This one comes to us compliments of my friends Terry & Linda Knutson. They kept telling me about this amazing recipe that Linda made, and I have been drooling over the idea all summer. Now, we have it, Nutrition Support reviewed and approved for anyone fully on the 5&1 program!  You know how much I love my spaghetti squash (and how much of it is growing in my garden this year!), so this is a double delight! Hope you enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

10 sprays non-stick cooking spray

4 – 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 packages crushed Medifast crackers (for those not on full program, feel free to substitute some Panko breadcrumbs here) (if 2 packages doesn’t seem like quite enough, you can go as high as 4 packages, as long as you remember to omit your optional snack that day)

2 egg whites

1 tsp Italian seasonings (you can increase this amount, as long as you haven’t already used your condiments for the day)

2 cups Walden Farms marinara sauce (or 2 cups low-sodium canned diced tomato, blended to make it smoother)

1/2 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

4 cups cooked spaghetti squash

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cooking spray on glass baking pan. Place crumbs in bowl & mix in Italian spices. Pound chicken breasts to flatten. Dip each chicken breast in egg white and then in seasoned crumbs. Place in baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Top each chicken breast with 1/4 cup pasta sauce and 2 tbsp shredded cheese. Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with 1 cup cooked spaghetti squash, topped with 1/4 cup pasta sauce.

Nutritional Breakdown:

Makes 4 servings. Each servings consists of:

1 Leaner protein

3 Vegetables

1/2 optional snack

3/4 condiment