I am planting some spaghetti squash seeds in my garden this spring (best in early May for Central Missouri), specifically because this Pad Thai recipe made me fall in love with this winter squash. If you have never eaten spaghetti squash, it is usually around 3 pounds and pale yellow. After it is cooked the inside becomes a bowl of noodle shaped starchy veggies, it is pretty incredible! I enjoy telling my patients about this noodle substitute if they are wanting to find a lower calorie and lower carbohydrate substitute for normal pasta.

Lentils are a part of the legume family. Other common legumes include peas, chickpeas, beans, soybeans, and peanuts. Lentils are cheap and they pack many vitamins and minerals like folate, manganese, iron, phosphorous, copper, vitamin B1, and potassium. The energy from lentils sticks with you and keeps you satisfied due to its high protein and fiber content. Lentils aren’t complicated to cook, and to save time, you could cook them in bulk for the week and freeze what you don’t end up using.