Fake it!!

The other night I found myself unprepared for this challenge yet again.  I was NOT ready with my meal planning!!  Did any of you expereince that?  I should have been very prepared!

So last night, after I walked in the door after a very long day and stared into the abyss that is my fridge and was ready to stuff just about anything into my face, I had to think fast!

So here it is....

Spaghetti squash with baked asparagus and tomato sauce



....And it was delicious!  And I'm not even lying. AND...it was under 200 calories and full of good, yummy veggieness....mmmmm.  The trick?  FAKE pasta with spaghetti squash.

Have you ever had spaghetti squash?  NO?!?!?!  You have no idea what you are missing.  Seriously...it has been my pasta replacement so many times.  Even my husband seems to like it, although as soon as you tell him it's healthy he begins to waiver.





So here is how you prepare spaghetti squash the "I'm in a hurry and seriously need sustenance now" way:



1. Place whole squash in the microwave for 90 seconds (or so), until it is easier to cut.  You can skip this step, but beware...they are large and very hard and if your knife is as dull as my econ professor it will end very very badly....just saying. 

2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (or hot dog style as I still refer to it....not hamburger style).

3. Clean out the seeds and mushy "guts," like cleaning out a pumpkin.

4. Place the squash in a shallow dish, cut side down, in about 1/4 cup water

5. Microwave for approximately 6 minutes.  Don't overdo it here.  Test if it's done by taking a fork and "shredding" the pulp.  If it shreds easily, it's done.  If not, put it back in for about 30 seconds at a time.  If it turns to mush, you've missed the "don't overdo it" part.

You can bake it too, but in my mind, that's like baking a baked potato.  What a silly time waster when you can just zap that baby up with microwaves, which I'm really hoping are safe. :)  Actually, if you have the time, I would of course always recommend baking, but I never seem to think I have the time!

Then, I just topped with some low-sugar spaghetti sauce I had.  I will often puree some organic canned stewed tomatoes for a homemade version. 

For some of the best, easy veggies ever....just bake them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  I usually cover a cookie sheet in foil (because I'm super lazy and don't like to do dishes it makes for easy clean up).  I will occasionally drizzle some grapeseed oil or olive oil over the top (VERY limited...I do a tablespoon for the entire pan), but even just a bit of salt and spray of nonstick spray will add enough flavor to suit me.  YUM!

My husband couldn't go meatless, and he needed the ACTUAL carbs (the "fake" noodles just didn't cut it for him), so he added texas toast (which is basically the caloric equivalent to my full meal....no joke!

Here they are:

Mine: approx 202 calories

His: approx 612 calories (the meatballs alone were 270!)