Zucchini and Squash Pasta and Running Award!

Well first off, I want to say thank you to Healthcare Colleges for giving me this wonderful award! My blog was rated in the top 100 best running blogs hah, who would’ve thought. If you are looking for some running blogs, then definitely check out the blog post they put up with the list of all the blogs awarded.

Also, I want to say thank you to Sistema for sending me plastic storage containers for my food!! I really love the look of these containers and the fact they have snap handles and sit really nicely on each other. If you continue reading this post you will see them used! (I LOVE them by the way!!)

Well of course I had to cook something to fill these containers up.  

My mom sent me one of my favorite recipes we make at home. And thanks to this recipe card maker I experimented with recipe cards. I will have to get some card stock to make them more durable. (If you go and make these cards, just know that the image it shows you is not how it will print out. It shows things cut off but they show up when you print)

I had a bit of a detour in my cooking when this happened.

Yes, thank you cheap olive oil from the dollar tree. I can totally open this when the pull tab rips in half. I resorted to a knife to pop it open. Send me some REAL olive oil please where the bottle doesn’t break on me.

Now onto the cooking portion!!

Take note of the olive oil’s new container next to the napkins.

I cut up some onions (way too much) and some squash and zucchini

Poor in the wonderful tomatoes with the sauce

Mix in the spaghetti!

BOOM, a delicious dinner.

And my wonderful new containers that are holding my next few meals!

I also made a bracelet for a real lovely person that ordered 2 bracelets from me. I hope she likes it. I have to make her another one but I have to run to the store and get some orange string!

What a long blog post!! I hope you enjoyed this recipe and I will bring you some wonderful running later I’m sure!  

Girl Scout Tagalong Recipe

*this recipe was from Baking Bites and I finally got around to making them!

First, grab a cute baking partner.

Or two. I also made Alex wear this apron, but just for the picture. Once he read the “Girls rule, boys drool” embroidery he was not too happy. hahahah

Gather ingredients for cookie base:

• 1 cup butter, soft
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  

Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk.

The dough should come together into a soft ball.
Take a tablespoon full of dough and flatten it into a disc about 1/4-inch thick.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cookies will not spread too much, so you can squeeze them in more than you would for chocolate chip cookies.

Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes, until bottoms and the edges are lightly browned and cookies are set.
Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, use your thumb or a small spoon to make a depression in the center of each cookie

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now you’ll need the ingredients for the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (natural or regular)
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar*
• generous pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• about 8-oz semisweet chocolate

In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt and vanilla.

When the mixture has come together, heat it in the microwave (again in short intervals, stirring frequently), until it is very, very soft.

Working carefully with the hot filling, transfer it to a pastry bag (or plastic bag with the tip cut off) and pipe a generous dome of the filling into each cookie’s “thumbprint”.

Chill cookies with filling for 20-30 minutes, or until the peanut butter is firm.

Melt the chocolate in a small, heat-resistant bowl. This can be done in a microwave (with frequent stirring) or on a double boiler, but the bowl of melted chocolate should ultimately be placed above a pan of hot, but not boiling, water to keep it fluid while you work.

Dip chilled cookies into chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on a sheet of parchment paper to let the cookies set up. The setting process can be accelerated by putting the cookies into the refrigerator once they have been coated.

Makes about 3 dozen

Hope you enjoy!!!!

I’ll have to take pictures of all my Christmas presents to share with you all! It was a good one!

Oreo Balls

Gather your ingredients:

• 1 package of Oreos
• Almond Bark at least 8 oz
• 1 package Cream Cheese
• Ziploc Bag
• Wax Paper

Place Oreos into a ziploc bag, or food processor and smash into crumbs.

I like to use a plastic bag because it’s easy cleanup and I use a rolling pin to break down the cookies. I find it easier to add a row of cookies at a time.

Then you mix your cream cheese in with your Oreo crumbles.

After it’s all mixed together you will roll the mixture into balls. Whatever size you like.

Then you melt ~8oz of almond bark in the microwave. I put mine in for 90 seconds then stir, then 15 second intervals and stirring in between until smooth. Make sure you stir because otherwise it won’t look like it is melting and you may burn it.

Then you drip your Oreo Balls into the chocolate and coat. I use a fork to scoop them out so the excess chocolate drips through.

Place Oreo Balls onto wax paper. You can put sprinkles on them or leave them plain.  

And there you have yummy Oreo Balls!!

YUM!!

Next Post: Girl Scout Cookie Tagalongs.

Swallowed Bugs..ew

Hopefully you don’t mind that I reuse this picture. I had another clif z bar.

Was all ready to go bike riding…but then, realized I still needed to air up my tires. Alex has our pump that works on my valves so I was without a pump! Went to momentum bikes but they didn’t have the presta valve adaptors I needed.

Therefore, no bike ride.

Mixed berries, lots of spinach, and sunny D.

I made tuna casserole for lunch. It’s really easy.

Preheat oven to 350*
Boil water then add elbow macaroni – cook for about 7 minutes
In a casserole dish add:
- 1 can drained tuna
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 block/box of cream cheese

Then you mix it all together and add the noodles when they are done. Mix in some salt and pepper and then for some crunch add potato chips on top (we didn’t have any so we had to do without today) and then bake for 30 minutes just to get everything melted and hot.

Easy peasy and delicious!

Snacked on these throughout the day..had about 4. Sue me.

Had a fartlek run today. Here’s the breakdown.

Warmup: 1.58 miles in 13:04 @ 8:16 pace

20 min fartlek: 5 x 3min (1min easy 3min hard etc)

1 min: .13 @ 7:47
3 min: .43 @ 6:59
1 min: .12 @ 8:16
3 min: .41 @ 7:20
1 min: .11 @ 8:50
3 min: .41 @ 7:16
1 min: .11 @ 8:59
3 min: .40 @ 7:31
1 min: .12 @ 8:23
3 min: .41 @ 7:22
total = 2.65 miles in 20 min @ 7:32 pace

Cool down: 1.43 miles in 12:27 @ 8:42 pace

Total mileage for the day = 5.66 miles

other facts: swallowed a few bugs on the run. got bit by a few bugs on the run. ipod stopped working with a mile left of the run. creeper guy walking a dog on the run.

Picture was taken post run…sorry haha

Didn’t want anything heavy to eat since it was 10pm so I went for Trix cereal!

 

Hope your day was exciting! I’ve got a busy day planned for tomorrow!