Westside LA Team In Training - Winter 2009 Marathon & Half Marathon Team

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HELLO TEAMMATES -

I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO CELEBRATE MY 4 YEARS IN REMISSION AND TO BE ABLE TO BE THERE FOR MY DAUGHTER ON HER WEDDING DAY. IF IT WASN’T FOR YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS, I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY.

YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART AND IN MY FAMILY!!

I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF MYSELF AND MY DAUGHTER BRI ON HER WEDDING DAY. ENJOY…GOOO TEAM.

LOVE AND LAUGHTER ALWAYS,
LAURA MALONEY

You there, in the pasta aisle- I see you!  I see those jars of pre-made pasta sauce in your cart too, and I insist that you put them back on the shelf and make this marinara sauce.

Making sauce from scratch is one of things that looks 100 times more impressive and difficult than it actually is.  Invest a bit of time and a handful of fresh ingredients, and you’ll be saving yourself a ton of sugar and preservatives, and gaining amazing flavor.  This recipe is a classic carrot-celery-onion-tomato combo, but feel free to mix it up with vegetables of your own.  Mushrooms, zucchini, and even shredded beets are all great additions.  When making marinara, I double the recipe and use half of it right away, and freeze the other half in one-cup portions in Ziplock bags.  That way if I get home late and I’m hungry, I have a healthy pasta in the time it takes to boil the whole grain noodles.

This recipe comes to us from my culinary idol, Giada de Laurentiis.  I’m sure the ladies and gentlemen alike have noticed Giada’s smokin’ bod, and any woman who looks that good and eats Italian food every day obviously knows a thing or two about making meals that are delicious and won’t pack on the pounds.  Give this one a try before your next carbo-load, I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Marinara Sauce                                                                                                                                                                                                          Adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis   

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are the BEST!  Trust me on this one.  If you like chunkier sauce, do 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes)

2 dried bay leaves

In the biggest, heaviest pot you own, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.

(The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

Serve with spaghetti and some killer turkey meatballs (recipe coming soon), and you’ll break up with that Prego sauce for good.

Go TEAM, eat well this week!

Mark Bittman is a food genius.  His cookbook How to Cook Everything has been in print for 11 years, and he writes a regular cooking column in a little newspaper known as the New York Times.  His cooking point of view is one that I strive to live by when training:  eat lots of plant-based food, lots of grains, avoid processed food when possible, and cook most of it yourself. 

I was delighted yesterday when I read that Mark Bittman is a runner!  He’s completed 5 marathons (with a PR of 4:20), and is now training for the 2009 New York Marathon (pretty impressive at the seasoned age of 59).  Instead of sharing one of my recipes or tips this week, I’m just going to strongly encourage you to read Mark’s article/recipes.  He says it much better than I ever could.

Mark Bittman’s 8 Rules for Healthy Eating

Mark Bittman’s Cooking Philosophy- He links 8 recipes here.  Spinach, bacon, and sweet potato salad?  Yes please.  Mark is also a fan of the frittata, just like yours truly.

Eat well this week, and GO TEAM!