It has come to my attention I haven’t done a food spotlight post in a red hot minute. I selfishly love doing them because I usually learn a lot more about foods I love and enjoy than I knew before I started researching the details for a post.
Me like… “wow! I’m eating so healthy!” haha
Seriously though, can you go wrong with veggies ?? I think not.
I decided to focus on one of my favorite “go to” veggies, the humble yellow squash.
Yellow squash, also called yellow zucchini or summer squash, is a hot weather vegetable picked in its immature stage to ensure a thin, edible skin and sweet, soft flesh. This squash typically ranges in size from 6 to 8 inches long, although it can be smaller, depending on when you pick the fruit
With the recent massive recall in the states on romaine lettuce because of e coli, the shelves have been stripped bare in stores and salads, well just haven’t been happening.
Yeah I know there’s “iceberg” lettuce, but really, why does that exist??
Anyway, I digress.
Not making salads ( a huge staple in my meals) I was looking at other creative veggie ideas while we waited for the lettuce to return.
One of my favorite ways to use squash is to mix it up with other things, like zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and some red onion, add some sea salt and crushed pepper, mix up with a little olive oil and roast in oven on a high heat. I then but it under the broiler for a few minutes to “crisp” the veggies a little.
I cannot tell you how seriously amazing it is.
Wait. First you need some nutritional facts.
One medium squash has a whole 32 calories!
One cup of raw, sliced yellow squash contains 18 calories. This low-calorie vegetable is an ideal side dish if you wish to lose weight. Yellow squash essentially has no fat — a 1-cup portion provides only 0.2 g.
A 1-cup serving of raw yellow squash provides you with 3.8 g of carbohydrates, or 2.9 percent of the 130 g suggested daily. Carbs serve as the main supply of energy for your body. Yellow squash also helps you consume the fiber you need each day; 1 cup contains 1.2 g. Fiber can play a critical role in helping you lose weight. High-fiber foods satisfy hunger better than low-fiber foods by providing more bulk in your diet. Fiber also helps regulate bowel movements and decreases your chances of developing diverticulitus, a condition that affects your colon. Include 25 to 38 g of fiber in your diet every day.
Yellow squash serves as a good source of vitamin C — each 1-cup portion contains 21.3 to 25.6 percent of the amount your body requires daily. Ascorbic acid, another name for vitamin C, is an antioxidant that blocks cellular damage from free radicals, helping to slow aging and possibly decreasing your risk of heart disease, arthritis and cancer.
One portion of yellow squash also provides 8.6 to 11.1 percent of the daily recommended value of manganese, an essential trace mineral.
Have I convinced you to try it yet?
Listen if you’re sitting behind your screen gagging a little ’cause the only way you ever had it is when your Mom boiled it to death in water on the stove turning it into a form of mush well… I’m sorry she ruined you for it 😉
But wait! You’re all grown now, you should give it another chance and try it in some different recipes or try it like I suggested to you, mixed and roasted with other veggies.
It’s a winning combo to eat foods that are filling, nutritious and low calorie.
Of course I’ll offer some recipes for you to try.
Your turn! Do you like squash? Have you tried it? If so what’s your fav way to eat it ?
sassyfitnesschick 