Chicken Sausage Garlic Parmesan Pasta

I wasn't sure what to make....hmmm, what to do what to do?????

My oldest spoke up and said Alfredo!!

And I remembered I had something similar posted on my cupboard from Damn Delicious....One Pot Garlic Parmeasan Pasta! The Fish Fam always loves this dish, which I have changed up a little bit....

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 med. onion
• 5-6 shitake mushrooms
• 1 package chicken sausage
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup rice/coconut milk, or more, as needed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, then add chicken sausage.
2. Stir in chicken broth, milk, butter and fettuccine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

* I doubled the recipe.. 

This pasta dish smelled so so good. 

Yummmmm!!!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

This recipe is from Skinnytaste and looked awesome.

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats

Via Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 3 small to medium spaghetti squash (about 5 cups cooked)
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley (or basil)
• 3/4 cup whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese

For the Sauce:

• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 oz Italian chicken sausage
• 14 oz (1/2 can) crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)  
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped basil

Go to the website for the directions.

*I used organic Gouda cheese instead of Ricotta Cheese and didn't add any Mozzarella and organic ground beef.

But, basically...

Cutting a Spaghetti Squash can be difficult in fact dangerous!

The shell is hard hard hard.

So, I've come to learn to cook it in the oven for abt 15mins in a dish w/ water to let it soften up and then remove it and cut it in half. Much easier! But be careful because it will be hot.

Cook at 400deg. for an hour more or less.
It usually takes 45mins.

You'll know if it's needs to cook longer because the "noodles" are stiff and crunchy.

Spaghetti Squash is actually a beautiful thing once it's cooked and tastes yummy.
It should taste yummy and to me sweet.
Not bitter and gross that you have to spit it out.
Yuck.

For the meat sauce...

Chop up garlic and onions
Infuse in hot pan w/ oil
Then add meat and cook
Add can of diced tomatoes.
Plus, S&P
Dried Basil
& Bay Leaf.

Let it simmer for 20+mins.

I really wanted to add fresh basil, but the grocery store down the road from was closed and the other two stores I went to didn't have it. Darn it!

It still smelled good.

Grate your cheeses and chop up the parsley and mix together to top it all off.

Once you have the squash shells ready...

Mix the "noodles" and meat and put inside
Then add a little more meat sauce on top.
Top it all off with the shredded cheese/parsley mix

Wow, this smelled delicious and of course the Fish Fam enjoyed it :)

And for leftovers I put this over baked potatoes and grated more fresh cheese.

Yum.

Starting The Day :)

Being that we live right across from the beach I love to get up before the sun and watch the incredible Hawaiian Sunrises. The morning air is so calm, quiet, and heavenly. It makes me feel that I'm not on this earth. I love soaking my feet in the water, taking long deep breathes, focusing on the positive, being grateful!

Then coming home to stretch, breakfast, and my morning juice makes starting the day off right! I've been on a lime kick because a friend gave us a bag full of fresh limes off of her tree. And they are so so good! It gave the perfect taste to my juice this morning of...2 carrots, 1 celery, small bunch of parsley, 1/2 thumb size of ginger, 1 six inch chunky cucumber, and 1/2 a lime.