You've gotta get some!

So my post about pregnancy cravings.  I still hold strong to that.  Because I know full on today, I was craving anything in particular.  I was craving junk.  Not the baby, me.  Straight up comfort food.  The ooey-gooey kind that makes you feel warm inside and just makes the world right.  There are a lot of things that could have done.  I could have gave in.  I could have completely ignored it.  Or, I could just satisfy that craving with a little mockery.  

Clean eating does not have to be, it absolutely should not be BORING! Or bland.  You should still get to have the foods you love, just better. Smarter; cleaner. 

So I looked at what I had and I looked at my Pinterest board for some inspiration (what did we do BEFORE Pinterest???) and there it was.  A little gem I had recently pinned.  The original recipe and post can be found here.  

Tonight's dinner:
Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

I am not one who wants to spend that much time in the kitchen for a couple of reasons. One- I have better things to do (play with my kids, go for a walk, paint my nails, read a book, etc) Two- I am a taster. Sip of that, nibble of this.  All kinds of extra calories get added into my day and I am none the wiser (or thinner!) Three- I really like to be in the kitchen..to bake.  And by bake, I mean whip up some mean sweet treats and I generally don't have a lot of will power. And see number two again. ;)

That being said, I was a little turned off because I felt this meal would require a lot of time.  FALSE.  Not true.  Most of the time related to this dish is said dish baking in the oven.  Like two hours of it.  Wait--don't run away.  An hour and 20 is spent baking that yummy spaghetti squash, the ingredient that makes this little dream possible.  But there are tons of ways to save time.  Like bake it in the crock pot all day so when you get home from work or whatever you spent your day doing, you can just scoop those noodles out and carry on. BAM! Half the time already gone from this dinner.  Honestly, it is three simple steps!

I called this a clean cheat.  It is mostly clean.  The squash acts as your noodles and cuts WAAAAYY down on the ol' calorie total.  I used skim milk but whole fat cheeses.  That makes it a little less calorie friendly but still clean.  So still watch your portions.  I don't eat a whole lot of cheese anymore and I hadn't had any healthy fats yet today so it worked out alright.  

So seriously, if you are hankering for some down home cooking but do not what to get totally off track, this meal hits the spot.  Pair it with a salad, a glass of vino, or heck, a slice of really tasty bread if you really want to indulge.  

You can thank me later!