Healthy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Many people are always worried about what they are giving up when they begin a diet. That is why the 21 Day Fix is better than a diet, it is a lifestyle change. You aren't told to give up things, but rather to make it either healthier or done in moderation. If you are expected to give up things, it makes you want them more and essentially sets you up for failure. When you are given choices and learn more about what you are putting into your body, you have the power and control your health journey.

I wanted to give you an example of a basic recipe that so many of us have grown up with that with a little tweaking, it is easily FIX approved AND it tastes good too!

I wanted to give two options because not everyone eats the same and it is easy to make either way.

The main ingredient is the same in both dishes: THE MEATBALL! :)

Here is a simple and tasty recipe that you can use to make your meatballs:

1 pkg of Jennie O Hot Italian Ground Turkey Sausage

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp panko (this amount is dispersed through out the whole batch and is not enough to measure in the yellow container for individual servings but it helps as a binder)

1 egg

1 Tbsn chopped garlic

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil. Make 1 1/2 inch balls and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Here is where your options come in:

You could boil some wheat or whole grain spaghetti pasta and measure in your yellow container OR you could serve it with spaghetti squash and measure out in your green container!

If you are unsure of how to cook spaghetti squash, here is an easy guide:

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. First cut off the top of the spaghetti squash close to the stem. Then you will cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. Scoop out the seeds from the squash now, it is much easier to do this when it is not cooked. I like to cover my cookie sheets with aluminum foil to help with clean up. Then drizzle a little olive oil on the foil.  You will want to put the squash cut side down on the cookie sheet to almost create a steam effect. Bake the squash for 45 minutes at the 350 degrees. Once it is done, let it cool for a few minutes and then take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash. Your results are similar to spaghetti (hence the name of the gourd) but a healthier version! :)

I used a low sodium tomato sauce or Classico's Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce and filled a green container.

The serving size can vary, but I used 1 green for spaghetti sauce, 1 green for spaghetti squash, 1/2 blue for parmesan cheese, 1 red or 3-4 meatballs.  If you use wheat pasta, sub 1 yellow container.