Zumba

Today was my "day off" because I needed to work Sunday. My work phone rang at least 10 times. I received 4 voicemails. I spent about half an hour on the phone. The worst part was that the people who were repeatedly calling me KNEW I was off. So annoying. But heaven forbid I not return an "urgent" call on my day off.

Today was also my first time doing Zumba in the past few... weeks? I was sick, then I was injured, then I was crazy busy. I do Zumba at home on my PS3. I'd love to go to the local Zumba studio but I can't justify throwing away that kind of money. $10 per class or I think it was somewhere between $50-100 per month? Yes, Golds Gym has Zumba for less $$, but the folks at Studio Ayo hooked me when they did a introductory session at the hospital and I think any other class at any other gym would disappoint me after that.

So today, not having truly exercised in weeks, I did one of the "intermediate" 45 minute classes on my PS3. I have a weak lower back from a car accident in '08, and I aggravated it in my trip-and-fall. The past few days it's left me apparently walking funny (I was told by coworkers that I was walking "like I had scoliosis" and that I was "walking crooked") which I attribute to a shorter stride length from right-sided pain/stiffness in my lower back. So it wasn't the EASIEST workout I've ever forced myself to complete, not that it was painful either, but it was very annoying to keep hearing my work phone ring and be taken out of my groove. Zumba calms me, and my phone ringing when I'm Zumba-ing does the opposite.

I attribute Zumba and drinking a glass of red wine several nights a week to an extreme drop in my cholesterol. In college my cholesterol was at 266 and I was only about 10 pounds heavier than I am now. October 2010 it was 206. November 2011 it was 191. January 2012 it was... 154!!! Even better, the first two (college/2010) were done fasting, but the very recent ones were non-fasting, meaning the true values are probably lower. (Though both times the only cholesterol I would have consumed at that point would have been in my coffee creamer.) I hope I haven't reversed my cholesterol improvement with not exercising.

The Zumba game's music selection can get boring. Not having DLC makes it worse. But I also still can't justify paying ridiculous $$ for a class at a studio, even though it would be far more entertaining.

In writing this post I discovered the Zumba website and store, complete with the pictured shoes.

Now, for some cupcake goodness:

These little devils are banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, and their fancier companions with Nutella in the cake and in the frosting. I needed to use two overripe bananas, so I mixed up a box of light yellow vanilla cake mix and added the banana mush. I think I added a dash of vanilla extract too. Half of them I added a spoon of Nutella to. (The Nutella will sink to the bottom but that's okay.) Once they were cooled, I mixed up some homemade peanut butter frosting using this recipe, and added a dab of Nutella to the tops of the ones with Nutella in the cake. I halved the frosting recipe and didn't need to use any milk. It covered exactly two dozen cakes. Yum! They lasted about 5 days on the counter, then the cake began to taste less fresh.

Welcome! Have an awesome Taco Pasta recipe!

All right, I've been itching to reinvent this blog. There's no better time than when I'm home waiting for my nails to dry and trying not to put weight on my foot. (Funny story: I got injured—not broken bone injured, probably more sprained-ankle and muscle spasm injured—at work today. And when I tried to file the accident report on the electronic accident reporting system, I wasn't IN the system. Neither was my department, or the area of the hospital I got injured in. And in true bureaucratic fashion, I couldn't free-text those required fields.) I'm hoping it's better tomorrow; I'm supposed to be going to an event that I drive 100 miles to go to the first Friday of every month to dress in funky outfits and dance the night away!

So... Since this blog has a foody name, I'll give you a foody post. Here's one of my tastiest and simplest recipes:

Simple Taco Pasta

Prep Time: 20 Minutes	Ready In: 50 Minutes
Bake Time: 30 Minutes	Servings: About 12

Combine simple ingredients for a gooey, cheesy, spicy, sort-of-crunchy, satisfying meal. This recipe utilizes YOUR favorite textured pasta, taco seasoning, and taco sauce. You also get to choose between cream cheese and lower-fat Neufchatel. (The reason for using textured pasta is to trap or hold the beef and cheese.) It keeps and reheats well… but tends to get spicier over time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lb lean ground beef

1 lb of your favorite short, textured pasta (e.g. medium shells or campanelle)

1 8oz pkg cream cheese or Neufchatel

1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning (e.g. jalapeño and onion)

1 8oz jar of your favorite taco sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips

Optional: Taco garnishes (sliced olives, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, etc.)

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil (salt lightly if desired). Once boiling, add 1 lb textured pasta to water and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente (firm but not hard). Drain and return to pot.

2. While preparing the pasta, brown beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain. Add cream cheese or Neufchatel and taco seasoning; mix and simmer for 5 minutes. (You can make this step easier by using room temperature cream cheese/Neufchatel that’s been chopped into chunks, but that’s not necessary.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Spread a thin layer of taco sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish. Reserve remaining taco sauce for later.

5. Once the beef mixture is done simmering and the pasta has been returned to its pot, add the beef mixture to the pasta and mix well.

6. Spread the pasta mixture evenly across the 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour the remaining taco sauce over the pasta. Cover dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

7. Remove dish from oven, remove foil, and top with Mexican cheese and crushed tortilla chips. (You don’t need exactly 1 ½ cups of chips – just crumble tortilla chips over the pasta until it is well-covered.) Return dish to oven for 15 more minutes.

8. Remove from oven and serve. Optionally, you can add your favorite taco garnishes or let people top their own.

Let me know what you think. (=