Tis the season for Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Jo Joes... therefore you must cut the calories somewhere else, correct? A recipe for a low-carb, hidden veggie, dinner staple:

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti!

You will need:
-1 Spaghetti squash, found in the winter season, the yellower, the better
-olive oil (approx2-4 tbsp)
-fresh garlic (approx. 6 cloves)
-salt and pepper to taste
-marinara sauce (unless you want to make a near-full-term pregnant woman look bad, then go ahead and make your sauce from scratch)
-1 lb of ground turkey or grass-fed beef (must read this post if you haven't)

Directions:

Start by preheating the oven to 375.

Cut squash in half, length-wise (warning, it takes some muscle). Scoop out the seeds and moist fibers. Poke fork holes three times in the squash (it's therapy, too!). Add a wee bit of water to the bottom of a Pyrex dish or cookie pan. Add about two tbsp of olive oil, 3 cloves of crushed garlic (or less to your preference, although garlic is so good for you specifically in the cold/flu season!), salt and pepper. Stick in oven for approximately 45mins-1 hr. The edges of the squash should be curved in and very soft when they're ready.

While squash is baking, cook your meat and add your sauce.

When ready, let the squash cool for a few minutes. Use a hot pad to hold it while you scrape the fibers out with a fork. Go with the "grain" and out will come little stringy pasta-like fibers. Mix it all together to mix the oil and seasonings in.

Use just as you would for angel-hair pasta. The kids don't notice the difference, the husband barely does, and you yourself will love it!

What it looks like raw and ready to be baked:

This is our household staple for the winter months. I rarely make spaghetti because of the pasta issue, but when you can have a garlicy-yummy substitute, it becomes part of the weekly meal plan!

Also, a big thanks to my college roomy Heather who taught me about this wondrous squash!