Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Lentil Sauce for #WeekdaySupper and #ChooseDreams

Another fabulous week come and gone from Sunday Supper and American Family Insurance. Today I get to share a #WeekdaySupper with you that has become a new favorite. I love being a part of this mission, #choosedreams supports a healthy and fit lifestyle and I stand by that. There are so many ways to make your dishes more healthy, some people don’t understand how easy it can truly be. Last week I made Sesame Chicken with Vegetable Pasta. It’s the perfect example of how you can still make a dish healthy yet yummy at the same time. I’m really starting to venture out there in making my dishes healthier by researching blogs, recipes and even just talking with people. Lentils was something I had never cooked with before so when I saw that they came prepackaged I figured why not try and make it into a sauce that can go on top of pasta. Next time I’ll try making the lentils myself that will be even healthier but by using lentils instead of beef can you imagine the fat content that your skipping in this dish. I had no idea what lentils even tasted like, the texture is so similar to a ground beef. I even had my sister try it, she doesn’t like beef and she loved it! When my picky toddler eats it, then it becomes a regular in our house. Some ways that I’ve learnt to make healthier dishes are listed below.

• I now make my own Healthy Cream of Mushroom Soup. No more cans here! I make a batch and freeze it for those quick and easy recipes.
• I make my own dressings and marinades. No more bottled marinades when I can make them with fresh herbs!
• I don’t fry a lot of my food. I bake or grill it. I can still coat my meat in a floured-seasoned mixture and bake it, it won’t be as crisp but I promise you the taste is still there.
• I serve a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables to my family. It’s the one thing my kids actually love.
• I use the whole grain pasta or the pasta made from veggies.
• Food prep, food prep, food prep! I do this at least two times a week. I cut up all of my fruits for snacks, prepare vegetables that will be used in our dinners, it really helps when you have something healthy to grab instead of something in a box.

What you’ll Need:

What to do:

To save yourself time cook the spaghetti squash the night before or day before: Preheat oven to 450F. Cut squash in half and remove seeds.  Lightly oil the insides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40-45 min. Let cool and scrape out the insides using a fork. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until your ready to make the dish.

In a Saute pan add a tbsp of oil and cook the onions and peppers for 5 minutes. While that is cook take the chopped tomato and add it to a small food processor and pulse until it becomes liquid. Add lentils to the onion and pepper mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pureed tomato, tomato paste, salt and as much red pepper as you’d like.

Continue cooking an stirring for another 5 minutes. While it’s finished warm up the spaghetti squash. Top with the sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Follow the Family Healthy Fit Lifestyle #ChooseDreams Pinterest board for some great Weekday Supper meal inspiration! Or connect with American Family Insurance here:

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 Here is what was going on the rest of the week for this edition of Healthy and Fit Recipes!

Monday – Stuffed Portobello Pizzas with Pesto by MealDiva
Tuesday – Shrimp Avocado Caesar Salad by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Wednesday – Quicki-Mexi Scrambled Egg Wraps by The Foodie Army Wife
Thursday – Thai Shrimp Curry by Magnolia Days

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own.