Yummy recipe…..and other important matters.

A couple important matters to address………..

1) My best friend in the whole wide world told the world yesterday that she is going to be a mommy for the second time. Aunt Jennifer is going to have another little tike to spoil....I can't wait!!



2) A number of you have inquired as to how my daddy is doing. I first would like to thank you all for the prayers, thoughts, and concerns regarding my daddy. I feel blessed to pass the news along that he is doing great!! He is still weak and can’t do as much physically as he would like, no yard work, or hikes, or anything really…..but that is to be expected. He simply needs to rest, which is hard for anyone in our family to do and he is no exception. But if doctor's orders are followed he will gain more strength each day, and be as good as new in no time.

Okay now that we have address two of the happiest pieces of info in my life at the moment I can now focus on the rest of the post.

With training season in high gear and the marathon being only 6 week away I figure I should begin focusing on my diet more than I typically do. I was not one that use to be madly and deeply in love with carbohydrates, when encountering foods high in carbs I certainly did not throws my arms around them in a loving embrace, quite the contrary really, I would run far and fast in the opposite direction. However, once I discovered how much I loved running, my relationship with carbs changed, it had to in order for me to be successful and not kill over during a race.

Carbohydrates are necessary for general good health; they supply energy to keep your heart, brain, and vital organs operating. In other words carbs are the fuel for your body, and during marathon training we use A LOT of fuel. Research indicates that the average runner burns approximately 110 calories per mile and about 75% of those calories are from carbohydrates. It has been mentioned that runners training for a marathon (or a half in my case) should have a diet that allows for the consumption of 65%-70% carbohydrates. Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about carbs, I have a scrumptious stick to your bones carb rich recipe to share with you.

This evening I made Tortellini with Rosemary-Tomato Sauce, oh my goodness was it ever good.



You will need:

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
2 14.5-ounce cans pasta-style tomatoes, undrained
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
½ cup sliced pitted ripe olives

Preparation:
1) Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.
2) Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and rosemary. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until desired consistency. Stir in olives; heat through. Spoon sauce over tortellini.



Enjoy,
Jen