I am officially halfway through my Whole30! This week was better than the first with being so hungry between meals. I made my servings bigger and tried to implement more carbs. With my workout schedule and intensity, I function better on a high carb/high protein diet. My cravings are definitely under control, too. I probably would have been just fine doing a Whole9 instead….dang it! I’m in too deep though, I have to finish!
I am going to try really hard to try and remember what I all meal prepped last week. Here it goes! I made a really really good quiche that I kept at work to have after my post workout shakes. I used Applegate Chicken and Apple Sausage AND Applegate Good Morning Bacon along with a bunch of veggies. I think the added protein really helped me stay full until lunch time. For lunches I had this deliciously spicy casserole from my most favoritest cookbook, Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook. I know, I know you’ve heard me talk about this cookbook over and over. That’s because I love all of you and only want the best for you. So, go buy the cookbook! You will absolutely love it! Between the amazingly beautiful photos, you will find so many easy recipes, a lot of great information on paleo and you will get a good laugh! I’ve probably made 5-7 recipes so far and I have loved every.single.one. #truth
Back to my meal prep last week! I ended up buying a honkin huge beef roast that I threw into the crockpot and it got me and the hubby through the entire week! We had it for dinner one night and then for lunches and maybe one more dinner until it was gone. Like always, I like making a fresh home cooked meal for dinner each night and I cook extra carbs and veggies to use in my lunches the next day. It was simple as that, three main dishes and my meal prep was complete! Nothing lacked flavor or was dissatisfying like a lot of people think of “eating healthy” is and I didn’t spend hours and hours in the kitchen cooking. Win win!
This casserole takes a bit more time in the kitchen than other dishes, but I made it on a Saturday and was able to get a lot of house work done while everything was cooking. Give it shot!
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2½ pounds)
- 4 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup hot sauce (Juli prefers Tessemae's or Frank's RedHot)
- ¼ cup Super Simple Mayonnaise (found in her cookbook or store-bought mayo. Juli uses Sir Kensington's or Primal Kitchen Foods)
- 3 large eggs, whisked
- chopped scallions, for garnish
- sliced avocado, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the skin gives when you press your finger to it. Remove the squash from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Grease a Dutch oven or an 8-inch square glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter.
- Let the squash cool for 5 minutes, remove the seeds, and then use a fork to remove the threads and place them in the greased baking dish.
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cook using a wooden spatula to break up the chicken into small pieces until the chicken is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, then add the hot sauce and mayo and mix well to combine.
- Add the chicken mixture to the baking dish and mix well with the spaghetti squash threads. Add the whisked eggs and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the top forms a slight crust that doesn't give when you press it in the middle. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped scallion and avocado slices.