The workout may look simple and straight forward, but when I really challenge myself to use heavy weights and push through each rep of each set, I am very tired at the end of the workout! And because Ryan's gym has an assisted pull-up machine, I took advantage and added three sets of 6 assisted pull-ups at the end of my workout. When I was studying later in the hospital lobby, my arms were shaking just trying to highlight the page! Sure sign of a great workout!
After work, we went to a Cajun restaurant in the Heights to watch the Saints face off against the Falcons. It's nice to watch a game surrounded by like-minded fans :)
Oh, Saints. They lost their game against the Falcons in such a classic Saints way. At least it was a good football game. We'll get em next time at home in the Superdome!
Now, moving on to today's topic: dinner!
The paleo diet isn't big on dairy...in fact it rules out dairy completely. So cheesy casseroles are generally out of the picture. In fact, most casserole ingredients are out of the picture. But last night Ryan and I made a delicious Paleo casserole that didn't leave us wanting for any pasta or cheese.
I found this recipe on Canada Girl Eats Paleo.
I made a few adjustments (Ryan doesn't eat mushrooms, I added a good bit of garlic, and we like a lot of pesto & fresh basil) and came up with our own version of the pesto chicken spaghetti squash bake!
We both consumed more than our fair share :) It was so good I went back for seconds, and Ryan went back for thirds!
Here's how it's done!
First, bake your spaghetti squash. I bake mine at 375 for 50 minutes or an hour if it's a large squash. Click here to learn how to bake a spaghetti squash!
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Once your spaghetti squash is done, set it aside and let it cool. For the remainder of the recipe, you'll need:
- 1 pound chicken boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 cup pesto sauce (cut down to 3/4 if you don't love pesto as much as we do!)
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (not the "almond joy" or "silk" brands--get the real stuff that you need to get from the international foods aisle or "natural" foods aisle!)
- 3 eggs, whisked
- salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions:
1. Bake spaghetti squash at 375 for 50 minutes. Set aside and cool. (This can be done in the morning or the night before!)
2. Heat fat of choice (I used coconut oil) over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Brown chicken thigh pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Add diced onion and garlic to skillet. Cook until onions are translucent and meat is cooked through.
5. Add pesto and coconut milk to skillet. Stir and mix thoroughly.
6. Stir in spaghetti squash, whisked eggs, salt, and basil. (We were a little heavy with the fresh basil...more like 4 tablespoons.) Mix all ingredients well.
7. Place skillet into oven and bake for 1 hour or until top layer browns.
8. Slice and serve!
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| Final Product! |
The final product is a delicious, creamy casserole that is sure to hit the spot! And you can also add any other veggies to this dish, if you'd like!
We added a small salad as a side for our meal :)
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| I tried to cut it just right, but I'm not that skilled. Messy or not, it was still delicious! |
Question to readers: What is your favorite way to "healthify" a casserole? Scroll down to comment!
Good night! and Geaux Saints!
This looks delicious! I can't wait to try it. I prefer white meat to dark, so will probably try white. I notice you use Coconut Oil mostly? Why that over Olive Oil? Also, what Pesto sauce do you use/recommend?
ReplyDeleteRyan prefers white meat too, but whenever I need to cook meat twice (like the casserole in this post) I like to use dark meat. It doesn't dry out as easily. As for the oils...that one is complicated. Olive oil is great on salads or on anything that won't be fried or sauteed. When olive oil hits a hot pan, it changes the chemistry and oxidizes lipoproteins causing inflamation and clogged arteries. (That's an oversimplified explanation, but that's the basic idea.) Coconut oil can handle the high heat of a cast iron skillet on the stove. Coconut oil has more saturated fat, which is the paleo/primal preferred source of fat. Here's a link about polyunsaturated fats: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/polyunsaturated-fat/#axzz3CgV4V0gs
DeleteAnd here's another link about saturated fats: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/#axzz3CgV4V0gs
And here's another link about consuming fat in general: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/high-fat-diet-healthy-safe/#axzz3CgV4V0gs