Fueling: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

On Saturday night, I had friends over for dinner and a movie. We cooked, drank wine, cried, and laughed together. And we feasted. We started with a "sailboat" appetizer made by Ingrid and a salad made by Toni and finished with oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches made by me. But the real fuel was the main course, Kathy's famous Spaghetti Squash Lasagna. If you've never cooked with Spaghetti Squash, I highly recommend it. It is a delicious, healthy substitute for pasta and, with the veggies and the ground turkey, was the perfect fuel for my 8 mile run on Sunday morning.

Ingrid's sailboat appetizer with goat cheese, peppers, and tomatoes

Preparing the ingredients

Wine, of course

It was pretty easy to make, though it should be noted that I contributed more by cutting veggies and pouring wine then by helping with the main dish. But it was still a team effort. We made it with one spaghetti squash, ground turkey, mushrooms, a red pepper, onion, garlic, black olives, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Italian parsley. We cooked all ingredients, layered them in a baking dish topped with the cheese and parsley, and then baked it for about 35 minutes. Et Voila:

The Feast.

Lasagna! NOM NOM

Ruffage. Always.

I am a big proponent of eating healthy, complex carbohydrates the night before a heavy workout. But this spaghetti squash was a very healthy substitute that provided good fuel. I think it would also be a good recovery meal, and the leftovers were great for lunch at work this week.

Fueling and Re-Fueling: Running Healthy Means Craving Healthy

On Saturday morning, I ran this 8.52 mile route with my friend Hadley. This was one of the first steps in my "official" self-made half marathon training plan. It was long but not too fast and my only complaint was about my achy joints.

Afterward, I went with Josh to the farmer's market and brunch at Cacao in Cleveland Park. Having just burned 790 calories (according to Nike Plus), I was in the mood for this:

(nicoise salad)

And Josh, who had burned maybe 100 calories playing on the computer all morning, was in the mood for this:

(egg and cheese croissant and chocolate brioche)

Don't get me wrong, I love food and I will eat all kinds of it at all times of day or night. I believe that the best way to eat healthy is to consume everything in moderation and to indulge when you feel the need to. I am glad that this was apparently the best croissant sandwich Josh has ever had and, even more so, that it inspired a serious conversation between us about when we can realistically go to Paris together. But I don't think anyone will argue with me in saying that one of these meals is clearly better for you than the other. And I have learned that when you do better-for-you things, you will crave and eat better-for-you foods. It will just come naturally. At least it has for me, and I believe it will for you too.

But working your body hard will also make you crave the occasional steak frites, the frequent glass of wine with dinner, and the occasional baking spree where you eat 1/4 of the raw dough or batter. And you won't feel bad about it afterward. That is one of the many perks of exercising like a champion.

What do you crave after a workout?