The Way to a Man's Heart is with Marinara

Yep, you get two blogs today.  That's how much I really want to post this recipe love you!

I haven't mentioned too much about my diet because it's kinda boring.  I've been totally on point with delicious healthy meals, but we are creatures of habit and tend to eat a lot of the same foods over and over.  In fact, we recently had "Spaghetti Week" where we ate different variations of pasta with marinara all week long.  

The Biggest Loser Cookbook has a recipe for marinara that I always try to keep on hand (if I'm not too lazy!).  It is amazing on everything from steamed broccoli to fettucini! I really suggest doubling the recipe and adding calorie free flavor from vinegar, red pepper flakes, and/or garlic powder to really zing it up.  I'm not one of those Sunday-I-Cook-All-The-Food-For-The-Week people but I will be adjusting that to make sure I have this in the fridge for quick weeknight dinners.

Main Event Marinara Sauce
Canned tomatoes will always vary slightly in taste depending on where they were packed, what time of year they were harvested, etc. So sometimes the same recipe for sauce might require a touch of salt, while another may require a hint of sweetener. Here, we added very little of each and loved the results based on our canned tomatoes. If you need to, feel free to add another hint of salt or honey. Just be sure not to overdo it.

Olive oil spray 1 cup minced yellow or white onion
2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste (optional)

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not brown), 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with salt, if needed.

Makes 7 (1/2-cup) servings; about 31/2 cups sauce

Per serving: 63 calories, 3 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g fat (trace saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 15 6 mg sodium

Lifted from: NBC.com

Elliptical-Land Doesn't Have Any Fun Rides

 When one googles "cardio" the resulting photos are totally misleading! This little lady looks like this she just finished an easy workout and then misted herself with water to cool down a little.  When I go to the gym, it's more like this.  I'm tired, sweating buckets, breathing like a lawnmower and focusing on not giving up.  I can't wait to stop sucking!

I got to take Mr. Husband with me to Elliptical-Land this morning! Both of us were completely wiped after 20 minutes. It was really fortunate that I caused us to run late so we HAD to leave right after cardio.  I got to maintain my pride and pretend like I wasn't a giant wet noodle walking out! Overall, it was easier this time which I would totally credit to my mad dancing skills* in Dance Central. I convinced Mr. Husband to join me in the mornings and now when we don't gym, we'll both look like freaks in our livingroom.

* "Skills" should not be taken literally.  There is nothing skillful about how I flail about off-beat like I'm being electrocuted.

Dance Like a YouTube Fail

While I haven't been back to the gym, (because I'm terrible at time management and wake up too late) I have been working my heart muscle with Dance Central. If you're not familiar, it is a super fun Xbox Kinect title that has you mirroring dance moves you see on the screen.  No controllers, just me in all of my awkward glory.  If there are people monitoring my every move, YOU'RE WELCOME. For those of you who can't see it, just imagine a little of this only with a heavier, more female fail-er.

I'm still on easy and I have only touched about 15 songs, but I'm getting a really nice little burn in.  The best part is that, since I'm a hermit, I don't have to leave my house to do it.  Eventually, I'll be less of an introvert, but for now I will remain hidden in my Nerd-Den hoping no one peeks in to see me.  If you're really curious, I pretty much look just like this:

Nothing to see here, folks. Just flailing my arm about wildly and concentrating on my business.