Skinny Spaghetti

I am thankful Josh was out of town last week because I was having one of those weeks where I felt like an orca whale and no amount of compliments could have convinced me otherwise. Lucky for him he was on business and didn't have to deal with my moping and complaining. My hands were swelling, my feet were tingling and my pants were fitting tighter than normal. So I increased my water, and made sure to monitor my salt intake. Here we are a few days later and luckily I am  feeling much less like Shamu and more like Jessica.

Just in-case you need a visual of what I felt like.

As you get farther along in pregnancy your body starts to retain more fluid and you may notice some swelling. Although this doesn't normally happen until the end of pregnancy, not maintaining a proper diet and water intake can cause the swelling to happen earlier. I usually advise my clients to avoid a lot of processed foods and limit the amount of meals eaten out at restaurants as they are loaded with sodium!

It's also very important to keep up a good exercise routine! You really need to get in a good cardio workout at least 3 times/week. The more you sweat the more water your body will release and this too will keep you from getting so swollen.

Here is one my favorite low sodium dinners from this past week. It is really easy to make and not only is it low in sodium but it's also a low carb dish! I don't get home from work until 7:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I really don't like to eat anything starchy that late at night. This dish is a great alternative for your average spaghetti and meatballs.

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

For the Squash:


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cut your squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle both halves with a little bit of olive oil and a few cranks of fresh ground pepper. Place both halves of squash on a baking sheet with rind side up and bake for 30-45 minutes.

When squash is done cooking remove it from the oven and scrape the inside lengthwise with a fork. The squash should come out easily in long strands that look a lot like noodles (hints the name spaghetti squash).

 

Meatball Nirvana Recipe (from allrecipes.com)

-1lb of extra lean ground beef
-1/2 tsp of sea salt
-1 small onion, diced
-1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
-1-1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
-3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
-3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- dash of hot sauce ( I use Franks Red Hot Sauce)
-1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1/3 cup skim milk
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

Season the beef with the first 9  ingredients (through the Worcestershire). Add milk, cheese and bread crumbs and mix well. Form beef into 1 1/2 inch meatballs and place onto baking sheet. Cook for 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees or until they are no longer pink in the middle ( I cooked them at 350 because I put them in the oven with the squash and just let them cook a little longer).

I recommend a slotted baking dish like this one so the extra fat can drip off.

Place about 1 cup of squash in a your bowl with a couple of meatballs and top with a sauce of your choice( I used PREGO Heart Healthy because it's lower in sodium) and VOILA. Spaghetti and meatballs!

Not only is it heart healthy but it's for us "PREGO" folks hahaha

I topped mine with a little reduced fat bleu cheese (pasteurized of course)

The average 1 cup of cooked pasta has about 220 calories compared to the average cup of cooked spaghetti squash which only has 42 calories!!!




I had a lot of left over squash so I gave some to my parents and took the rest for lunch the next day. Instead of topping the squash with tomato sauce I tossed it in lemon juice, cracked pepper and bleu cheese crumbles. It was a delicious combination!

HAPPY TUESDAY! PUT DOWN THAT EXTRA HOLIDAY COOKIE AND REACH FOR A PIECE OF FRUIT INSTEAD