Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce

03E69DCA-C578-4E9F-B40D-31BB1FFDB42B.jpg

I've officially eaten this meal three weeks in a row. Obsessed yes, overboard yes, but delicious enough to eat week after week. 

25C45B04-3996-44EA-A412-012BDD4636B2.jpg

Over the past few months I've loved getting plugged into a new community group through my church. They found out I had a food blog and quickly decided that a cooking class was a must. I easily obliged. We finished our study going over this book (which I love, have read twice now, and highly recommend) two weeks ago. We used last week's meeting as a time to have fellowship over food and conversation instead of our regular study. 

Sticking to what I know, I led a them through how to make this beloved new dish of mine, and paired it with Perfect CCCs of course!

FE77DE01-6665-4390-B8B2-F9413DE1A0B4.jpg

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce
yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 - 3 spaghetti squash, halved
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium zucchini, shredded
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 (15 ounces) can tomato sauce, no sugar added
1 (28 ounces) can diced tomatoes
2 cups raw spinach, tightly packed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Dairy free or regular shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Microwave each spaghetti squash for 5 minutes (this makes it easier to cut in half). Take out of the microwave and slice in half. Scoop out the seeds. Arrange spaghetti squash halves on a roasting sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

While your squash is cooking, in a large pan over medium heat, cook the turkey in the 1 tbsp. of olive oil until almost completely cooked. When just a little bit of pink is left add the zucchini, carrots, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spinach and spices. Stir to combine and let cook until the spinach has wilted. Turn to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. 

Once your spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to scrape the insides and create the β€œspaghetti noodles.” Layer a spoonful of sauce, draining some of the liquid of the sauce and using more of the meatiness, over the top of each squash. Turn on your broiler. Sprinkle the top of each squash with some cheese. Place under your broiler for 2 minutes to melt the cheese. Fresh cracked black pepper over the top and you are ready to serve!

*The sauce makes a ton. I like to pile on the sauce, but any leftovers store well in the fridge or freezer. When cooking for myself I prep one squash at a time and keep the sauce in the fridge. I take a cooked squash and the sauce and heat in the microwave. Then repeat the broiler step for a fresh hot meal each night. 

IMG_1850.JPG

The meal went over well with the group and the cookies scored a win. Hope you love it as much as I do! 

Annie 

Bites of My Life

Hi spring!! You bring so much new life! Literally and figuratively. I could really feel spring this week, anyone else? It's like this weight of winter kind of lifts away. I love how the way we eat, gather and spend our time changes in the spring. And any season for that matter. Just the pep I needed in my step after feeling pretty stagnant lately.  

bites 246.jpg

-An archived post refurbished! Loved this update version of "What's In My Bag" that I posted last week!
-New Garden Salad coming to the spring menu at The Jones. 2 words. Biscuit. Croutons.
-Clean out the fridge meal number 1 of the week. Shaved brussels sprouts with lemony hummus dressing, jalapeΓ±os and toasted pine nuts. 
-Clean out the fridge meal number2, and my favorite go-to clean out the fridge meal = shakshuka. This Italian version was bon appetitio! Just marinara sauce, 2 eggs, torn basil and some pesto!
-Bribing my church community group with perfect CCCs in case they didn't like the meal I made during our cooking class (more on that later this week).
-Happy baby!
-Have y'all tried Lesser Evil Snacks? LOVE their healthy popcorn. Use the code SpringLE to get 10% off. Locally can be bought at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. 
-WWE or Kathleen, Chloe and Annie walk into a boxing gym???
-Sunday morning brekkie! With my favorite soft boiled egg cups that make me feel fancy!

Annie

Β 

What's In My Bag?

3DB0D7EB-AFBE-44E1-968A-F2F91795003B.jpg

I've always loved those articles in magazines "what's in their bag," that give you a peak inside what a celebrity carries in their purse. Maybe it's creepy that I enjoy knowing what somewhere totes around all day, but I'm also the weirdo that loves knowing what's in someone's fridge. It says a lot about a person.

203F3D15-83AF-4C95-89EE-FDE6E57D5159.jpg

Purse: Who What Wear Mini Shopper

Snacks: RX Kids bar, these are the best purse size snack. I try to always have a bar or baggy of nuts in my car or purse. #alwayspacksnack I also often have tea bags in my purse and work bag. It's an easy way to cure the mid-day slump and cure my issue of always being cold. 

Brush: Conair mini brush. The one thing that is ALWAYS in my purse, and always gets transferred from day to evening bag too. A quick brush through your hair can really make you feel better.

Sunglasses: Cheaper than cheap from Forever 21. Despite the fact that I have a really good track record with sunglasses, I still can't bring myself to spend money on them. These were $3. 

Meds: Epi-pen, inhaler, Benadryl, allergies are fun! 

Gum: Extra Spearmint, each piece eaten in 1/3s cause I'm a freak. But hey, it makes a pack last almost 3 weeks, but the amount of gum wrappers I accumulate are uncanny. 

Lips: e.l.f Aqua Beauty Lip Stain in Dewy Berry and Rouge Radiance (creates this watercolor type lip stain that I love), Glossier coconut balm dotcom, MAC lipstick in twig, and Dior Addict Lip Glow (the coolest lip stain that enhances your natural lip color). 

Wallet: Mine is a discontinued style from SCOUT bags, but I love their stuff so much, find similar options here

This post idea originated back in the fall of 2014 when I was a senior in college. See my first "what's in my bag" here. Honestly not much has changed, at all. Same gum, similar wallet, cheap sunglasses, bright blue purse, and the same pink snakeskin hair brush is still going strong 4 years later. Is that gross?

What's in your bag?

Annie

Bites of My Life

Dang that week went fast, anyone else? Despite the days seeming longer with more sunlight in the evening, they still went by fast. I felt like i consistently looked at my watch one minute and it was 10AM then 2 minutes later it was 5PM. Energized by coffee, good eats, and a new workout routine with sis and Elle (we have started down the BBG rabbit hole, followed by walks with the almost 8 month old), all of a sudden it was the weekend. A weekend well spent with friends and lots of green. St. Patrick's Day is a pointless holiday that is way too fun to celebrate. I'm now exhausted from the fast and fun week and trying to slow my way into Monday mayhem.

bites 245.jpg

-Because of The Morning Breath, also seen on Shark Tank, I discovered Super Coffee. Shortly after being intrigued by the product and the three brothers behind it, I got in touch to get my hands on some. Just getting started on the East Coast, hopefully Super Coffee will be in midwest stores soon, but for now you can order online. 
-3 ingredient healthy brownies using Brandless' box brownie mix! Recipe in my "bites" insta highlight. Just make sure to use the fresh ground almond butter you make at the store!*
-Banana split sans ice cream. 
-Morning walks with Elle are becoming a thing and I'm l-o-v-ing it!
-A v successful pizza night, all tips and tricks learned from Gaby!
-Pre-green beer brunch at The Jones!
-Matching outfits and drinks this St. Patrick's Day. 
-If you know, you know. 
-Sweet and savory combo that I keep coming back too. AB, almond and cinnamon on one rice cake, and mashed avo with Everything But the Bagel seasoning on the other. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Such a fun (too much fun) weekend celebrating a great friend at her wedding. They threw the party of the century and we couldn't' have had a better time celebrating with them. That on top of wasting 5 hours of my life watching all the Bachelor nonsense, scoring a killer estate sale find and delicious bites to round out the week and weekend. 

bites 244.jpg

-Bites and babysitting with my Elle girl!
-Weirdly jumped out of bed at my 4:30AM alarm to try a new workout class. Kicked my butt but worth it. 
-Loving creating recipes with my Arbonne nutrition products like this DIY kombucha.
-Blueberry Muffin smoothie coming out to be the prettiest purply/blue shade. 
-Night one of #happilyeverikard. 
-Pizza to the rescue.
-The most coveted estate sale find. Crushing on my new dinnerware. 
-Omelettes with Les!
-Night two of #happilyeverikard and the best of them all! 

Annie