Spaghetti Squash with Sauce

I've been on Weight Watchers since January. I've gone from a size 26 to a size 20. It blows my mind that this is actually working! This is the first time that I've lost a significant amount of weight in years.

Then...I got lazy. I started eating cheeseburgers and fries, pasta and garlic bread, carbs, carbs, carbs and more carbs. Not surprisingly, the scale started to go up again and those size 20 capris felt a little too tight. So, I joined a gym and started looking for some low-carb recipes to satisfy my cravings while letting me keep wearing my new clothes.

Italian food is my downfall. There is nothing better to me than a large plate of thin pasta swimming in creamy sherry-spiked marinara sauce with chicken draped in provolone served next to a basket full of garlic rolls dripping in oil and butter.

Evil, I tell you.

I kept running across recipes for spaghetti squash. It's a vegetable that, when roasted, can be shredded into spaghetti-like strands. I kept reading about the health benefits (Folic acid! Beta carotene! vitamin A!) and marveled at how an entire squash was only about 50 calories when cooked. After reading a few recipes, I came up with this.

The Stuff

Football sized spaghetti squash
1 TBSP EVOO
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Half of a zucchini, cubed
3 oz of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 jar of light Prego marinara sauce

The Process

First, you have to cut that sucker in half across the long side. It took some doing! That thing has some thick skin. Then, take a spoon and scrape out all of the seeds and gross stuff. Preheat the oven to 375 and put your halved spaghetti squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the EVOO and sprinkle your seasonings all over it. Then turn it cut side down and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the squash cut side up and bake for another 45 minutes.

The sauce comes together so quickly that I waited until the squash was cooked and let it cool. I put a large skillet over high heat and melted the butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini and saute until they are soft. I had to add a little extra EVOO to keep things moist. Then I added half a jar of the sauce. While everything simmered on low, I scraped out the squash into long spaghetti-like strings. It all got added to the sauce and sauteed / simmered everything together. A sprinkle of Parmesan and my dinner was done.

An entire skillet of delicious Italian food was about 168 calories. I practically gorged myself on dinner that was about 3 points total and high in all of the vitamins that I've been needing. Do yourself a favor and try this. Don't be afraid of something new!

Mama Runs Errands Like a Grownup

Mama Channels Shakti

Omnicient

While walking out after dropping my kids off at MDO, I passed a group of kids lining up for chapel. I heard two boys whisper;

"She has big boobies!"

Without turning around I said;

"I heard that and so did Jesus!"

I hope their worship is adjusted accordingly.

Three

My Dear Little Prince,

Three years and 8ish months ago, I took a test telling me that we were going to have another baby. Over the next week, I became convinced that I was going to have a boy. Your father kept neutral and said that we had a 50/50 chance.

I was sure it was you.

Around 20 weeks we went for the ultrasound to see if we could find out if you were healthy and showy enough to let us know to reuse Sophie's pink blankets or follow traditional gender roles and buy something with baseballs. The tech swirled the wand on my belly and you greeted us with a pressed ham.

"We are either having a boy or a child with three legs." I announced.

You decided to follow in your sister's footsteps and come at 34 weeks. You added your own flair by not breaking my water, cutting the labor in half - thank you for that - and gasping like a fish out of water in my arms. I had enough time to register abject fear at your blue lips and kiss your head before you were whisked away by the NICU team at 4:38 PM. Around 9:00, your father and I made our way down to the NICU and found you strapped into this lovely little headset. I asked if I could hold you and a nurse gently told me that it probably wasn't a good idea at the time. They were having problems balancing your CPAP machine and the IV in your head and they didn't want you jiggled about. We stayed and stared at you for an hour before taking me back to my room. I was sharing my room with another woman who sat in her bed breastfeeding her chubby little boy. Your daddy couldn't stay with me since it was a shared room. When he left, I laid in my bed burning with fever and shaking with quiet tears as I listened to the baby sounds on the other side of the curtain. Your sister's NICU had been just down the hallway. In this hospital, you had to go down a hallway to the elevators, go down a floor, go through a lobby, another hallway, get onto another elevator and go up two floors before getting to the NICU.

People may call you a Mama's Boy. I prefer to think that I just worked my butt off for you and now I'm very grateful. You learned quickly and came home to us. You have been glued to my side ever since that day. You are my cuddliest child. You hold my hand whenever possible, even if we're just sitting on the couch.

As I write this, you are right by my side with your head on my shoulder. You went to Mothers Day Out today with cupcakes for the classroom. You don't cry when I drop you off. You simply trot inside and come back when I call you so that I can get a kiss. Your teachers are completely enamored with you. (Who wouldn't be?!) We have some hurdles to jump this year but Mama is going to be right here. I'll hold your hand the whole time.

Love,
Mama

Monday Brain Dribbles

Ben left yesterday for Austin. He'll be back on Friday. It's just me and the monsters this week. They have "school" on Tuesday and Thursday so it's not all bad. I will get a break.

I just spelled that as "I will get a bread." Apparently, I'm a vegetarian cat.

Sophie slept in my bed last night. She and Gideon share a room and take HOURS to fall asleep while they talk, sing and throw things at each other. I went in an hour after their bedtime and they were both poopy. I changed them and noticed that Sophie was swaying with sleepiness. I asked her if she would rather sleep in my bed.

"OK!" Followed by gathering all gazillion stuffed animals and then laying diagonally across my bed.

I followed a few hours later after watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. VERY good. Stephen Fry is blessedly wonderful as Mycroft. I've loved all things Sherlock - aside, it is impossible for me to say that in anything other than Alan Cummings' voice  - since high school. The RDJ versions are wonderful as are the Benedict Cumberbatch. The new show Elementary?

NO. BAD.

Anyhoo...I came to bed, cleaned out the stuffed animals and shoved my darling limp rag doll daughter over to her side of the bed. At 3:30 AM, I woke up to Sophie blindly crawling around the bed until she curled up at my feet. I'm pretty sure she was still asleep. I coaxed her up to the pillows again where she grabbed the comforter and covered her head.

Then I was awakened by my dearest tap-tap-tap-tap-tapping my forehead at 6:30 AM. With her face about 2 centimeters away from mine.

I shoved my iPhone at her and got another hour of sleep. Go, technology.

I got everyone up and realized that we were out of milk. So, we all went to Kroger in our pajamas and bedhead. I was That Woman and I so didn't care. I needed Dr Pepper and sinus medicine too badly.

We're all still in our jammies. Milly and I have nose issues. We're going to take it easy today.

You have yourself a good day, too.

Half Time!

Sophie is starting to take an interest in how she looks. Whenever I fix her hair, she runs for the bathroom mirror to preen and look at how beautiful she is. I found a pair of knock-off Crocs in purple and she wears them at every possible moment. (Including trying to get them into the bathtub. ) She also has a pair of neon green Converse that make her little heart go pitter pat. Her latest fashion statement are her tutus. She has a yellow one and a purple one. (Purple is her favorite color.)

Today was Royalty Day at Mother's Day Out. I sat down last night and tried desperately to make Sophie a shiny crown to wear. She actually showed a lot of enthusiasm at my ham-handed attempt at craftiness and wore it to school today.

Pink shirt, purple tutu, yellow glitter socks, neon green shoes, tinfoil crown.

She's beautiful, my precious Firstborn. However...as I gaze at this picture...I can only think of one thing...

Yep. That's my girl.