Rock Climbing Fuel

Rock climbing has quickly become my new favorite activity. I dabbled in it for a time during high school, but viewed it more as a fun activity rather than something I strived to be good at. About two month ago, however, my interest in it was reborn and has been alive and well ever since.

It all started during a trip to OKC back in April. There are some old silos in downtown (yes, I know, shocking, there are silos in OK) that have been turned into an indoor rock climbing gym. For years (pretty much the whole time I was in school there) I wanted to give them a try but never could find anyone to accompany me.

Then one day a miracle happened, TF wanted to go climbing! I was estatic. We went the next time I was in town and were instantly hooked. It's really amazing how much better I've gotten in just a couple months (and I don't even get to go nearly as often as I'd like). I think, similar to yoga, my long limbs and natural flexibility make it something I take to naturally. This is something I'm thankful for because my upper body strength remains minimal at best despite my increased use of weights at the gym. Anyway, we loved climbing so much we even bought our own gear....and much to TF's dismay, matching shoes :)

Shoe twins

Inside one of the silos

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was in OKC yet again and TF and I made sure to plan multiple trips to the rock climbing gym into our itinerary. Before one such trip, we decided to make some pasta with a homemade sauce to help fuel us for our hours of climbing that lay ahead. The sauce we made is a standby favorite of ours. We've made several variations over the years, usually as part of our pre-race dinner before our half-marathons and it never fails to delight the tastebuds. We don't usually eat cheese pre-race, but for this version we decided to pick up some smoked gouda (a shared favorite for us) during our trip to Whole Foods (where we also shopped along side one of the Thunder players [Nick Collison])...highlight of my trip :)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Homemade Marinara

Ingredients

• 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (we usually get the garlic and onion or basil one)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
• Olive oil (2-3 tbsp)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 package whole wheat pasta

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in skillet, added onion and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes (they'll continue to cook once combined with the tomatoes)
2. Combine tomatoes in large pot (we typically use a wok, but any large pot will work) and bring to a boil
3. Add onion and garlic to tomatoes, plus salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil on medium-high for 30-45 minutes (or until reduced to desired consistency). We prefer a chunckier sauce, but the longer it cooks the more reduced the tomatoes will become, so it's just about preference
5. While sauce is reducing, cook pasta according to package directions
6. Once pasta and sauce are done, plate and serve!