With 10,000 athletes expected to take part and raise €3 million for over 150 charities this year, the Cork city marathon is one of the biggest sporting events in the country. I have been asked to put together some really quick, tasty and nutritious pasta dishes to help out those folks already in training! Dishes like my Speedy Spaghetti Amatriciana and Rocket Fuelled Pasta will be sure to get athletes of all levels fuelled up and ready to rock on the big day!
Hopefully my pasta recipes will appeal to both foodies and fitness enthusiasts and you can check them all out on www.readysteadycork.com alongside several fitness schedules and training guides designed to help a wide range of people - from experienced athletes to first-time marathoners. If you are planning on running a marathon these Power Pasta recipes are packed with foods and ingredients rich in protein and ‘good fats’ such as avocados, salmon, chicken and olive oil, providing vital nutrients and ensuring that there is plenty of variety in runners’ diets!
Simple Spicy Tuna and Garlic Penne Tuna is a fantastic healthy store cupboard ingredient which is perfect for quick dishes just like this. You can use tinned tuna, but I really love the tuna you can buy in jars stored in olive oil.
Serves 4 250g of wholemeal penne 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes A good handful of parsley, roughly chopped 230g jar of tuna fillets in olive oil A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet In a large frying pan heat the oil over a medium heat and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Fry gently until golden. Add the cooked pasta and the parsley to the pan and toss until the pasta is nicely coated. Break the tuna into rough chunks, add to the pasta and stir through. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and serve straight away!
2009 has been a fairly spectacular year indeed, between the band, the book, and lots and lots of cooking I have never been so busy in my life, but it has been totally worth it! Here's my run down of 2009 highlights!
- Started the year flying high as Peter Pan in the Tivoli theatre's panto. - Putting together plans for a mixed pop group. - Forming Industry with Lee Hutton, Michele McGrath, and Morgan Deane! Favourite Recipe: Roast Garlic Potatoes
- Going to Stockholm to record Industry's first single, "My Baby's Waiting". - Received first draft of Good Mood Food, the book. - Pancake season! - Went to Stockholm to support my Swedish superstar buddy sing at the Swedish Eurovision selection. - A name was finally chosen for Industry, thankfully 4DB was thrown out the window. - Going to Stockholm again to record very first music video, for "In Your Arms". - Doing first photoshoot as a band- very glamorous. Favourite Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cupcakes
- Was busy working on what I thought were the final drafts of the book. - Planned my very first attempt at a vegetable garden. - Planted Dill, Fennel, Pak Choi, Broad Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Cabbage, Cos Lettuce, Rosemary. - Submitted last photos for the book. - Made first public outing as Industry on the red carpet at the Meteor Irish Music Awards. - Went for a walk on the cliffs every morning this month. - Blog got 10,000 unique visitors in one day, was very excited. Favourite Recipe: Bacon Avocado and Sundried Tomato Sandwich
- Got my very first blog/book press. - Back to Stockholm to record more tracks with Industry. - Flew to Spain to record music video for Industry's "My Baby's Waiting". - Took a little break in Gothenberg with Sofie. - Submitted what I thought was the last draft of the book. - Fell in love with dried Mango... mmmm... mango. Favourite Recipe: Red Onion and Garlic Focaccia
- Got the BBQ out early for Mays mini heat wave. - Back to Stockholm again to record more tracks with Industry. - Shot the final cover for the book with the help of Erica and Sofie. - Performed with Industry at our press launch at The Sugar Club in Dublin. - Industry's single got it's very first airplay on 2fm. - Got a blackberry phone. - Sang Kate Bush wuthering heights in falsetto on radio, not pleasant but very funny. - Discovered Flahavans porridge pots which kept me alive and well on the road. Favourite Recipe: BBQ Cajun Spatchcock Chicken
- Got to finally visit Cork's English Market. - Went to Ireland's Eye with Morgan and Lee for my birthday. - Found a brill table to shoot food on. - My annoying but hilarious fight with the birds and the strawberries. - Lee buying male Ugg boots. - Got introduced to Dave Peelo, the toughest fitness trainer you ever did see. - Industry's first single "My Baby's Waiting" went straight in at number one in the Irish charts. - Performed at the Ms. Universe competition. Favourite Recipe: Warm Chorizo, Red Onion and Baby Potato Salad
- Went to LA with James, Morgan and Sofie. - Got upgraded on the flight over but had to slum it on the way back. - Saw the massive amount of tributes to Michael Jackson at his house and his Hollywood star. - Went surfing with my Uncle Niall on Santa Monica beach. - Did a photo shoot for VIP magazine, blue steel was out in force. - Went to outdoor yoga in Stephens Green in Dublin. - Supported the Pussycat Dolls at the Killarney Summerfest. - Sent off the final final final edits of the book. - Visited the republics very first Ikea store. - Recorded music video for Industry's second single "Burn" at the amazing Grouse Lodge studios. Favourite Recipe: Sticky Mustard Chicken Drumsticks
- Went on a romantic little bank holiday break in a cottage near Carlingford. - Co-hosted the South East Radio breakfast show with the brill Tony Scott and Industry. - Became a regular contributor with Irish Tatler. - Industry's second single "Burn" went to number one. - Supported Tynchi Stryder in Tralee, as you do. - Had a brill getaway anniversary weekend in Castle Leslie, massages all round. Favourite Recipe: Asian Teriyaki Chicken Salad
- Started tweeting 140 character recipes on my twitter. - Appeared on RTE's Ice with Industry. - Performed at the Barretstown Charity Bandana launch. - Went blackberry picking with Maisie the cupcake queen. - Picked up my copy of Good Mood Food! - Recorded 3 new tracks with Industry at the amazing Grouse Lodge recording studios. Favourite Recipe: Oriental Steak Salad
- Picked up my brand new camera, the Canon 5d Mark ii. - Saw the book in shops for the first time, rearranged the shelves. - Appeared on the front page of the Irish Examiner. - Did lots and lots of radio interviews about the book. - Went mushroom hunting with Aoife. - Went back to school to do a cupcake demonstration at my old school. - Interview on Tubridy with Ryan Tubridy about the book. - Got a text from Michele to tell me she nearly fell over when she saw a giant poster of me in the window of Dubray Books on Grafton Street in Dublin! - Did the official launch of the book in Dubray Books on Grafton street in Dublin. - Appeared on RTE's The Cafe with Industry. - Went to Gothenburg and visited a Swedish bakery. - Interview with Ian Dempsey on Today FM. Favourite Recipe: Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes
- Upgraded my old desk, for a new fancy one from IKEA. - Wrote my very first food column for the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine. - Finally made a vision board. - Became obsessed with one of the kitchens in IKEA. - Heard that The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten has a copy of Good Mood Food. - Did a cookery demonstration at an all girls school. - Assistant food stylist on a Christmas food shoot. Favourite Recipe: Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
- All the brill Christmas food press. - Feature in the lovefood magazine with fellow Irish food bloggers, Italian Foodies, Cheap Eats, and Daily Spud. - Visit to a free range turkey farm. - Massive Christmas baking session with Erica and Maisie. - Getting a video of the book launch from Darragh. - Visit to Sheridans cheese, I am now hooked on cheese. - Skiing with Sofie in Gothenburg. - Jul pa Liseberg. - Christmas in Sweden Favourite Recipe: Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta
Thanks so much to all who read this blog for all the support, comments and emails this year, and I hope I'll be keeping you cooking all through 2010!
