That dreaded V-WORD

I'm totally stuffing my face like a pig right now. But it's ok because I don't think you can overeat on veggies and chicken, right? That's pretty much all I've eaten today, and I'm totally alright with that. I'm slowly learning to be completely satisfied with generally healthy stuff. If you learn how to cook it, even veggies can be good...even enhance a plain old salad!

See, I think there is a pretty solid stigma against vegetables, but let's face it, today's veggies aren't your grandma's 50's housewife veggies. When I talk about eating my greens, I don't mean that I'm shoveling in a bowl of green peas alongside a scoop of mashed potatoes and a slab of meatloaf. You can make eating the dreaded "v-word" fun...and I don't mean that v-word, though it does come with it's own fair share of critiques on taste and texture. But that's a topic I won't touch on, because well...I'm not qualified to share an opinion on the matter.

One vegetable I've been particularly partial to lately is squash. Ew...squash. Right? Wrong! It's gooooood. Not serving in up like the squash you add brown sugar and marshmallows to on Turkey Day. This is a savory dish with sauteed veggies and chicken. It would be great without chicken, even, but I'm not a vegetarian and I need to get my protein because of all that exercising. This one is a winner and can easily be tweaked to be Asian or Mexican inspired depending on the spices you toss on it.



Spaghetti Squash Sauté
(Serves 4)

[ ingredients ]
1 spaghetti squash
10 mini bell peppers
1 package cleaned and sliced mushrooms
3 c. shredded chicken
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper

[ directions ]
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise, brush insides of squash well with olive oil and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes. Scrape inside of the squash with a fork to loosen the spaghetti-like fibers. Place four equal portions onto four plates. Top with warm shredded chicken.

Slice bell peppers lengthwise after removing seeds. Sauté sliced bell peppers and mushrooms in the remaining olive oil with garlic and pepper until tender. Divide into four equal portions and top the squash and chicken with the veggies. For a more Asian flair, add soy sauce. For a more Mexican flair, sauté veggies with 1/2 tsp. cumin and 1/2 tsp. chili powder instead of black pepper. Enjoy!

 Cheesy Broccoli & Chicken Salad
(serves 1)

[ ingredients ]
1 c. Spring Mix
1/2 c. Steamed Broccoli
3/4 c. Shredded Chicken
1/4 c. Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper

[ directions ]
Place spring mix on a plate, topping with warm chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with cheese.

Easy peasy and oh, so good!