This is a spaghetti squash.
Say hi.
I’ve got nothing against some good starchy carbs, but a heaping plateful of spaghetti, even if it is whole grain, will put you in a calorie coma. Spaghetti squash is a great alternative. Anyone that tells you it tastes like spaghetti or that no one will know you used it is a dirty liar, but it’s delicious and you can eat as much as you want for hardly any calories. You bake it, scrape it with a fork, and the squash comes out in nice little noodles. I swear.
I promised you fried chicken, and here it is! Except it’s not fried, it’s baked, so I guess I’m just as bad as KFC for saying their grilled chicken is grilled. I swear those lines on the skin are Sharpie ink…
Since a recipe wasn’t included I whipped one up myself. It took a little guess and check half way through, but it’s so versatile that you can add 
and subtract and change and trade whatever you want- which is how cooking should be. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m not a huge measurer (don’t stone me, foodies) so everything is approx.
Uncle Sam’s Whole Grain Not-Fried Chicken
Growing up, my sister and I weren’t allowed to have cereal. Wile you may be applauding my mother for keeping us away from sugary, processed junk, it was more because she was a single mom and was pissed every time she dropped $5 on a box of cereal that never lasted to see the next morning.
Because of this, I suppose, cereal doesn’t rank high on my list of breakfast choices- there are always more nutritious/interesting things to eat, and I usually prefer hot food in the morning, but when Attune Foods asked me to review their cereals, after looking at the nutrition profile, I couldn’t say no.
Attune believes “If what you eat is good, and pure, and true to its source, all else will follow.” THANK YOU. I’ve been saying that for years.
Uncle Sam Toasted Whole Wheat Berry Flakes and Flaxseed
Using a recipe that’s over 100 years old, Uncle Sam cereal may look like cocoa puffs, but it is made of only red winter wheat berries. They roll them, toast them, and then flatten them, then add flax seed. That’s it.
Each serving (3/4 cup of cup) has:
It used to bear the title of “Natural Laxative Cereal” until recently, one could only imagine because of the mental image it conjures up so close to the earliest and most important meal of the day.
The name Uncle Sam comes from the creator, Lafayette Coltrin’s side profile silhouette, which bore the resemblance to the George Washington. I would like to comment on the validity of this statement but the actual silhouette appears no where on the box.
Most people decide if a salad dressing is healthy or not based on whether it is cream or oil based. In truth, most salad dressings are horrible. If you think you are going healthy by going for the low-fat, low-calorie stuff, you are pouring a chemical cocktail all over your leafy greens.
When you cook at home, you control what you eat. Making your own salad dressing is not only healthier, it is insanely cheap. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m cheap- unless I’m drinking, then I’m generous and leave with the bar tab of a professional athlete.
Here is a salad dressing I make quite often, with random crap I found in my cupboards. It tastes a lot like a balsamic vinaigrette and I haven’t 
found a salad it doesn’t taste faboo on.
Put it in a jar and shake it up. This is a great way to use up old pickle or condiment jars. It ends up pretty strong so a little goes a long way. If the acid is too much, add a tbsp or 2 of water to thin it out.
I love food that’s a project to eat. I hate taking an hour to prepare something that takes 5 minutes to inhale. And then another hour to clean up.
The ultimate project food is an artichoke. It’s super simple to prepare and when finished, you can plop down in front of the TV and peel the leaves, scraping the flesh off each one with your teeth while working your way toward the prize at the center: the artichoke heart. If you’ve never had a freshly steamed artichoke heart, you are sorely missing out. That pickled, fibrous jarred crap doesn’t even come close.
When I was little we used to dip the leaves in butter or mayo (it tastes a lot better than it sound), but now much older and wiser, and to avoid turning a deliciously healthy veggie into a vehicle for saturated fat, I prepare it using my special, calorie-free ingredient:
Preparing and Steaming an Artichoke
Pick an artichoke that is full and green, with very little purple or brown on the outside. Wash the artichoke as dirt tends to settle between the leaves. Snip off the spikey, pokey tops of the leaves and slice off the stem so it sits flat.
The leftovers
I had a request for more recipes (HI, STEPHANIE!) so I here ya go.
Admission: I’m cheap. I buy discount. And I refuse to go shopping except to replenish fruit until there is nothing left, so I’m pro at getting a little creative. I am living proof that it is not more expensive to buy healthy. If it were, I think my thriftiness would have me near 300 pounds.
There are always those days where you have to just use what you’ve got. The ideas you come up with are sometimes frightening and end up in the trash, and sometimes you come up with some pretty good ones.
I haven’t been to the store in a while, and thought I’d use dinner as a chance to clear out some space in the fridge. I had left over tofu and zucchini from the Spicy Thai Noodles recipe, an onion I slice off of here and there that needed to be used up and some fresh spinach that was on its last legs.
I need a new camera app. Mine sucks. Suggestions?
Thai food. Nom.
A plate full of veggies and lean protein, how can you go wrong? If they are buried in a pile of sugary, oily sauces and processed white noodles, you are looking at a fatty dish clocking in at over 1,000 calories. (But the websites say less! because there about 6 portions in one take out meal…)
Make it at home for a fraction of that, but still a pretty hefty portion. I adapted this recipe from one I found in Fitness Magazine. Whole grain pasta is a healthy carbohydrate choice, so use whole grain noodles. They have a ton more fiber than the processed and bleached white version, meaning instead of being digested quickly and turned into the sugar leaving your body craving more just minutes later, your body has to work to break down the whole grains, so it actually keeps you fuller, longer. I’m a big whole grain snob. There is NO reason to ever have a bleached carb. As if.
Pasta is still pasta however, so you have to watch your portions to not turn your meal into a calorie bomb. This recipe uses a Volumetrics technique of bulking up your meals with water rich veggies so you think you are eating more than you actually are. Tonight, I’m using zucchini, but the original recipe calls for broccoli slaw. I think shredded carrots would be a good addition, too.
I love potatoes. White potatoes get a bad rap for being unhealthy starches, but they actually are really good for you if you prepare them in a healthy way. This recipe can be used with white potatoes just as easily, but sweet potatoes offer more vitamins, and they were all I had, so viola. The spices I use definitely give them a kick, so you can just 
go with a little salt and pepper if you prefer less heat.
It’s a versatile dish you can use just like french fries as a side, or dress it up by topping with ground turkey, chili, shredded cheese, low-fat sour cream, salsa, diced avocado, onion, olives, or anything else your little heart desires.
I cut them into rounds because they are easier to flip, so I guess they are shaped more like chips, but I dip them in ketchup, so I’ll stick with fries.
By baking them instead of deep frying you use very, VERY little oil which cuts down on fat and calories significantly.
Oven Sweet Potato Fries
Makes: 1 serving
Calories per serving: 104 calories
For breakfast, in addition to my daily pot of coffee, I usually just eat some fruit and almonds but sometimes I just want something hot. This morning was one of those mornings, so I decided on oats with blueberries. I’ll only eat it with nuts to add crunch to the mushiness, but found myself fresh out. While rummaging, I came across the bags of Chia Goodness I had been ignoring.
I received a few bags of Ruth’s Chia Goodness a long time ago to try, and kind of forgot about them. I tried the chocolate and remembered not being a big fan, but used the apple almond cinnamon kind this morning on my oats. Pretty flippin good.
Full of dried fruit and chia seeds, Chia Goodness (Two tbsp, 130 calories.) is gluten-free and lactose-free, something I could not give 2 craps about and you will hear why later, bit it’s raw, a good source of protein, calcium, omega-3s and fiber, all things I do give two craps about.
I was trying to think of a fiber/crap joke to make out of that but decided against it.
Today’s Workout
20 minutes stretching due to my searing neck pain that only seems to be getting worse.
It’s lower body day, so I’m focusing on glute, with low weight and high reps. Because it’s Daisy Duke season, ladies. The 5 pound weights are ankle weights and the 20 is my PUMP barbell.
Trying out my Prolein Strawberries and Creme supplement I got from JackedPack. Mixed with 1 cup fat free milk and frozen strawberries.The shake’s alright. Too sweet for my tastes.
