Day 17- Spaghetti Squash

Courtesy of Daylight Savings, I woke up an hour later than usual, and therefore have a slightly skewed meal schedule.

Breakfast: one piece of toast with peanut butter and mango jelly, one piece with cottage cheese

Lunch: kale sauteed in garlic, spaghetti squash, olive oil, tempeh, and italian seasoning

Snack: apple, a few peanuts

Dinner: unsweetened chocolate almond milk, piece of toast with peanut butter

Snack: cottage cheese, 2 walnuts

I know dinner looks a little weird, but I had it late after a run, so I wasn't hungry for something too big.

I experimented cooking with spaghetti squash today. The hardest part about cooking it is cutting it open! It seriously took me about fifteen minutes to cut the spaghetti squash in half. You then put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. After taking it out, scrape the center out, removing the seeds and pulp. Then, gently scrape the inside of the squash with a fork, and spaghetti like strands of squash will come off. Transfer the strands to a bowl, and enjoy! One spaghetti squash makes several servings. It's kind of plain on its own, so I suggest using herbs, olive oil or cheese to spice it up. I'm trying to avoid sodium before Pan Ams, so I just used a tiny bit of olive oil and some herbs.

This was also the first time I tried tempeh. Tempeh is a form of fermented soy that doesn't have all the negative properties of regular soy. I have heard that regular soy affects estrogen levels in the body. Tempeh has a lot of protein and fiber, but not a lot of taste. I cooked it on the stove without oil, as I used the same pan I sauteed the kale in. It tasted fine once I paired it with the kale and spaghetti squash, but it's definitely not something I would eat on its own.

I am now a little over two weeks in to this experiment. I've noticed that I am a little more energetic, and I somehow feel more clean, if that makes any sense. The most annoying thing is going out to eat and having only a few options on the menu. But if I am careful about how I get my daily protein in, vegetarianism isn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be!

While I don't think I'll be a vegetarian for life, I will definitely eat less meat in the future.