Tasty Treats - Spaghetti and Meatballs

I missed the Monday Munchies by 30 minutes, so this will have to be a tasty treat (although it's definitely a meal...always starts as a dinner with leftovers for lunch...yummo)!!

1/2 c Barilla Plus thin spaghetti with lowfat meatballs - 340 calories / 8 g fat / 33 g carbs / 33 g protein

Meatballs
16 oz 96/4 extra lean ground beef
2 slices Nature's Own White Wheat bread
1 Smart Balance egg
Seasonings (I use garlic, oregano, Italian seasonings, parsley)
2 jars Classico Fire-Roasted Tomato & Garlic sauce

Barilla Plus thin spaghetti

Pour both bottles into a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Mix all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl (I rip up the bread into smaller pieces). Divide the mixture in half. Then, divide those halves in half. Do that one more time. Form the portions (you should have 8) into meatballs. Place the meatballs into the pot & cover with the lid. Heat at a 4-5 setting (medium-low) for about 30-45 minutes (you may want to cut into one to check that it's cooked thoroughly) stirring occasionally (so they don't burn to the bottom of the pot). Make the pasta about 30 minutes after you've started. Serve 1/2 c pasta with 2 meatballs and 1/2 c sauce. Mmmmm

VICTORY is MINE

Have you ever done something you thought you couldn't? Seriously, I NEVER thought I would do more than a 5K (3.1 miles) running. "I'm not a distance runner," is what I usually say. And it's true, I'm not...until NOW!!

Just yesterday, I played soccer. Sunday is also the day when my "long" run is scheduled (as are most long runs on a marathon training schedule I assume). I wondered, How on earth am I going to be able to do it?, I'm nuts!!, and I'm really going to have to eat more if I'm training like this, were the thoughts running through my head as if they were competing in their OWN race.

SUCK IT UP PRINCESS is what I eventually told myself and got moving before I WAS too tired. The heat was unbearable (it's been over 100 degrees for so many days, I've lost count), so I couldn't take it to the street...waiting would have meant defeat. So, I dragged my booty up to my clubhouse and faced...THE DREADMILL!!!

It's NOT the ideal form of exercise, but at that moment, the A/C made me think WINNING! So I hopped on.

Starting out, I was more like the tortoise...slow and steady!! I had stretched some before facing my fear of not being able to finish, so I felt comfortable. 1.5...snails could move faster...increase speed to 2.5...pretty sure this is STILL too slow...4.0...okay, this is a pretty fast walk...I'm okay with this.

At some point, I decided that it was going to take me LONGER that way, so I needed to find the strength to push myself. I increased the speed to 7.0 and ran. It was probably 1/4 of a mile...maybe a little longer before I had to slow back down to the 4.0 pace. But, I continued to do this for a while.

1 mile gone...2 miles gone...3 miles gone and I'm half way there...the pace continued with alternating between 7 mph and 4 mph until somewhere in the 5 mile range my legs started to cramp and I refused to get injured. So, I slowed it down and did more walking at the 4 mph pace. When I felt I could increase again, I chose to only go to 6 mph. I was impressed with my ability to continue the jog/run longer than I was at the 7 mph pace. It felt great, and I watched the 6 mile mark approach.

Finally, at 78:46, my feet didn't fail me, and I crossed the finish dot...an enormous smile spread across my face, and I felt like I truly accomplished something. Earlier that day on Facebook, I posted "NEVER be afraid to try something new. Amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." This was definitely NEW...I tried it...VICTORY WAS MINE!!