Spontaneous Moment #41: Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

 I've heard you can use spaghetti squash to make pretty much everything. I'm not sure that's necessarily true, but I'd like to test it out. Whenever you want pasta, it makes for a great substitute, so how about we test out making mac 'n cheese spaghetti squash?

SPAGHETTI SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tbsp flour (or almond flour)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup four cheese blend shredded cheese
• One spaghetti squash
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 a green pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 1 Tbsp frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan chees

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Poke a bunch of holes in the spaghetti squash with a knife. Bake your spaghetti squash in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until it's tender. Once your spaghetti squash is ready, cut it open and remove the seeds.

This is the perfect time for you to dice up your green pepper, garlic, and green onion.

 

 

While your spaghetti squash is cooking, whisk together flour, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux by slowly whisking in the milk until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in four cheese blend until melted and smooth.

 

 

 

Using a fork, loosen the ’spaghetti’ strands from the inside of the squash, scraping them into a bowl. Stir the cheese sauce into the cooked spaghetti squash until well combined. Spread in a greased casserole dish.

 

 

I use cooking gloves because the squash is so HOT

 

 

Sprinkle with the green pepper, green onion, garlic, peas, and Parmesan cheese. Mix it all together. Top with more four cheese blend and green onion.

 

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and squash is heated through.

It was pretty tasty. I think next time I wouldn't include the green pepper and only use peas. It's definitely a good alternative.

 

Spontaneous Moment #40: Skinny Chicken Fried Rice

I get those moments where my stomach just screams on the inside for some Chinese food. It's one of those foods that on the most random of days, I'll suddenly just start craving. So I'll usually cave and then huddle in the fetal position on the couch for eating too much after binging on too much fried rice.

Well I decided if I ever crave Chinese food, I'd rather save my body the cramps, calories and crazy sodium intake by making my own. So let's make something I won't feel ashamed to over eat.

SKINNY CHICKEN FRIED RICE

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package boneless, skinless chicken breast boneless
• 4 cups Brown Rice 
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 bag frozen peas and carrots
• One Large Egg
• 1/4 cup Scallions
• 1/4 cup Low sodium soy sauce 
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

 Make your brown rice. While that's cooking, grill your chicken. Dice up your chicken once it's cooked.

Put your sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once the pot is warm, add your onion, garlic, and frozen peas and carrots. Cook until tender (about 8 minutes or until onions are clear).

Push veggies to the side to make room for the egg. Crack the egg into the skillet and scramble it mixing it throughout the eggs.

Add your chicken, rice and scallions to the skillet. 

Pour in your soy sauce and pepper. Mix well.

Cook on medium low for 2 minutes and then enjoy!

 

Spontaneous Moment #39: Revamping An Old Dresser

New year, new dresser. Instead of spending money on a new dresser, I might as well kill two birds with one stone. Save money and have a dresser that looks like new.

Want to go from drab to fab? Here's an easy way to touch up that old dresser!

Here's what the dresser looked like. I was already in the process of taking off handles.

Materials Needed:

• Screwdriver
• Sand paper
• Blue painting tape
• Wood paint primer
• Wood paint
• Spray paint (for handles)
• Paint brush

The old run down dresser

First, take off all the handles.

 Sand down your dresser. Make sure to sand down all the nicks or dents until you have an even surface.

 Prime your dresser.

Spray paint your handles

Once the primer dries, time to paint your dresser!

 Carefully line your drawers with paint tape before painting the second color on your drawers.

The final product

 Looks completely different!

Here's the before and after:

Spontaneous Moment #38: The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins You'll EVER Bake

I had guests coming over and absolutely no time to make the house smell great or bake anything... so why not kill two birds with one stone?

I'm telling you, these are by far the easiest and most delicious muffins you'll eat in awhile.

Simple Pumpkin Muffins

 

Ingredients:

Moist Yellow Cake Mix

Libby's Canned Pumpkin

Powdered Sugar

The two easiest ingredients you'll ever need.

 

Put both in a bowl and mix together.

 

Mix until there are no cake mix chunks.

 

Place in muffin tin and bake the same amount of time you would bake the cake (aka just follow the directions on the back of the cake box).

 

Once you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy! Your guests will love them, and the house will smell for hours, but warning: they won't last long (because they'll be in your belly sooner than you know it.)

 

 

 

Spontaneous Moment #37: A Very Southern Thanksgiving

I've grown up always having that delicious sweet potato casserole placed center stage next to the carved turkey on the Thanksgiving table. So, of course, it was a shock to me that people in the Northeast don't eat the same scrumptious dish during the holidays.

It was my chance to change their minds and rock their taste buds.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
5 sweet potatoes, peeled & sliced

1/4 cup reduced fat margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 package miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place sliced sweet potatoes in a large pan and put water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (about 15 minutes).

Remove the sweet potato slices from heat, drain and mash.

Place mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and blend with the margarine, salt, brown sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon. Spread evenly into a baking dish (I used a 9x13 dish).

 

 

Spread the miniature marshmallows on top to cover the mashed sweet potato mixture.

 

Bake for in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through, and marshmallows are puffed and golden brown (as shown above).

 

The final product.

 

Our Thanksgiving spread.

 Crushed it!

Spontaneous Moment #36: Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme this week, how about making some delicious cupcakes that go quickly at the dessert table.

This is an easy and fun dessert to make with your little ones too.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Boxed cupcakes OR your homemade recipe
Yellow cupcake liners
Can of Vanilla icing or Make your Own 
Yellow food coloring
Jelly Beans
Yellow Starburst
Corn holders


Bake your cupcakes. Add some food coloring to your icing so that it has that nice hint of yellow. Ice the cupcakes and then let the fun begin!

 

I spent all night separating the yellows and whites from the bag of jelly beans. Make sure to place your jelly beans all in the same row. DO NOT put them in a circle around the cupcake because it won't look like corn.

 

Place a few yellow together and then a random white or separate color every 3 jelly bean or so.

Put a little icing on the bottom of yellow Starburst and then place it at a slant.

I

 I had plenty of leftover cupcakes so I went ahead and made a red corn as well... and then I realized I didn't have enough for the third corn so I just made due with what I had left.

So easy! Will be a huge hit at the Thanksgiving table and the kids will love it.

Spontaneous Moment #35: Creative Cake

I saw a picture on Pinterest of a cake made with a pumpkin in the center, but couldn't find directions where to make it!

So I decided to attempt it myself. Now you can attempt it too! It was surprisingly easy to do. I feel ashamed to say that I took the easy way out with boxed mix, but I had to make a handful of other treats in between.

Shaping a Loaf Cake

Ingredients:

Cake
1 box of pumpkin bread mix
1 box of pound cake mix
Cookie cutter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

 Icing
3 tablespoons of evaporated milk
1 stick of butter, softened
3.5 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 

Make the pumpkin bread and follow the instructions on the box. Cook it 8 minutes less than the recommended cooking time. 

Put it in the fridge for three and a half hours so it will cool. 

Mix the pound cake together.

Take out pumpkin cake out of the fridge and slice it up.

 

Take your cookie cutter and press it into each pumpkin bread slice.

 

Viola!

 

Take all of your cut outs and line them up in your pan. 

Make sure to carefully place them in so everything is evenly lined up.

 

Pour the pound cake mix on top of your pumpkin cut outs. Make sure to cover everything completely on the sides so that it fills in when it bakes.

Follow the instructions on your pound cake mix to bake it in the oven.

 

Now I don't believe in throwing away excess so I took the leftover pieces of pumpkin cake and put them in a second pan.

 

Pour the leftover pound cake on top.

 

When you take out your cutout cake, it will look like this

 

How both look after they finish baking.

Beat butter and powdered sugar in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

 

Ice your cake and then sprinkle pecans on top.

 

The final product

 

My dessert, wine and slices of my cake.

 

Not too shabby for a first attempt. Next time I won't use a leave as a cutout. I think I'll use a turkey cookie cutter instead.

 

SUCCESS!