fast and easy (semi-fancy) pasta

so guess who signed up for the half marathon. this girl did! (and in time this year.. i won't have to pretend to be named katie or whatever haha)

training started this week meaning swong-on-a-(carefully timed)-eating-rampage has begun. you already know how much i love food but it becomes an even bigger deal while training. 

when training you can really notice more the huge range of effects food can have. i can really see how my energy level changes based on certain foods. oh hey glycemic index, i guess you are useful.

during training my eating habits definitely change. i'm snacking almost all of the time, i'll buy foods with refined sugar or flour, and i'll chug HFCS products...(i love you powerade!)

an important meal is the meal after working out. after a run it's good to eat a lot of carbs and protein because it helps your body build muscle and refuel your glycogen stores. but after a run i'm tired, i feel gross and the last thing i want to do is cook a long, complicated meal. 

here's a something i made filled with yummy good-for-you stuff and only took 13 mins to make :)

What I used:

- 1/2 small onions, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1 serving Barilla Plus Thin Spaghetti

- 1/4 cup frozen peas

- handful of Organic Girl supergreens

- Salt &Pepper

- crushed Red Pepper Flakes

- Chicken Breast

 no, i didn't run out of clean pots. this is a lifehacker trick i learned to cook your pasta with less energy, time and water. you want to start the pasta first thing because it takes the longest to cook. my pasta took about 7 mins.

while the pasta's going, prep your ingredients.  then, sautee the onion for about a minute and add the garlic. salt and pepper a little bit too

add the cooked pasta and frozen peas to the onions. then some salt, pepper and a dash of red chili flakes (or whatever seasonings you want).

i had these greens leftover so that's why i added them.  it was nice having it in there because i felt like it brought a new texture to the dish. and greens are always good for you! you could use anything baby greens you have or any more veggies you want.  I tossed these for about a minute to wilt.

13 mins 19 seconds to cook! woohooo. and yes, that is a cracked screen :(

finished product

(while this was all going on, i used the george forman to grill my chicken breasts. none of the pics of this process looked that appetizing and you know..swong's blog only has the highest of standards!! so that's where the chicken magically appeared from)

enjoy :)