Hi!

My name is Gabby.  

I am a weight loss mindset coach and I lost half my body weight through exercise, eating right, and a little (or a lot of) soul searchin’.

 I'm here to motivate you, inspire you, and make you laugh on your journey to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

TACO SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD

TACO SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD

Warning: Adult language

Please do not read any further if you are offended by adult language.

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Okay, here is a nice little pic to display the salad looking all perfect. 

But...

This is what it truly looks like after you mix everything up and pile on gobs and gobs of the good stuff :)

I am so damn excited about this recipe!

This is the type of meal that as you're eating it, it seems like you are doing something REALLY bad. Ya... it's that good. But there's absolutely nothing to feel guilty about! It may taste naughty but it's healthy all the way!

Last week I was at the grocery store and spaghetti squash was on sale... So I bought a shit-ton. Now don't get me wrong, I love spaghetti squash but damn I have to admit I was starting to get sick of it. A girl can only eat so much of any one thing before boredom sets in. Sale or no sale, I needed to come up with something creative or I was gonna end up dumping these leftovers in the garbagio.

Well, lately I've been craving tacos. Soooo, I got to thinking. Maybe I could make a taco salad with it. Oh boy folks, I didn't know it at the time... But this was a really, REALLY good idea!

I love tacos. I REALLY love tacos. I don't think I'm going out on a limb here saying most people love tacos. Living a healthy lifestyle hasn't prevented me from eating tacos. Well that's not exactly true. I don't eat the 'traditional' taco. I usually make taco salads and I omit the taco shells (which are high in calories and are processed). I load my taco salads with tons of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, use a sparing amount of shredded cheese, and most often use turkey as the taco meat (although occasionally I will use a very lean beef). I will also top my taco salads with either a little bit of taco sauce or a whole lot of salsa... Or both. I also top my salads with something else... A simply magical ingredient! You ready?

I'm about to tell you something that if you don't already know it, it's going to blow your damn mind...

Plain Greek yogurt tastes just like sour cream. I don't mean that fat-free, poison-tasting sour cream, I mean the full-fat yummy sour cream!

When I first found this out (a friend of mine had told me), I did NOT believe it! Upon my very next grocery store visit I chucked three containers of plain Greek yogurt into my cart and went right home to test it out on a taco salad. I seriously almost shit my pants (uh, not because the yogurt was not agreeing with me... But because I was SO excited!). I called my girlfriend and gushed and thanked and rambled and thanked and gushed.

Like I said... I'm a food lover. It's who I am and I'm okay with it. Again, I just have to make sure I keep the healthy Gabby and the Fatty Gabby both happy by using trickery, dupery, and a creative imagination. If you have to eat healthy forever, you have to find great tasting foods. Otherwise you'll never stick with it and just go right back to eating the slop that got you fat in the first place.

And let me tell you the Greek yogurt paired with the taco sauce is a heavenly combo! With this recipe, you can pile on as much Greek yogurt as you want!

I'm talking you can use so much that, to someone else, it looks like you're trying to double the size of your ass by the end of the 5 o'clock news. But in reality, it's a healthy dish loaded with low calories and tons of protein! Not much in life turns out this way! It's pretty much a miracle! A sour cream miracle!

Hey, what can I say, I really am a fatty at heart. I cannot live without yummy food. I believe one of the biggest reasons I've been able to be so successful in maintaining my 120 pound weight loss is that I have found foods that are healthy yet trick me into thinking they're my old favorites (which are definitely NOT healthy).

I'm all about trickery. If I can't have the dishes that I love, I'm going to disguise healthy meals into tasting like the comfort foods I used to nosh. It's the only way I can maintain a healthy weight. I love food and that will never change. 

But I've come to find a way to love all of the healthy foods... and that's the key. If you truly love healthy foods, there's no reason to stray from them.

Happy Taco Salad Noshing!!!

TACO SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD RECIPE

{This article contains affiliate links. See bottom of page for details.}

(Click here for Printable Recipe)

WHATCHU NEED:

  • 2 small spaghetti squash (or 1 large)
  • 1-2 lbs ground turkey
  • Shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Diced onions (if desired)
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Taco seasoning (I use Ortega 40% less-sodium taco mix)
  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Taco sauce or salsa (if desired)
  • Olive oil
  • Himalayan Salt (or sea salt)
  • Black ground pepper (if desired)

WHATCHU DO:

ROAST THE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop the tip of the squash off and then cut the squash in half length-wise.

3. Scoop out and discard seeds.

4. Rub a little bit of olive oil over the squash and sprinkle them with salt and pepper (if desired).

5. Place the squash cut-down on a baking sheet and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the flesh is tender.

6. Let squash cool until you can pick them up and then scrape out the 'spaghetti' with a fork. Set aside until you are ready to put together your salad.

PUT TACO SALAD TOGETHER

1. Brown ground turkey in a skillet and follow the directions on the taco seasoning packet. 

2. While turkey is cooking, dice tomatoes, chop onions, and shred your lettuce.

3. After all of the ingredients are ready, scoop 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash, 1/2 cup of seasoned ground turkey, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, and then your additional desired ingredients and amounts into a bowl or plate.

4. CHOW DOWN!

NUTRITIONAL FACTS: For salad WITH Greek yogurt and taco sauce:

  • CALORIES   346
  • FAT               12g
  • CARBS         20g
  • PROTEIN     32g

NUTRITIONAL FACTS: For salad WITHOUT Greek yogurt and taco sauce:

  • CALORIES   269
  • FAT               12g
  • CARBS         10g
  • PROTEIN      26g

* The nutritional info provided above is for one taco salad consisting of:

  • 1c spaghetti squash
  • 1/2c seasoned ground turkey
  • 1/4c shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
  • 1/2c diced tomatoes
  • 2c shredded lettuce
  • 1/8c diced onions
  • 1/4c plain Greek yogurt
  • 4 TBS taco sauce
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*The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietitian. Talk to your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise regimen. The information found in this article is from various sources which include, but are not limited to, the sites listed above. I encourage you to do your own research and talk with your physician before making any changes in diet or exercise. What has worked for me may not work for you. This information in this article or on this website should never replace or serve as medical advice.

NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR HAVE ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

*Affiliate Disclaimer: Half of Gabby has recently become an Amazon Affiliate. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires all affiliates to put a disclaimer on their website/blog. Most disclaimers are so filled with confusing lingo that you don’t even understand what they're saying. I’m going to break it down for you the way I'd want it to be broken down for me. I’m not a fan of complicated and unclear regulation jargon. So here’s the dealio. Half of Gabby takes up a tremendous amount of my time. But because I love it so much, I really want to continue dedicating my time to it. For six years now, I have been providing product links to products that I use and love and in turn recommend them to my readers. These products have helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle and/or improve my family life. I have helped sell countless products for six years and have never received any commissions… Until now. As of September 15, 2016, I will be providing links just as I've always done, but now will receive a very small commission if you purchase an item through the affiliate link that I provide. An affiliate link is simply a link that brings you to a place where you can buy that product. I will not earn a commission by you simply clicking on the link, you must actually purchase the item(s) within 24 hours of putting it in your Amazon cart. Prices are exactly the same for you if you purchase through an affiliate link on Half of Gabby. You will NOT pay more by clicking through the link. My promise to you is that I will never recommend a product that I don’t fully 100% believe in and/or use myself and recommend to close friends and family. This will allow me to continue working hard on Half of Gabby without it using up time that I need to otherwise dedicate to contributing to my household. I'm happy to be able to continue my blog and to continue talking with, meeting, and helping people all over the world with their health journeys!

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