Daily Dish - Let's talk spaghetti squash

Growing up in England, I can't say I ever really ate winter squash.  It wasn't until recently that I decided to try a spaghetti squash and it has quickly become a favorite in our house.  A lot of recipes for spaghetti squash use it as a substitute for noodles, which makes perfect sense given the name right?  Nutritionally (courtesy of MyFitnessPal.com), a cup of spaghetti squash has 31 calories (1g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 1g protein), whereas the comparable amount of regular pasta has 200 calories (1g fat, 42g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g protein).  It is certainly a low-calorie, low-carb substitute.  If you're looking for an identical texture, you'll be disappointed, but spaghetti squash has proven to be versatile, delicious, and filling. 

The trick is to bake the squash at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.  At that point, the shell is easy to pull away and you can either use a fork to pull out the inside as "spaghetti", or fill it with toppings. 

Last night's adventure was Pad Thai.  We used this recipe, which was enjoyed by everybody in the house, big and small!  The recipe was good, although I'd probably add a little more lime juice next time around.  The squash was also a little softer than I'd have liked to create the spaghetti strands.

Another really enjoyable recipe was this one, for a Southwest Spaghetti Squash. We added some lean ground turkey to the recipe, which also meant that we had a ton of leftovers.  The possibilities are really endless with what you can put inside.  Did I mention that there's broiled cheese?  Automatically makes it a winner in my book!

Having just bought another couple of squash at Costco, I think we'll be trying this spaghetti squash primavera next.  Seriously, so good.  Have you tried it?

Daily Dish - Recipes Worth Sharing

In the wee morning hours, after Owen's arrival, I mentioned that I had many hours to scour Pinterest. There are SO many recipes on there that it can be overwhelming to find ones that are a success, and we've definitely had some "meh" dinners; however, there's some great recipes too.  My favorite thing about recipes on Pinterest is that I can look at the picture and remember what the dish is.  Husband was a lifesaver during my leave and if I could find a recipe, he'd help cook it.  I'd just pull up the pin on my tablet and he'd do the rest.  In fact, he's still my hero in the kitchen as he does a lot of the cooking while I wash a never-ending amount of bottles, sippy cups and pump parts.  (Yes, this is a public thank you!)

In that we did find some winning dishes, I'm sharing them.  I'm also moving them into a separate board on Pinterest so the tried and tested tasted are easy to find.  Follow if you like!

	Jen's Incredible Baked Meatballs These meatballs were delicious! I ended up making them with baby strapped to my chest in the Ergo carrier, which worked out pretty well because my hands were "meaty" and I didn't want to have to keep washing them. We froze them in small batches and they are super easy to defrost and heat up with a quick pasta sauce. There's lots of other tasty looking things on this blog so check it out!
	Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes I am really wishing I'd come across this one earlier. A tasty filling inside a Grands biscuit, put into a muffin tin. The biggest problem with this one? Not eating them all at once. I'd venture to say that the same concept could be applied with a different filling - perhaps we'll try steak and mushroom next time around.
	Chili Verde Pork In A Crock Pot Crock pots are a savior in terms of being able to walk away to let things cook, and have the added benefit of making the entire house smell delicious. This was super simple to prepare, as well as being pretty tasty. We ended up freezing the left overs for another meal (so it was a twofer?) Super simple on top of some brown rice, or could always be made into a burrito or tacos.
	Honey Spice Glazed Pork Chops We actually pre-packaged these (searing the chops and freezing them in the marinade), then dropped them into the crock pot for 6 hours on low. I removed some of the juices from the bottom and reduced them in a saucepan until they were a glaze. We did roasted asparagus and mushroom on the side (see below), which turned out to be a pretty healthy meal overall.
	Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom This is a great go-to recipe when looking for a super quick and ridiculously easy way to make veggies. I hadn’t thought of roasting mushrooms before, but I’m now wondering what took me so long! Highly recommended!
	Coconut Shrimp Curry I got a great deal on some shrimp a little while back and was looking for something different to cook with it. Shrimp and coconut go hand in hand anyway, plus I love a good curry, so this recipe seemed perfect. I added peas and carrots (frozen) and next time around would consider adding a little spice too. The hardest part about this was peeling and de-veining the shrimp. I always forget how much of a pain in the ass that is.