Crispy spaghetti!

Did you read that title??? Crispy spaghetti!! I tried this the other day and it was so good. Definitely something I will be making again.

Needed:
-spaghetti (or Fettuccini noodles like I used)
-olive oil
-veggies to be mixed inside - I used spinach and onion, but the original post used zucchini in theirs
-pasta sauce

1. Cook the noodles as directed.

2. Sauté up the veggies you're planning to use inside.

3. Mix the cooked noodles and cooked veggies together.

4. Add a little olive oil to a pan and spread it across the entire bottom. Spread the noodle/veggie mixture so that it's across the entire pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until browned on the bottom.

5. Here's the tricky part: slide the mixture on to a plate (so you can flip it), wipe out the pan, add a little more oil so it covers the bottom, then add the noodles back to the pan to cook the other side. Cook for another 8-10 minutes. 

6. Serve it with the pasta sauce.

I like it so much because of the texture of the noodles. They get really crispy (hence the name) and it's super tasty. The hubs doesn't usually like spaghetti, but he wanted more of this because the texture was so different.

"I wanna go fast!" - Ricky Bobby

I joined the half marathon training program for a couple reasons. First, to meet other runners in the area and learn different running paths and second, to (hopefully) make me faster.

I still have my goal of breaking the 2 hour mark for a half marathon, with a current PR of 2:01:40 as of May. With the help if this program, I really think I can get there because they make me do something I hate - speed work.

Last night is a great example. It was chilly, after 6 p.m., I was tired and already had dinner. If I had just been relying on myself to workout I probably would have given in and just ran a slower 5 miles instead of doing sprints, but since this program holds me accountable, I did those sprints.

We did 25 minutes of 400m repeats, which ended up being 6 rounds. One round was one quarter mile lap at a sprint, then one quarter mile lap at a jog. I was able to keep all my sprint laps at 1:57 - 1:58 and I was very proud of that! There were a couple times I just wanted to slow down, but I kept my eyes on the girls in front of me and they kept me motivated to keep pushing. I felt so good afterward that it made me want to sign up for more races. That's how it happens.

I also felt really good because I had eaten really well yesterday, too, so I just felt healthy all over. I roasted my acorn squash from last week's Backyard Produce box, scraped out the meat and turned it in to a little salad bowl with spinach, tomato, onion, avocado and the roasted squash seeds (that's my new obsession, roast all the seeds!).

 Look at the pretty colors!

The acorn squash shell makes its own bowl. Convenient.

After I got home from my run last night I also had my new Backyard Produce box, so that just added to my good feeling. Spinach, kale, bell peppers, avocados, tangerines and kiwis. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this service?!

Am i ... *gulp* ... Injury prone?

I've always gotten the common aches and pains from running - knees hurt, back hurts, sore muscles - but lately, it's been more. First it was the stress fracture in my foot, now it's a constant pain in my hip for the last two weeks. It's really hard to stay motivated when everything hurts.

The thing that has been keeping me moving though, is the half marathon training group I signed up for. I knew there was a reason to signed up for it! The people are really great and the Tuesday speed work kicks my butt, but my hip has been keeping me from pushing too hard. Hopefully, the insert I bought yesterday will help out with that because I'm not ready to accept the idea that my body can't handle running anymore.

Let's move on from the thought of that and I'll tell you about a couple recent recipes I've tried - butternut squash soup and diet cherry cola chocolate cake.

Butternut Squash Soup

Needed:
-butternut squash
-3 cups vegetable broth
-onion, chopped
-garlic, chopped
-thyme

Topping:
-sour cream
-green onions, chopped
-squash seeds (from the butternut squash)

1. Preheat the oven to 400, cut the squash in half, long ways, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender.

2. Scoop out the meat of the squash and put in food processor with broth, onion, garlic and thyme. Mix until well blended. Put in to bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of green onions and a little handful of the roasted squash seeds.

To make the roasted squash seeds, before putting the squash in the oven, scrape out the seeds and set aside. Then while the squash is roasting:

1. Rinse the seeds really well to get all the extra guts off.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil, add the seeds, lower the temp and let them simmer for 10 min.

3. Drain them, then pat them dry as much as possible between two papertowels. They become really sticky and will stick to the paper towel, but not a big deal, just peel them off.

4. Add the seeds to a bowl, drizzle olive oil and salt over the top and stir it around so they're all coated.

5. Lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 325°. There's not a set amount of time for how long, you just have to watch them closely. They burn from the inside, so on the outside they look perfectly fine, but the inside they're a crisp. We checked ours every 5 minutes for about 20-25 minutes and kinda moved them around on the baking sheet each time we checked.

They are addictive.

Then, for dessert, check out the diet cherry cola chocolate cake.

All you need is cake mix and 12 ounces of diet cherry cola. Mix them together, pour in a pan and bake as directed on the box for the size pan you use. Delish! And slightly less guilt since there's no oil or eggs.