Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ever since I made my first spaghetti squash about 4 months ago, it has been a weekly dish in our household. Our favorite is spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce and turkey meatballs. We have also had it with Alfredo sauce and chicken. Recently, I found a spaghetti squash recipe on pinterest. I had never even thought of making it into a casserole. I looked at the recipe and then changed out the ingredients into what was in my pantry and here is what I ended up with...
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and de seed it. Lay the squash with the cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. While that is baking spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Next, with the stove on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Into the skillet add 1 small onion, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, and 2 chopped garlic gloves. Continue cooking for about 8 minutes. After the spaghetti squash has finished cooking, scrape it into a bowl along with 1 can or roteL, the onion mixture, 1/2 cup of low fat mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix it well in the bowl and then pour it into the 9x13 pan. Lastly, sprinkle the casserole with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 3 T of whole grain bread crumbs. Stick back into the oven for 30 more minutes. This dish will not disappoint. My husband took one bite and let me know I could make this again. Also the best part is that it tastes just as good for lunch the next day!!

13.1 check!!

We did it!! My Best Friend E and I completed our second half marthon.  It was the OKC memorial marathon.  The weather was cooperative, the crowd was enthusiastic, and it was such a great day to be had. We started off in November only able to run 3 miles.  We would try to run every Tuesday, sometimes we were not able to run all week, but we kept going and kept progressing and I am so glad we did!  The night before the race E, my brother, and I carb loaded at chili's with cajun chicken pasta.  My brother wasn't running but he was sympathy carb loading with us I suppose.  After we finished our dinner we went to Wal Mart to get protein bars for the next morning and my brother decided he needed a cape.  So we went to the fabric section and measured out how much fabric was needed to make a cape.  We decided it was probably the biggest cape that lady had cut out.  Besides Super Man, I dont think there is much need for an adult cape..Am I right?  We grabbed some posters and markers and headed home to make our signs.  My husband Jeremy's older brother is in a band called Atteberry Station and they were doing a televised segment in Texas that night.  So Jeremy got home about 1 a.m. so he would not miss my race.  So we had a pretty fun and rare slumber party at our house that night.  The race started at 6:30 am in downtown Oklahoma City.  The weather was so nice and as we passed the group of firefighters holding the American Flag, chills filled my arms.  We made it to mile four and there we found our fan club that consisted of 9 people holding their signs and jumping up and down cheering us on.  They were there at mile nine and the finished line as well.  The amount of people that were at this race cheering on loved ones and strangers was overwhelming and so touching.  There were funny signs and touching signs like "Run for all of those who can't."  E and I wore our red socks in honor of those affected by the Boston Bombing and it was times like that, that make you go harder. As we turned the last stretch there are hundreds of people jumping up and down as people race to the finish line and it really gets your adrenaline going.  After we finished and I realized I wasn't going to throw up, we both got huge smiles on our faces because it is such a great feeling of accomplishment.  I highly recommend anyone to run a half.  LIke I said we trained for six months, it is not easy. But the feeling of accomplishment you feel for the rest of the day, as well as the next few days because your muscles keep reminding you, is soo rewarding.  Here are a few pictures from the race.  Sorry for the Instagram shots, but since I did not take pictures I had to steal from those who did.
This first picture is my husband on the right, and my brother (horse head and cape on) on the left.  My brother was a huge hit with his horse head.   As we were walking back to the car 3 people stopped us to take pictures with him. He even said two girls stopped in the middle of the race to take his picture.

This is E and I in front of the Oklahoma City Memorial.

J and Mikey with their signs

This was taken the night before our race.  During the race the next day, they thought their signs were to long for runners to read so they turned them over to write on them, and so came the  "thats what she said" jokes.

This is right after we finished and yes we did feel like we had just won gold at the olympics!!

Healthy Donuts?

This is my new favorite donut substitute.  Don't get me wrong they are not on the same level as a chocolate long john or anything but they definitly suffice the craving.  I will make them ahead the night before and eat them for the next 3 days.  I have two in the morning along with some fruit and they keep me full until lunch, and they taste just as good heated.  About 25 seconds in the microwave to be exact. 

Here is the recipe:

• 2 Tbsp Vegan Chocolate Chips
• 3 Tbsp Vegan Chocolate Chips For Top
• 1/2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup Whole Grain Oats
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 2 Packets Splenda
• 1 Small Banana
• 3 Tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax
• 1 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cap full of Almond flavoring
• Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add in the 2 T of vegan chocolate chips, cinnamon, oats, applesauce, splenda, cut the banana into slices, then use a pastry blender to really blend the ingredients, next add the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together.  If you have a donut pan, all the better.  I have not bought one yet, but I am in the process.  I spread mine out onto a round pan, making them circular and flat.  If you want larger donuts then I usually get about five, smaller I can get six.  Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another ten minutes.  Melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave in a small bowl then spread them onto the donuts.  Add the sprinkles right after so they will stick better.  The more and colorful the sprinkles the prettier they will look :).  Next use a cap from a water bottle and push it down into the middle of the donuts.  This will give you your donut holes.  Hope you enjoy! 

Remember the 10

This morning I met one of my best friends, Erica in Stillwater to run in the Remember the 10, 10K.  It is in rememberance of the 10 OSU members who died in a plane crash in 2011.  It is a fun run because everyone decks out in their orange.  I know what your thinking..then where is your orange?  I did have on an OSU long sleeve but at the start of the race it was really cold so I put my hoodie on.  Next year I will have to remember to bring my OSU sweatshirt as well.  We had such a good time with this run because it really got us pumped for our half marathon next weekend.  Running any race makes you excited to run, but doing a smaller run before our big one definitely got us in the mood.  It was hilly and we sprinted the last 200 meters and we felt like we were ready for the OKC memorial half marathon.

Here is a picture of us with Coach Eddie Sutton, we were almost late for our line up because we had to wait in a line to get a picture with him.  Coach Sutton coached the mens OSU basketball team for 12 years and is a celebrity in these parts.

Showing our OSU pride, pistols pointing and glad to be DONE!!:)

Sunday Study Day

I usually hear the term Sunday Funday, but not today. Today consisted of visiting my mom and studying for my test I have been pretending is not coming up this week. I also have a CPR recertification class I am taking tonight, but I just might put that out of my mind as well for the time being. I received a few pictures from the wedding shower I made cupcakes for and wanted to share them. My mom helped host this shower and she actually made the window picture frame which was one of my favorite vintage pieces there.

Vintage Style Cupcakes

This morning I finished my cupcakes I made for a bridal shower. The theme was vintage and they had it decorated to a T. It was filled with lace, chandeliers, and the chairs were a different style fabric with different colors, it made me want to have a bridal shower again :). Just kidding I like the quick stress of cupcakes over the 8 month stress of planning a wedding for sure! For the cupcakes I always use Duncan Hines, they are the best for cakes because they are moist and do not fall apart easy, so I just carry them over to cupcakes as well. Just make the cupcakes exactly how the box says by adding in the eggs, vegetable oil, and water. My trick however, is adding in 1/4 of a cup of pudding. Today I did lemon and vanilla cupcakes. So I make the pudding just as you regularly would by adding the milk and whisking. I did one bowl of vanilla pudding and one bowl of lemon pudding. Then I add in 1/4 cup of the correct pudding to their proper batch. It makes the cupcakes super moist and oh so good. I put the in 350 degree oven for fifteen minutes. I always have to make sure to do extras, I mean I do have to make sure my own cupcakes taste good before serving them right?

Here is a look at the finished product. After I made all the flowers I went back in with my new airbrush set and sprayed a shimmer on them. It gave them a much softer vintage look, exactly what I was wanting.

Bikini Body Slacking

Every year besides this one, I have waited until summer starts to tone up my body.  This year I am planning on having it bikini ready by the time summer starts.  So to keep it healthy we whipped these white chocolate pancakes up the night before, for our weekly breakfast for dinner meal.  I also had some the next morning and they still tasted delicious!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups almond unsweetened milk
1/2 t salt
2 packets of splenda
1/2 box of while chocolate pudding powder

1. Mix together the flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. 
2. In another bowl beat the egg, almond milk, salt, and splenda together, then wisk in flour until moistened, and then add the pudding powder.  
3. Turn the skillet to medium heat, spray with cooking spray. Each pancake is 1/3 cup of the batter.
4. Before you flip the outsides should be bubbly it takes about 1 1/2 minutes. They should be golden brown.

This recipe is about 85 calories per pancake. 

I had to have a healthy breakfast and dinner because I will be trying out different recipes for the cupcakes I am making for a bridal shower this weekend.  They did not specify on the flavors so I am going to make some and let my tastebuds and co-workers do the judging.  Seriously,  I can take 20 cupcakes up to work and they will be gone by the time I leave.  I mean for real we work at a gym people.  Haha can't blame anyone though I am a self proclaimed cupcake addict myself.  Here is what I have so far, I just dyed the gum paste a pink color and made them the same way as my gum paste rose post.  Then I made little cherry blossoms and put edibile pearl sprinkles in the middle.  I will be posting the finished product here in a couple of days!