When I first started eating in a paleo lifestyle, I discovered the key to success is to meal plan. Although I work from a home office, my days are jammed packed from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. Sure, I’m home and have a full stocked kitchen like Google, or Twitter, minus the Michelin awarded chef to cook me mid-day meals- ahh wouldn’t that be nice!– but where’s the time? For the majority of us, our lives are busy. We wake up before the sun and immediately our day is a race- shower, eat, get ready, get dressed, feed the dog, take out the trash, grab a jacket, check social media (don’t lie you probably do this before your shower), start the car, get wallet, sunglasses, phone or purse, lock up, and out the door all within… 30 minutes? Ha, yeah right.
12p rolls around and you hear an earthquake brewing in your stomach. Make no mistake, you’re actually just hungry. Whoops you forgot to pack a lunch or a snack. Oh well, you’ll just grab one of those Starbucks salads and a coffee to help get you through the rest of the day. But we both know that doesn’t do the trick. Again, by 3pm you are hungry. Instead of working, all we see is floating hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta, tacos, anything edible. But not to worry, your office tends to have a stash of candy and it just so happens today is Molly’s birthday! Woohoo! And she brought cupcakes.YAY! Hunger saved! And so you don’t feel bad, you remind yourself your going to the gym later that night, which always makes any “cheat day” okay. Right? ( Sorry but no.) The clock strikes 5:30p and you are home free! Well… almost. First, you’re off to sit in traffic for the rest of your life.
Did you catch the mistakes? Because of the empty carbs and processed flours you ate from the Starbucks sandwich and combine the processed sugars from the coffee, candy snack, and Molly’s cupcakes, you not only have a headache and inflammation in your stomachic, but you’re tired, have little to no energy and starving. Too tired to go to the gym now that its 730p, you look in your fridge and see a lot you could eat but have no energy to prepare anything. So, you succumb to a pre-made packaged salad. At least it’s healthy, right? Wrong again. The dressing actually has a ton of preservatives, soybean oil, and milk products. Yikes!
LeftOvers is a new series I’ve created as a way to get the most out every meal! Not only will these recipes provide the right amount of nutrients you need when sitting down and eating it for the first time, but it will allow you to use it again and again. Some people look at leftovers and think, “Ew, it’s old”. But actually, its the best way to keep yourself accountable, stay fuller longer, save money $$ and time (gotta love anything that helps productivity!) and live a sustainable life. Leftovers=less waste!
The other night I made a spaghetti squash “pasta” dish with sausage and broccoli (pictured above). I love eating spaghetti squash by itself but this squash was an unusual large one. The next morning, I used the leftover squash to make breakfast! These squash fritters aren’t just for breakfast, but you could eat them for lunch, or a side with dinner And, they pair well with just about anything. My favorite is to use them as I did, with breakfast and some avocado on top.
Moral of the story–> Meal Plan. Our lives are so busy, and it’s easy to get caught up in the motions. But understand this:
“Nothing will work unless you do”
– Maya Angelou.
Unless we put in the time and effort to plan ahead, we will continue to fall short, and in this case make poor eating habits. Our bodies are machines and we have to treat them as one. We must take care of ourselves by eating the right foods for our bodies, do maintenance on it by exercising and cherish it because we only get one in this lifetime.
Simply Enjoy!
- 2 cups shredded and cooked spaghetti squash
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon almond flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil for frying
- Place the shredded spaghetti squash in a bowl.
- Whisk in both eggs until the squash and eggs are mixed together.
- In a separate small bowl, add all dry ingredients together, including the flours, baking soda, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Pour dry ingredients into the egg mixture and combine.
- Lastly, add in the chives.
- Melt coconut oil on medium-high heat in a frying pan.
- With a fork, scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of spaghetti mixture into the heated oil. Using your fork spread mixture to a 4x4 circle shape to resemble a pancake.
- Allow fritters to cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping once.
- Don't overcrowd your pan when frying the fritters.
