Spaghetti Squash Bliss

Spaghetti squash... mmmm...

What the hell happened to the weather?! The weekend was absolute perfection, or as perfect as things can be in the mountains for a girl who prefers the ocean. Today? Today's is that Weekend's Ass-Ugly Step-Sister. What a disappointment.

Ah well. Guess that means I have to stay inside and cook. Gee. Darn.

After running a Kickboxing class this morning and putting my subjects through a certain amount of torment, and then a quick Tabata workout to satiate my own workout needs... and flirting with an irresistibly adorable 7 month old who was sorta offering free smooches and free ear-nibbles... I got back to my new-but-starting-to-become-comfortably-lived-in house and took stock of yesterday's kill... ie: trip to the grocery store. Gloriosky, there was spaghetti squash to be found at the market in Fort Collins! And it only took 3-4 weeks of habitually searching endless stores in a 20 mile radius. (Worth it.)

Kickboxing meant I got to break in a few new kick and punch combos with The Tuesday Regulars. They're troopers-- they will do anything I ask, do it well, and do it better when I start to egg them on... because even when you're approaching 70, you can still be a badass! It's always fun to see some of the older ladies get their gloves on, head to the bags, sink into their stance, and go to town, even if it's while doing a movement or punch combination they're not yet familiar with. Whoever said old people get set in their ways haven't met these chicks! I had several people come up to me afterwards and say that was one of the best classes or the hardest workouts they've ever had, all said through enormous toothy grins. That alone made my day!

Then off to the second level of Orchards for a quick and private personal ass-kicking. Tabata is perfect for anyone that loves variety and pliable workouts-- I've done it for just over 2 months now, and have yet to repeat a workout. Most of Kickboxing was cardio/leg intensive, so I focused instead on abs and upper body since I had demonstrated everything and did as much during the class for myself as I could justify. The rounds of weighted chest press with the exercise ball will hurt tomorrow, I'm sure, but will pay off by the weekend when I don't feel a shred of soreness in my back and feel my posture lining up better all on its own. As long as I know what the exercise is for (balance, control, posture, toning, strength, flexibility, heart health, etc.), I don't mind a little temporary soreness.

And then home after getting a little baby-snuggle time. (Could one day turn into baby-smuggle time, meaning that kid finds his way home with me. Trouble is, I'm on the waiting list, what with all the other gym regulars that called 'dibs' when they saw his cute wil' pudgy cheeks.) It's cold and gray outside, and feels like being back in the Midwest, so I crank up the heat on my stove to heat the teapot and pull out the leftover pork stir-fry. Once my stomach stops yelling at me for food, I can focus on prepping a few larger meals for the next few days. And lo, spaghetti squash is just waitin' for me, all pretty and yellow, on my counter, begging to be baked and shredded and enjoyed...

Now, the reason so much of this entry is about anything other than spaghetti squash and how to prep it is because it is not that hard to prep spaghetti squash. Just be sure you have a "Psycho"-worthy knife and some time to kill.

Don't believe me? Watch this!