Baked Spaghetti Squash is not for me

http://www.idontgotothegym.com/2013/01/baked-spaghetti-squash.html?m=1

So, I made spaghetti squash the other day and came across this recipe and decided that I needed to try it. It claims to be a delicious and healthy alternative to lasagna type dishes-- pasta-free lasagna!

To be fair? I totally changed the recipe-- I just used store bought sauce (the good stuff though-- Newman's Sockarooni) and added sauteed spinach and onions and garlic. But, my basic impression was that this was super delicious, but just left me wanting real lasagna.

But it's still totally worth it right? Something that tastes mostly like lasagna, but is uber healthy and on the low cal side of things-- worth it, right? Not the way I make it. I used like double or triple the amount of cheese that their recipe called for. I'm pretty sure this ruins it-- and if I'm eating a meal becuase its' delicious and filing and fabulous, but not THAT healthy for me-- I want actual lasgana, damnit.

But spaghetti squash is delicious, so I need to find some good stuff with that. I roasted it once and then I made it in the microwave once, both were delicious.

Vanilla Milk

Okay, so, this is currently my soothing headed towards bedtime and trying to increase my calcium intake go-to.

1% milk + couple dashes ground cardamom + dash or two of vanilla extract
then stir it together (preferably in a pretty flower cup).

Watermelon Water

Okay, so, this is basically just diluted watermelon juice. I had a bunch of juice left in the watermelon after I'd cut up cubes, so I dumped it in a tupperware. Figured I'd spice up my water.

Ingredients
12ish oz Water
4ish oz Watermelon juice
Ice (essential)
Dash of lemon juice

Put it all together and drink

Own Recipe: Instant Brussel Sprouts Upgrade

Take a bag of microwavable steamed brussel sprouts. Cook 'em.
Poured cooked sprouts into a bowl.
Add dashes of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a splash of lime juice.

Delicious!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

**This recipe was inspired by the great and lovely Melissa**

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223211/quinoa-stuffed-peppers/

So, once again, I'm not sure that I could call this the recipe I followed, because I ignored it, but this was the start.

Quinoa + broth + carrots, onions, and tomatoes because that's waht I had around.
The peppers needed more time in the oven (350, 22 minutes)

This is a great starter. It could use a bit more, but I like how flexible it is.

Staple: Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich

This is such a winner!!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/

I didn't have a lime, so I used a lemon. The lime would be better, but this is still way delicious. I also added sriracha as a topping because I couldn't resist.

I'll let you know how well it survives the school transport/fridge/freezing, because this could be one of my new go-tos.


Update
So, freezing was okay, but it took a long time to thaw out--longer than the PB&J for sure. And unsurprisingly, lettuce does not freeze well. Only kept it in one night, so not sure how it would do on the freezer burn front.

The raw stuff kept in the fridge fine, so totally good to make ahead of time and then make the sandwich daily for sure.

Also, tried it with pinto beans instead of chickpeas this week because that's what I had and it was a little watery, which I kind of suspect was just because I was lazy about draining, but it was delicious as well. So, very adaptable.

Lentil Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215280/refreshing-lentil-salad/

So, the plan was to make that recipe. I think instead it turned into--- I made lentils and then I put some of these ingredients in there and then just started putting stuff on my lentils. Generally delicious, but I'll give feedback on the combo later.