Quiche is one of my absolute favorite breakfast items. In fact, quiche was one of the first things that I ever baked for Adam to show off my cooking skills :) Last week, I saw a recipe floating around on Pinterest featuring a quiche made with a spaghetti squash "crust". GENIUS!!! I combined my own quiche recipe here (which I make slightly healthier substituting any cream for greek yogurt) with the spaghetti squash crust concept and it turned out sooo tasty! Granted, its not going to be that buttery & flaky pie crust bottom, but its a nice healthy alternative...perfect for our waistlines! Serve with a side salad for a delicious Sunday brunch meal. xx
Ingredients
5 large eggs at room temperature, beaten 3/4 c. diced yellow onion 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 c. asparagus, cut into 1" pieces 1 1/2 c. fresh chopped spinach 3/4 c. greek yogurt 1 1/2 c. monterey jack cheese (gruyere is also very good in this!) 1 tsp salt 1tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp olive oil 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about 1 small squash) Non stick spray oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Slice your squash in half, and place face down on the sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes. You will know when it is done because you will be able to easily pierce it with a fork and the edges will be slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside until it has cooled enough to handle.
Meanwhile, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Once squash has cooled, scoop out seeds and discard. Scrape the sides of the squash until it loosens. Measure out 3 cups of cooked squash and firmly press into the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9" pie pan making sure that it is evenly distributed throughout. Set pie pan aside.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until slightly tender.
While the asparagus is cooking, whisk together eggs, greek yogurt, salt & pepper, and about 1 cup of the cheese. Whisk until well incorporated. Set aside.
Once asparagus has cooked, remove pan from heat and add in chopped spinach, stirring frequently until spinach starts to wilt.
Layer cooked asparagus/onion/spinach on top of the spaghetti squash. Slowly pour in the egg mixture. Set pie pan on cookie sheet, and place in oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes @375 degrees until quiche is set. Top with remaining cheese, cover loosely with tinfoil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven & serve immediately.
I hope you guys enjoy! Please let me know if you end up trying this out. As always, I welcome all comments & suggestions :)
Since it never really gets too cold in Miami, you'll almost always find me in some form of a lightweight knit sweater + shorts. It's my year round uniform with some degree of variation. I loved this outfit that I wore over the weekend to attend an open house [still house hunting!] and really liked how the leopard print clutch pulled everything together! Hope you all had a great holiday weekend :)
Today I'm so excited to introduce you to Kelli, Septembers fitness inspiration of the month!
With her degree in nutrition plus her personal training certifications, this babe is super knowledgeable when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Oh, and I should also mention that she competes in NPC fitness competitions, and I'm having major body envy when I look at her competition pictures her body is total fitspiration! Aside from her hot bod, this girl is absolutely adorable + one of the sweetest girls that I know. Her bubbly, upbeat personality is always so contagious and I have the feeling that I'm not alone when I say that its always such a pleasure to be around her....which isn't very often since she + her husband live in Michigan (BOOO move to FL so we can be besties!). Read more about her and her passion for fitness below.
Give us a brief bio about yourself. Ever since I was a young girl I was always into everything active and started growing such a passion for food and staying healthy. I “officially” got into the fitness industry when I was 16. I had injured myself in Volleyball and could no longer play sports, but knew I wanted to stay active. I was mentored by a Pilates instructor in my area and got certified! I would train all of the sports teams at my high school. I continued to teach Pilates throughout college at Michigan State as well as Spinning and a variety of other group exercise classes. I knew I wanted to stay in the health/fitness field, so I got my Bachelors Degree in Dietetics (nutrition).
Since graduating college, I have done everything from nutritional counseling at a plastic surgeons office in Las Vegas to running a group exercise and nutrition program for a large company in New York. Since I settled back in my hometown in Michigan, I have taken a much more personal approach with my clients. Those that are in my area, have me train them in their home or at my studio. My remote clients that are out-of-state are sent weekly workouts and nutritional plans. Each of my clients has a personalized plan that is designed specifically for their body and personal goals. Both have been very successful for me and I am anxious to see what the future holds! Your body is ahhh-mazing! What does your weekly workout schedule look like?
You are so sweet, thank you! My workouts are definitely my stress relief! My weekly workout schedule varies from week to week but mostly I will get in 4 strength training workouts and 1-2 cardio workouts. I truly enjoy my time in the gym; everyone needs some “me” time! How disciplined do you have to be in order to compete in figure competitions? In order to compete in any fitness competition, you have to be EXTREMELY disciplined. Your head definitely has to be in the right place to want to put your body through such a tough regimen and make it to the stage feeling your best. If you’re not mentally prepared, it can mess with your psyche! It’s funny that I got into competing because I’m actually not competitive at all! I did it to solely challenge myself and my own body. It is emotionally and physically the most challenging thing I have ever done.
What is your average client looking to gain through personal training sessions? The average client I see for personal training is looking to tone/tighten up specific areas and really needs some accountability! It’s so much easier when someone is telling you what to do vs. you doing it on your own in the gym. I provide that accountability as well as support them in every way I possibly can. I haven’t lost a client yet! What is the biggest misconception that women have about fitness?
By far the biggest misconception women have about fitness is lifting weights. A lot of women are cardio bunnies! They think weights will make them “bulk up” or “look bigger/more masculine” when actually the opposite is true! Adding resistance/strength training to your routine will not only help you lose fat MUCH faster but it can completely change the composition of your body. It helps to keep the lean muscle on and take the fat off; something cardio just cannot do. When I train for competitions/shoots I hardly do any cardio at all! What is an amazing "move" that you love for toning up? I have two go-to moves! The first, is for you booty! It’s a step-back lunge with a knee-up. To kick this move up a notch, you can even add weights.
My second go-to move is a full body move that will get your heart-rate up! It’s called a mountain climber. It works all the muscles in your body and will get you sweating! Alternate knees coming in and go as fast or as slow as your body will allow.
If you had one week to get ready for a big event, how would you prep?
If I had one week to shape up for an event, I would put most of the focus on my diet. Weight loss/ weight maintenance in my mind is about 70% diet / 30% exercise. I would take any/all processed foods out and increase my protein and green vegetable intake. Also, water, water, water!
Fave go-to healthy snack?
My favorite go-to healthy snack would be either a rice cake with a tablespoon of peanut/almond butter or if I wanted something lighter, just some veggies! My favorites are snap peas or cucumbers if I’m on the go :) Think Thin bars are also a good go-to because of the high protein, low sugar content…and gluten free! Any specific diets that you stick to?
I don’t really ever consider myself on a diet (unless I’m in training) only because mentally that word, to me, means “restriction”! On a normal basis though, I am a clean eater. I eat a lot of lean proteins (ground turkey, chicken, eggs) and A LOT of vegetables. I very, very rarely eat any dairy only because it just doesn’t settle well with me. I am not a huge carb eater besides my oatmeal in the morning but I rarely crave carbs. If I do, I allow myself to have them and move on! Any sort of lifestyle change, food-wise, is so personal and not every plan will work for every person. It’s all trial and error and your body will let you know if it doesn’t agree with something you have eaten! Every client I have is on a different plan according to what their body responds to. You have to make it work for YOUR life.
What motivational advice do you give your clients so that they don't lose momentum in the gym? This is a big one I get from my clients as well. Where do we find the motivation?! This is a tough one to answer but the best advice I have is to keep setting short-term goals. Whether you have a vacation coming up or a dress you would love to fit into or would just like to feel better in your jeans. Keep making those goals and keep them front and center in your mind at all times. Let your friends and family know what your goals are so the accountability is there. The more people know what you are working on, the better! Do you have any stay skinny secrets that you care to share? The best “stay skinny” secrets I have are: protein, strength training, water and no processed foods! A good combination of those four will help keep your metabolism running at its fullest potential and overall you will feel leaner, lighter and tighter! Now, who doesn’t want that?!
What do you girls think? Her outlook on diet & fitness is so motivating! I also love that she sent me pictures of her go-to booty toning moves!!Please comment / leave feedback below, and also let me know if there is any particular comments that you'd like to ask next months fitness inspo of the month! xx
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