Spaghetti Squash Primavera and Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day! What are you doing to celebrate your mother today? 

Last night Danny and I went out for a friend's birthday so we slept at my mom's because we were coming back to the area today. I took my mom to get a pedicure yesterday and we had some girl time which is always fun. (Chris we missed you!) Today we are going to one of our favorite Italian restaurants, La Parma. We've never, ever gone to a restaurant on a holiday, or Mother's Day before but my mom decided she didn't want to cook or clean (which I TOTALLY get). So we are all taking her out to dinner...and by all I mean like 4 or 5 of us haha. 


Everyone who knows me, knows my mom and I are really close. So to be really cheesy, I'm going to list some of the reasons why I'm really thankful and appreciative for my mom.

1. She still does my laundry and doesn't ever complain. (In all fairness, I live in an apartment building and have to pay for laundry...and I'm kind of grossed out by doing laundry where everyone else does it...I know I'm weird.)
2. She doesn't say no when I show up at her house and tell her we're going to sleep there and use all her stuff and eat all her food. 
3. She listens to me complain and always has good advice. 
4. She started her own business.
5. She taught me all the major, important and unimportant lessons in life, with her mantra being, always follow your heart. 


I could go on with a million more things, but I won't bore you all with them. Happy Mother's Day to all of you! Including my also, very wonderful, mother in law who I'm very thankful for as well!


I'll leave you with a recipe that is a new favorite of my mom's. Last week I went to my mom's to meet a hair person to do our hair for my mom's wedding. Before she came I made a quick dinner for the 3 of us.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
- 1 spaghetti squash (cook and remove squash)
- 1/2 can, drained and rinsed small white beans
- 1 can artichoke hearts
- 5-7 button mushrooms chopped
- 2 small zucchini chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 5 stalks of asparagus, chopped
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- salt and pepper


Saute the garlic in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the garlic is lightly browned, add the zucchini and mushrooms. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and artichoke hearts and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the diced tomatoes and small white beans. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, red pepper, oregano and basil.  Stir. Let simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and and pepper to taste. Serve over spaghetti squash. 


* I usually just cut the spaghetti squash in half and cook the it in the microwave and add a bit of water to the inside of the squash.

This meal is very filling with the spaghetti squash, but also can be eaten with whole wheat pasta or brown rice pasta. 

Have a wonderful day celebrating your mothers, or if you are one, celebrating YOU!