Homemade Gnocchi and HBBC Roundup #4

Thanks to the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was sent some coupons for my choice of products from Simply Potatoes. I have never, ever bought potatoes in any form but you know, the actual potato. So these products weren't initially all that exciting to me. I picked one up to try anyway, and maybe incorporate into a recipe somehow. 

Once I thought of gnocchi, there was no turning back. If you've never had gnocchi before, it's an Italian pasta made of potato, flour and egg. It's one of my standard weeknight dishes, because it can be made in less than 10 minutes. Believe it or not, you can actually make the entire pasta from scratch, cook it and serve it in less than 25 minutes. AND take a ton of photos of the process. Actually, skip that and you can probably get it done in 20 minutes flat. 

Ingredients: Brace yourselves for this massive list. Ready? 

1 1/2 cups of  mashed potatoes (I used Simply Potatoes so it was pre-made) 

3/4 cup of flour 

1 eggs

Yep, it's that simple. So mix this all together in a bowl, using the back of the fork to make sure there are no potato lumps. 

Then, roll a handful of dough into a long log on a floured surface.

Slice each individual piece of gnocchi to be about 1 inch long, and use the back of the fork to make an indentation on the gnocchi. The reason? A) Because the sauce will supposedly adhere better, and b) because old Italian ladies do it that way and I'm not messing with tradition. 

You'll have about this much gnocchi with the recipe given. For the record, it was just enough for me and hubby for dinner, but definitely not enough to have leftovers. 

The next part is so easy you might even be able to get your husband to do it. Just drop it in boiling water, where it will take less than a minute to rise to the surface and be fully cooked. Yes, you read that right. Pasta that cooks in less than a minute. LOVE. 

I served it with tomato sauce, broccoli and cheese and it was a great simple meal. 

In other news, last Friday was the end of week 4 of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. My goal was for 50 points, and I did everything in my power to scrape on by:

Saturday: Biking 36 miles easy (12 pts.)

Sunday: Walk/run 6 miles (6 pts.)

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Run/Walk 3.5 miles, 1 hour of spin (9.5 pts.)

Wednesday: Core/Upper Body for 30 minutes, 50 minutes of spin (6.5 pts.)

Thursday: Run/Walk 5 miles, 30 minutes of yoga (6.5 pts.)

Friday: Rest Day #2

Fruits and Veggies: 6/7 days (6 points) 

Foam Rolling/Stretching: 70 minutes for the week total (3.5 pts.)

Total points for the week: 50.5

Overall, I'm a little bummed that I took 2 rest days again this week. I like to limit it to one, but hey - life happens. And life definitely happens during the holidays!

Have you ever tried gnocchi? Favorite type of pasta?

Gnocchi is probably my favorite - especially when made with sweet potatoes. Maybe I'll tackle that next? Hmm....

Do you work out less during the holidays? Or squeeze it in anyway?

I really don't see much of a difference. Of course, I have FAR less going on than many of you do with lots of family or children. Overall, I would say 80% of my routine stays the same.