Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Trim Down Tuesday: Chicken Caesar Spaghetti Squash Bake


I wasn't going to blog this year.

I'd gone back and forth, back and forth, and decided (just yesterday) that I was officially taking a break. If you've been around here much you know that it is a goal of mine to write a book. And that's proving to be quite hard. It's already hard to find time to blog, so I just felt like any time devoted to blogging should be channeled into writing a book. 

...and then I made this recipe last night and wanted to share it with you. 
...and I'm currently reading several books I really want to share with you.
...and I just have random ruminations that I really just think you should know about.

So here I am. 

I figure that since trying to write a book during busy season is - well - a knee slapper, I'd keep this up for now and take a break later in the year. 

So there's that. But y'all. Let's talk recipes. 

So it's a new year. Chances are you've hit the reset button. 

In fact I don't know of anyone who hasn't hit the reset button. It's what human beings DO. We do it on the first of the year, we do it on the first of the month, we do it on a Monday - and (obviously) we can't quite seem to keep it up. 

If you're in the .00001% population that hasn't reset your health, 1) I want to be you, and 2) please eat Blue Bell for me. I really fear their sales will suffer while I'm on my hiatus. 

...we'll see how long this hiatus shall last....

Okay, but seriously. So we're all trying to eat better, right? Some are doing Whole 30, some are doing cleanses, some are juicing, and we're all crying into our pillows at night. 

I'm not doing anything "special" - but just trying to eat better. I found this Whole 30 recipe on pinterest and knew I had to give it a try. It is only 4 ingredients and looked deeelicious. And I'm here to tell you it tasted just as good. 

Chicken Caesar Spaghetti Squash Bake


What You'll Need
- 1 spaghetti squash, cooked
- 2 cups of chicken, cooked
- 2 cups leafy green (I used sweet pea shoots, but think kale, spinach, etc.)
- 3/4 cup of Tessemae's Whole 30 Creamy Caesar Dressing

What You'll Do

Cook your spaghetti squash. I cut holes in the squash with a knife and then heat in the microwave in 10 minute increments until soft (usually takes 2-3 times depending on the size).

While the squash is cooking, prepare your chicken. You can bake it if you want, but I personally just buy a rotisserie chicken and pull it apart. Whoever invented rotisserie chickens gets a huge hug from this girl. 

Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, cut it in half, pull out the seeds, and "fork" the squash into spaghetti like strands. Mix the spaghetti squash in a bowl with the dressing. Add in leafy greens. Add in chicken. Mix thoroughly. 

**I did a larger spaghetti squash so I put more like 3 cups of chicken (but kept the dressing and leafy green portion sizes the same).

Place in an 8x8 Pyrex dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (to heat through). 

Fall on the floor in amazement. 

Jeff and I were sold. This was our first experience with Tessemae's brand of dressing and were both flat out shocked. It tasted exactly like Caesar dressing, but was paleo friendly, gluten free, whole 30 approved - all those tag names.  


This is what it looks like. I found it at Whole Foods, but it looks like it's heading into Krogers and Tom Thumbs as well. I mean, I can't say enough good things. I want to try them all. 

I suspect this dish would also be good with a little bacon and mushrooms too. Which is likely what I'll try next time. So as soon as I'm out of leftovers. 

Happy Trim Down Tuesday everyone! 

For a refresher on other trim down recipes you may need in your 2017 reset rotation, click HERE

Until next time,
Katy