Trash time

I have been feeling like a rock star lately.  I have been eating healthy foods consistently and rocking the gym at least 5 times a week since before the new year.  Like, even when I have legitimate excuses to not go to the gym, I do it anyway.  I can feel my body changing (ever so slightly), but the scale is NOT MOVING.  If the scale won't move, guess I will have to move the scale.  To the trash.  Let's face it, with the things that are coming up for me in the next few months, all that scale is going to do is giving me something else to stress about.

Instead of looking at the scale every day, I'm going to look in the mirror. And I'm going to like what I see.  And if I don't, I'm going to dress it up and put some makeup on it until I do.  

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

If you are anything like me, when people suggest you exchange your mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, or your noodles for spaghetti squash, you give them the side eye.  They aren't the same thing.  Stop trying to make it happen.  I find that these substitutes taste better when I call them by their name.  The original name for this dish was Mac & Cheese.  This is not Mac & Cheese.  Mac & Cheese has Mac in it.  And Cheese.  Mac is short for Macaroni.  Macaroni is a variety of noodle.  This dish does not have noodles in it.  Either way, it is delicious and it's a great side that is much lower in calories than Mac & Cheese.

Ingredients

2 small spaghetti squash

1T butter (I use the land o lakes with olive oil)

1T olive oil

1 small onion

1/4 cup flour

2 cups skim milk

1 cup chicken broth

8oz reduced fat cheese (I use the weight watchers mexican cheese)

4 cups spinach

1/8 cup parmesan

There are a lot of ways to cook spaghetti squash.  My knife skills aren't that great and most require you to cut a raw spaghetti squash in half.  A raw spaghetti squash is about as hard as a brick so I choose not to try to cut an object that is that hard and also very capable of rolling across my counter in half.  Instead, I pierce them with a knife a few times and stick them in my crock pot.  Cook on low for about five hours, or high about three.  This makes it super easy to cut them in half.  When you take them out and cut them they look something like this.

Go ahead and scoop the seeds out the middle.  Use a fork to scoop the "spaghetti-ness" into a bowl.

Use a large pot and heat the butter and oil on medium heat.  Add your chopped onion and saute for a few minutes until they get a little softer.  Reduce heat to low and add your flour.  Stir continuously for 2 or so minutes (there is no exact science with my cooking).  

Add your milk and your chicken broth.  Get your heat back to medium and boil the mixture for a few minutes until it gets a little thicker.

Take your pot off the heat and add your cheese.  Stir until melted.

Add your spinach.

Add your squash.

Dump that mixture into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan.  Back in oven on 375 for about 30 minutes. Voila!!  Excuse the asparagus on top.  I forgot to take a picture before we ate and this is how we stored the leftovers...

It makes a ton too and reheats well.  I made this Sunday night and we will be able to eat it as a side at least two more times this week.  The best part?  A whole cup of this stuff will only cost you 165 calories!!

I've changed up a few things, but you can see the original recipe HERE.

February Workout Playlist

Better late than never right?  A few quick notes:
*This playlist is super random.  None of it makes sense together, but just go with it.
*Bummer Beyonce's new album isn't out yet.  I really wanted to put Formation on the playlist.  Try to listen to that song and NOT dance.

Click HERE to subscribe to the playlist on Spotify.

Sorry-Justin Bieber
679 (feat. Remy Boyz)-Fetty Wap
Crash-Gwen Stefani
Dangerous (feat. Joywave)-Big Data
Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Everywhere I Go-New Politics
Studio-Schoolboy Q
We Own the Sky-M83
You're So Last Summer-Taking Back Sunday
Lifestyle-Rich Gang, Young Thug
Out of My Head (feat. Trey Songz)-Lupe Fiasco
Rack City-Tyga
Work It-Missy Elliot
Summer Sixteen-Drake
Ego-Bibi Bourelly
Used To-Mutemath

Check my other fitness playlists HERE!

Stuck

I have to admit, I am feeling a little stuck lately.  I want so badly to blog.  I want to write, but I can't seem to figure out where I want to go with it.  I look at other blogs and I am so impressed.  I love their pretty pictures and how passionate they seem to be about one thing.  I think the problem is that I feel passionate about so many things that I'm not sure what to do.

I have always been so interested in diet and fitness and living a healthy lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I still am.  However, with even more fertility treatments (much bigger ones) looming in the next 6 months to a year, I feel so stuck.  It's all consuming and to be honest, I just don't want to write about that.  It's tough to be going through something that takes over your life completely and still post recipes.  Everything seems small compared to this BIG thing in my life right now.  But, I'm coming to realize that these small things that make me happy ARE my life right now.  They get my through the days, weeks, months.  I may sound shallow, but fitness makes me happy.  Clothes and shoes make me happy.  Makeup makes me happy!

I know that blogging can help focus my attentions elsewhere and I really want to make a better effort at trying to keep up with things I enjoy.  With the weight gain that is sure to come with injectables and the lack of physical fitness that is about to happen, it doesn't feel right to only be writing about those kinds of things.  So, with that being said, bear(I had to look up if it was bear or bare) with me and these transitions the blog will be going through.  In the spirit of being completely honest, here are some things that may be coming up.

-Diet and exercise (it will always be a part of this blog)
-Fashion (I don't feel like I'm fashionable enough to blog about fashion, but I like it.  So I will.)
-Hair and makeup
-Meditation (yes, I'm trying this!)
-Lots of things about my dog :)
-Entertainment (TV, music, concerts)

What I'm basically saying is that if you read my blog you're in for some pretty random things to come.  I am working on a better blogging schedule to have some semblance of organization here.  Unfortunately, it seems that everything starts with F.  Fashion Fridays?  Friday Favorites?  Fitness Friday?  Well, it's a work in progress.  I would love any suggestions on what you may want me to blog about or what you would be interested in reading!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!