Catchy Songs and a Delicious Italian Meatball Recipe

  I just added a new song to my workout playlist:

(Source)

That's right. Shake it Off  by Taylor Swift. I would apologize, but I like to the song too much.

I don't know what it is about Taylor Swift's songs...they're just so catchy! And I think her video is really fun :) Sorry I'm not sorry. ;)

I'm actually a huge sucker for catchy, main-stream songs. Here's a glimpse at my workout playlist...notice I have multiple songs from Katy Perry and the Glee Cast. Guilty Pleasures :)

     Now let's talk about food! Last night, we had Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner. What makes the recipe Paleo? Spaghetti squash instead of pasta and almond meal instead of bread crumbs in the meatballs.
      I won't try to convince you that spaghetti squash and spaghetti pasta noodles are practically the same thing. I am fully aware that there's no true healthy replacement for pasta that actually resembles pasta. With that said, spaghetti squash is a great, healthy, low calorie, low carb, and yummy alternative :) The dish came out great! Here's the recipe

MEATBALLS:

  

  To make the meatballs, I used a pound each of grass fed beef and Sicilian chicken sausage. (Turkey sausage would work here as well.) Then I minced/chopped (I honestly don't understand the difference) onion and garlic into itty-bitty minuscule pieces. Combine 1/2 cup onion, one tablespoon garlic, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon dried basil, and one tablespoon dried Italian seasoning in a large mixing bowl with the meat. Mix well, and don't be afraid to use your hands!

    Then I rolled the mixture into a bunch of golf sized meatballs, placed them in the crock pot, and covered them with a can of diced tomatoes. I let them cook on high for 3 hours. 

SPAGHETTI SQUASH AND SAUCE

    Spaghetti squash is super simple to make. The hardest part is cutting it in half.  (Click here for a video that shows you how to easily cut a spaghetti squash! This video saved me a lot of frustration.) 

Source

   I'm always on the lookout for a delicious spaghetti sauce because my homemade attempts at spaghetti sauce always tend to be bland. I check the ingredients on store-bought brands to make sure that soybean oil isn't the next ingredient behind tomatoes. You'd think an item as simple as spaghetti sauce wouldn't involve strange oils and corn syrup, but they do. So thankfully Trader Joe's had this delicious option made with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil:

Yummy, but there is a lot of garlic.
Maybe combine with a more neutral sauce?

And here's the final product!

Here's a more compact recipe:

Pictures: Source, Source

Question: How do you use spaghetti squash in your kitchen? I love to hear some fresh ideas!

Good night!