spiralizing!

spiralized zucchini

I love kitchen gadgets.  This is my first time writing about one of my acquired gadgets, but I am sure it won't be my last!

I got a spiralizer from Williams Sonoma just before Christmas.  I was super excited to use it but then of course we went out of town and I was trying to eat all of the perishable food in our fridge before we left and you need fresh veggies for spiralizing so I didn't get to do it last month.

Fast forward to January - hooray!  I got to spiralize.  It was actually fun to do and looks really cool!  It reminds me of my apple peeler, corer, slicer that I have but it comes with different plates that you can attach and make "noodles" of varying width/diameter.

spiralized yellow squash

To make these noodles I used the mid-sized plate and started with the zucchini.  Since the zucchini is generally more straight than the crooked neck yellow squash (hence the name), the zucchini was much easier to spiralize.  I had to hold the yellow squash more carefully and re-adjust it as it spiraled down.

Since I'm a huge food prep fan, I was actually spiralizing my veggies before I needed them during the week (I made it Monday night) on the weekend prior (spiralizing went down Sunday afternoon).  Of course they were placed into my awesome snapware Pyrex glass containers I got from Costco on sale (I don't get commission, but if I did, I would be raking it in!  I have recommended these containers to co-workers, friends and family and have 2 sets myself!  They are excellent and really keep the oxygen out which is what causes browning on lettuce and other food and causes it to go bad.)

I steamed my noodles the next night in pasta sauce with some meat + sausage (I always pre-cook my meats before mixing them into my dishes like chili or pasta/etc.) and threw a little mozzarella cheese on top when it was done.

Here's what we did:
1/2lb ground meat (we usually use venison but you can use any ground meat)
3 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 12-16oz jar of pasta sauce
1/2 spicy sausage (optional)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1) Spiralize the squash and zucchini and place into a pot on low to medium, pour sauce over the top
2) Cut up the sausage into bite size pieces.  Cook ground meat and sausage in a pan, breaking up the ground meat into smaller pieces.  If there is any grease, remove it and pour the meat into the pot with the squash and zucchini.
3) Stir as needed and place a lid over the top to make sure the squash & zucchini are cooked through.  They should be soft, but not squishy.
4) Remove from heat, sprinkle a little of the cheese on top, serve and enjoy!

cooked spiralized zucchini + yellow squash

Both my husband and I liked the vegetable "noodles."  They had a little bit of a crunch to them, but actually tasted like pasta which is pretty cool since they are non-starchy/lower carbohydrate vegetables vs. pasta which has 15 grams of carbohydrate for just 1/3 of a cup cooked.  I definitely would recommend spiralizing for anyone who is trying to get more vegetables in, working on reducing excess carbohydrate or just likes fun food gadgets and trying new things.  Spiralizing is no longer just for football quarter backs throwing the ball.  It's healthy, fun and delicious!  :)

It's not really a word, but they definitely should add it to the dictionary: spiralize on friends!

- run for life

make time, one step at a time

As a dietitian I am always hearing about the latest diets and trends in the food world.  People will ask me questions about them or ask for advice.  Should they take a certain supplement or eat a certain way.  Honestly, not much has changed in the food world.  Granted, I’m not a fan of genetic modification and pesticides, but overall, not much has changed.

I don’t eat perfectly, but I try to make most of what my family eats myself.  I make our dough when we have pizza night (per my husband’s request we have pizza on Fridays but I feel better that I’m making it and we can put more veggies and less greasy meats on it), bread when we want bread and ice cream and waffle cones when we want ice cream.  (I probably eat more ice cream than I should and my excuse is that I am breast feeding right now.)

Often I notice that many people go entire days or even weeks without eating an actual vegetable.  It’s so easy in the American society to eat lots of carbs or meat sandwiched between carbs.  I have people tell me they don’t like vegetables or they don’t have time for them.  I think it’s important to make time.  Whether it’s an hour per week that you get off facebook or another social media site, we have time.  We make time for what is important. 

I am a busy mom myself and food preparation helps me a ton when planning what to eat or if I don’t really plan what we are going to eat, at least I have salads cut up and put into containers and peppers and onions diced for different dishes that I can throw them into.

It takes a little practice and is tough in today’s society to eat well, but it’s definitely possible.  You don’t have to go and buy completely organic or buy all fresh (frozen veggies are awesome and frozen at the peak of ripeness so they have all the nutrients and everything still in them!).  One step at a time, work on making healthier choices for you and your family.

-run for life