Exercise on the Road

I am a big advocate of fitting exercise into life. Trying to eat right and exercise on a regular basis is challenging with the large amount of business travel I've been doing. Challenging but not impossible. I don't always feel like going down to the hotel gym in the wee hours of the morning so I pack workout DVDs and some basic equipment so that I can exercise in my room. I get a great workout in and feel energized all day. And since my workout DVDs range from 15-minute high intensity intervals to 60-minute traditional cardio, I have no excuse to deviate from my regular schedule.

Stuffed Shells

I have been traveling alot for work lately so I've been preparing meals that reheat well. Since takeout options in our city are limited, I'm happy to know that my husband and kids are able to still eat healthy while I travel.

Last week, I prepared stuffed shells with help from the kids. They declared it "one of the best meals ever!" It's fairly easy to make and it makes great leftovers. If only I could have found whole wheat shells...oh well, it was still a great recipe

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes with added puree (such as Progresso)
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded provolone cheese, divided
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
• 1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 20 cooked jumbo shell pasta (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Combine 1/2 cup provolone and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl. Spoon or pipe about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pasta shell; place stuffed shells in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup provolone. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts.

Krista Montgomery, M.S., R.D., Cooking Light DECEMBER 2006