NYC 2011, Here I Come!

Good news!  I can defer my admissions to the NYC Marathon until next year!!!  It’s really cool that they allow you to do that.  If you have to cancel your entry for any reason, you are guaranteed admissions the following year!  I’m so happy to know I already have a get back in shape plan!  I think it would be great to have a treadmill at home, so I can run and start getting back into running shape while the baby naps.  A few of us were discussing on Twitter that maybe a treadmill could be my push present (hear that Solomon).  I’m just really excited to know I’m going to do it next year, and hopefully Solomon’s number will be picked in the lottery and we can do it together!  We already have big plans involving one of these:

Anyway, enough baby stuff.  Sorry if I am totally baby focused, I’m just excited.  This isn’t going to become a blog all about my pregnancy, promise!

So, onto the food!  During Passover, I thought it might be a good idea to watch the Food Network.  It really wasn’t.  I mean, when Giada is turning out carby pasta, carby breads and decadent desserts, it makes Passover and eating cardboard matzo that much harder.  It did give me something to look forward to cooking though…Rachael Ray’s Fettuccine with Garden Vegetables.  I managed to make this from memory, almost exactly according to her recipe, so I’ll let that speak for itself.

Instead of chopping or slicing the garlic, I decided to grate it into the pan (and I used 3 cloves).  I love grating garlic because it just melts right into whatever you are cooking and infuses the whole dish with flavor. 

First, the onions went in (wow, this is like all my recipes…EVOO, garlic and onions!)

Followed by eggplant, red pepper and zucchini, all cut into matchsticks (some thick matchsticks!)

Cooking away…

Yummy, fragrant basil added towards the end

Delicious pecorino romano all grated and ready to go.

I did go a little heavy with the starchy pasta water (which is a great tip from Rachael!) but otherwise (as she would say) YUMM-O!  This was packed with flavor, and a subtle sweetness.  The veggies were nice and soft, and mixed perfectly with the whole wheat fettuccine noodles.  Next time, I would amp up the veggies…for nutrition and color value!  Yellow squash or peppers, carrots, maybe some tomatoes.  Any veggies would be good in this!  This was a Solomon approved meal, A+!

OK, so I’m totally gonna change the subject really quick, and throw in a quick little review.  I’m a big sunglasses lover.  I wear them year round and always have a pair with me.  It’s gotten to the point where if I don’t have them, I am really uncomfortable.  I usually buy fairly inexpensive ones, since I can be kind of rough on them.  I usually just shove them up on top of my head, or throw them haphazardly into my purse.  Sometimes I use cases, if I remember.

When Devon from Ryders Eyewear offered to send me a new pair of sunglasses, I was thrilled.  The came in this beautiful hard case.

Morgan approved!  The chances of me destroying sunglasses that live in a case like this are slim to none (as long as I remember to put them back in the case!).  Plus, Rufio can’t get a grip on a case like that.  Sucks to be him!

I love these, even though Solomon thinks they look silly on me (not taking a self portrait in the morning to show you all, sorry!).  They are so comfortable, and don’t slip at all, no matter how sweaty I managed to get!  Plus, when I work out I tend to have problems with sunglasses steaming up, but these never did that.  I didn’t have to take them off and wipe them down at all.  In fact, I hardly even noticed them.  I haven’t used them with a bike helmet yet (I have a feeling I won’t be riding my bike much this summer anyway), but I feel pretty confident they will stay put.  They didn’t move an inch on any of my walks or runs.  Plus, I think they look pretty bad ass, no matter what Solomon thinks.  I like to call them my stunna shades.  Really, I do.

Thank you so much Devon!  I love these, and would recommend Ryders to anyone looking for a new pair of high quality sports sunglasses.  You can also check them  out on Facebook!

Don’t forget to click here for your chance to win a Rival Crockpot ($40 value!) from OpenSky!!

And just one more, a little daily dose of cuteness…

He has a need to always play with more than one toy at a time.  So cute.

Wow, that was a long post, sorry! 

Are you a sunglasses lover?  Do you wear them all the time or when working out?  What’s on tap this weekend?