Spaghetti Squash - the Mexican Version

I found this recipe on food.com too. I'm telling you - that is a great site. Anyway, I am obsessed with spaghetti squash. I want to find as many ways as possible to use it, so I can get an extra serving of vegetables in my family's diet.

The recipe is pretty basic. Split the squash and dig out the seeds and pulp.  Bake it cut side down until the rind is soft. While that is cooking you can prep the things you are going to add. I added: tomatoes, black beans, ground beef, jalapenos and "taco" spices. Topped with cheese in a baking dish and baked for about 20 minutes. I topped mine with Spicy Ortega Taco Sauce. All that was missing was sour cream, we were out.

Check this healthy way to get in your veggies but still enjoy the Mexican flare. It's such a great basic Recipe.

Low Carb Gluten Free Pizza

I made this tonight for dinner. It was fantastic. My whole family enjoyed it. I found it on food.com which is a site where I find all kinds of gluten free items. Anyway, I made the crust in a 15x9 pan that was sprayed with Pam. I cooked the cheese before adding the egg mixture, then baked at 375 for 20 minutes. After it baked and I felt it was "done enough" the sides were getting dark, so I wanted to make sure it didn't burn. I topped it with pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, ground turkey (browned) and green peppers. It was quick and easy and I had everything but the heavy cream on hand. I substituted milk and butter for cream, it seemed to work fine.

This is definitely something we will eat again. It is probably not the lowest calorie thing, but not the worst! It has basically no carbs. It has no msg and no gluten!

Check out the full RECIPE here. Let me know if you found way to make the "crust" crispier. I used a bigger pan to make the crust thinner. My gluten eating hubby gave it two thumbs up!

Biaggi's Update

They changed their Gluten free bread -- its AMAZING!! I am not sure if its the same as the pizza crust like it once was, but I had it yesterday and can't wait to go back and have it again! So yummy. It was awesome with the oil/parmesan. I had my normal - Chicken Picante Pizza there too, it was fantastic as well!

Spaghetti Squash

I found a new love...spaghetti squash! I had never had it until last night. I have heard about it, but didnt' believe it would make a good substitute to my beloved pasta. Now that I'm gluten free I figured I would give it a try...it was fantastic and EASY. It's low in calories and filling. I used it in place noodles and didn't miss them a bit. My 5 year old liked it too.

It's very easy to cook. I cut it in half and cleaned out the pulp and seeds. I put a little salt/pepper on the inside and put it cut side down on a baking sheet and baked at 375 for 40 minutes. I let it cool for a few minutes, flipped it over and put a fork on the inside and twisted it, the insides come off like noodles. It's pretty cool. I'm hoping to try to grow them this summer in my garden. I topped it with ground turkey and pasta sauce, it was wonderful. Give it a shot and you might find you don't even miss pasta!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made the easiest chicken ever tonight. I pounded out a couple chicken breasts as flat as I could and then spread a wedge of laughing cow light cheese and then placed a piece of shaved ham on top. I rolled it up and placed it seam side down on a greased foil lined pan and baked it covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for remaining cooking time.

Iowa Machine Shed 2/20/11

Tonight my husband and I decided to try Iowa Machine Shed out again since I had recently heard they offered a gluten free menu now.

I asked the hostess who was grabbing menus if they had an actual gluten free menu, I was met with a yes we do as she grabbed one for me. Its a piece of computer paper and it has the items listed by meal time. Our waitress was fantastic, she payed attention to what I wanted/needed and tried her best to accommodate me.

We went at dinner time and since I had a steak prepared at home last night I opted for the Tangy Tenderloin. I was nervous. They do not list the ingredients, so the menu saying "spiced sausage" made me apprehensive. It seems fine, I haven't gotten sick yet. I had sweet potato fries at as my side.

It was a bit pricey for my liking at $12 for two small portions of tenderloin and sweet potato fries it seemed a bit much, the portions on the glutenous item my husband got was very small too. We ended up stopping for an ice cream on the way home. Overall the meal was fine and tasted okay. It wasn't exceptional, but was tasty enough. I told my husband this is the first time I have left the Machine Shed disappointed, not really unhappy or anything to complain about, just disappointed in the portion vs. price.

There are plenty of options on this gluten free menu to appeal to even picky eaters.  We will probably go back, but we like them better for breakfast than dinner. Machine shed breakfast is never a disappointment.

Oatmeal

I'm not a fan of oatmeal, but trying to be healthier has me attempting to add things that I love to make it taste better and keeping it low calorie.

 

I have figured out how I could eat this every day! At 160 cals it EASY and fantastic!

 

1/4 Cup of Bob's Red Mill GF Quick Cooking Oats

1 Tsp of Peanut butter Chips

1 tsp of Chocolate Chips

just enough water to cook the oats.

 

I cook the oats in the microwave in a small bowl with water for about 1 minute. Take it out, add the chips and stir until all are melted. It is heaven. It tastes like a warm no bake cookie without adding any additional sugar. It's a filling warm breakfast that helps hold me over on these long cold Iowa mornings!