Weekends around here are super busy now that Lacrosse season is upon us. Tennis is the sport I always envisioned my boys playing. They’ve had some lessons and seem to enjoy it and I will admit to having spent time imagining them as high school tennis stars. Tennis is sensible because it not only works for school sports but it’s something that can be played well into adulthood. But while my boys may opt to continue tennis lessons at some point, Lacrosse has now come into the picture and my husband G couldn’t be happier.
G grew up in Baltimore where Lacrosse is a major sport (unlike my home in Texas where Football reigns supreme). He started playing Lacrosse when he was a very young boy, played Lacrosse for The University of Massachusetts and went on to become a Lacrosse coach at a boys school in Manchester, England for a year. So, you see, our sons will play Lacrosse, it is fated to be.
I just wish Benjamin would remember to tie his shoes!
Both brothers seem to be taking a liking to the game. Tennis anyone?…anyone?
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately which is great considering all of the outdoor activities we have going on. After Saturday’s Lacrosse tournament I spent a little time admiring more of the natural spring beauty in our yard. Ginkgo tree with new leaves, tulips, rhododendron…dandelion (well, at least it’s pretty when you look closely).
Sunday was another busy day with church in the morning and an afternoon of fishing with the Cub Scouts…
Nathaniel caught a fish and managed to earn his fishing belt loop in the process. He was very proud.
While working hard at fishing, we spied a few Canadian geese keeping their goslings very close while patrolling a part of the lake.
Square foot gardening
After fishing we had a little time to work on our garden before it was time to make dinner. So far we’ve cleaned up our three 4′ x 10′ raised beds and amended the soil. This year we’ve decided to try “square foot gardening” (SFG) which is the practice of planning and creating small but intensively planted gardens. The idea is to maximize the yield by being super efficient with space. You follow guidelines for how much space and resources each plant needs to grow. For example, guidelines say you can get 16 radishes in one square foot while tomatoes should be planted one per square foot. This method also helps with weed control and can improve results of companion planting. In preparation for SFG we divided the beds into square feet plots. I’m sure we’ll post more through the season but here’s how it looked when we started two weeks ago.
We worked in our garden for a while before turning our attention to dinner. We were ready for something easy, hearty and healthy. Inspiration came from a photo I saw recently on Pinterest of a quiche with a spaghetti squash crust. I came up with a dish that adds grass-fed beef seasoned with chili powder and other “Tex Mex” spices combined with eggs and a few other veggies on a “crust” made of spaghetti squash. We also dubbed it “Taco Pie” because it sounded much more fun to my kids than the formal “paleo quiche with spaghetti squash crust.” (Funny how they respond to things based on the name!) The result is a grain-free, gluten-free, meaty quiche that works as a one-dish meal. My whole family loved it and I hope you will too.
Paleo Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust
Paleo Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons Penzey’s Chili 9000 (or similar chili or taco seasoning blend with all-natural ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 8 large eggs, whisked
- 1-2 teaspoons additional fat for pan
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Prepare the spaghetti squash: Halve squash lengthwise. Arrange squash in a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half. Rake a fork back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands. Season the spaghetti squash with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- While squash is cooking brown the ground beef in a cast iron skillet.
- Add the diced onion, garlic, spice blend and salt and continue cooking until onions are soft. Remove the meat mixture from the skillet to another dish and keep warm.
- Add the cooked, seasoned spaghetti squash to the skillet and spread it out evenly including lining the sides.
- Heat the squash mixture for several minutes until more of the moisture is cooked out.
- Add the reserved spicy beef mixture to the crust.
- Sprinkle the chopped fresh cilantro on top of the beef mixture.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs with some salt and pepper and pour it on top of the beef and crust.
- Add slices of red bell pepper.
- Top with grated cheese (if using) and place in the 350 degree F oven. Cook for about 35 minutes until the eggs are done and quiche seems firm.
- Serve warm.
Paleo Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust Recipe
PrintPaleo Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust
Grain-Free Breakfast Dish
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons Penzey’s Chili 9000 (or similar chili or taco seasoning blend with all-natural ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 8 large eggs, whisked
- 1–2 teaspoons additional fat for pan
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Prepare the spaghetti squash: Halve squash lengthwise. Arrange squash in a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half. Rake a fork back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands. Season the spaghetti squash with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- While squash is cooking brown the ground beef in a cast iron skillet.
- Add the diced onion, garlic, spice blend and salt and continue cooking until onions are soft. Remove the meat mixture from the skillet to another dish and keep warm.
- Add the cooked, seasoned spaghetti squash to the skillet and spread it out evenly including lining the sides.
- Heat the squash mixture for several minutes until more of the moisture is cooked out.
- Add the reserved spicy beef mixture to the crust.
- Sprinkle the chopped fresh cilantro on top of the beef mixture.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs with some salt and pepper and pour it on top of the beef and crust.
- Add slices of red bell pepper.
- Top with grated cheese (if using) and place in the 350 degree F oven. Cook for about 35 minutes until the eggs are done and quiche seems firm.
- Serve warm.
The spaghetti squash crust stayed together really well although it is NOT crunchy – at least not when I made it. But the boys asked for seconds so I figured that’s a good sign.
I hope your weekends are wonderful.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Lea, for another great looking recipe. I will make this as soon as I get some spaghetti squash.
Julie
This looks delish!