Weekend in Review & Pesto "Spaghetti"

I love 3-day weekends and this one was a great one (and so necessary)! I feel like the weekends have been flying by WAY too fast lately so a 3-day is exactly what I needed. We kicked off Valentine's Day with a delish meal at Gather... drinks, yummy apps, meals, & tiramisu for dessert. Can't go wrong!

On Saturday, one of Rob's best friends got married in the blizzard. We had a blast! The blizzard just made it more fun - we were locked inside with transportation to and from the hotel, great food, loud music, and most importantly, FUN people. That's all that really matters. The bride and groom exchanged their own vows and it was extremely touching and beautiful. Yesterday, I deemed myself the laziest person on the planet and so today was dedicated to getting myself back in order. Whew!

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I've been on a smoothie kick lately!  I haven't been posting them on here since the recipes are so simple... so I put them on all insta if you want to check them out here. Kale bores me on its own but, it's a nutrient powerhouse so I put it in all of my smoothies - can't even taste it - promise! This was today's lunch.

Cup of Kale, Half an Avocado, 3-/4-1cup of Frozen Mango, Couple-Few dashes of cinnamon and ginger, and Vanilla Almond Milk. So good!

I went to boxing 6 times last week so I thought it might be smart to go for a run and give these New Balance Fresh Foam kicks a test drive. They are so light and comfy! (Even though it was freeezingggg)

Time for dinner! I picked up a spaghetti squash at Foodies today and figured since I've been on such a kale kick, I'd try making kale pesto. Disclaimer: This kale-avocado pesto came out awesome, however, I'd go basil all day errryday moving forward... not worth the effort hiding the bitterness.

How to cook spaghetti squash you ask? Easy.

- Poke holes all over the dang thang

- Pop it in a 415 degree oven for a half hour (or less depending on the size of the squash)

- Flip it, and cook for another half hour

Cut it in half and let it cool for a little bit (or else you'll burn your hands). Then take forks and pull out all the "spaghetti".

For the pesto: 1/2 cup of Kale, Whole Avocado, 1/4 cup or so of Parmesan, 1 garlic clove, 1/3 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1-2 lemons, salt & pepper to taste. Mix it up in the food processor.

(I used more o/o and Parmesan than I usually would if I had just used basil instead of kale - see what I'm getting at? Not totally worth it. And, basil is healthy! I just wanted to try something new and didn't have any basil in the house)

Take a couple tbs of the pesto and add it to a saute pan with crushed red pepper, a pad of butter, shredded chicked (I baked chicken that I marinated in o/o, lemon, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper - shredded it and added it to the mix), and half of the spaghetti squash (or all of it if this meal is for two).

Top with Parmesan and crushed red pepper and serve. DELISH!

Have an awesome week! xo

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Disclaimer: New Balance does not compensate me for reviews on their gear, however, they did provide me with that pair of fresh foam kicks. All reviews are my own.

Detox Meal: Spaghetti Squash, Italian Style

Last night, I made another detox meal. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash.. go buy one! They are so delicious, loaded with vitamins such as A, C, K, loads of fiber, and only 41 calories PER CUP!  You can really prepare it with any sauce... I even highly recommend my favorite, avocado pesto, but here I made it simply, Italian Style.​

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes all over squash and put on baking sheet with tin foil (avoid a mess later.​

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While it's baking, prepare the sauce... just a couple tbs of extra virgin o/o, crushed red pepper, italian flat leaf parsley, juice from one half lemon, and two garlic cloves (more or less to your liking).  β€‹

While the squash is baking, turn it once or twice. The sides on the pan get really hot and cook faster.​

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​The squash will take 45-60 mins depending on the size.  I had a smaller one so it only took around 45. Keep your eye on it and poke it with a fork.  You should easily be able to stab it.

Once you take it out, be careful, it will be extremely hot. Use a knife, fork, and pot holder to slice in half.​

Take a fork, twist, and pull to take out the seeds (left)​.

Next, use the fork to scrape all of the 'spaghetti' from the skin.​

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​Right after you get the 'spaghetti' ready. Put all of your chopped ingredients into a saute pan. I threw an egg in to give it a little 'carbonara' flare (and some protein ;).

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​Put the 'spaghetti' in your dish.

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Top with the mixture and serve.  On a normal day, I would have topped with parmesan cheese, but, I'm in detox, people.  No cheese this week.  This tops out at just 250 calories! (I had two cups of it)

Other favorite ways to serve spaghetti squash: regular marinara, sage/butter with butternut squash rav, avocado pesto, regular pesto. You name it!

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​Have a fantastic Saturday! xo.