I love Saturdays! (plus some recipes :))

Saturday has to be my favorite day..I love, love, love Saturdays!

Today is also the day of my last run for the week, so I will give an update on Running/Week 3 tomorrow!

Last night the husband and I decided to stay in, make dinner and enjoy some wine. The night turned out to be awesome because we basically chatted the night away. If you know Alejandro, you know this is not normal as he is not the "chatting" type. Yes, we talk, but chatting the night away is not usually the norm..lol. It was great, I love chatting so I was going to complain!...after a while I started switching into a more comfy (horizontal) position and got a hold of the blanket. Not sure when exactly, but the inevitable happened. I felt sleep. When I woke up, is was almost 2 am and quickly moved to bed (the boys stayed watching tv a little longer).

Update: Alejandro woke up and told me last night I actually announced I was going to sleep. He asked me why I didn't move to the bed and I said I just couldn't! haha

We had a great dinner and I snapped some quick pictures (while Alejandro laughed because he knew they were for "the blog")....but hey, I've got an audience here and they like yummy healthy recipes!...I just do it for the people. LOL ;)

Marinara Mussels

I love having Mussels for appetizer. Really, I like any appetizer, but Mussels in particular are great. You serve them in a big bowl (or directly from the cooking pan like I did) and everyone jumps in. I think it's a "social" appetizer, great for small groups (2-4 people). Not sure I want to be sharing a big bowl of mussels with 10 other people!.

Ingredients (2 people)

Mussels (I usually count about 6 per person. Make sure you keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. Wash them well to get rid of any sand they mat have. Discard any Mussels that don't open when cooked)

Pured canned plumed tomatoes (I had left over from the Chicken Cacciatore)

1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced

4 Garlic Teeth, Minced

Fresh Basil (which reminds me I should replant a new Basil plant!)

A pinch of Dry Oregano, Basil and Tarragon (or whatever Italian Herbs your heart desires!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Balsamic Vinegar, about 2 tablespoons

Sugar, about 1 teaspoon

• In a deep pan at medium heat, saute the Onions in a little Olive Oil, for about 5-7 minutes, season with dry herbs and add salt/pepper. Add the Garlic and continue to Saute for a couple more minutes.
• Add the Tomatoes, Balsamic, Sugar and season to adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, add some water (for mussels you want the sauce to be on the more thin side). Add the Mussels, the fresh chopped basil, stir and cover back up. Once they open, stir them again (to make sure the sauce gets in there and just cook them a little bit longer (about 1-2 minutes).

Serve! This would have been awesome with some bread to dip in afterwards!

Roasted Fingerling Potato Medley

(name provided by the husband!)

Fingerling potatoes are supposed to be the healthiest kind of potatoes (don't recall the actual reason, but Alejandro read that on his Men's Health Magazine). I love them because you can get a bag with a great little variety. Some are yellow, red and some are purple (my favorite ones!).

I also love roasting potatoes because it is easy and non-messy :) Usually I just roast the seasoned potatoes, but last night I decided to add a little twist.

What you'll need:

Fingerling potatoes, diced small

Half yellow onion, half a red onion, quartered

A lot of Garlic teeth (with the skin..this makes a delicious little paste you can then squeeze on to the potatoes!).

Red Pepper, sliced (I just happened to have some)

Salt/Pepper

Any dry herb you like, I used Oregano

Olive Oil, just enough to cover the potatoes lightly

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine all ingredients in a roasting pan and mix well. Roast for about 30 minutes, and then raise temperature to 425F (to get those yummy golden colors) for another 15 minutes or until it looks done!...

Roasted Acorn Squash

Since I had the oven going, I decided to also roast an acorn squash. I love all things Fall...and Squash can be really delicious as a side!.

I cut big slices of the squash and seasoned with olive oil, salt/pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey. Make sure you coat all sides and keep an eye on it while in the oven. I kept adding a little water to the roasting pan to form a bit of a sauce. They were in the oven almost as long as the potatoes (I took them out a few minutes before.

A few minutes before taking them out, I added a few dried cranberries....YUM! :9

Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!!!.

Prayer request: Today please say a prayer for my cousin, Alfredo, who was in a motorcycle accident in Spain. He is in serious condition.