Feel Good Monday Post: Going back to the Beginning

Happy Monday Everyone!

It is a beautiful chilly spring morning in the Hudson Valley.  This weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity of spending time with my aunt Michele in Wrentham, MA.  We went to a day long Zen meditation retreat.  The Zen monk who lead the retreat, is also a Catholic Priest, Father Kevin.  Father Kevin did not speak much (and neither did we, it was a silent retreat), but he did have a few pearls of wisdom, one of which I would like to share with you.  

When he spoke about practicing meditation, he emphasized the importance of not giving up.  These were his words "a thousand failures mean nothing, always go back to the beginning and practice".  

When he shared these words, my mind quickly thought of how applicable this sentiment is when we deviate from our optimal diet.  We can always "go back to the beginning and practice" eating well.  

If you have been struggling with trying to get sugar out of your diet and would like tools and support to help you with you with this, come to a joint Nutrition + Yoga workshop this weekend Lisa Preston and I are leading, entitled "The Sweet Life".  It will be held on Saturday, April 27th, from 3-5:30pm at the Woodstock Physical Therapy Studio on rte. 212 in Woodstock.  The fee for the workshop is $40.  Please email me if you would like to register for the class, Lysa.Ingalsbe@gmail.com 

Here is a recipe from a gal that went to the same nutrition school I did. Her site, detoxinista.com has lots of great recipes on it.

Enjoy and have a wonderful week!
Lysa

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole (from detoxinista.com)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup plain goat’s milk yogurt, or greek yogurt
3 oz. raw goat cheddar, shredded and divided
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, and remove the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side-down on the baking sheet, and cook for 35-45 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the outer shell. 

Once you have removed the squash from the oven, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chopped onion and garlic until tender and slightly golden, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a large mixing bowl, and combine with the yogurt and 2 oz. of shredded goat cheddar, then season with salt and pepper. When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the noodle-like strands into the bowl, and mix well.

Transfer the mixture to a 2.5 quart casserole dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ounce of goat cheese over the top, and return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 400F.

The casserole is ready when the top is a light golden brown, which makes for a crunchy crust! Serve immediately.