Spaghetti Squash Mac 'n Cheese

Ok, not going to lie, I am a BIG sucker for comfort food, ESPECIALLY good ol' macaroni and cheese! A bunch of gooey cheese and delicious carbs, what could be better?! Well, a LOT of things for the waist, actually!

I have continued to look for ways to get the deliciousness of macaroni and cheese without the fatty, carbed-up pasta. Whole grain pasta wasn't quite cutting it for the PiYo meal plan I was trying to abide by, but when I came across this whole spaghetti squash deal... I was sold!

I have actually tried other spaghetti squash recipes and just could not get into it, but this one is DELICIOUS!

Also, if you are doing the PiYo meal plan like me, it is perfect for any meal calling for 2 servings of a secondary veggies, 1 (or 2 depending on broccoli intake) primary veggie(s), and 2 healthy fats!
*If you are interested in PiYo, check out more about it here!

So ENJOY indulging in this seemingly bad, but really so GOOD, southern comfort dish!

Spaghetti Squash Mac 'n Cheese

Recipe slightly adapted from Lizzie Fuhr's Popsugar website!

Ingredients:
-1 medium to large spaghetti squash
-Olive oil spray
-2 cups broccoli
-1 tbsp. margarine or butter (alternatives: vegetable oil, olive oil, Smart Balance butter, ghee)
-1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
-1 cup fat free milk or unsweetened almond milk
-1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half, and scoop out and eliminate all seeds. Spray the inside of both halves with the olive oil cooking spray, and place them open side up on a foil covered cooking sheet. Cook for about 50 minutes, or until tender.

Remove squash from oven, and when cool enough to handle, scrape flesh, or the "noodles," into a large bowl. Add in the broccoli and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter and whole wheat flour on medium heat. Add milk while stirring quickly. Reduce to low heat and add in cheeses. Stir until cheeses are melted.

Pour cheese sauce over squash and broccoli mixture. Serve and devour. :)

A Day Full of PiYo!

I am on my second week of Chalene Johnson's brand new program PiYo, and I just really can't say enough great things about it! I decided a few days ago to crack down more than ever, and I feel AMAZING! The meal plan guide, which is one of the things I love most about it (and is probably more crucial than the actual workouts for results), is SO easy to follow. I have posted where I was VERY easily able to fill out my ENTIRE upcoming week's worth of meals, snacks, and my workout schedule! This template is the work of another INCREDIBLE coach Erin Morgan, who I have never actually met, but HAD to give the credit where it's due, because I just love it!

As a 5'7" 135 lb. female looking to lose a couple, I fell into the 1200-1399 calorie bracket. That scared me a teensy bit at first, because I'm just used to consuming more (or what I THINK is more, since I was never really keeping track of my calories anyway). I have to say, though, that it's really been the perfect amount. I also just finished P90X3 which was much more intense and high impact, so my body NEEDED more calories than I do now.

Not to say that PiYo isn't a great workout, because let me tell you... IT IS! (I had to pause for a breather in the Buns video about five times. It was KILLER and my legs were sore for like 3 days afterwards!!) However, some of the videos are shorter and they are all low impact (hallelujah), so our bodies will just not need as much energy as it would for 30 straight minutes of deadlifts and bicep curls.

So here you can see where I have planned out my WHOLE week ahead. To the left, it's difficult to see, but in each calorie bracket you are allotted a certain amount of primary veggies, secondary veggies & grains, fresh fruits, healthy fats, and lean proteins! It also gives extensive lists of what foods are recommended in each food group. This was my favorite part because it's seriously EVERYTHING I already had in my fridge and cabinets! It was SO easy to plan!

Here is what my first FULL day of this week consisted of:


Breakfast: 6:35 am

I ALWAYS start my morning off with some delicious Vanilla Shakeology! My fiance drinks it too, that's why there's two glasses. My breakfast called for 1 Secondary Veggie (the actual Shakeology powder), 1 Lean Protein (my protein filled Greek yogurt) and 1 Primary Veggie (I threw a handful of spinach and kale in there!). It was delicious and EASY!

Mid-Morning Snack: 9:30 am

Ok, so this actually called for 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fresh Fruit, but I was weird and actually craving my fresh acorn squash. So what would have been 1 scoop whey protein powder for my lean protein, ended up being 1 Primary Veggie, and 1 cup of pineapple for my fruit!

Lunch: 12:00 pm

So not to toot my own horn, but I made some pesto basil chicken today and it was BOMB!!! ;) So lunch was 1 Lean Protein and 1 Primary Veggie- my chicken cutlets and some yummy broccoli!

Afternoon Snack: 3:30 pm

1 Fresh Fruit, 1 Primary Veggie, 1 Healthy Fat: 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1 cup of lightly salted cucumber. Delish.

Dinner: 6:30 pm

This may have ended up being slightly more than it was supposed to be, but it was a TOUGH workout this morning (PiYo Strength Intervals for 30 mins), so I'm thinking I can let it slide ;)

1 Lean Protein, 1 Healthy Fat, 1 Secondary Veggie or Grain, 1 Primary Veggie: serving of lean ground turkey, serving of lettuce, my whole wheat wrap, and the cheddar cheese on top for the healthy fat. My extras were the plain greek yogurt (I use as the "sour cream") and guacamole to the side. 

Needless to say, I am going to sleep satisfied and more in love with this program than EVER! The workouts are incredible and can honestly be done at any point in the day. I used to have to only workout right when I got up in the morning, but these workouts are just so easy to fit in anytime. You will sweat, and it will burn, but they are do-able and I manage to do them in about 5 feet of space on my upstairs carpeted floor. You only need your body and possibly a yoga mat if you have no carpet or need extra support for all of the planks and down dogs. ;)

If you are interested in getting those program, contact me TODAY!
E-mail me or Join one of my PiYo Fitness Challenge Groups!

Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this opportunity for the temporary SALE that it is on! (Shakeology lovers... how does this program for $10 sound?!)


I look forward to hearing from you!