Ahhh, I made my morning workout. Redemption is mine! 
No issues hopping out of bed and pounding out 4.25 miles on the treadmill, until…I went to get showered up and realized I had forgot to pack regular shoes! 
I would have happily rocked sneakers to work, but I had packed skinny jeans, and the combo of tight ankle jeans + running shoes would have looked absolutely insane.
Why, universe? WHY?!
Luckily the drive back home is short and I got to shower in my own bathroom. Nice. I didn’t end up getting to work too late either, so all in all I’d call it a success! Going to try and replicate tomorrow morning. 
Have you ever forgotten to pack any key items in your bag?
It’s standard procedure for me to forget something important – socks, pants, makeup – but when I used to work downtown near Ben, he’d always bring me my rogue item on his way to work. Now I’m flyin’ solo!
In other news, I made the pasta dish of ALL pasta dishes tonight. Straight from The Pioneer Woman herself – Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts & Tomatoes!
Halt.
If you think you don’t like artichoke hearts – please keep reading. Trust me when I tell you that they are totally mellow in this dish, and mysteriously blend into the background of the sauce, helping to create what might be my favorite pasta dish ever!!
Ahem, anyways. I cut Ree’s recipe in half and started by melting some butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Next I sautéed green onions in the dynamic duo for a couple minutes,
followed by chopped garlic.
IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER THAN ONIONS AND GARLIC COOKING IN BUTTER!? No. There is not.
Next I added quartered artichoke hearts and petite diced tomatoes into the skillet.
The whole thing simmered for ~8 minutes until the sauce was nice and thick.
Don’t worry if you don’t like chunky sauces either. It’s about to get saucier.
The Pioneer Woman’s recipe calls for adding a load of heavy cream at this point, but I added in a modest amount of 1/2 and 1/2,
and chicken broth.
Then I brought out the big guns – GOAT CHEESE!
Helping to make the sauce even thicker, creamier and luscious…ier…!
The drained pasta got a dusting of parmesan cheese,
and the thick, creamy sauce. OH BOY!
Ok – it doesn’t look like much, but wowowowowow!
You know how in good Pad Thai dishes, the sauce doesn’t really coat the noodles, rather it seems be in the noodle? This was like that! The sauce thinly coated the noodle, yes, but it also totally soaked it all up.
It was SO fab. I had two plates. It’s true. Make this ok?
Ps I realize that I “love” 98% of the things I eat. Well…
- I’m just really not that hard to please. I’ll eat, and most likely enjoy, anything that doesn’t have big chunks of cooked carrots, bell peppers or mushrooms in it.
- That said, I need to come up with some kind of rating system. From now on I’ll rate my dishes from 1-10, 1 being the worst, 10 being the best. That will give me a better range to more accurately reflect how I feel about a dish – other than “I loved it.”
That said – I give this dish a 10. Totally addicting!
HA!
In other news, I discovered a Type A person’s dream come true today…
Google Calendar
It’s super similar to the iCal in that you can color code your activities, set them to repeat, set reminders, etc.
I started to use a print planner a few months ago, but I actually kind of forgot about it since I kept it in my purse, and stopped using it. On the flip side, I’m on the Internet all. day. long. so having this baby one-click away is key.
Things are getting busy in IGE land with freelance projects, blog stuff to remember and just life in general, so this is going to be a lifesaver!
How do you stay organized?
With that, I am off to enjoy the evening! See ya!
~~~~~
Do you consider yourself a picky eater?
What are your “deal breaker ingredients”? The ones that, if they’re in a dish or recipe, you’ll pass on?
Like I said – it’s a no go on mushrooms, bell pepper and/or cooked carrots. Or cooked celery, for that matter. Or mushy strawberries. I can’t do textures!
We use google calendar at the school where I teach! It’s a wonderful tool!
I’m very picky- I won’t touch mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, fish…
I can’t do green peppers, melon or celery. ICK!
Wow! YUM. I must try this soon.
I love google calendar!
I would say that I’m a picky eater (although I think that vegetarians HAVE to say that), but when I like something, I REALLY like it.
Yum, that looks great.
Google Calendar is the best thing. I love it.
I have to stay organized with an old-school planner & pen. I’m a substitute teacher so I’m in a different place almost every day and I have to carry it around with me so I know what I’m doing!
As for foods I won’t eat…I’m actually not very picky, but I don’t really like eggplant. Something about the texture just grosses me out!
I tip I use for getting packed for the early morning gym is: I start from the feet up and pack the outfit. So I start with my shoes, I put socks in my shoes, then fold pants on top of that, then undies, then whatever is on top and finally I do accessories. I find it to be fool proof. I work out in the AM most mornings, they say it kick starts women’s metabolism. It doesn’t affect men in the same way.
Uncooked tomatoes
Mushrooms
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Pasta looks AMAZING!! Onions are usually my deal breaker….and green olives!
Google calendar is seriously the best thing ever! My husband and I have ours synced so we can see when we each have things going on, etc. It’s saved many an argument about who needs to be where when!
I made this last month and loved it, too!
Weird thing, though……… Seriously for the whole 4 days it took me to eat it (I cook one big meal on Sundays and eat it through the week since I live by myself), I had a bitter taste on the back of my tongue 24/7, especially when I put any other flavor in my mouth, like ANY other food or drink. It was a bit better when I brushed my teeth but then it would come right back. Once I finished eating this dish it pretty much went away within a couple days!!!!!
I have never experienced anything like it and I am not quite sure what it was, BUT I think it might have been the artichokes?!??!!! I went back and looked at the can of artichoke hearts I used, and it says in teeny tiny print on the bottom to rinse the hearts really well because of a brine on them. Of course I did not see that when I made them and I just drained the can and poured them right in. I think that MIGHT have been what caused it.
ANYWAY if you experience anything weird let me know!
I’m afraid to make it ever again because of that!!!!
Interesting!!! I get my artichoke hearts canned in water, so there’s no brine. Maybe try looking for those next time!?
I often sub artichoke bottoms in recipes that call for hearts. Tasty artichoke flavor but they aren’t sharp and chop up easier.
I love your love for Pioneer Woman! I also love her and her recipies. Good luck with your morning workout adventures! You’re an inspiration!
I am with you on cooked carrots and green peppers. I will also pass on cooked celery, too. The biggest deal breaker for me though is caraway seeds. I can spot those puppies in anything! Will definitely try the pasta dish. I have learned to get past my ‘pickiness’ and learned to love mushrooms, onions, and artichokes.
I am with you on mushrooms. I mean come on! Its fungus ew! I never was a pepper person either, but I have really come around to green ones lately and cant seem to stop adding them to my pizza. Other no’s for me though would be mustard, salmon, rosemary, and blue cheese to name a few.
I love Google calendar, I couldn’t handle Grad School and a full-time job without it
I refuse to eat mushrooms, so glad you share my thoughts. I’m also not a big fan of flaky fish, or any dish with “surprise” in the title. But other than that I’m not too picky!
That pasta looks amazing! I have pasta envy!
On a completely unrelated note…I made that cookie dough recipe tonight and am currently floating in a cookie dough heaven
For those of you who haven’t tried it…click back a few posts and make.it.now! 
Oh, yum!! Last time I made this was last year, I believe, when a friend came to visit me! Oy, I need to make it again! So delicious! And, I get it all to myself, since the husband wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole!!
Who doesn’t like artichoke hearts?! I eat them like caaandy:)
Slash I LOVE google calendar, it keeps my life from tripping on itself.
Ooh, that does look good! And I have a can of artichoke hearts in the pantry for some odd reason. Isn’t Google calendar great? The spreadsheets are also perfect for workout logs.
Good questions! I’m not a picky eater, but there are certain things I won’t touch: mayonnaise, pickles, bananas.
Congratulations on getting your workout in! Bummer on the shoes! That would have looked horrid. Maybe a spare pair of shoes at work? I forgot to pack my velcro rollers on a week long business trip to Boston; I remembered on the plane! I got into Boston late at night and had the cab driver take me right to the drugstore to get them. I was panicked that nothing would be open at 1 a.m.! I can do without a lot in life but bad hair or not having my hair done (and having a 7 a.m. business meeting!) is not acceptable. You know the rule, when your hair looks good, everything else will be fine!
Love the Pioneer Woman, can she cook or what! That sauce looked amazing. Yes, I am a picky eater-the deal breaker is shrimp (gag) or nearly any kind of fish (I do like Ahi Tuna and that’s about it.)
As for organization, I have a home notebook that I have a calendar where I write my appts., menu plan, cleaning schedules, etc. Every Sunday, I made a weekly plan based on the appts in the calendar. I have a daily sheet with my morning, afternoon and evening routine on it-I print a new one off each day and check all my boxes. It sounds complicated, but it’s not. I’ve heard excellent things about Google calendar though-at this point and time the paper calendar is fine. What I do love on the internet though is the calorie counter system via Livestrong.com If you click on the “My Plate”, you can enter in the calories, recipes, menus, etc. and it gives calories, fat, fiber, etc but also sodium, protein and a host of other things. Love it.
Skinny jeans + running shoes, that would have looked interesting!
Glad you got in your morning run!
I just love PW. Her recipes are always the bomb! This one looks fantastic. I LOVE artichokes and of course, GOAT CHEESE! YUMMMM
I am not a picky eater at all! Besides the fact that I hate veggies.
I’m not too picky, but I hate broccoli. I can usually pick around it, but if it can’t be removed from a dish I probably won’t order it! I also do not like cooked cauliflower or artichokes.
I used a small notebook planner that I always have in my purse! Some weeks I use it more than others, but I’m not religious about it or anything.
oh my word that pasta looks to die for! i’m kind of picky about some things, artichoke hearts being one of them. but i trust your taste buds and will have to hit that recipe up soon!
I love my google calendar! The best part about it is my husband and I share our calendars with eachother and we can both see what’s going on with each other’s schedule.
I am working in Abu Dhabi this week and am not an Indian food fan which is pretty much all there is to eat where I am staying so looking at this pasta is making my stomach growl and mouth water! Definitely making when I get back to The States next week. Big fan of your blog btw. I took love to eat, run, travel and am an Iowa Hawkeye so it’s a great read!
Love Google calendar. My husband and I set up a shared one. We can consult the “family” calendar and instantly know if we, as a couple, are free or not. It’s great when questions or invitations come up during the workday.
I’ll eat anything. The only food I “hate” is olives…and I’ll usually just pick them out …or eat them anyway. I know it is wierd..but I don’t like to let food have “control” over me..so I refuse to let it. I’m odd…I know!
I always forget my sports bra.. Seriously, How can you forget that?!?
Oh, and I made your pork carnita recipe from last week, and the whole fam loved it! Thanks!!! The coleslaw totally took it up a notch – awesome!!!
I eat pretty much anything, including any kind of sushi, I’ve eaten jelly fish, all sorts of random things…plus I like REALLY spicy stuff. The only thing I will NOT eat are bananas. Just thinking about them grosses me out, and if there are 8 other ingredients in a smoothie, I can still taste the banana and can’t drink it.
I am heading straight to the pioneer woman’s web site to see what else!
Thanks, this look delish!
Not too much I won’t eat… except Uni and maybe tripe and… that kind of thing!
i’m not too much of a picky eater but i despise olives. yuck!!
I LOVE GOOGLE CALENDAR!!! It is the most amazing thing ever, and saves my life on a daily basis!! Rock on that you have it now!
Google calendar & Google docs are how my wedding was able to happen without me losing my sanity. My husband and I both use Google calendar and share our calendars so we know when things are going on even when we forget to tell each other.
Google docs is also amazing b/c multiple people can collaborate and edit documents at the same time!
That looks soooo good. I’m a sucker for pasta!
I dont’ consider myself a picker eater at all. My tastebuds like lots of different flavors!
I am definitely not a picky eater. I’ll pretty much try anything! Gotta love PW!
WHAT is wrong with you?!?! Cook carrot, red bell pepper and mushrooms are three of my favorite things!
Canned and jarred artichokes are not the same. Canned artichokes taste like the inside of a can. Try artichokes in a jar, quartered and marinated. The results are a.ma.zing.
Weird. I just started using Google Calendar today, too! I have a lot to learn, but it seems fun & colorful
I’m not really a picky eater at all. I don’t like the texture of coconut, so if something has that in it I won’t eat it, but nothing else comes to mind. I’m very lucky to have a husband who will eat absolutely anything and love it. I have made so many different types of dinners and he has only ever loved them! I’m so glad he feels that way because I love to cook and experiment, and if I were married to a meat and potatoes kind of guy, he’d be on his own for dinner
I am a big pasta fan! That looks so delicious! I love artichokes. They are really good. It just stinks that they are so expensive! I’m not too much of a picky eater. I’m very nervous about trying Indian food. I would like to try it but I don’t like the smell of curry.
See, I think this is part of why I like your blog so much. We have pretty much the same dislikes – mushrooms, bell pepper, cooked carrots and cooked celery. I like peppers, carrots and celery raw, but not cooked. And I can not STAND chunks of tomatoes….I have to puree anything with chunky tomatoes before I can eat. it. Blech.
I am laughing picturing skinny jeans and sneakers – that just wouldn’t work!! I have forgotten socks, a sports bra and a towel in my gym bag at different times – and I work out @ lunchtime at work with no hopes of going home to get what I missed!
I am not very picky at all – I don’t think any ingredient is a complete deal breaker.
And I am not organized at all but when I need to be, I make lists and use spreadsheets.
How do you stay organized?
I use google calendars too! My boyfriend and I have one, my girl friends and I have one, I track my workouts on there. AND I can see it all at once in colors like you said. It’s great!
Do you consider yourself a picky eater? Far from it. Growing up, my mom always joked that I was the only kid that would eat whatever she put on the table.
What are your “deal breaker ingredients”? hmmm. That is a hard one. Sadly, something I know I don’t have in my kitchen or know I won’t use frequently.
Hey Kristen. Long time since I’ve commented but I’ve been a very faithful reader! Just thought it was funny you are rating your food. My daughter Heidi and her husband always rate any new recipe she tries on a scale of 1 to 10. It has to rate a 6 in order to make the repeat meal rotation, although will probably be tweaked in some way if it is going to be repeated. 7 and above are definite repeaters. Oh the younger generation….love it. Would have never thought to rate my food but find myself now doing the same because of Heidi and Kevin’s influence.
Looking forward to your new system!
The image of the skinny jeans and sneakers seriously made me laugh out loud! I have that issue when I pack a day’s worth of close for the gym. I’ve forgotten essentials like bras and underwear before. UGH. That pasta looks insane btw. Though anything with cream and goat cheese and starch is bound to be yummy!
Ugh….its got to be liver. Any thing with or near liver will send me running for the door!
I hate olives but luckily they are easy to pick out. My other is cantaloupe. I cannot eat a fruit salad, filled with my favorite pineapple and strawberries, if it also contains cantaloupe. The flavor mixes into all of the fruit and ruins it for me.
I recently discovered how good artichokes are on a salad. I will definitely have to try this pasta recipe.
I can’t wait to make this pasta dish!
fun to see someone else “lighten” PWs recipes a bit…I’m guilty of it myself, and yes, they still taste incredible! Thanks for the reminder about this pasta….i LOVE artichokes…especially in pasta…
love,
cathy b. @ brightbakes
If I pack stuff for the gym it’s because I’m going to work out after work – my usual missing suspect…the hair tie and bobby pins. I can’t stand wearing my hair down at the gym. I’ll risk split ends by using a good-ole rubber band.
And I’m pretty easy to please…I credit that to being 1 of 4 kids and eating what’s given to you. But I’ll pass on the raw white-broc (cauliflower)…