I had a very busy and productive day today.   I got to the gym at 5:30 AM and did 30 min on Elliptical, 20 min on Stairmaster, some serious stretching and some crunches.     I kept up with my goal of drinking plenty of water and drank 74 oz of water while at work.     I got home very hungry and wanted something quick and tasty.  Not to mention Raymond’s friend Jason was coming over to watch WVU play basketball and it needed to be something that feeds 3 people with some left overs…. and that’s when Mushroom and Sundried Tomato Macaroni was born.

Ingredients:

-  2 tbsp Olive Oil
-  1 Med Onion, chopped
-  8 oz of Mushrooms, chopped
-  3 cloves of Garlic
-  2 tsp dried Oregano
-  1 tsp Italian Seasoning
-  1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
-  1 Can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
-  1 Can (15 oz) Whole tomatoes
-  2 tbsp Sundried Tomatoes
-  2 cup Vegetable Broth
-  2 cup dried Macaroni
-  Salt & Pepper to Taste

Cooking Directions: Serves 4

-  Saute Onion and Garlic in olive oil, let it cook until onion is transluscent
-  Add Mushrooms to the onion mixture and let it cook until mushrooms are soft
-  Add Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Tomato Sauce, Chopped up canned tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, salt & Pepper
-  Add a little over half of the parsley to the mixture, add vegetable broth and let it come to boil
-  Add Macaroni, allow it to come to boil, cover and let simmer until the liquid is completely gone and Macaroni is soft.
-  Garnish with Parsley and Enjoy!

NOTE: I served the Macaroni with Grilled chicken, seasoned with Italian season, salt and pepper to the boys.    I added 1/2 cup of Edamame to my dish for some added protein.

This dish took a total of 45 min, from prep to finish…

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I got an email this morning from Raymond about our ride next Saturday, which is about an hour and half north of where we live.. YIKES!  In his email he wrote “you need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate”.   I didn’t do a good job of hydrating last week leading to the race and while riding.   Part of it was Saturday was a chilly day and when its chilly you sort of forget that you need to be drinking water, not that is any excuse.    Hence my goal this week, to make sure I drink enough water throughout the week and definatly drink plenty while riding on Saturday.

How do you stay hydrated while training or running/cycling a race?

Gelareh