Goodbye Carbs

I’m borderline diabetic. I’ve finally decided to start eating accordingly….. grudgingly.

Tonight’s new introduction is acorn squash. I went shopping the other night looking for replacements for our staple (i.e. every single day side) of potatoes/pasta/bread. I keep hearing how amazing spaghetti squash is, so while picking up one of those I got ahead of myself and bought an acorn squash also. I also picked up a bag of egg noodles thinking it would be a more reasonable replacement for pasta noodles.

Wrong.

Can you tell I have a painfully small range of experience with cooking? I can make a potato 18 different ways, but when it comes to sides and actual meat, i’m clueless! Thank goodness for pinterest and my crock pot!

Back to the squash, these things did not come in a freezer bag or can, so naturally i’m puzzled. Pinterest to the rescue!! Here’s what i’m trying:

Acorn Squash

First thing I notice: Most of the squash recipes call for 1. Butter 2. Brown Sugar 3. Cinnamon

None of these things are very healthy. The other filling/topping that was popular seemed to be quinoa / keen-wa /not keen on the wa

So I forged ahead with the brown sugar and butter because let’s face it, that’s what I know.

First I beheaded it, then I divided it. I scooped out the guts to which the kids immediately asked to plant the seeds.

One side effect of never cooking healthy – plants – is it’s all exciting right now for them. So they immediately ran outside to fight over who got to dig and who got to put the seed in the dirt, and who got to hit who with the shovel. I didn’t mind  because I was inside during the adventure.

So I baked it. It smelled wonderful. Next up, what to do with the chicken? I have this yummy lemon artichoke pesto that I thought, “What the hell? Slap some on in the pan.”

In the end we didn’t know how to eat the squash. I cut it up and we tried with the skin/without the skin. The consensus was “eh.. it’s ok.” (and def without the skin) I, for one, was not a fan. It was kind of a let down, but on the upside, the kids devoured the chicken and didn’t fight too much on the broccoli.

Next up? Spaghetti squash! Keep your noodles crossed it’s a hit, because frankly, i’m losing the low/no carb meal battle!