P90X (NOVEMBER 1) - BRING IT

Day 2. I absolutely LOVE the ploymetrics work out. I really felt it in my legs the last ten minutes but managed to push through it anyway. Feeling a little sore from yesterday's chest & back - mostly in my triceps. I wonder if I should have pushed myself a little harder. I feel a little tight in my core but that is a good thing.

I am still going to incorporate some more cardio several days per week -- running, elliptical, Arc Trainer, or treadmill hiking because I am used to working out twice a day and frankly, I am a cardio junkie.

I prepare most of my food for the week over the weekendso that I have stuff readily available. I prepped two meals from the nutrition guide island pork (and got the salad stuff to go with it) and the beef stir fry. I will let you know what I think of them when I have them (for the foodies out there). I also prepared lamb stuffed peppers with couscous and spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs (modified from on Karen posted on her blog).

Lamb Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
4 bell peppers, tops removed, cored and seeded
1/2 pound lean ground lamb
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup of Israeli couscous
2 cups chicken broth (to cook the couscous)

Method
Preheat oven to 350. In a large saucepan, cover peppers with boiling salted water. Cover and simmer on low 5 minutes. Drain peppers upside down on towels. Prepare couscous with chicken broth according to the package instructions. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown lamb and garlic, breaking up lamb. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, basil, spices, cooked couscous. Stuff peppers with mixture. Stand stuffed peppers in a baking pan. Bake 10-15 minutes until peppers are just tender.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 12oz/344g-wt.): 270 calories (130 from fat), 15g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 13g protein, 21g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 40mg cholesterol, 510mg sodium

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeded.
1 small onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey meat (85/15)
3 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Transfer the meatball mixture to a serving bowl.

Simple Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.