Confession: my will to workout wavered slightly this afternoon – I know, it’s only Tuesday! I got to thinking about all the stuff I had to do this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow, etc. and freaked out a little. I repeated my little mantra from Monday morning and before I could give it another thought, I marched straight to the gym. Sometimes you just need to push all thoughts aside and GO. Just get there. They say getting there is half the battle. I disagree – I say getting there is 99% of the battle!
In the interest of maximizing the short amount of time I had, I ran my heart out. 4 miles in 34 minutes at speeds ranging from 6.5 to 7.3. I was a sweaty fool by the end – but a happy one! 
When I got home, I was once again thanking my Sunday morning self, because dinner was 90% ready to eat! Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage Marinara Sauce.
On Sunday I sautéed some low-fat Turkey Sausage, drained and combined it with a jar of my all time favorite marinara sauce – Gino’s. I am seriously sorry that my non-Iowa friends cannot get their paws on this stuff because it is to die for and is the only bottled marinara/spaghetti sauce I buy. Look at the ingredient list – I couldn’t have made it better myself!
Ruby red and ultra-fresh – just what a good marinara sauce should be. It’s a little more expensive than the other national brands, but it’s local, free of preservatives and hidden ingredients, and darn it, it tastes great!
So on Sunday I let my sauce bubble away for about 15 minutes, let it cool, packed it up tight and let it hang out in the refrigerator. Tonight I warmed it up in a sauce pan while I cooked some whole wheat penne, assembled and dined. EASY!
I absolutely love the mild spice factor that the turkey sausage gives the marinara sauce. It just gets better the longer it sits in the fridge, too!
This was a perfect, post-workout, refueling dinner. And again, with just a little bit of effort during the weekend, I reaped the rewards on a busy weekday. Sweet!
Oh, a couple of people asked me what kind of egg noodles I used in Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. I use Reames Frozen Egg Noodles – which are the ying to chicken soup’s yang, if you ask me 
OMG I almost forgot to show you…look what I found waiting for me in my car this morning. Sweet Ben left me my favorite chocolate treat as a surprise and a way to start my day off with a smile. Isn’t that nice??? I’m saving them for a treat this weekend…hopefully!
Ok, off to decorate sugar cookies by the light of The Biggest Loser – perhaps it will prevent me from trying too many "samples"?!?!?! Here’s hoping!
Have a great evening everyone!
~~~~~
What’s the last thing you “treated” yourself to?
A big cookie, pedicure, fresh flowers or a luxurious vacation? Let’s hear about it!
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Ill be treating myself tomorrow…to a new hair-do that I will spending more money on than I have before. I have gone back and forth in my head all week about cancelling my appointment I am THAT nervous (sad, right?) Yikes, hopefully it works out!
and Ginos is great! I never mixed my own turkey meat in it, I might have to make a quick trip down to Gods country to get me some
I treated myself on Saturday! I got my hair cut!! And today I was able to use a couple of gift certificates and get a couple of new tops!
That is EXACTLY what I had for dinner last night! Ha! One of my favorite things to make
Last thing I treated myself to was caramel apple Hershey Kisses. If you haven’t tried them yet, you must grab a bag! They are to die for!
I love Gino’s. Best way to do pasta.
I treated myself to a manicure last week! I never get them and I’ve had 2 in the past month. I might be hookied!
Dinner looks yummy! I adore turkey sausage!
Good job getting to the gym. I totally agree that getting there is 1/2 the battle; once I’m in the gym, I usually end up getting through a good workout.
Your hubby’s so sweet! And I love those PB cups!
My last treat was a trip to Whole Foods; I went a little crazy and stocked up on a tons of stuff!
A pumpkin maple cream cheese whoopie pie last Friday from Whole Foods. And it was worth every 129 pennies it cost
Good for you on sucking it up and pushing yourself into that gym! I bet the run felt great too.
What a sweet treat from your sweetie. I just had a sweet little something too…a bowl of fro yo to end my night. Simply perfect!
I treated myself to some FUZE teas today. I don’t normally drink anything besides water so it was a nice treat…even better it was on SALE!
I feel like I treat myself in one way or another everyday. I had a skinny cow today.
Getting there seriously is the hardest part (most of the time!). Nice job on winning that battle, I lost today
But you best bet I will be back at it in the a.m.!
Did you know they have DARK CHOCOLATE Reese’s? Oh yes they do! I had a miniature today- amazing.
I treated myself yesterday with pumpkin spice kisses. Totally worth every single calorie.
LOL about the gym. I am like that all the time; but eating healthy gives me so much energy, I am at a loss what to do with it all so I end up working out.
And that pasta recipe looks ahhhhh-mazing!
Came by to say hello; yummy as usual!
I agree! Once you’re there, it’s MUCH easier. And if it’s not, it usually is within 5 minutes of starting the workout
I treated myself to a whipped cream dessert tonight!
I completely agree with you, I’m fine once I get to the gym but I’ll find a million excuses before then!
I treated myself to a scoop of ice cream tonight, delish!
Gino’s really does have the best marinara sauce – such a nice little spicy zip. We had it last week with spinach raviolis … yum yum!
I bought a rather expensive, super comfy mattress for my new bed! And topped it all off with 800 thread count sheets! YES!
I cannot agree more, getting out the door is the whole battle for me! I can get dressed in gym clothes and still find myself wandering around the house.
Last thing I treated myself to was yesterday, I finally ordered my first set of Oxo pantry containers that I have been coveting. All my random bags of nuts in the cupboard have been driving me nuts!