About a month ago, after being in Florida for a month and eating about 30 too many waffle cones, I decided I REALLY needed to change up my eating habits and get healthy. In the past few years I have just put my health and exercise on the back burner and it really caught up to me. I was always tired, always hungry and just in a dumpy mood all around.
A friend of mine made a post on Facebook about the 21 day fix from Beachbody. I decided I had nothing to lose, it was worth a shot. I ordered the 21 day fix and shakeology and jumped in head first. I wanted to really try this time, I've done numerous diets in the past, but never stuck with anything.
The 21 day fix was really easy for me right from the start. All you need to do is portion out your food each day into these colorful containers and if the food fits, you can eat it! No counting calories, no giving up carbs, just eating the right amounts of each food group. SIMPLE! The DVDs that came with the set are really fun too, the trainer is really motivating and nothing was so hard I couldn't complete it. I hate feeling like I can't accomplish something, it frustrates me and I end up giving up all together and then I fail and end up gaining more weight than I started with.
I love to cook, so coming up with meal ideas for this diet was exciting for me. In the first 21 days I lost 9 lbs and 3 1/2 inches off of my waist. I have SO much more energy, I can tell I'm getting stronger and am just happier in general. I never believed that working out was a natural anti depressant but I have to say I'm a believer now. I took a week off after that to go on vacation but still tried to make healthy choices the majority of the time and was able to maintain my weight. I have now started back up with the DVDs and the eating plan and am hoping to lose another 10-15 lbs by summertime.
I was craving pasta really bad yesterday and while that is still allowed on the 21 day fix, the portion size is quite small. I tried to think of a way to still be able to enjoy an Italian meal, just in a little bit healthier version and a way I could feel like I was eating a bigger meal. I came up with a spaghetti squash casserole. I promise you it was every bit as good as a pasta dish and so much better for you!
Here's how to make my Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole:
Ingredients:
2 Medium-Large Spaghetti Squash
1/2 of a large sweet onion, minced
1 1/2 jars of Marinara Sauce
1 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Cup Low Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground pepper
additional salt and pepper will be added when preparing squash, this amount is up to you
*optional addition turkey pepperoni
Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Next cut the top and bottom of each squash off, then cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds from the center and rub or spray with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place each squash half FACE DOWN on a tin foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast the squash for 30-45 min, it will be ready with the skin is easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 min. Turn oven down to 365 when you remove the squash.
While the squash is roasting you can prepare everything else. In a large pan, brown the ground turkey with the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is well done and onions are clear in color. Drain any excess fat, you may not have any if the turkey you purchased was very lean. Next, pour in the marinara sauce and mix all together. At this point your squash should be ready. After it has cooled and you are able to handle it, hold the squash upright and scrape the inside with a fork, this will create spaghetti like strings of squash, these will be your "noodles". After you scrape all the squash out, add it to your meat/sauce mixture and mix well. Continue cooking this over medium high heat, stirring every few min. You want to cook this until some of the moisture has cooked off. When it appears less watery, dump everything into a 9x13 casserole dish. (I spray it with non stick spray first to make clean up easier, but this is optional) Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top and bake in the oven at 365 degrees until the cheese is light brown and bubbly. If you would like you can also scatter turkey pepperoni on top before you bake it, these are only 70 calories for 17 pieces! Let cool for 5 min or so before serving.
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If you are doing the 21 day fix, this would count as 1 green container, 1 blue container, 1 red container and 1 purple container. I would measure it out in the green container for portion control.
If you would like more information regarding the 21 day fix or shakeology, contact me or visit my website!
http://www.beachbodycoach.com/ASHLEYLOCKYEAR
