Tuesdays that feel like Mondays are ALMOST as hard as Mondays! My students were NUTTY today, but it’s the end of the year, so that’s to be expected! I ran a little late getting out of work due to talking wedding invitations with the woman at work who is MAKING our invites, so when I got home I jetted upstairs, changed into workout clothes, and made a pre-workout/post work snack. I’m one of those people who has an “after school snack” every day… its just a pre-workout snack on the days I work out!
After burning 780 calories at Jazzercise, I ran to the grocery store to pick up some necessities, most importantly, garlic! I can’t believe I’ve lived without real garlic for almost 2 weeks now! I set right to cooking as soon as I got home in order to use up the quick-to-spoil fresh mozzarella and organic tomatoes leftover from yesterday‘s Caprese salad. Amazingly fresh, amazingly simple, and truly beautiful, this pasta sauce ROCKS!
Pomodoro Sauce
Ingredients
1 lb (or more) fresh tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
about 10 leaves fresh basil, cut into small pieces
Fresh mozzarella to taste
S&P to taste
1 lb. cooked whole wheat (or any) pasta, kept hot
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and add the garlic. When the garlic is aromatic, add the tomatoes and lower the heat. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to disintigrate. Add the basil (I shredded mine using a chiffonade technique). Add salt and pepper, stir well, and serve on top of pasta. Top with fresh mozzarella and eat!
This was SUCH a treat because it tasted like my favorite pasta I ever eat out at most Italian restaurants. I’ll be making this again, FOR SURE!
Nutrition Info for sauce only: Calories: 58; total fat: 3g; dietary fiber: 2g; protein 1.3 g
Add in the nutrition values from your pasta for the total value.
Now, I’m SO excited to bring you a Guest for Dinner! Christina from Dinner at Christina’s sent me a guest dinner, and I was THRILLED! I love reading her blog, because, well, her writing is amazing and her recipes are even better! AND to top it off, she’s a Chicago girl too! So, Christina, pull up a chair, have a seat at my table, and tell us about your meal!
Normally I host Dinner at Christina’s, but tonight will be “Dinner at Mara’s!” (Thanks for having me, Mara!)
I receive Taste of Home’s magazine as a thoughtful gift subscription from my Aunt Annie. Not only do I receive the beautiful magazine in my mailbox, but I also get tasty e-mails and special web access for member’s only sections. Somewhere in that tri-fecta I ran across this recipe for Spaghetti Squash Boats! I had a spaghetti squash in the pantry, and the rest of the ingredients are simple, so that was all the go-ahead I needed.
Ingredients:
Ingredients
1 medium spaghetti squash (2 – 2 1/2 pounds)
1/4 pound ground beef (I used 95/5)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I substituted zuchinni)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (I used a 28 oz can of crushed)
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeseDirections:
Cook the squash in the method that you prefer. Either bake in 1/2 in. of water until tender, or microwave about 5 minutes per pound. I used to be a baker, but it takes almost an hour, so I’ve recently converted to the microwave to cut down on both time and energy. You can’t taste the difference!When cool enough to handle, scoop out squash and set aside. In a skillet, cook beef, onion, and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the mushrooms (zuchinni), garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in squash.
in progress
Cook, uncovered, until liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fill shells; place in baking dish. Bake, uncovered in a 350° oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted. I popped mine under the broiler for nice brown cheese!
YUM!
These were really tasty and so filling! We each only ate half and the other half baked up nicely for leftovers a 2nd night.
If you cook these using lean ground beef and part-skim mozzarella (as I did), each 1 cup serving is 102 calories, 3g fat, 13g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, and 7g of protein!
Thanks so much Christina! These look like they’d be a phenomenal meal! I haven’t had spaghetti squash in YEARS! If you want to be my guest for dinner, just send your post to mara@imadedinner.net
Now, just a reminder! You can STILL ENTER to win one of the fabulous foodie charms here, or you can order one for just $7 by clicking here! I even made the contest post FIRST on the main page! You can also enter to win a charm at EatingBender and GlidingCalm!
Tomorrow promises to be a great day… a friend (yes, a REAL friend) is coming over for a “very meaty burger dinner”, and hopefully (fingers crossed) it won’t rain!! AND tomorrow’s Guest for Dinner has the tendency to get very, shall we say, Hangry?
Have a great night!
ahh your pasta looks amazinggg!!! i had no idea jazzercise was that great a workout!! im totally guna take a class when i move home!
glidingcalm´s last blog post..I AM sore from Bikram Yoga! (& Jon and Kate Plus 8 Discussion)
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Both meals look awesome! I love tomatoes and fresh mozzarella in all ways possible – as a salad, in pasta, on pizza…
I can’t believe I have never made a spaghetti squash, but I have always been intrigued by it…. The recipe sounds great!
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YES! I am always looking for a good Pomodoro sauce! Bookmarking this one – thanks!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats´s last blog post..Adventures in Pizza Toppings
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not much better than pasta and a simple, fresh tomato sauce
holy jazzercise burn!
Emily´s last blog post..I love lists
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What a great way to use up the caprese salad. It looks so fresh and yummy!!
And I giggled like a schoolgirl when I saw my guest post. hehe
Thanks for having me! Stop by my blog until June 1st for a 1 year subscription to Taste of Home!!!
Christina´s last blog post..Pineapple Sour Cream Pie
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Apparently I need to do Jazzercise. Your workouts are KILLER!
Sarah (LovIN My Tummy)´s last blog post..In Memoriam to Monday
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duly noted to add jazzercize back to my crosstraining list. I did it a TON in college…
MizFit´s last blog post..Jyze: wind up fit! (part two…)
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Mmm pasta…. That’s my kinda meal!
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great job at jazzercise! and BOTH dinners look amazing! I love spaghetti squash and I love fresh mozzarella
brandi´s last blog post..Breakfast of Firsts
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I wish tomatoes didn’t hate me so much – because this looks wonderful!
I really want to go to Jazzercise with you. Shoot. Why do I live so far away?
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GREAT pasta dish and I also loved the looks of the guest post dinner!
Krista´s last blog post..More Rhubarb
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nice work on the jazzercise, lady! that is fantastic!!
pasta looks SO good! have a great burger dinner!
Shannon (The Daily Balance)´s last blog post..Work it – How to fit in fitness on any schedule
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Hello,
We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
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enjoy your recipes.
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and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com.
To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on “Add your site”
Best regards,
Vincent
petitchef.com
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i love how fast you moved to find a use for the leftover mozz and tomatoes. the pomodoro looks delicious!
and ooooh yum, christina’s spaghetti squash boats. the brown and saucy cheese on top looks super tasty.
can’t wait to see what goes down at tomorrow’s hangry dinner!
Sarah (Tales of Expansion)´s last blog post..Toasted
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That sauce sounds so fresh! I may have to try that out!! That baked spaghetti squash? Amazing!!
K´s last blog post..Welcome To The Jungle
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Mmmm that pasta sounds so good- I love fresh mozzerella!
Jessica´s last blog post..Lighter smashed potatoes
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