Last year, I participated in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and was really surprised that I was able to post every day in the month of November pretty easily. I’m really not sure how I did it, when over the past couple months I’ve been struggling. However, I’m going to give it a shot again because at least it’ll force me to try to get all of my memories on Australia in print!

That is why today, you are getting my Food & Fitness Link-Up post instead of on Monday!

But first, just a little recap on last week and what I finally tried: Black Bean “Pasta”.

I decided to try it in this recipe for Southwestern Black Bean Pasta with Skinny Avocado Crema.

This is what it looked like:

Then I added the avocado crema, which came out thicker than I expected and became more of a dollop than a drizzle.

I didn’t go crazy over these black bean “noodles” like the majority of people did who reviewed them on line. I did like them just fine. Still, the texture was a little weird. It made sense because that texture was more like black beans. It’s just not what you expect for pasta.

I think the black bean “spaghetti” would taste better with more of a sauce. I kept adding more of that avocado crema, despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly my favorite either. It was a little too tangy for me. That could be because of the yogurt or the lemon juice. I even added a bit more olive oil to mellow it out.

This recipe made a ton of food! I didn’t use fresh corn, but frozen and I loved getting that hint of sweetness every couple of bites. The mushrooms were a nice touch, too. To be honest, I’d probably make this dish with just regular black beans! I’d make my own Power Bowl by topping some black beans with the veggie mixture from the recipe above, then sprinkle a little cheddar and top with some sliced avocado instead of the crema.

Rob took a taste and he liked the texture of the noodles even less than I did. But we both believe that with some sort of sauce, they could be much better.

I’m still going to try it the Black Bean Spaghetti with Red Curry Sauce recipe. And I may create my own with a garlic cream sauce as well.

And now for this week:

Food

Last week went really well with us eating on our own. I loved being able to eat chicken at home. I made chicken thighs for the first time! This Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas dish was absolutely delicious. However, between the thighs (of which I only made half of the recipe) and the Southwestern Black Bean Spaghetti with Skinny Avocado Crema, it was so much food! I didn’t even make the Crockpot Chicken with Brussels Sprouts I had planned because I had so many leftovers.

Here are my plans for this week!

Dinners:

• Monday –  Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts Note: I’ve also never cooked brussels sprouts before. However, this recipe looks like a no-brainer. I can put it in the oven and go workout! (Again, I’ll be doing a half-recipe.)
• Tuesday –  Garlic Grilled Chicken Breasts and Twice Backed Spaghetti Squash with Pesto Squash
  
• Wednesday – Leftovers
  Thursday –  Leftovers
• Friday – Poker Night at our friends’ place!
• Saturday – TBD
• Sunday – TBD – Packer game day!

Lunch:

• Leftovers
• Snacks – Honeycrisp apples, nuts or string cheese and dark chocolate

Breakfasts:

• Overnight Oats
• 90 second breakfast sandwiches

Fitness

• Monday – Walk 1 hour OR Run 1 mile OR HIIT Run/Walk OR 30 min on recumbent bike.
• Tuesday – Walk 1 hour OR Run 1 mile OR HIIT Run/Walk OR 30 min on recumbent bike.
  
• Wednesday – Walk 1 hour OR Run 1 mile OR HIIT Run/Walk OR 30 min on recumbent bike.
• Thursday – REST
  
• Friday – REST
• Saturday – Walk 1 hour OR Run 1 mile OR HIIT Run/Walk OR 30 min on recumbent bike.
• Sunday – Walk 1 hour OR Run 1 mile OR HIIT Run/Walk OR 30 min on recumbent bike.
  

I’m looking for some recipe suggestions for next week! When I went to visit my friend Stacy, she had an overabundence of winter squash. I took a few off her hands. I have a small butternut squash, a buttercup squash and an acorn squash.

Here are a couple of recipes I’m considering trying:

• Roasted Butternut Squash, Onions and Red Potatoes with Fresh Herb
  
• Roasted Acorn Squash with Ricotta & Honey

• Roasted Buttercup Squash

What are your favorite winter squash recipes?

Cheers~
Carrie