, really} or steak...I'm going with the steak. What can I say, I just love my red meat! But with that being said, I decided to give spaghetti squash a try and it is similar to pasta...so I wasn't sure I was going to love it. {Mind you, I don't hate pasta...it's just not my favorite. Really, the only way I like it is in the Americanized spaghetti form - ya know, with the meat added in and the red sauce...MMM! What can I say, I have very "American" tastebuds.}

My first struggle was figuring out how to cook the darn thing. I originally was going to cook it in the oven {I googled 'how to cook spaghetti squash"}. So I started trying to cut it in half and boy, was that complicated! Well, I also read that you could 'cook' it in the microwave {which would help soften it to cut more easily} so I decided to go that route. It worked out well anyways because it takes an hour in the stove and 15 minutes in the microwave and I was HUNGRY! Once you get it softened/cooked, all you have to do is take a fork and start scraping it out. If you don't have it cooked all the way {which originally happened to me}, it's nearly impossible to scrape out {and you'll find yourself wondering if it's worth the time...} but after getting it cooked all the way {microwaving for a few more minutes!}, it was a piece of cake! So definitely, learn from my mistake and if you're having troubles scraping it out, immediately cook it some more...don't keep struggling with it. 

The other 'mistake' I made on this meal was forgetting to stop at the store on the way home. I was chatting on the phone with a friend and had a one-track mind that took me home and by the time I realized what I'd done...I didn't want to drive back into the store...so I just decided to try using what we had around the house. 

I opened the fridge and found a green onion. I cut off a little piece and took a bite with some spaghetti squash - it tasted ok, so green onion went into the pan! {I had a saucepan on the stove with some olive oil and the spaghetti squash}. I found a tomato so I taste-tested again and it 'passed the test.' We had some blue cheese so I gave that one a test...it did NOT pass! :) Then I found some leftover feta cheese and oddly enough....LOVED that with it! I added some basil from our spice cupboard and some garlic powder as well. I wanted to use a garlic clove but we didn't have any...so the powder it was.

So basically, those were my ingredients: spaghetti squash, tomato, green onion, basil, garlic powder and feta cheese. It was SO delicious...I amazed myself! {Please note, I will admit to the world...I am NOT a culinary chef or even CLOSE....I don't like cooking.}

It tasted just like pasta {still surprised I loved it so!} but was SOOOO much more healthy than pasta! According to Livestrong.com, "Spaghetti squash is low in calories, yet high in vitamins and antioxidants. One cup of spaghetti squash has 42 calories and has no saturated fat or cholesterol, according to NutritionData. The vegetable is an excellent source of beta carotene, also is known as vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to boost the immune system and maintain healthy eye function. Spaghetti squash also contains significant amounts of niacin, vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamin C, according to the World's Healthiest Foods." You can read more on it, here.

The spaghetti squash cost $1.99 a pound {from Whole Foods} and my eyes about bulged out of my head when I paid over $6 for it...but seeing as how none of the other members of my household will try it, I'm beginning to think eating healthy won't actually cost me that much. As a matter of fact, it will probably save me money! That $6 has already fed me for two meals {had it for breakfast today...will blog about that later} and there's still enough for 2-3 meals remaining...so $6 for approximately 5 meals? You can't really beat that. :) 

Sorry I've been pretty long-winded on this post...I am just so excited about this amazing vegetable! :)