Becoming Betty: Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

So it seems like Spaghetti Squash is the big thing right now.  One of my friends posted that she made it and liked it, so I have been thinking about making it.

Off to Pinterest!  One of the recipes I found was Spaghetti Squash Alfredo.  I figured, hubby and I both like Alfredo, so this might work.

Monday, I picked one up and showed hubby the recipe.  Since my work week has been slow, today was the day to try it.  It actually didn't take that long to make.  I started at 3:45, but probably could have waited until 4 to start.  I just wasn't sure how long it would take me.

I really had no idea what to expect when I cut open the squash and didn't expect it to automatically become "noodles".

Getting ready to boil

the Alfredo sauce

cooked and cooled

forked out and ready to put into the sauce

empty shells

finished in the pan

and plated, served with chicken

This was an easy peasy recipe.  Both hubby and I didn't know what to expect when we tasted it.  Guess what?!  We both liked it!  It's probably not something that will be in the weekly menu, but definitely the monthly menu.

So here I am, a meat and potatoes kind of girl, eating squash as her main dish!  This is just too much!  It filled me up too.  I couldn't finish my chicken.  I am happy to say that hubby had seconds!

Becoming Betty: Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

I have been looking at this recipe for awhile and have had the ingredients so I asked hubby if he wanted to make it.

It was so easy to make.  Batter on the bottom and pudding on the top. 

I kept looking at it in the oven and the batter was surrounding the pudding.  It ended up like so:

Added the Cool Whip and ready to eat!

It was really good. Not too chocolatey and light.

Adventures: Busy Weekend Full of Fun

This weekend was full of fun.

Saturday, we went out for lunch at The Village at Leesburg and went to Noodles & Co.  We scanned some munzees when we were there and got a geocache too.  We stopped at Hamilton Sofa Gallery which is going out of business (at that location only) to see what bargains there were.  We saw some items we liked for the basement, but we still don't know what we are doing down there decorating wise so no sense in purchasing anything yet.

In the afternoon, I went to my friend's house (in West Virginia) for a Jamberry party.  I'm glad I got to go since I was shown how to correctly put on and take off the wraps and given some ideas to prep my nails better so they don't come out like last time.  I also signed up for another Facebook party (September 28).

The two wraps I had done at the party.

Sunday, we went to the Lucketts Fair.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but for $5 each, I figured what the heck, it's something to do.  We had a good time.  There were a lot of vendors and I really didn't expect to purchase anything (except maybe a funnel cake).

We ended up getting Zed a new bed and I got a (thumb) ring with Esa's name and dates.  I have been looking for awhile for something (and I lost her portion of the keychain that I made for me).  This was perfect.  I asked Dan about getting matching ones, but he wasn't really sure about it.  So, I just got one for me.  I love it and have been wearing it non-stop (more than my wedding ring).

The food was very tempting, but we ended up just getting funnel cake and bringing it home.

Z on his new bed.

My memorial ring.

Adventure: Sick Puppy this Week.

We know that Zed always starts itching whenever we are traveling.  I don't know if it's just the environment change that messes with his system or what.  Usually, I give him some anti-fungal medicine and it keeps the itching at bay.

At the end of July, we went to NY to see family and Z started itching up there.  Unfortunately, we were running low on the med so we had to wait until we got home to get a refill.  So that following Thursday(we got back on Monday), I started the medicine daily.  He was itching but not too bad - maybe a couple times a day. 

This last Tuesday, his itching got out of control.  So much so that he was whining and wasn't able to relax to fall asleep.  So, we took him to the emergency vet.  We just assumed he was having some sort of allergic.  The vet assumed so too.

She ended up giving him a steroid, benadryl, pain medicine, and a sedative.  Needless to say, he was out of it by the time we left the medical center.  Unfortunately, he woke up at 4:40 AM and immediately started scatching.  So I called the emergency vet and the vet tech said to give him a benadryl a little early since the medicine was still in his system.  He ended up sleeping a little.

Our vet (who is a good friend of ours), called and said that if the steroid isn't working then obviously it was probably mites.  So Wednesday afternoon, she stopped by with the medicine and checked him out.  He was so red all over his belly and he was whining so much in pain.  

I gave him his first dose and changed from his daily Benadryl to Zyrtec.  Yesterday he was a little better.  He stopped itching as much, but his belly wasn't that good.  So our vet told me to cook some rice and chicken.  

Today, Zed is so much better!  His belly isn't red and he is almost back to his normal self.  We were able to go for a mile walk this afternoon and his tummy is better.

He'll continue his parasite treatment for about 6 weeks.  Hopefully that doesn't come back.

Something "clicked on" in my brain.

I have shared this with my close friends and family and now an update. 

About 2 months ago, something "clicked" in my brain after a week of tummy issues.  I got off of the 6 pack of diet coke a day (ok, close to that amount) and now drink maybe 1 or 2 cans a day.  I am drinking water like crazy.  I no longer have cravings for food.  Seriously – not even Chipotle.  I eat when I am hungry and now my stomach tells me when to stop.  I also can’t stand how my mouth feels after I eat and have to brush my teeth within the hour.

If you really know me, you know I have the “Clark Stomach.”  You put food in front of me and I will eat it (maybe it has something with being Italian too).  I have struggled all my life with cravings (mostly carbs like potato chips, nachos, etc, but ice cream too) and can’t keep those trigger foods in the house.  They will be GONE.

So the last 2 months have been crazy – that’s the only way I can describe it.  Trigger foods are in the house.  I eat them, but it’s like a NORMAL portion size (WHAT?!), and they last in the house (like weeks instead of a couple of days).

This has been hard for me to comprehend, but maybe even harder for Dan since he’s used to me saying “I want (fill in the blank with my favorite restaurants)” or “I had a craving for_____” or even not finishing my plate or going back for 2nds.  I used to starting thinking of dinner at 9 am in the morning.  Now I struggle with even getting a taste for anything.  Crazy.

Anyway, about 3 weeks ago I went into the doctors for a prescription renewal and told her about my week of not feeling well and how my taste buds have changed, etc.  She did a complete blood workup and a urine test.  She was worried that maybe I was having a kidney, liver, pancreas issue.  The worst thing I could think of is maybe I have diabetes (since it runs in our family).  Yesterday I went in for my lab results.

Let me just say – I am a medial miracle.  The doctor has no explanation on what has happened.  All my results came back with no organ issues.  All of my lab results have improved since they were last taken in March.

My cholesterol has gone down from 226 to 176.  My risk for diabetes was at increased risk and now is normal.

Her only response was to keep it up, start exercising, no soda, and no health/herbal supplements (sorry to my Youngevity, Body by Vi and Isagenix friends).  Follow-up in three months. 

I am taking this day by day and hopefully this will last.