Low Carb Diet and My Adventures with the Butternut Squash

I've recently decided to ditch the 95% bread, tortillas, and pasta diet I've grown up enjoying for a low carb diet/lifestyle.  There have been multiple studies out there in the mainstream media that have caught my attention and assisted in wavering my decision on this matter.  I never thought I'd give up my beloved bread but I wanted to try this low carb living to see if it made a different in how my body feels. 

It all started with buying a butternut squash.  I'd heard of spaghetti squash and went to the market to purchase one.  I wasn't able to find this particular squash and instead picked up a butternut squash.  Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to quickly research recipes prior to checking out my groceries to assure this idea of butternut squash noodles was in fact possible.  I did end up having to do some additional research and discovered that I could make perfect noodles out of the butternut squash if I had a fancy noodle making device.  I logged on to Amazon.com and purchased a Spiralizer.  It was listed as one of the best sellers so I was easily swayed into purchasing.  My Spiralizer arrived the next day. The first meal to make with my new Spiralizer was spaghetti.  I used the 6mm blade and while the noodles turned out really good, my husband and I both agreed that the noodles turned out too thick for our preference and will opt for a small blade on our next attempt.  I used some YouTube videos to learn how to properly cook the butternut squash noodles.

To cook, I placed my noodles into a skillet with olive oil until the noodles appeared to be tender and not as hard.  You can also bake the noodles on a baking sheet in the oven after mixing with olive oil.  For the bulbous seed end of the squash, I scraped out the seeds and cut up the squash as best as I could into thin strips.  I used the thin strips the following day for making baked french fries.  I put olive oil on the baking sheet and brushed over each french fry.  I then seasoned with garlic powder, pepper, salt, cayenne, and cumin.  Baked on 425* for 30 minutes then broiled on high for 5 minutes. I think I'll just broil on low for 10-12 minutes next time which was recommended by a Pinterest recipe I camce across.  The fries turned out delicious.  All in all, the butternut squash as a high carb noodle and french fry alternative was a huge success.  I'm looking forward to trying out zucchini noodles next for pasta dishes. I have also incorporated a lot of cauliflower and will be making cauliflower pizza crust tonight for a homemade pizza.