Post-Drinkcation Diet

I still have a lot of photos and adventures from Kentucky to post, but I'm going to blog this one as encouragement for my now diet, detox, and restoration mode post-drinkcation.

I definitely gained 5-7lbs after the 2 weeks of eating all the things in both the Bay Area and Louisville... while I'm hopeful some of that is water weight from salt bloat, some of it is definitely just fat from eating literally everything.  I'm getting back to the gym today as well, but since weight is 85% diet, I'm getting back on the wagon with a yummy recipe: spaghetti squash via two prep methods.

Spaghetti squash is named such because once it's cooked, the flesh shreds into strands that look very similar to spaghetti... and it's a great substitute.  A little crunchy, but takes on sauces just like spaghetti, with a fraction of the calories, carbs, and glycemic index.  1 cup of spaghetti squash runs you about 42 calories on average, compared with 1 cup of spaghetti, which can easily be around 200.

Glycemic index is a measure of a food's effect on blood glucose levels - particularly how quickly it rises in response to consumption of a particular food.  Foods with low GI release sugar more steadily into the bloodstream, whereas foods with high GI spike sugar into the bloodstream quickly.  The basic (very, VERY basic) theory is that by releasing sugar more steadily, the body releases insulin more steadily.  Insulin is the hormone that allows for various cells within the body to absorb glucose for conversion to either glycogen (immediate energy in muscles) or fat (long-term energy storage).  A few studies have correlated high blood sugar levels with increased fat storage, so the theory goes that if you keep more steady levels, your body will be less apt to store more fat.

In general, the GI ranges are as follows:

Low: <55
Medium: 56-69
High: 70+

Some examples: Waffles (109), White Bread (101), Kidney Beans (42), Mac & Cheese (72), Potato (93), Broccoli (<20), Spaghetti Squash (<20), Tomatoes (23)

In any case, I tend to do spaghetti squash with some kind of protein, like turkey meatballs or shrimp or whatever just because the fiber with some protein helps keep me full.

I was hungry tonight - this is roughly 2 servings of spaghetti squash, Trader Joe's bolognese sauce, parmesan cheese, topped with turkey meatballs.  Total: 424 calories

Oven-Roasted Spaghetti Squash:
This is definitely my favorite way to prepare it, but prep work and waiting time can be annoying, so below this, I included the lazy way of preparing spaghetti squash too!

Prep: 15 min / ~45 min bake time
Tools: sharp chef's knife, cutting board, dish towel for stability, fork

Spaghetti squash
Olive oil (to coat)
Salt, pepper, parmesan cheese to taste
Sauce of your choosing (I like marinara)

1. Set your spaghetti squash onto a bunched up dish towel on the cutting board to prevent it from rolling around while you cut it open.
2. Carefully & slowly cut the spaghetti squash in half.  I usually stick the knife point into the squash vertically to get the tip into the cavity inside the squash and then slowly push the knife down to horizontal on the non-stem side.  By then, enough of the squash has been split to generally crack it open.
3. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
4. Coat the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.
5. Bake at 375 for ~45 minutes (longer if you've got a bigger squash).
6. Let cool and use the fork to shred the squash into strands.  I like to sprinkle parmesan cheese on at this point to give it some extra flavor.  Mix in your favorite sauce to taste!

Spaghetti Squash!

On a dishcloth for stability, knife in point down

CAREFULLY push down

Once you split it open, it looks like this.  Scoop out the seeds and discard.

Coat with olive oil & seasonings.  Bake at 375 for ~45 or until the flesh is soft

Microwave Spaghetti Squash
Let's face it, there are all those days where it's a struggle to eat healthy if you're running late and starving.  So here's a quicker way to make spaghetti squash:

Prep: 5 min / 6-8 min bake time
Tools: sharp chef's knife, dish towel, cutting board, fork

Spaghetti squash
Salt, pepper, parmesan cheese to taste
Sauce of your choosing

1. Place squash on bunched up dish towel on the cutting board for stability.  Take the fork and pierce the squash deep several (10ish) times all over the squash.  You should get it all the way to the central cavity.  This is to prevent squash explosions!!
2. Put the squash on a clean paper or dish towel in the microwave (it will leak a bit after it cooks).
3. Microwave for 6-8 min, depending on the size.  I did 8 for the one pictured below.  Better to have to re-microwave than to have an exploded squash, which will probably also ruin the microwave.
4. WAIT for it to cool.  Steam burns are not fun.  Carefully cut open the squash - it will be HOT.  Scoop out and discard the seeds.
5. Use the fork to shred the squash.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.  I drizzled in some olive oil as well for additional flavor, but this can be skipped.  I also sprinkled in parmesan cheese to taste.
7. Coat in favorite sauce!

Pierce with fork in several places so steam can escape

Microwave 6-8 minutes, I did this one for 8.

Be careful, when cutting open... it's hot!  Don't forget to scoop out the seeds.

2 spaghetti squashes' worth!

In terms of photo quality... I'm no food stylist and I don't get natural light in my kitchen, so these really ended up being more snapshot-y.  I'll have to work on that... it's hard to be artistically minded when hungry, which is kind of ironic given the whole "starving artist" stereotype.

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