Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats (meatless!) and Baked Parmesan Tomatoes!

Last week I made spaghetti squash for the first time, and much to my surprise, we BOTH ended up loving it. We joked all week about how fun it was to create the spaghetti by raking the crap out of the squash. Very therapeutic (or we just lead very dull lives).

So today's recipe for Mission 24 was to use the spaghetti squash to make lasagna boats, using the shell as the boat/bowl. Now, before I go about telling you MY recipe, here is the original recipe that I modified to make them "meatless" - Skinny Taste Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats.

Now, onto my recipe. Instead of using "chicken sausage" or any other meat, I decided to give using lentils a try. It is not that I am entirely against meat, but I do try to limit processed meat and honestly, I just find it too expensive. Lentils = $1.39 per bag. This recipe used 1/3 of the bag, if that.

This is what food prep Sunday looked like today!
Lentils cooking in the back! 

 While the squash was cooking for 45 minutes in the oven, I boiled up a cup of lentils (which was plenty!). When the lentils finished cooking, I added them to the ricotta, sauce, onion, parsley, cheese mixture. I also added in basil and garlic (hmmm, there can never be enough garlic!). I did not make the sauce as it was called for in the recipe, I just used some leftover sauce from the fridge.

Raking out the squash and mixing up the ricotta mixture

After raking out the spaghetti and mixing it with the ricotta mixture described above, I returned the spaghetti to the squash shell and baked it for an addition 20 minutes. The result - a SUPER yummy and SUPER filling dinner! While this was baking for the second time, our house smelled super sweet! Rebaking the squash let out some amazingly sweet aromas. Nate gave this recipe two thumbs up as well, although we both agreed that next time instead of just using spaghetti sauce it needs a jar of diced tomatoes as well! Will do!

SO filling! 

Since I was cooking for about 2 hours today for food prep Sunday (egg bake and hard boiled eggs for the week, quinoa salad for dinner tomorrow, prepped the chili in the crockpot for Tuesday, salad for lunch for the week), I decided to make an easy little appetizer while the squash was cooking. I was super excited to find a use for my mini pampered chef pan and our "side oven" that we have never used. The appetizer I made were Baked Parmesan Tomatoes. I followed the recipe as written. These were a super yummy little snack before dinner, but next time, I am definitely adding some breadcrumbs to the top!

Use for the side oven! Finally!

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes - a yummy snack! 

Today also wrapped up week one of Hanson's for marathon training. This week was only a half-week of training, starting on Wednesday with a weekly mileage total of 29 measly miles. It was a nice little way to transition back into following a plan. Starting next week, I will be up to 6 days a week of running (something I've never done before) and I will also do my first speed workout of the plan (and my first one since the beginning of October). I am a little anxious about it, as it will end up being about 9-10 miles midweek (I have NEVER done a speed workout like that before!). My total mileage for next week should be about 41 miles, and this will be my lowest mileage week of the plan, if I am able to follow it as written. I am nervous and excited about it all at once, but, as always, I am up for the challenge! ;-)