Friday Ramblings

Hello Friday!  It's so good to see you!  I feel like it's been a whole week since we have met.

Do you love Friday's as much as I do?  Friday is a half day at work for me.  I get to leave around 11:30 and then I have 3.5 hours ALL TO MYSELF!!!  All you mothers out there know what I am talking about!  Time to yourself is just the best.  I don't care if you are scrubbing the floor or running 3 miles or getting groceries.  If you get to do it all by yourself without anyone bugging you, it is just divine!  After doing some banking, my plan is to head home and get a nice long run in before the kids get off the bus.  It's sunny and 45ish right now so it is perfect for running.  I can't wait!  I've got to make sure I wear my blaze orange though--it's hunting season around here!

So I hear Christmas is only 51 days away.  I hear this because some crazy people have already got X-mas crap in their stores.  We just finished Halloween!  Seriously people!  I hate Christmas and all the excess and consumerism that goes with it now, please don't shove it down my throat any sooner than necessary.  Can we give thanks first??

You tell 'em, Turkey!!

Oh,  one last thing to share before I bid you adieu.  I found a yummy recipe in Women's Running Magazine.  Basically, it was spaghetti and meatballs but the pasta was spaghetti squash.   Here's the recipe:

1 large spaghetti squash
16 oz. ground turkey breast
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T Mrs. Dash Italian Medley Seasoning Blend
1/2 T salt
1/2  T pepper
1/2 T onion powder and garlic powder
1 14 oz jar of Ragu Light Tomato & Basil Sauce
1 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 deg.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.  Bake face down on a sprayed foil-covered baking sheet for 50 minutes or until you can poke a fork through the skin.

In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, Parm, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.  Form the mixture into 16 small balls.  (snicker, snicker  I know.  I'm a child.)  Place the meatballs inot a large saucepan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Saute until browned.

Pour sauce over browned meatballs and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked.

When the squash is cooked remove from oven and let cool.  After it has cooled, use a fork to shred the squash and place into a large bowl.  Cover squash with sauce and meatballs and eat with garlic bread!  yum!
Here's what the squash looks like after you shred it (in case you have no idea how to work a spaghetti squash......  I didn't.  lol)

I hate squash but this was good because it didn't taste like the squash.  It really just tasted like sauce!  What a great substitute for pasta!  I told my 6 year old to try it, it was a new kinda of spaghetti.  He said, mmmm smells good, and tastes good!  Of course, they all balked at eating it again once they knew it was squash!  I'll never tell my secrets again.

Do you love Fridays like no other?

Christmas lover or hater?

Squash or not?

happy weekend!