Bought these from Whole Foods - when you need something that alllllmost tastes like a chocolate treat these were pretty good!

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Hi All,

I found the below recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try! Enjoy!

Here is a picture of my rendition: 

Recipe from: http://popularpaleo.com/2013/05/15/deconstructed-spaghetti-squash-carbonara-paleo-style/ 

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, roasted (harvested strands equal about 3 cups)
1 cup chopped, cooked bacon or pancetta
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 TBSP chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup sliced scallions or shallots
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup bacon (or pancetta) fat
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 to 6 poached eggs (one or two per person)
Garnish with chia seeds, optional

Prep:
Spaghetti squash – Slice lengthwise down the center, remove seeds and roast cut-side down for 40 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Flip cut-side up when roasting is complete and allow to cool slightly before harvesting strands with a fork by scraping with the grain until the squash is cleaned. Set aside for later. Allow to drain, if possible.

Bacon or pancetta – If using pancetta, cut into small cubes. If using sliced bacon, just cook as is. Brown the meat in a sauté pan, set aside to drain and reserve the fat in a separate container. Chop the bacon into bite-sized bits and set aside.

Poached eggs – Bring acidulated water to a simmer in a deep sauté pan or standard sauce pan.  I used white vinegar in my water; one teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water (thank you, Alton Brown). Working with one egg at a time, crack it into a small bowl or ramekin.  Create a whirlpool in the simmering water and gently slide the egg into the center of it. Allow the egg to poach for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Place on a paper towel to drain the liquid from the egg.

In a clean sauté pan, heat the reserved quarter cup of bacon fat at medium-high heat.  When it has come to temp, place the thinly sliced garlic into the fat and gently stir. Garlic burns very easy, so be attentive at this step. As soon as the garlic has some color, reduce the heat to medium and add the spaghetti squash, tossing together right away. Moving quickly will save your garlic and create unique flavor to your pasta.

And FYI – Few things smell better than garlic fried in bacon fat.

Once the spaghetti squash is coated in fat and garlic, add in the teaspoon of white wine vinegar, chopped bacon, scallion or shallots and the parsley.  Toss to combine and let simmer for just a few minutes more.

To serve, place desired amount of spaghetti squash on a plate. Top with any extra bacon bits, scallions, parsley and one (or two) of the reserved poached eggs. I like to add a little bit of Celtic sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper at this point as well. I also decided to garnish with a bit of chia seeds — the color is great and they are so good for you! But if you don’t have any on hand, no worries.

Break open the yolk to create a silky, rich sauce for your Paleo Carbonara and dig in!

If you would like to dedicate a little more time to preparing this, I suggest using Paleo Cupboard’s Paleo Pasta in place of the squash. Talk about a decadent treat!

* * * * *

A few kitchen tools help this recipe come together: a roasting pan and a good knife for getting the spaghetti squash knocked out, a large skillet for sautéing, and a slotted spoon or spider for poaching the eggs.

Musings on trying to eat health

I mentioned that I am participating in something dubbed the Whole Life Challenge.  Fifty-two days eating nothing but air.  Trying to get into the spirit of the event, I went shopping at a whole foods store. From the outset, I sensed trouble, for the phrase ‘whole foods’ made no sense to me. Had I been eating ‘half foods’ my entire life?

The display case near the door had small bags of something called ‘Bark Thins’—second sign of trouble. I slipped past the bark without having to avoid stepping on any leaves or acorns.

Knowing I had to cut back on what I liked to eat, I thought I would add some flavor to what I had to eat to complete the challenge. I went to the aisle that displayed various flavors of oils in a way that reminded me of how an upmarket wine store would display its choice Beaujolais.

I inquired of the oil sommelier where I might find black truffle oil. The truffle oil was in a locked display case, in bottles the size of what you would find in your hotel minibar. When I saw that they were priced at an amount one might expect to pay for a whole truffle, I understood why the bottles were under lock-and-key. Perhaps the truffle-finding-hogs in France’s Périgord region were used to stomp the oils from the rejected tubers.

My stomach was starting to rumble, so I asked for directions to the meat emporium. The employee from whom I sought help had hair the consistency of the threads covering a coconut husk and organic metal implants threaded through both eyebrows. I asked her if she was a vegetablist.  She did not attempt a smile, and reluctantly showed me to the meats.

If something without opposable thumbs flies, swims, hops, crawls, or walks, I’ll eat it.  I will sauté, braise, roast, grill, poach, stir-fry, boil, broil, escallop, fricassee, parboil, or simmer anything that strikes my fancy, especially if it has hooves.  I like meat—the smell, the taste, the texture, and how it appears on my plate next to a sprig of cilantro.

Permit me to ask the carnivores who may be playing along, “Have you ever walked into a dinner party and introduced yourself with anything close to the following? ‘I’m republican and a carnivore.  May we slaughter the fatted calf?’”  Probably not, but I was sorely tempted to ask that of my vegetarianess tour guide.

The whole foods meats did not look like they were sold in whole portions. Each piece of meat could have fit nicely on a Wheat Thin, with plenty of room left over for a gherkin. A tablespoon of au-jus would have drowned the petifore-sized comestible.

Thirty minutes into my adventure, the only item in my organic basket was my truffle oil miniature.  I was tempted to purchase some raw macadamia nuts until I realized that the price was for an ounce rather than a pound.

All in all, I am looking forward to the next forty-nine days and seven hours of this exercise. As I was paying for my truffle oil, I asked the clerk if they had any organic, beef-flavored gum. She, too did not find me amusing.

Adding insult to injury, I had to pass a McDonalds on the way back to my car.

10 Minute Workout Suggestion

Below is a sample 10-minute workout, courtesy of Meredith.

As many rounds as possible within the time notes below:

2 mins

4 mountain climbers, 1 push-up

2 mins

10 burpees

5 tuck jumps

2 mins

15 sit-ups

10 push-ups

2 mins

10 jump squats

4 jump lunges

2 mins

Plank hold

Welcome to the Clinovations' Whole Life Challenge Blog!

We're in Day 3 of the Whole Life Challenge!  While some of us might be struggling with the withdraw from sugar, others are beginning to experiment with new recipes and new workout routines.
We thought this would be a great place for our team to share recipes, tips of where to order lunch, workouts, etc.  If you'd like to be a contributor, just email Kristen and we'll set you up with access.  Then feel free to post whenever you tried a new recipe that turned out fantastic, share photos, or whatever you'd like to keep people motivated.