Penne a la Vodka

By Natalie

Yesterday my dad and I went out for lunch at On the Border. I love it! I had cheese enchiladas, and I just won't think about how many calories were in that dish. Then we headed over to Irving to see the Genghis Kahn exhibit. I was the navigator. I thought my dad said 333 Macarthur, but he really said 3333. So, we got a little lost, but we eventually found it. We also discovered that Irving is a little shady. The Genghis Kahn exhibit was okay, there was even a mummy. The most interesting thing we saw were these Mongolians khoomei (throat singing). It is the most bizarre thing to witness. I kept looking around to see where the sounds were coming from, because there is no way that a human was capable to make those noises. The 2 performers were very handy on the fiddle and lute.

Workout
I have found the key to success. I will not eat a meal before I go to spin class. Yesterday, I ate half of a cliff bar. I felt really energetic during spin class. I also was sweating buckets. After class, I ran half of a mile until yoga class started. Since my muscles were already warmed up I thought yoga would be fun. So, I went to yoga class and Micah came back and picked me up in an hour.

Dinner
That means that I didn't start cooking dinner until 9:00. Who deserves a medal? This girl. I made Sandra Lee's Penne a la Vodka. It is really easy to make, and was very tasty. I suppose it would be difficult not to be good when it includes bacon and heavy whipping cream. I can count the number of times I've bought bacon on one hand, and this week I'm making 2 meals with bacon. I'm going to fatten us up!

Pot Pie

By Natalie

I have quite the to-do list going for the summer. Soon I'll be down to all the things I don't want to do. Today I tackled washing all the curtains in my house, and I cleaned out the last closet. Don't stress out though, I got plenty of relaxing time in too. I watched Blue Valentine, which was very depressing.  Michelle Williams from Dawson's Creek was in it, and she was pretty revealing. I do not recommend it.

Work Out
Micah and I went to spin class. Today was tough. I wonder if there will be a day when spin class feels easy?  After spin, Micah and I hit the pavement. I ran 3 miles without walking, hooray! I felt great during my run, except for the gnats. When I got back I had at least 5 gnats stuck to the sweat on my neck. Disgusting. I was a minute under my goal time, it's okay I'll get better. It's still 95 degrees at 8:15 PM.

Dinner
I slaved over this vegetable pot pie. Details coming Friday! For now a picture will have to do.

Orzo and Lemons

By Natalie

Snacks
I made Tuscan Lemon muffins. They are very tasty. When you bake them, be careful not to over cook. They will be really light in color.  I increased some of the amounts to make them extra moist. I had 2 right as they came out of the oven.

Dinner
I made Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Feta. I changed this recipe up quite a bit.  While you are boiling the pasta, I sliced 2 zucchinis into half moons and placed them in foil. I covered the zucchini with Chachere's and butter, and cooked for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then made the sauce 3 tbsp of EVOO, 3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper, s & p in a small bowl. Set aside.  I halved some cherry tomatoes. Once the pasta is finished run under cold water. Then add the tomatoes, feta, sauce, and cooked zucchini to the pasta. S & P to taste.

Work-Out
I felt like crap all day, and was really dreading spin class. I contemplated not going, but Micah made me. About 30 minutes into the class I thought I was going to throw-up, but I kept going.  At the end of class I felt great. I know that working out always makes me feel much better about life, but sometimes it is really hard to get the motivation to get up and go. After spin, I had enough energy to run 2 miles!