Spaghetti Squash Soup

The base of many lovely spaghetti squash soups start with this recipe from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/spaghetti-squash-soup.html

Prepare the squash for its meeting with meaty goodness:Start by following along with the Spaghetti Squash preparation.

Soup Ingredients, other than the Spaghetti Squash:

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
½ cup parsley
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
1 box of low sodium Chicken or Vegetable stock
Diced Carrots and Spring onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the soup:

In a stock pot, heat some olive oil, add the chopped garlic and onions, sautee them till they soften and brown.
Now add the tomatoes and the other vegetables with parsley and sautee until the tomatoes soften.
Add the baked and then raked spaghetti squash and mix all ingredients well.
Pour the chicken stock in and stir well.
Heat the mixture on a low flame till the soup is of a thick consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Eat Up!
Mix this soup up a little.
If you like your soup creamier, add one can of coconut milk.
Add thawed chopped frozen spinach for a heartier soup.
Add Oregano and/or Red Pepper Chili flakes when sauteeing the onion for more flavor.
Diced cooked Chicken would be a nice addition.
Many spices, like Nutmeg, would be nice in the soup also.

Spaghetti Squash stuffed with Ground Turkey

Yay for a hearty, simple, seasonal meal! Recipe inspired by a similar recipe found at http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--2773/harvest-stuffed-spaghetti-squash.asp.

Prepare the squash for its meeting with meaty goodness:
Start by following along with the Spaghetti Squash preparation. You will need 2 medium spaghetti squash for this recipe. In this case, it would be ok if the squash does not seem completely done, it will cook another 15 minutes once the meat mixture is prepared and has been sprinkled on top of your good gourds.

Stuffing Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey or turkey sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ cup figs, craisins, raisins, or dates
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons teriyaki, soy, or Worcestershire sauce
sprinkle of favorite herbs - Rosemary and or sage would be nice
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup roasted pine nuts

While the squash is cooking, prepare the turkey stuffing.

Start by cooking the turkey product, breaking it up well as it cooks. Add the cut onion, apple, mushrooms, garlic, and the figs (or craisins, raisins, or dates).

Cook this until the meat is slightly browned and then sprinkle in the flour. Stir this well and then add the teriyaki, soy, or Worcestershire sauce. Bring this to a boil, reduce heat, stir, and allow the sauce to thicken. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.

Remove meat mixture from heat while you wait for the spaghetti squash to finish its initial cooking. Once the squash is done cooking, divide the meat mixture on top of the four squash havles, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

Remove from oven, top with toasted pine nuts and serve hot.

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This turkey stuffing could also be paired with other squash or even prepared as a skillet meal with other veggies served on the side.

Eat some Spaghetti!

No, not the pasta. I mean the squash!

Gourds are in season now, so it is time to eat up something hearty and healthy that you might not be able to get year round.

Spaghetti squash is great in a variety of recipes and meals. Some of you have heard of it, and I know some of you have even grown it. I am on a mission to give you all enough reasons to make sure that by the end of this beautiful fall season, you all have EATEN and ENJOYED some spaghetti squash. It is easy to prepare. Once cooked it can be added to other recipes or served as is.

Get Cooking!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Please be careful, it is easy for that knife to slip when going through such dense goodness at such a long distance.

Now that you have the gourd in half with the insides facing up, place it on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish. Yes, I do realize it may fall over since the gourd is not flat on the outside. It will be fine if your squash flops around a bit.

If you are going to put the cooked spaghetti into a soup go for the casserole dish with a small amount of water. If you are going to serve the squash as a pasta or a side item and you want it to come out with less liquid to run all over your plate, use a baking sheet.

Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds from each half. (They are great roasted, or you can toss ‘em. Up to you.) Now you should have two halves, each with a small well where the seeds were.

Lightly baste the fleshy squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake until fork tender and spaghetti like strands appear when raked with a fork. If you are baking it covered in the casserole dish, the water will create steam and decrease your cooking time. I am generally pleased with the outcome close to 45 minutes. If you are doing this on the baking sheet, it may take a little longer.

Once the squash is done, carefully remove your goods from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Take a sturdy fork and rake the strands loose. The majority of that gourd is up for grabs, so dig deep.

Stay tuned for some recipes!

Eat Up!

Set Mini Goals!

In order to succeed, it is best to set small goals along the way to reach your long term goal. For instance if you want to start eating vegetables, and you currently do not eat any, a great mini goal would be to eat 1 veggie a day. If you are currently not eating any, you shouldn't expect yourself to be able to start eating 5-6 servings a day! It is too overwhelming and you will give up. Many of us think, okay I am really going to eat healthier, but then it is too much for us to handle and we just quit. Small, attainable goals is the way to go. Once you can complete the mini goals for about two weeks, make a new mini goal. Mini goals will help you attain your long term goal with a lot less stress!

What is your long term goal? Now make a mini goal that will help you attain the long term goal with ease.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Spinach, Apple and Peppers

(Recipe stolen from PaleoChix and editted just a bit.)

Apples are a must during the MidWest Autumn and a moist chicken breast is a great start to a meal worthy of a caveman.

Stuffing

Stuffing Ingredients:

1 chopped Red Pepper
3 cloves of fresh Garlic chopped
3/4 cup Spinach (if frozen, drain very well.)
1/2 cup fresh Mushrooms
1/8 cup finely chopped Apple
Salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing Preparation:

Dice the peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and apple. Put that in a bowl with the spinach. Toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add crushed red pepper if you would like a little more flavor.

Get Cooking!

4 Large Chicken Breasts (Large enough to butterfly and fill)

Butterfly slice the chicken open. Fill with the stuffing and wrap the chicken back around. Keep the birds closed while they cook with 3 toothpicks.

You can stuff the chicken ahead of time, and store in the fridge for a little while. Prior to putting the bird on to cook, allow the chicken to warm a little bit so it does not get tough.

The chicken can be cooked on a grill or in the oven. If using an oven, go for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The more you stuff the chicken breast, the longer it will take to cook. Try to spread the stuffing out evenly or the bird wont cook evenly. No one liked a dryed out bird!

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I would cut the stuffed chicken breast in half and serve it with some vegetables.

This recipe could be used over and over with different stuffing options. A few suggestions:

onion, mushroom, and dill

red onion, diced sweet potato, kale, and cumin

onion, basil, and tomato

Fresh pears or peaches would be a great fruit in the chicken, too.

I also think the stuffing would do well in a pork loin that were butterflied open, stuffed, then rolled closed and then baked.

Are you doing the paleo thing for the first time and struggling to find recipes or meal ideas? Let me know - I would be happy to see what I can find for you.

Mini Egg Frittatas

Inspired by a recipe that can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Muffin-Frittatas/Detail.aspx. Many of us struggle to get in a good breakfast, especially when you are trying to keep to a paleo food plan. It is hard to avoid cereals and pop tarts, our mornings are so hectic. Try this recipe - except for the cheese it is a caveman's friend!

6 eggs
½ Almond Milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
¾ cup diced zucchini
¼ cup diced red pepper

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the eggs, stir in the Almond Milk, season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese, zucchini, bell pepper and onion; mix well.
Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each.
Bake in 350 degrees F oven until just set, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve warm.

You eat with your eyes, then your nose, finally your mouth. Substitute any veggies you want, just chop ‘em up small. Keep the colors lively, that is why the recipe used red pepper instead of green. Tomatoes might work too, but they have a high water content so you may need to adjust the recipe and / or cook time if you choose to go that route. Sauteed onion and mushrooms would be great!

For ease in the morning, consider making these ahead of time, but reduce the cook time a bit. Heat to serve warm and finish the cooking.

If you enjoy two muffins you will have consumed about

175 Calories

12.8 grams of Total Fat

197 mg of Cholesterol

364 mg of Sodium
3.5 grams of Total Carbs
0.4 grams of Fiber
11.2 grams of Protein

Thai Beef Salad

(Inspired by a recipe found in the May / June 2010 edition of Clean Eating Magazine and edited slightly)

Ingredients

½ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
3 tbsp sweet chile sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ lb flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 ¼ cup)
2 medium tomatoes, wedged into bite sized pieces
6 cups romaine lettuce, torn or chopped
1 cucumber, sliced thin (1 ¼ cup)
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp unsalted raw cashews

Prep ahead:

Combine the lime juice, cilantro, chile sauce and garlic in a bowl. (Yeah, you agree huh? Already smells gooood!) Pour half of the bowl of sauce into a zipping plastic bag, put the steak in with it, and let the marinade begin to work its magic in the fridge for up to 8 hours. I recommend doing this in the morning before you head to work, or just before you go to your CrossFit180 workout. Store the remainder of the sauce to finish the salads later.

Cook it!

Once you are home and ready to get your grub on, pull the steak from the fridge to allow it to come up to room temperature. Putting a cold steak into the heat will toughen the meat. Boo!

While the steak warms up, start up the grill or set your broiler to medium – high heat. Now heat a large nonstick skillet with a small bit of olive oil. Start small with the oil, you can always add more if you want to. Sautee the onions, allow them to soften and even caramelize for more flavor. Add the tomatoes when the onion is close to done, just long enough for the tomatoes to soften. Once the tomatoes are softened, pour the contents of the skillet into a large bowl, add the mint, lettuce, and cucumber to that bowl and toss to combine.

Cook the steak, on the grill or in your broiler. I prefer the steak to come off at about medium rare. Allow the steak to rest for a few minutes, it will continue to cook some. After the steak has rested, slice it on the bias (diagnonally) so you end up with lots of thin strips.

Eat it!

Place a bed of the dressed lettuce on a plate, top with strips of steak, pour a bit of the remaining sauce you made earlier on top. Add some cashews to the top, serve, and enjoy.

After it took you about 45 minutes to throw this together, if you serve this with ¾ cup salad and 3 oz of steak, you will get only about
167 Calories
6 grams of Fat
8 grams of Carbs
2 grams of Fiber
2 grams of Sugars
20 grams of Protein
87 mg of Sodium
30 mg of Cholesterol

If you are looking for some extra healthy fats, add some avacado to the bowl of marinade. The lime juice will keep it from browning.

Eat Up!