Spaghetti Squash with Garlic, Spinach, Pecans & Pumpkin Seeds

Until recently, I was convinced that I didn't really "care" for squash.  Thankfully, my mother showed me differently.  Thanks Mom!  Sometimes it just takes someone else to make you a certain food - with love of course - to become a fan yourself.  Now, I'm exploring with all sorts of winter squash delish!  What I love most about squash is that it fills you up, not out! Yep, I'm determined to make the most out of squash season.

According to Oxygen Magazine (January 2011 edition), winter squash provides six grams of fiber and has a 90 percent water content, thus is considered the perfect "volumetric" food (it gets you full on few calories), which is an important factor in promoting fat loss.  The article goes on to say that a recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that increasing portions of vegetables and decreasing portions of grains not only resulted in greater vegetable consumption, but also decreased calorie intake at that meal by 14 percent.  Not to any of our surprise, the take home message is that eating more fiber-packed vegetables throughout the day, such as squash, is an great tool to help control calories and keep your hunger level in check.  Another bonus about becoming a fan of squash? How about that you can pick up a handful of them for around 2 bucks.  Such an inexpensive way to add nutrient-rich foods to your diet! 

The following recipe was taken from "The Best of Clean Eating" (page 131), named Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash with Spinach, Garlic & Pine Nuts, and was only ever so slightly modified.  Mmmm....I'll let the picture tell you just how good it was!

End Result Mouth-Watering Teaser :)
The combination is scrumptious! 

Ingredients

• Olive Oil Cooking Spray - I used an organic canola cooking spray
• 1/2 (3lb) spaghetti squash, seeds scooped out - I didn't weigh mine...I just picked up a smaller sized squash as it was just me in the house
• 1 Tbsp olive oil divided - I used soy oil
• 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/3 Cup Low-Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth - I used organic vegetable broth, no salt
• 1/4 Tsp sea salt, divided
• Pinch Crushed Red Pepper - I added this at the very end
• 1 (10 oz) Bag Spinach
• 1 1/2 Tsp Pine Nuts, Toasted, for Garnish - I used a couple small handfuls of each raw pecan and pumpkin seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place squash, flesh down, on sheet and bake until easily pierced with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes.
3. When squash is about 10 minutes from being done, warm half tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in broth, on-eight teaspoon salt and red pepper (I added the red pepper flakes at the very end on top of everything - so good!), if desired.  Add spinach, handfuls, at a time, stirring until it's all in the skillet and wilted.  (Don't over-do the spinach - just lightly cook it down).  Turn off burner and cover to keep warm.
4. When squash is done, use a fork to separated strands into a medium bowl. Add remaining oil and salt, and toss gently.
5. Transfer "spaghetti" to plates or platter, top with spinach mixture, garnish with pine nuts (or whatever nuts your heart desires) and serve. 
   
   To toast your raw nuts, simply place them on a foil and stick in oven (400 degrees) for 7 to 10 minutes. So tasty!

Prepping the Spaghetti Squash...
First you gotta muscle up and slice in half

Then scoop out the seeds...

Place each half face down on the pre-sprayed pan as shown...
Bake for about 50 minutes, or so...

Garlic and Spinach - Yum!

Squash is now ready to become "Spaghetti"!

Layered to perfection.  Spaghetti Squash, topped with Spinach,
topped with toasted raw Pumpkin Seeds and Pecans
and sprinkled with organic red pepper flakes! 

In the words of Neil Diamond....
"So Good, So Good, So blankety blank Good!" (Okay, all but the blankety blank part!)

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride, 

Mrs. Skinny Fat

Sweet Potato Oat Bars

I love when I look at a list of ingredients from a recipe book and every item that it calls for is at my finger tips!  When I first started down the path of clean eating, that wasn't by any stretch the case.  Oh...how far I've come! :)

As I have said several times before, when it comes to living this lifestyle Tosca Reno stands out among the rest in terms of her resilience in igniting the eat clean movement among the masses...spreadin' the love one person at a time. She's making a dent - that is for sure!  I love her books - I own them all - in fact, several of them I own more than one copy so I can "give-it-away" when I meet someone who seems keenly interested in making the change but who's also not necessarily the type to run out to the bookstore and jump on it. Handing off a turn-key "your lifestyle changes now" book is a feel-good way to help someone start TODAY and not tomorrow (crossing my fingers...err and toes!).  I use to let people borrow my books but time and time again I found myself feeling a little (okay, A LOT) lost without out them!  

While I am a woman who loves being immersed in words, I also thoroughly enjoy testing out her many many recipes and so appreciate the full color, full page, photo that compliments each dish.  Tonight, taken from one my favorites, and the one that I tend to recommend most, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, I pulled together her clean Sweet Potato Oat Bars (page 290) with just a few minor modifications.  The aroma that came from the oven was worth the effort alone! 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil - I used organic soy oil as I never like to "heat" olive oil. 
• 5 Sweet Potatoes
• 4 Cups Oats - not instant folks - get the real stuff
• 3/4 Cup Skim Milk - I used organic soy milk -
• Soured with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice - I used fresh
• 1/4 Cup Finely Ground Flaxseed - So easy to grind your own flaxseed with a coffee grinder...inexpensive must have kitchen item!
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup - I used about 1/4 cup Raw Agave Maple Flavored....Love agave because it absorbs slowly into the bloodstream (low GI) so doesn't have a significant impact on blood-sugar levels and best yet is a little goes a LONG ways. 
• 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Dried Fruits (raisins, dates, cherries and/or blueberries), chopped - I used organic dried cherries.
• 1/2 Cup Raw Unsalted Nuts (almonds, walnuts and/or pecans), chopped - I used a combination of raw almonds and pecans.   
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9" x 13" (1" deep) baking dish by coating lightly with olive oil - I used parchment paper instead.

2.  Prick sweet potatoes all over. Place in oven and bake until tender. (Note, only until tender, I cooked mine a little too long making my bars a little more moist than desired) Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove potato peels and place flesh in a large mixing bowl. Leave oven on and set heat to 400 degrees.

3.  Add all remaining ingredients to sweet potato mixture. Mix well.

4.  Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden on top.

5.  Remove from heat and let cool. Cut into squares.

Sweet Potato Bars warm out of the oven...So yummy!

I will be enjoying a square of these in the morning with my six egg whites!
Want one?  I have plenty to share! :)

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,

Mrs. Skinny Fat
Nutritional Value (based on no alternations to the original Tosca Reno - Eat Clean Diet Recharged! recipe)
Calories: 189 - Calories from Fat: 43 - Protein: 6g - Carbs: 31g - Total Fat: 5.5 - Saturated Fat: 1g -
Trans Fat: 0 - Fiber: 4g - Sodium: 20g - Cholesterol: Omg - Sugar, 8g

Egg Whites & Oats Pancake

Starting your day off with a clean, high protein breakfast lays the perfect foundation for desiring clean foods throughout the rest of your day.  Don't let fancy marketing claims fool you; I can assure you that a Nutri-Grain bar isn't by any stretch the ideal fuel your body demands.

I often begin my day with a bowl of oats and four to five egg whites.  Like with any routine, switching things up a bit is often necessary to keep "easy-outs" at bay. Recently, I was reminded by my extremely fit sister-in-law, Jenny Hansen, to turn to one of my favorite recipes, Egg Whites & Oats Pancakes, when a little change in the breakfast theme is necessary. It's the perfect fix for making you feel like you are eating something entirely different, even though you are using the same exact ingredients!

Ingredients (Makes One Pancake)
Five Egg Whites
1/2 Cup of Oats
1/2 Teaspoon Quality Ground Cinnamon
1 to 2 Teaspoons Raw Agave (or Natural Stevia) - OR leave this ingredient out all together as I did today :)

Directions

• Beat five (or whatever your heart desires) egg whites using a blender and/or hand held mixer until fluffy texture is reached (roughly 30 to 45 seconds). 
• Add remaining ingredients and stir together.
• Spray a small frying pan with a natural medium to high heat oil and place on stove on medium heat.
• Pour "pancake batter" into small frying pan
• Cook on medium heat until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom.
• Flip, cook other side.
• Enjoy!  While I enjoyed this plain today, you could top with berries! Mmm so good!

Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom
Pancake in above pic is almost ready to flip...

And, flip!

Perfectly cooked in a matter of minutes! 
Looks like a "real" pancake but oh so much better!

The texture and taste - while simple - is phenomenal!
The ultimate fuel to start your day right!

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,

Mrs. Skinny Fat

All-in-One Colorful & Clean Mahi Mahi Meal

Last night, I poured through my fridge pulling out all of the ingredients on my oh so short "Okay to Eat" list - and decided to mix them all together!  The end result was simply sensational!  I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking! 

Asparagus, Red & Yellow Peppers, and White Onions

all placed on top of parchment paper. 
You could of course use whatever vegetables of your liking!

Fun Fact:  Baking fish in parchment paper or tin foil - known in France and gourmet cooking circles as en papillote - steams the fish with a minimum of fuss and equipment.
So true!

Add a filet of Wild Caught Mahi-Mahi and top with some fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil (it doesn't need it - I just wanted to add some healthy fat to the mix) and tons of ground black pepper with some organic dill.

Wrap the parchment paper up around the fish. You don't have to be perfect - I am, too, still mastering my wrapping skills!

Bake at 400-degrees for 15 to 20 minutes
or so - depending on the thickness of your fish. I need to get better at watching the clock as I always just bake until, well, until it's done! In this case, when it flakes with my fork:)

Yes, pretty spectacular! Just a lean protein, a little healthy fat, and lots of vegetables.  I didn't even miss the brown rice! It's fun to serve it right in the parchment paper -
made me feel like I was being fancy! :)

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,

Mrs. Skinny Fat

Smoothie with Substance!

Today's mid-day pick me up was tasty, nutritrious, and had a great grainy texture!

Ingrediants

1/2 Frozen Banana
1/2 Red Haven Peach
1/4 Cup Organic Wheat Flakes
1 Serving of Naturally Flavored Vanilla Protein

Equal Parts of Unsweetened Soy Milk & Water
3 Cubes of Ice

Blend well and enjoy!

Wheat Flakes are made from kernels of wheat that have been steamed to soften, then passed through steel rollers to flatten them into flakes.  They are firmer than oats, thus it gives the smoothie a nice, hearty bite! 

All blended using the Magic Bullet & Ready to Enjoy!

This photo does a great job at capturing the blended grains...so good!

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride!
MSF

My Breakfast Staple: Glorified Oats & Egg Whites

It wasn't until recently that I connected the dots of how important it is to combine the complex carb with the lean protein (in this case, rolled oats and egg whites).  Mind you, I have read dozens of books and magazines that listed it as a bullet point time and time again -- but I think I just subconsciously ignored it because maybe it seemed like "more work" to me to not only think about clean foods but also combining the right foods.  

I use to just eat the oatmeal or just the eggs for breakfast but never together...that is until the dots finally connected. It was my chiropractor (you never know who is going to inspire you!) who finally drilled it in my brain when he asked me how much protein I was getting a day.  I didn't have a clue how to answer.  Then he said, "You are already doing the work...eating clean, working out - now you need to rely on science to take you to the next level.  What if you could double your success by just combining the right foods?"  It was a total "Ah HA" moment for me!  By combining lean protein and complex carbs at each meal, it helps you slow down the carb-to-fat conversion in your body - in other words, it keeps you feeling full and satisfied between meals.  But also for me, it helps ensure I am getting enough protein throughout the day when I am intentionally making it a part of every meal.   

Now I tend to rely on my oats and egg whites for breakfast the majority of the time.  What I love about both is - in my opinion - you can't mess them up!  I will make a large pot of oatmeal at the beginning of the week so it's ready to go each morning by simply heating it up (sometimes I even like it cold!).  I just take rolled oats (buy it in bulk at the health food store), add water (sometimes I will do half water and half soy milk), add some ground cinnamon, handful of organic raisins,  handful of slivered raw almonds, throw in the chia seeds and wheat germ, cook it on the stove top for 3 to 5  minutes depending on how much I am making and I am good to go for the week.  Sometimes instead of raisins I will do chopped apples...or  I might leave out the fruit while cooking and instead add it on top before serving - such as a handful of fresh berries or half of a peach.  I also now love the combination of the oats and egg whites mixed together...is that weird? 

Pot of Glorified Oatmeal Made & Ready for the Week

The Secret to Successful Clean Eating is Making Sure You Combine
Your Oatmeal (Complex Carb) with the Egg Whites (Lean Protein).