Starting Out

As promised, I would like to share one of the recipes we used when we first started this journey a couple of years ago with our oldest son.  I thought I would also share some things I've learned along the way.  Here goes...


Rookie Mistakes:
1.  Not making enough food, specifically meat.   I was so excited about all these new ways to make veggies, that I would sometimes completely forget to plan for meat, or any other source of protein or fat, in my meals.  This left me HUNGRY.  It's super important to make sure you're getting those fats and that protein in EVERY meal!  Remember, fat is not the enemy!  So, plan to include it.

2.  Not planning ahead.  I can't just grab some boxed/bagged food on my way out the door in the morning.  At first, this was a pretty big learning curve for me.  Once I got used to it, it's fine.  But, you've got to plan ahead to make it work.

3.  Eating sweet potato hash for breakfast.  Sweet potato hash is awesome!!  But not so much for breakfast.  I did this over Thanksgiving one morning.  The amount of carbs in that beautiful goodness had me crashing by 10:00.

4.  Buying too much produce at once.  Again, the excitement of the veggies got the better of me, and I bought more that I could possibly eat before half of it went bad.  I've found that if I plan out my meals for the week ahead of time, I know what and how much I need to buy.

5.  Thinking "Adding some cheese to this would make it really amazing" - about almost everything I'm cooking.  I will refer to the Whole 30 gurus Dallas and Melissa Hartwig - they say, "Don't think about what you can't have - think about what you can have".  This is great advice, and something I focus on regularly.

So, there are just a few of my mistakes I've made (so far) as I learn to eat clean.  And now, drum roll please......  the recipe you've all been waiting for....

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

- 1 Spaghetti squash
1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Cut in half.  Easier said than done.  We chop off one end of the squash (just maybe an inch) to make a flat surface.  Then, we stand the squash up on that end to push the knife downward, cutting it in half.

3.  Scoop out the seeds
4.  Place, insides down, onto a cookie sheet.
5.  Have fun stabbing small slits into the top of the squash
6.  Bake for about an hour (depending on how big your squash is, and how soft you want your "noodles" to be)
7.  Using a metal spoon, scoop out the "noodles" of the squash.
8.  I like to add a couple dashes of nutmeg

Meatballs (measurements are approximate - we mostly eyeball it)
5 lbs of ground beef (we like to make a lot and have left overs)
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Parmasan cheese (if you are having some dairy - if not, use 1 egg)
Few dashes of onion power
Few dashes of garlic power
A dash of Italian seasoning mix
A couple dashes of salt and pepper to taste

If you want to be sneaky about getting some extra veggies in, add about 1/2 -3/4 cup of riced cauliflower.  It helps the meatballs stay together and doesn't change the flavor at all :)

1.  Mix all ingredients together well - I just use my hands and really squish it all together.
2.  Use about 1/4 cup of meat per meatball.
3.  Place meatballs into a crock pot.
4.  Pour sauce on top. (We have a store brand in our area with ingredients that work - make sure you read your lables!  If you can't find something at the store, I'm putting my own sauce recipe at the bottom.)

5.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
6.  Spoon meatballs over your spaghetti squash and enjoy!!


Spaghetti Sauce
2 tbsp Coconut oil
29 oz can of tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp Oregano
2-3 shakes of dried Rosemary
2-3 shakes of Coriander
2 medium zucchini, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a large pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for about 4-5 min.  Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

2.  Add all the other ingredients and simmer for at least 45 minutes.

3.  Spoon over your spaghetti squash and meatballs :)

This is one of our favorites - I hope your family enjoys it as well.

Music of the week:  Christmas music (of course).  I LOVED Mannheim Steamroller's arrangement of O Come, O Come, Emanuel.

Until next time, my friends..... Merry Christmas and live well!

Becky