How my dad taught me food is medicine
Food is fuel
When my paternal grandfather passed away in 2005 after a sudden cancer diagnosis, my dad began to change the way he viewed health. At that point, he’d been a family physician for over 10 years, but would freely admit there was little to no material taught on proper eating habits in medical school. He took it upon himself to discover the right way to eat for longevity and to feel your best. I remember watching him as a young girl pull out his “Shakeology” bag and concoct a green goo then call it breakfast.
Of course, at the time, I didn’t appreciate his efforts to better our family’s plates. All I knew was our white pasta turned into wheat, peanut butter sandwiches weren’t quite as sweet, and “treat cereal” was only for Sunday mornings. What a drag! I began longing for sleepovers with my best friend Katie, whose breakfast everyday was a S’mores Poptart and big ole glass of whole milk, also known as heaven.
My dad’s long runs turned into strength focused workouts, some of which I began to join in on when I felt like it. This era was dominated by P90X and the variety of entities that came along with it: INSANITY, Les Mills Combat, Body Gospel. If P90X came out with a new workout collection, The Olivers had those DVDs pre-ordered. To this day, I am triggered by certain songs I know from blaring in my basement (why were they all Fall Out Boy and Evanescence?) and suddenly have the inclination to round-house kick.
In all seriousness, my dad’s disciplined health journey has been one I look up to immensely and began to mirror in high school and never really stopped (except the protein water, let’s draw the line somewhere). For over 15 years now, he’s spent time and resources to make sure his patients, family, and himself are here for as long and happily as possible while using food as medicine first.
Flash forward to 2024, I’m 23 and living in my parents’ basement. They are away on a beach trip, and I am holding down the fort. I collect our weekly bundle of organic produce from a local farm. I’m met with picturesque squash, stunning Roma and cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs and fruit. I put on my thinking cap. Let’s make something seasonal, locally sourced, nourishing, and freaking delicious. In other words, let’s make medicine and live forever.
Chicken & Feta Spaghetti Squash
Feta Tomato Sauce:
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 4-5 medium sized Roma tomatoes
- 1 medium sized onion
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Spaghetti Squash Chicken Pasta
- 1 baked chicken breast
- 1 spaghetti squash
- ½ box spaghetti noodles (I like Jovial brown rice noodles)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut your spaghetti squash in half, then drizzle avocado oil on top, along with salt and pepper. Place open side up on a baking sheet and stick in your heated oven for 45-55 minutes.
2. Slice your Romas and onion into quarter slices. Add just a spray of avocado oil to a skillet, then begin to cook tomatoes and onions on medium to high heat, flipping until browned and soft on each side.
3. Throw your uncooked noodles into boiling water.
4. Once your Romas and onions are cooked, take them off the skillet and put them into a blender. Keep your skillet warm and add another spray or drizzle of avocado oil. Add your cherry tomatoes to the pan with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid to sweat them out for around 10 minutes.
5. In your blender, combine the Romas, onion, minced garlic, cheese and spices. Blend on medium until smooth. Set aside.
6. Once your squash is baked, let cool before scraping out the goods with a fork. Throw into your skillet of now blistered cherry tomatoes.
7. Begin to toss everything else together, squash, tomatoes, cooked noodles, baked chicken* and that creamy sauce. Stir it all together, sprinkle some feta crumbles on top, and enjoy!
*I like to prep and bake a bunch of chicken on a Sunday to skip a step in making the full meal