"Hi, my name is Gloria, and I'm addicted to Spaghetti Squash."

Once upon a time, long, long ago….ok, not that long ago, like 3 years long ago, my food addiction was French Fries. Any kind of French Fry: crispy, steak style, wedges, seasoned, not seasoned, baked, fried. I never discriminated against any sort of French Fry! As I started changing my eating habits fries were the first to get the boot. This was not an easy task by any means and of course I still had French fries once in a while but as the days and weeks went on it got easier to not order fries. These days I find myself not really having a craving for them and I’m extremely picky about the taste of the fries now. They, I don’t really know who they is, but they say when you go a long time without a particular food you can lose the taste for it. I find this very interesting because this has definitely happened with my French Fry addiction. Now, don’t get me wrong, you will still see me eat French Fries at times but instead of a whole plate it’s a few and after those few it’s at that point that I realize they just don’t do it for me anymore. 

What does do it for me these days? Spaghetti Squash!!! I’m totally addicted, and when I mean addicted I mean I make it at least once a week for dinner with the hopes of having leftovers so I can eat it again the next day!!!  It’s so good! It took me a while to get the hang of cooking one though. The first time I bought one I seriously was like, “How the heck do I cut this in half without slicing my hand and making it look like a scene out of a horror flick!?!?!?” For those of you that have never had Spaghetti Squash, I HIGHLY recommend it. Even my 3 year old loves it!!! She has no idea it’s a vegetable! Do I feel guilty leading her to think that? Absolutely not!!! The minute I tell her it’s a healthy vegetable she will probably stop eating it just to be defiant. She’s really good at that! Spaghetti Squash is full of vitamin C as well as other important vitamins and minerals. Just as much as the taste of it, I love how it fills you up. High in fiber, a serving of Spaghetti Squash will amaze you with how filling it is! With only 42 calories, 0 grams of Fat and 10 carbs for a 1 cup serving, what’s not to love about this wonder vegetable! So, have I convinced you to run out and buy a Spaghetti Squash yet?!?!?  Just sitting here blogging about it is making me itch for my weekly SS fix!

Thanks to Pinterest, which I am also totally addicted to, I have found and tried so many yummy Spaghetti Squash recipes. I like trying a new one every week. Just a couple tips on how to easily prep it to be cooked:

TIP 1: Place the SS in your microwave for a few minutes. This will help soften it up and make it a little easier to slice in half.

TIP 2: After it is sliced in half scoop out all the seeds. Place both halves, cut side facing up, on a baking tray. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on them and bake for 1 hour on 350. 

TIP 3: Once out of the oven, let cool about 15 minutes. Take each half and with a spoon start scooping out the shreds of Squash. It will slightly resemble spaghetti pasta. 

 I will be leaving you with my favorite Spaghetti Squash recipe….enjoy!!!!!! 

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Courtesy of www.skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

2 cups marinara sauce

3 cups cooked roasted spaghetti squash

1 cup part skim ricotta

8 tsp Parmesan cheese

6     oz part skim shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

 In four individual 5 x 7-inch oven safe baking dishes, ladle 1/4 cup quick marinara sauce on the bottom of each dish. Top each with 3/4 cup of cooked spaghetti squash and spread evenly. Top each with 1/4 cup ricotta.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese and .75 oz mozzarella on each.  Add the remaining sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  

Cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble; uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serves 4.

TIP: If you don’t have personal sized casseroles, you can make one larger one in an 8 x 8 baking dish.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 1 lasagna or 1 piece

Weight Watchers Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 291.0  Fat: 13.7 g  Protein: 19.6 g  Carb: 21.0 g  Fiber: 2.7 g  Sodium: 358.3 mg