4 Days In... Murphy Stops By

I have been wanting to share this meal with you since Wednesday for a few reasons: 

1) It was delicious. 

2) I only spent ten minutes longer than the recipe said it would take... a monumental achievement for me.  I blame some of those ten minutes to texting while cooking. 

3) I get to show off a sneak peek of the surprise package I received last week. 

4) It was delicious. 

Friends, I made veggie spaghetti.  The name is totally misleading.  First of all, it's called veggie spaghetti because it's made with spaghetti squash instead of pasta (which is why it's Whole 30 - approved).  Second, the word "veggie" suggests that it is meat free.  That is not the case.  

I had heard of spaghetti squash before, and kind of knew what it was, but I have been missing out.  If you haven't tried it, you are missing out too!  You find it with all the other squashes in the produce section.  I happened to buy it at Whole Foods, but I'm reasonably confident that it is a pretty common vegetable and can be found at your average grocery store.  To eat it, you cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds as shown in the picture below.  Then you put it in a roasting pan, cut face down (not like the picture shows), with 1/4 cup of water and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  When it's tender, you scrape out the inside and it turns into spaghetti!!  Oh, you should probably let it cool a little to make the handling easier.  Important detail.

It was super easy.  I snapped this picture to show off the cute serving and cookware that Poppy and Goola sent me last week!  This picture does not do justice to the fantastically bright and cheerful colors.  They even consulted with Wonderlynn and made sure not to include anything orange!  I am definitely excited to try it all out as I continue on this dietary adventure.  

Back to the recipe, though.  While the squash is roasting, you brown some ground beef, and chop up a ton of vegetables, and throw them into a big pot with a couple cans of crushed tomatoes.  That's it. I was actually able to wash and chop all the vegetables, and only took a few minutes past the squash's cook time.  Personal victory.

Below you can see what the squash looks like in spaghetti form.  While willing to try it, I had doubts about the quality as compared to pasta.  I actually grabbed a bite to try plain, and it's very similar.  The recipe concluded with pouring a small amount of olive oil on each bowl of squash and then serving the sauce on top.  The end. 

I was genuinely surprised by how much spaghetti the seemingly small squash (well, hello there alliteration) produced.  That being said, it was still negligible when matched with the sauce quantity created.  I suppose most people (my mom comes to mind here) would freeze half the sauce to use for later.  But I love food.  I love large amounts of it.  So I managed to divide it up and squeeze it into four of those ziploc tupperware things.  Each one was probably about two bowls' worth, but since it's almost all vegetables, I didn't feel a bit guilty about it.  

On Wednesday, I actually half before and half after my workout, so I didn't have to work out on a full stomach.  Thursday night I brought it over to eat while my small group dined on scrumptious-looking tacos.  After explaining that no, I am not in fact too good for their food, they all mentioned how yummy my dinner smelled.  This is one for the go-to easy meal list.  

I haven't been able to sit down and share this all with you until now because it has been a busy 48 hours.  After finishing my food Wednesday night, I rushed over to watch Lilo and Stitch with my favorite family not connected to me by blood.  Because they are so much fun, I didn't leave their house until 12:30 am.  That made waking up for Algebra camp a little rough, but it was the last day.  Hooray for the end of summer school!  I left the house yesterday with all three of my meals for the day.  Right after camp, I drove - car seat with me - to pick up two precious little boys from daycare and babysat them for the rest of the day.  Then I swung by walmart to buy a chair for my balcony (pictures forthcoming) and headed to small group.  By the time I made it home last night, I was wiped and went to bed early.

That brings us to today: Day 4.  So far, I have had no problems other than the constant craving for gum.  I have found the meals really yummy and very hunger-satisfying.  Today was no different, save for one detail.  

The hives are back.  

This time on my legs and in the crooks of my elbows.  

I feel like my body is attacking itself, beginning with my bloodstream and working its way outward.  I was so frustrated that I really just wanted to cry.  I called my allergist, who was already gone for the day.  The other doctor in the practice called in some steroids to calm down the hives until I can call again on Monday.  I took one and then settled in for a long, long nap.  The medicine keeps me from sleeping, so I thought I'd enjoy a few hours before it kicked in.  I feel a little better now, but the frustration is still here.  

For the last few hours, I've been camped on the couch watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics and planning the next 9 days of meals.  I must admit, the sight of QE2 parachuting out of a helicopter, in a dress!, and strolling into the arena still looking prim and proper as ever was enough to temporarily motivate me back into butt-kicking mode.  Four days of being at home or within constant reach of a fridge where I could store my food made for an easy start to this 30 days.  My schedule is a lot more chaotic and sporadically on the road in the upcoming days.  I knew this would require much advance planning.  Here is a glimpse of what that looks like for me: 

 

 Thank goodness for Microsoft Excel.  Love. It. 

Alright, I don't want to end on a negative note, so let me just say that I will be using my medicine-induced alertness to get a lot of stuff done around the house before my roommate moves in.  Say a prayer for my immune system and my epidermis, and prepare yourselves for some pictures of my domestic projects.  

Love, 

Murphy & Me