WIAW: Healthy Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Pie {Low Calorie, Low Carb}

What if I told you you could have pizza for under 250 calories?  Plus you can have spaghetti on top of all that?  And get a serving or two of vegetables at the same time? Too good to be true?

I think not.

But...you'll have to wait, because I have other eats to discuss today before that recipe.

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It's What I Ate Wednesday time!!!  Yay :)

Breakfast: Egg & Bacon

Oh, how I love over easy eggs!  I had an over easy egg (that my boyfriend cooked for me--best boyfriend ever award!!!) on half of an English muffin with some precooked bacon and grapefruit slices.  Mixing it up for breakfast!  Loved this change from my usual thang.

Morning Snack: Cheerios

I have been loving cereal as a snack lately.  I just measure out a serving of cereal in a Ziploc and have a little tupperware container filled with 1/2 cup of almond milk.  Perfect to take on the go!  These are the new Dark Chocolate Crunch Cheerios.  I like them alot, but I gotta say, the Chocolate Toast Crunch I had last week was 10 times better (although it was like 20 more calories a serving--no big deal).

Lunch: Sweet Potato and Roasted Veggies

For lunch I had prepared these little containers of goodness the night before.  I roasted brussels sprouts, zucchini, squash and red peppers (in 400F degree oven for about 25 minutes) and "baked" sweet potatoes in the microwave.  This lunch was super flavorful and low calorie!  FTW!

Afternoon Snack: Apple

Surprised to see an apple on WIAW?  No?
Yeah, I had another apple today.  It was pretty tough to stay on track having to cut my apple in this kitchenette, surrounded by junk food:

I mean...really?  There are 3 of us in this office and my bosses know that I don't eat that junk.  Why oh why do we need 3 boxes of chocolates, snack cakes, chips, etc.?  It's infuriating, I tell ya.

So, just figured I'd let you know that I am tempted on a daily basis..but luckily most of my snacks stay at my desk with me and I don't go to the kitchen that much (I took this picture when I was heating up my coffee).

Moving on...

I made a winner of a dinner tonight!

Dinner: Pizza Spaghetti Pie

I had 1/4 of the below recipe with a side of roasted broccoli (roasted in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes).  Such a yummy and veggie-fied dinner!

Healthy Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Pie 

serves 4 

Small to medium spaghetti squash

Medium zucchini, shredded

Turkey breakfast sausage (you could also use ground turkey)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 cup pizza sauce (low sugar, preferably)

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tsp pizza seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

*note--black olives would be great in this..but I didn't have any

Cut your spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp (and discard), lay the halves face down on a plate with a little bit of water in it.  Microwave until done.  My spaghetti squash was on small side and it was done in 8 minutes.  (You can also bake the spaghetti squash in the oven, but it takes a million years.)

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and throw the onions and green peppers in.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the sausage.  Season with 1 tsp of pizza seasoning and the garlic.  Break it into pieces and cook until browned.

Scoop out the "noodles" of the spaghetti squash and all the other ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.  Taste and season more, if needed.

Spread into a greased 8x8 pan and cook at 350F degrees for an hour.

Add a little extra pizza sauce on the top and a sprinkling of parmesan (optional) before serving.

*note--next time I'll probably try and squeeze as much moisture from my veggies prior to cooking, because it released a little water in the pan.  No biggie, but just thought I'd mention it.

I know...an hour is a long time, but it's totally worth it!  

You get the taste of pizza without the carbs from the crust or the fat from the cheese.  Normally I would weep missing these two ingredients, but this was very good and you should try it!!! 

(mine was 233 calories per serving, but of course that varies by whatever brand of sausage or sauce you use)

recipe adapted from PaleOMG

After a delicious dinner, I had a low sugar ice cream sandwich.  I forgot to take a picture of it before I hoovered it, but here is another one in the package...and a cute dog photo bomb!

Have a super fun day!

Oh, before I go, let me try a new thing:

Question of the day: Do you deal with food temptation at work while trying to eat healthy?  Or even at home?  How do you deal?

It's so much easier for me to control it at home, because I do the grocery shopping.

If you feel like answering the question in the comment, that's cool.  If not, that's cool too!

Ok, peace out!

WIAW: Skinny Buffalo Chicken "Alfredo" with Spaghetti Squash

Hello, hello!  I'm back for another What I Ate Wednesday!

I decided to sit out last week.  I was on vacation in Florida (and Louisiana for one day) taking 5 bajillion pictures of the beautiful sky and water...and birds.  Also, I eat really randomly on vacation.  It's like normal meal times mean nothing when I'm out of town.

I'm normally such a creature of habit..as I'm sure you have noticed.

If you follow my Instagram, you can see more pics of my vacay.

Ok, back to the food!

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Breakfast: Oats!

For breakfast, I made a quick packet of Quaker's date, walnut oatmeal with some almond milk and frozen blueberries.  Coffee happened...and then happened again shortly thereafter.

 Snack: Granola Bar

I tried a sample of these yummy bars in the grocery store this weekend.  I liked them and my mom bought some for us to share.  You get two delicious bars for 190 calories.  Not too shabby.  Although they are kind of small.  Here's my hand for size comparison.

Lunch: Veggie & Spinach Tortellini Soup

Boy, was lunch a winner!  I made Shutterbean's spinach tortellini soup on Monday (here's a picture of it before all the broth got absorbed).  I added mushrooms, carrots and celery to the original recipe.  It was so freaking delicious.  When the soup sat in the fridge overnight, it absorbed alot of the broth, that's why it just looks like a giant bowl of pasta ;)
I made a half grilled cheese on the side, simply using a slice of wheat bread and some shredded mozzarella.

We also walked the dogs.  Here's Bizzy after the walk:

She's such a beauty!  Her neck is soaking wet from playing with Reggie.  Gross, but true.

Speaking of my little puppy girl, her first birthday is next week!  I'm so excited to celebrate with her.  Nothing big, don't worry.  I'm not that much of a crazy dog lady ;)

Anyways, we stopped and got an iced coffee on my way back to the office.

Yum!

Snack: Fresca & Fruit

Around 4:30 I needed a snack to hold me over until boot camp, so I chose these peaches and Fresca.  So tasty and filled me up until dinner!

Dinner: Skinny Buffalo Chicken "Alfredo" with Spaghetti Squash

This meal turned out alot uglier than intended.
But it tasted really good and was really healthy!
I cooked a spaghetti squash in the microwave (kind of overcooked it, to be honest) and made my favorite faux alfredo sauce.  I also had put 2 big chicken breasts in the crockpot with 2 parts chicken broth, 1 part buffalo sauce that morning and shredded it once cooked.
So, I tossed the chicken in with the spaghetti squash and coated everything in "alfredo."
Topped it all with buffalo sauce and some bleu cheese crumbles.
Grilled zucchini on the side!

Yummier than it looks, I promise!

After dinner, my calorie app informed me that I had plenty more calories for some fro yo!

I had a small bowl of Kemp's cookies & cream low fat frozen yogurt.

Then, Bizzy fell asleep like this on the couch.

What a goof!

Have a great rest of the week!!!

WIAW: Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

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Well, hello there, friend!  Thanks for stopping by ;)

This week has been full of crazy excitement...due to only one thing: my boyfriend's parents' dog, Reggie, is staying with us this week.

If we thought Bizzy was crazy before, Reggie intensifies her craziness tenfold!  He is also super full of energy, himself.  I could not even get a picture of my breakfast without dogs in my face.  I'm cool with it, though!  Love those pups!

Breakfast: Shake

Good Morning, Reggie!!  

I woke up late this morning.  No reason, just couldn't pull my lazy butt out of bed, so breakfast was on the go.  Made a quick shake containing: frozen banana, 1 cup of strawberries, vanilla protein powder & almond milk.  Simple & delicious.

Also, had a giant mug of coffee on the run!

Forgive my dirty windows.

 Not much going on at the office today, so I just read blogs.  I came across this awesome menu printable from Back to Her Roots & did some menu planning for next week.

Nerd Alert! 

A.M. Snack: Bar

Honestly, a protein bar is not my idea of a sensible snack.  It's fine when you are on the go, but not when you are at the office and too lazy to cut your apple (referring to myself, here).  Still, a decent calorie count from this Aldi protein bar.  Not the best in texture & taste, though.

Lunch: Grilled Cheeeeeessseee!!

It was 100 degrees today, so no walk with the dogs :(  Of course that gave me extra time to burn cook a grilled cheese! This charred delight included muenster cheese, avocado & tomato on whole wheat bread.  A side of carrots and berries just rounded out the meal.
Here's a closer shot.  Can you spot the avocado & tomato?

Got back to work and squealed with excitement when I saw my package from Old Navy had arrived!!  They had a killer fitness sale (that is possibly still going on...too lazy to check) & I scored all this loot for around $40!

My boss loves sweets and has a stockpile in the kitchen area.  Usually I ignore them, but the siren call of the Nutty Bar was calling my name.  Like, hardcore.
Buuuut, I went and looked at the calories and a Nutty Bar has 330 calories for both bars.  Can we say, "Not worth it!"?
So I Googled the calories on fun sized Twix and had that and a diet coke instead.
Healthy choice--NOPE!  But, a better choice, at least :)

P.M. Snack: Berries & Cheesy Wasa

Even after knowing the calories in the Nutty Bars, a few hours later I was singing, "Oooh, I want you I don't know if I need you.."  A little Savage Garden for your Wednesday ;)
But I resisted again!!  Go me!
I had the rest of the berries from lunch and a Wasa cracker with muenster cheese.  Perfectly satisfying and sensible.

Before I headed to my evening boot camp workout, I played with the dogs and did some colorful dinner prep.  So pretty!

Ok, so chopping these veggies & microwaving my spaghetti squash made cooking dinner fast & easy.
And so freaking delicious.  I kid you not.
I had a Thai noodle dish a few weeks ago with rice noodles and I could just taste the fat.  It was yummy, no doubt, but not great for you.  So I made a healthy copycat of it!  And it was even better!!
Are the exclamation points adequately expressing my excitement?!
Probably not.

Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

serves 4

Spaghetti squash (cooked)

Zucchini, carrots

Chicken breast

Coconut oil

Soy sauce

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Chopped peanuts

Cilantro (optional)

Peanut sauce (below)

Peanut Sauce:

2-3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp rice vinegar

red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste

Chop your zucchini and carrots as close to matchsticks as you can get (I didn't get that close) and slice your mushrooms.

Poke your spaghetti squash with a knife and microwave for around 7-8 minutes.  Allow it to cool.

Season 3-4 thin chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder & soy sauce and sear in a pan coated in coconut oil.  Set aside.

In the same skillet, throw in a little more coconut oil and the sliced carrots.  Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes.  Toss in the zucchini and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Chop the chicken in bite sized pieces and throw it and the sliced mushrooms in the pan.

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour over all the stuff in the pan.

Cut your spaghetti squash in half (lenghtwise) and scrape out the seeds.  Use a spoon to scrape out the innards and add them to the pan.

Mix everything together and season to taste.

Add chopped peanuts and cilantro as garnish.

Yum!!!!

After eating, I, of course, played with these crazy dogs:

Bizzy plays hard & rests hard.

In Case You Missed It:

I'm blogging on Endless Simmer again!!

Creativity is a'flowin'.  Check out my recipes!

Single Serving Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treat

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with BBQ Shrimp and Veggies

Have a great week, all!

WIAW: Baked Spaghetti Squash

What time is it???  It's time for...

from Peas & Crayons

I kind of gave up on the summer staples theme, just because I'm lame and can't think of anything to say about it.

Buuuut, I'm super sad that summer is almost over.  I have been digging my laid back summer vibe and am not ready for colder weather and stuff.  I even blogged as such over there at Endless Simmer last week.  You should go to there, because I made a coconut shrimp meatball that may just rock your world.

So summery and delish!

Ok, onto my eats from yesterday:

Breakfast Part I: Toast w/ PB

Hey there, green socks.  Had a lil' piece of toast with some peanut butter before heading out to 5 a.m. fitness boot camp.  I almost died there.  Ok, that's not true at all, but working out that hard makes me feel like I'm dying..at least until it is over.  Then I feel awesome.

Breakfast Part II: Bagel and Lox (sort of)

How fancy is this?  Well, not that fancy, but it makes me raise my pinkie a bit.  I had a Bagel Thin with a Laughing Cow Swiss cheese wedge, smoked salmon and capers.  A little dill and sea salt on the top put it over the edge.

And, of course, a giant mug of coffee happened.

 Oh, it's my Baby the Cat.  My constant coffee companion ;)

Morning Snack: Shake 

yes, I have on hillbilly capris, today

I made a shake before I left this morning for my morning snack.  Looks gross, huh?  It's not, though.  Trust me.  I'm a professional shake maker.  This one contains 1 frozen banana, about 1/2 cup of frozen sweet cherries, 1 cup almond milk, a scoop of protein powder and 1 tbsp cocoa powder.  I'm gonna call it a chocolate cherry shake.

Lunch: Healthy Lunchable

I was going to make another lettuce wrap like the one from 2 WIAWs ago, but my lettuce was running low.  So I threw a little lettuce, roast beef and cheddar together to pile on some whole wheat club crackers.  On the side I had orange slices.  This pic makes it look like a giant lemon, but it is actually an orange.

As much as I did NOT intend to get frozen yogurt today...fro yo happened:

caramel pretzel flavor froyo topped with oreo, granola, pecans & one circus animal cookie

 Afternoon Snack: Nuts

I love almonds, but clearly must be eating more than 100 calories when I grab a handful from the large bag.  Because this 100 cal pack only has like 12 nuts in it.  Portion control, Renee, portion control.

Dinner: Spaghetti Squash Bake

I knew I was gonna make some spaghetti squash for tonight's dinner, but I figured I'd just heat it up and toss it with sauce.  I'm glad I decided to dig through the fridge and get creative, because this was a winner.
And you are in luck, because I'm going to share it with you now.  Totally free of charge.  You're welcome.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

serves 4

1 spaghetti squash

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian flavored), and 2 tbsp reserved

1 Laughing Cow Swiss cheese wedge

2-3 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1/4-1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

garlic powder

salt

optional-grilled chicken

Poke a hole in the whole spaghetti squash and cook in the microwave for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.  Let it cool for about 30 minutes or wear oven mitts for this next part.  Split the squash in half with a knife, scrape out the pulpy looking middle and seeds and discard.  Take a spoon or fork and run it all on the inside of the squash to get the "noodles" out.

Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray oil and add the spaghetti squash innards.  

Add the egg, bread crumbs, cheese wedge, goat cheese, spinach and seasonings and mix well.  Then top with reserved bread crumbs and shredded Parmesan.  (I also stirred in some chopped, leftover grilled chicken-but it would be just as good without it).

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes & enjoy!

I enjoyed mine with some leftover bread from Sunday's spaghetti dinner.

 Dessert: Cookie Taste Test

I made some cookies for my cousin's birthday (which is tomorrow) & he loves Reese's cups, so I chopped up a bunch of mini Reese's and put them in there.  I modified the base of Bakerella's recipe, and they were perfection.

~~~~~

In other news, I drank a Monster energy drink and ate some sour gummy worms this week (because apparently I'm a teenage boy??) and joined Twitter (mostly just to follow Louis CK)!  So, follow me if you wanna ;)  @athungrymonster  I promise, I'll only tweet really interesting and hilarious things.

Alrighty, happy Wednesday all!