I survived Whole 30. Now can I get a cookie?? For those who are unfamiliar, Whole 30 is a reset similar to paleo. No dairy, grains, sugar, alcohol, legumes, any weird food additives/oils, etc. It really wasn’t that bad, and served its purpose for me, which was to tame the sugar demon. It’s kind of a problem to NEED dessert after every meal… I had to get pretty creative toward the end since this plan requires a lot of cooking. So, here is a winner, winner, chicken dinner that is Whole 30 compliant, tasty, and pretty easy: buffalo chicken spaghetti squash!
First, roast your spaghetti squash after slicing in half, face down on a pan. I found that Trader Joe’s has the best organic spaghetti squash since they charge per unit, rather than by the pound.
While the squash roasts, chop the celery and cook up the chicken. A skillet on the stovetop, in the oven, whatever floats your boat. For all our meat needs, we just started doing Butcher Box. If you’re going to eat meat, I think it’s really important to find quality products. Grass fed and finished, free-range, all that good stuff. Butcher Box sources meat that fit this criteria, and it comes straight to your door as a subscription based service. So far, so good. They have a promo now to get free bacon with your orders for the rest of the year!
Ok, back to the recipe. After the chicken finishes cooking, shred it up. The easiest way is to use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, but a little elbow grease and two forks works, too.
When the squash is done and cooled, scoop out the goop and compost it. Save the good spaghetti and scoop into a bowl. Mix it up with the chicken, ranch, sauce, and celery. Tessemae’s 
Next, put the spaghetti mixture back in the spaghetti squash shell and pop the whole thing back in the oven for 30 minutes.
Wow, that looks really unappetizing before baking. I promise it tastes better than it looks.
Bacon on top is optional, but I think bacon makes everything better. Just be sure to get no sugar-added bacon if you are trying to make this Whole 30 friendly (like Butcher Box). Cook this up while the squash shell bakes.
Remove from the oven, let cool, and add bacon plus sliced up green onions. Enjoy it fresh! A whole squash should make about 4 servings.
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 4 chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup Tessamae's ranch dressing
- ⅓ cup wing sauce, adjust to taste
- 1 bunch celery, sliced
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 4 slices bacon, optional
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds and slimy slop.
- Place cut side down on a pan and roast spaghetti squash in the oven for about 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can pierce the shell easily with a fork.
- While squash roasts, cook the chicken. After it is cooked through, shred it up. The easiest way to do this is put in a mixer with the paddle attachment. If you don't have a mixer, use two forks and pull apart the chicken.
- Let squash cool for a least 15 minutes, then scoop out the spaghetti and place in bowl. Save the squash shell!
- Mix chicken, spaghetti squash, sauces, and celery and put back in the shell.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and let cool for 10 minutes. Top with green onions and crumbled bacon. Enjoy!
The Argentine adventure started off on the wrong foot. Our fridge died the morning we were scheduled to leave, and then the flight from DC to Toronto was so delayed by snow that we would likely have missed our connecting flights to Buenos Aires (who books a flight through Canada in the dead of winter? lesson learned). So, we went back home and spent Christmas morning back home with no food and no stores open. In retrospect, it may have been good to have almost no food since the following week was so indulgent…but I digress.
Once we finally made it in the apartment, it was super cute with a little patio.
Thankfully it was conveniently located in 
I spotted this wine bottle displayed in the restaurant and it explained a curiosity I saw in the park on our walk to the restaurant.
I saw something that looked like a pack of scrawny dogs crossed with a kangaroo. Very strange. They resemble the critter shown on these wine bottles, called a 
We stumbled upon this young lady in her wedding dress and her cute dog. Turns out, she died on her honeymoon and her parents reconstructed her bedroom inside her tomb.
If this hasn’t creeped you, out go visit any day between 8am-6pm, with free English tours at 11am on Tues/Thurs.
Some other spots to see: 
We closed out 2017 with a trip to Argentina, checking off a new continent. It was…an adventure. A good distinction in travel is a trip vs. a vacation. This was definitely a trip. Recaps on 
I should mention, we did not climb to the summit (22,837 ft/6960.8 ms), but instead went to Confluencia, the first base camp (11,090 ft/3,380 ms). Roughly less than 40% of people who attempt the full climb make it, mostly due to weather or altitude sickness. The record time to climb and descend is 11 hours and 52 minutes, set in 2014. This sounds insane to me, considering the average trek is 20 days, to allow ample time for altitude acclimation.
Side note: remember Andes Candies? They were in the airport lounge in Newark! It brought back memories from Christmas-time growing up, where they were always out in the candy dishes. I didn’t know the chocolates were still made, and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to see the real Andes in person.
Anyway, back to the trip. We drove about 2.5 hours from Mendoza to Aconcagua Provincial Park. Come prepared, because there’s not much along the way there.
This looks like a dried up river bed, don’t you think?
The rangers at the ticket office give you a trash bag that is attached to your ticket number. This helps ensure hikers take everything with them back off the mountain and prevent litter. She told us to bring 2 liters of water each, sunscreen, and snacks. It was a little late to offer this advice, since they have no potable water, supplies, etc. here. But, they do have bathrooms without toilet paper. So there’s that.
After we got our tickets, we hopped back in the car and drive to the main parking lot. We packed up all the water, slathered on an inadequate amount of sunscreen, and hit the path!
The beginning of the hike was so beautiful and scenic with wildflowers and crystal clear skies. I felt like I was in the Sound of Music! We followed a group of people up the dirt path toward the snow-capped mountains. You can’t really get lost, just keep your eye on the snow. After we made it past all the trekkers with huge backpacks (I cannot imagine carrying all that extra weight), we had the trail all to our selves.
At one point, we stopped every few minutes to take in some air. The scenery was just as breathtaking as the lack of oxygen. Avalanche zone? Cool. Let’s take a break right here.
There are signs along the way estimating how long it will take to get to Confluencia, and up until this point, we were crushing it in half the time. That soon ended, but the excitement of finally making it helped carry us on to the final stretch. Some mules were coming back down the mountain, and I couldn’t be more impressed by their agility. I assume they were carrying supplies to and from the higher elevations.
Made it! Once we reached Confluencia, we checked in with the park rangers there. They recorded our ticket numbers and sent us on our way. They offer medical care at this camp, and those forging on to the next camp can stay overnight here.
To Steve’s displeasure, I insisted we climb the little hill past Confluencia to get the best view. Time for a snack, reflection on our accomplishment, and a few pics.
After taking it all in, we set back on the trail to get down. Based on our speedy ascent, I thought we’d be back down in no time. Again, the altitude and high winds had other plans for us. The mules sprinted by us as we shuffled along, realizing the sun was slowly sizzling exposed winter-white flesh.
Finally, back down to where we started! After completing the hike, we were told to check back in at the ticket office. I like that accountability, so hopefully no one gets left behind! After checking in, we sought out water. I have never wanted a cold drink more! We stopped into Puente del Inca, just down the road, for hydration. I’m not sure if it was the extreme thirst or what, but Powerade Apple flavor is amazing. Is that a thing in the U.S.??
This hike turned out to be a highlight on our trip. Would I tackle the Himalayas next? Probably not. But never say never!