SPAGHETTI SQUASH BASIL PESTO LASAGNA
These days people are trying so hard to stay away from gluten and starch based carbs. People have become so creative in coming up with recipes for pastas made from quinoa, carrots and zucchini. Spaghetti squash is a great options at 40 calories a cup, plus added fiber, vitamins and minerals. Be sure to strain your cooked squash noodles as best as you can, otherwise the dish will come out a little watery.
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Ingredients:
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- 1 spaghetti squash, halved and cooked
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup walnut basil pesto (recipe below)
- 1 lb. whole milk sliced mozzarella, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Basil Walnut Pesto (optional):
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- 2 cups of fresh organic basil
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or high powered blender and set off to the side.
Directions:
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- Cut uncooked spaghetti squash in half, place halves face down in a baking pan filled with 1/2 inch of water and cook on 400F for 45 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, if you want to make your own tomato sauce use homemade tomato sauce recipe or use marinara sauce in a jar.
- This recipe adds sautéed ground turkey into tomato sauce, this is an option if you want to add more protein to your meal.
- Prepare your batch of basil walnut pesto.
- Slice mozzarella into 1/4″ pieces.
- When the squash is done, take it out of the oven and leave the oven on at 400 F.
- Let the squash cool for 5 minutes.
- Scrape out all the squash and place it in a strainer, gently pressing it to release some of the liquid.
- In a casserole dish, lay the squash at the bottom.
- Add the tomato sauce.
- Add the basil pesto. Spread evenly throughout the dish.
- Top with sliced mozzarella. Use enough slices to cover the entire dish.
- Place dish in the center of the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Social Networks and Weight Loss
What influence, if any, do our social networks have on the obesity epidemic? Researchers found that if an individual has just one friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 45%. If they have a friend-of-a-friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 25%. And if they have a friend of a friend of a friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 10%.
Research concluded that our lives are influenced and shaped by the people closest to us. This is also known as Affiliation Theory. There are 3 possible causes for this:
- Induction – your obesity is directly causative of my obesity.
- Homophily – we gravitate towards each other because of a link or we share something in common.
- Confounding – we share a common environmental exposure.
If behaviors within a reference group are pervasive enough, then the behaviors leading to obesity become an unconscious standard for what is acceptable. It becomes a part of our sub-conscious social-mental programming.
It stands to reason that if the Affiliation Theory is a common cause for obesity, then there has to be an inverse causality. Through group expert participation that facilitates the development of healthy networks, we can help people establish the behaviors that serve them best.
We are very guilty of treating the symptoms versus the behavioral drives of obesity. If we don’t determine what the behavioral triggers are, or what the root cause of the problem is, then we don’t have a solution. If we don’t have the solution then we become part of the problem because we drive what is known as learned helplessness. This means that we make problems much more complex and don’t give any viable solution. Thus, the next choice for an individual might be to not do anything at all because they don’t believe a solution exists.
What if the pain of weight loss is greater than the desire for change? If reference groups are so powerful in their influence over people’s behaviors, then what happens if a person comes into gym & starts losing weight outside of social network for support? What happens if the more they lose weight, the more they start to feel guilt, loneliness, rejection & maybe even depression? Without the replacement of the social network, we may be driving recidivism.
If we can encourage people to show up and have fun in groups, we can foster a new social network that allows them to derive support and a sense of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental human need – more important to an individual than esteem and the recognition for accomplishments (such as weight loss). If we can create that dynamic for people, we may solve a huge part of the weight-loss challenge.
Happy and Healthy Fourth of July Tips
As always, holidays should be a time to enjoy friends and family while doing fun activities. It is okay to indulge, but unnecessary to go crazy. Here are few pointers that can help you to have a happy and healthy Fourth of July:
FRUIT SALADS
Fruit salads are a good replacement for the heavier desserts at parties, plus strawberries and blueberries are part of the color theme!
VEGGIE PLATTERS
A great substitute for chips & less bloating for your body if you will be hanging out all day in swim gear.
THE GRILL
the grill is your friend because you don’t need to add any oil to cook a piece of chicken or burger on it.
DRINKING WATER
If you will be enjoying any alcoholic beverages, perhaps substitute a glass of water every other drink for optimal hydration. Also, being dehydrated makes you crave more salty foods than your body really needs.
FORGIVE YOURSELF
4th of July is a day to relax and enjoy, but living a healthy lifestyle is about learning how to accommodate for situations that are out of your control. You may be in situations where there may not be food that fit your eating habits, so get creative and make it work for you. If you eat a hamburger with a white bun instead of whole grains… and a maybe few chips…and possibly a piece of that 4th of July cake that your friend brought to the party. It’s okay, it’s only one day and you will live. Just be sure to get back on track the next day. You don’t want to let one slip-up cause a crazy binge and ruin your entire week.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH BASIL PESTO LASAGNA
These days people are trying so hard to stay away from gluten and starch based carbs. People have become so creative in coming up with recipes for pastas made from quinoa, carrots and zucchini. Spaghetti squash is a great options at 40 calories a cup, plus added fiber, vitamins and minerals. Be sure to strain your cooked squash noodles as best as you can, otherwise the dish will come out a little watery.
<>
Ingredients:
<>
- 1 spaghetti squash, halved and cooked
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup walnut basil pesto (recipe below)
- 1 lb. whole milk sliced mozzarella, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Basil Walnut Pesto (optional):
<>
- 2 cups of fresh organic basil
- 1/4 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or high powered blender and set off to the side.
Directions:
<>
- Cut uncooked spaghetti squash in half, place halves face down in a baking pan filled with 1/2 inch of water and cook on 400F for 45 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, if you want to make your own tomato sauce use homemade tomato sauce recipe or use marinara sauce in a jar.
- This recipe adds sautéed ground turkey into tomato sauce, this is an option if you want to add more protein to your meal.
- Prepare your batch of basil walnut pesto.
- Slice mozzarella into 1/4″ pieces.
- When the squash is done, take it out of the oven and leave the oven on at 400 F.
- Let the squash cool for 5 minutes.
- Scrape out all the squash and place it in a strainer, gently pressing it to release some of the liquid.
- In a casserole dish, lay the squash at the bottom.
- Add the tomato sauce.
- Add the basil pesto. Spread evenly throughout the dish.
- Top with sliced mozzarella. Use enough slices to cover the entire dish.
- Place dish in the center of the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Social Networks and Weight Loss
What influence, if any, do our social networks have on the obesity epidemic? Researchers found that if an individual has just one friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 45%. If they have a friend-of-a-friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 25%. And if they have a friend of a friend of a friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 10%.
Research concluded that our lives are influenced and shaped by the people closest to us. This is also known as Affiliation Theory. There are 3 possible causes for this:
- Induction – your obesity is directly causative of my obesity.
- Homophily – we gravitate towards each other because of a link or we share something in common.
- Confounding – we share a common environmental exposure.
If behaviors within a reference group are pervasive enough, then the behaviors leading to obesity become an unconscious standard for what is acceptable. It becomes a part of our sub-conscious social-mental programming.
It stands to reason that if the Affiliation Theory is a common cause for obesity, then there has to be an inverse causality. Through group expert participation that facilitates the development of healthy networks, we can help people establish the behaviors that serve them best.
We are very guilty of treating the symptoms versus the behavioral drives of obesity. If we don’t determine what the behavioral triggers are, or what the root cause of the problem is, then we don’t have a solution. If we don’t have the solution then we become part of the problem because we drive what is known as learned helplessness. This means that we make problems much more complex and don’t give any viable solution. Thus, the next choice for an individual might be to not do anything at all because they don’t believe a solution exists.
What if the pain of weight loss is greater than the desire for change? If reference groups are so powerful in their influence over people’s behaviors, then what happens if a person comes into gym & starts losing weight outside of social network for support? What happens if the more they lose weight, the more they start to feel guilt, loneliness, rejection & maybe even depression? Without the replacement of the social network, we may be driving recidivism.
If we can encourage people to show up and have fun in groups, we can foster a new social network that allows them to derive support and a sense of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental human need – more important to an individual than esteem and the recognition for accomplishments (such as weight loss). If we can create that dynamic for people, we may solve a huge part of the weight-loss challenge.
Happy and Healthy Fourth of July Tips
As always, holidays should be a time to enjoy friends and family while doing fun activities. It is okay to indulge, but unnecessary to go crazy. Here are few pointers that can help you to have a happy and healthy Fourth of July:
FRUIT SALADS
Fruit salads are a good replacement for the heavier desserts at parties, plus strawberries and blueberries are part of the color theme!
VEGGIE PLATTERS
A great substitute for chips & less bloating for your body if you will be hanging out all day in swim gear.
THE GRILL
the grill is your friend because you don’t need to add any oil to cook a piece of chicken or burger on it.
DRINKING WATER
If you will be enjoying any alcoholic beverages, perhaps substitute a glass of water every other drink for optimal hydration. Also, being dehydrated makes you crave more salty foods than your body really needs.
FORGIVE YOURSELF
4th of July is a day to relax and enjoy, but living a healthy lifestyle is about learning how to accommodate for situations that are out of your control. You may be in situations where there may not be food that fit your eating habits, so get creative and make it work for you. If you eat a hamburger with a white bun instead of whole grains… and a maybe few chips…and possibly a piece of that 4th of July cake that your friend brought to the party. It’s okay, it’s only one day and you will live. Just be sure to get back on track the next day. You don’t want to let one slip-up cause a crazy binge and ruin your entire week.
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