Since I have so much free time these days, I have taken the initiative to go back to the gym. The last time I went was before I was married in 2007, when I was trying to look good in my wedding dress. I bought a 3 year membership back then, because the more years you pay for, the cheaper it is (yes, I am a sucker).

The day before I got married, I told my trainer it was my last day, because what good is it to get married if you still need to work on looking good? To me, that was one of the biggest advantages of getting married. I could get fat, sloppy, and just really let myself go in the looks department, and my husband would still be legally bound to me forever.

But because of the present unfortunate circumstances, I have hauled my ass back to the gym. I was actually looking forward to going to the gym (you can only watch Maury Provich so long until you realize the uncle is always the baby daddy). But the moment I stepped foot in the gym, all the unpleasant memories came raining down on me.

While the gym I go to is relatively new and clean, it still doesn’t hide the fact that it reeks of BO, that the body building wannabes are constantly making loud grunting noises as if giving birth, and that people seem to think that it is ok to wear whatever you want to the gym (I thought this big lady had no pants on, until I realized her tiny shorts were sucked into her big ass). I am all for freedom of expression and I heavily support being proud of your own body and all that, but still, we should be considerate of other people’s eyes.

I also find that every time I am in the gym, I get hungry. Not because I am burning off hundreds and hundreds of calories, but because the smart asses that work at 24, think it’s a really good idea to put on the Food Network while everyone is working their asses off trying to get in shape. As a result, I go straight to the kitchen when I get home, to stuff my face. But on the plus side, I do come up with a lot of cooking ideas while watching those mouth watering cooking shows.

Today on Barefoot Contessa, she was making baked herb chicken with a side of vegetables, and it looked delicious! I was trying hard to make a mental note of all the ingredients she was using, but once she hit 10, I gave up. I figured I’d just go back to my own tried and true chicken drumsticks recipe.

It is so quick and easy, and again, the oven does all the work. I make chicken drumsticks at least once a week, because it is so quick. I even have marinated drumsticks in the freezer that I just take out, thaw, and throw in the oven. It can’t get any easier than that!

So here is my recipe for Chicken drumsticks, and because that is so easy to make, I’ll throw in my recipe for vegetable medley (otherwise known as whatever veggies are still left in your fridge):

Ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken drumsticks (medium sized)

chicken drumsticks and vegetable medley

Marinade:

• 2 cups Italian dressing
• 2 tablespoons parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Rinse the chicken drumsticks under cold water, and pat dry
3. Cut 3 slits in the meatiest part of the drumsticks, so the marinade can hold better
4. Evenly coat the drumsticks with the marinade ingredients (save one third of the marinade for later)
5. Line a baking dish with foil, and lightly coat with oil
6. Place the drumsticks on foil, and let bake for 30 mins, then turn the drumsticks over, and pour remaining marinade on top
7. Let bake for another 20-30 mins, or until chicken is no longer pink inside
8. Let cool for 10 mins, then serve

For the Vegetable Medley:

Ingredients:

• Half of a large white onion sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 each of a large green and red pepper sliced
• 2 small zucchinis, sliced
• 2 small yellow squash, sliced
• 1 pat of butter (about the size of a starburst candy)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. To a heated pan, add the garlic, onions and butter
2. Add the zucchini and squash and stir fry for 3 mins, or until slightly soft
3. Add the red and green peppers, and stir fry another 3 mins (the zucchini and squash should still retain its color. If it is turning gray or is soggy then you have cooked it too long)
4. Add the salt and pepper