Mmmm Mmm! I have been making some tasty meals lately, most of them Italian-inspired. It didn't occur to me to blog about my dinners until my sister forwarded me a link to a blog I've been following for a few months now called Shutterbean, written by a gal in San Fran who uses all Trader Joe's products and makes inventive meals, snacks, desserts, etc. with them. No, I'm not turning this into a food blog, but if I have an inspiring meal, I'll share it. She has a kick ass camera, so my photos pale in comparison to hers, but typically all my ingredients are from the Joe's as well.
I never plans meals. I buy fruits, vegetables, cheeses, pastas, breads and some meats at the store and figure out something to do with them when I get home. For packing lunches in the morning to take to work, it's a terrible system, but for dinners I find it fun and a creative approach. It makes for super simple meals that usually take less than an hour to prep and cook. I don't always buy the same varieties; I try to mix it up, but as you'll see below, in the last few weeks I've been buying the same staples to make different dishes.
For lunch today I made whole wheat linguine with spinach-walnut pesto.
I never plans meals. I buy fruits, vegetables, cheeses, pastas, breads and some meats at the store and figure out something to do with them when I get home. For packing lunches in the morning to take to work, it's a terrible system, but for dinners I find it fun and a creative approach. It makes for super simple meals that usually take less than an hour to prep and cook. I don't always buy the same varieties; I try to mix it up, but as you'll see below, in the last few weeks I've been buying the same staples to make different dishes.
For lunch today I made whole wheat linguine with spinach-walnut pesto.
I didn't even really know if you could make pesto w/ spinach, but I did it anyway b/c I was craving it and I didn't have any fresh basil in the house. I did have a bag of pine nuts, but decided to use walnuts instead. I threw each of those ingredients into the cuisinart with a dash of chicken broth while the pasta was boiling. I took it out and mixed in some romano cheese (nearly nonfat and very tasty) with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. I added my linguine, fat free feta from TJ's, cut up some yellow and red cherry tomatoes and had the tastiest lunch I've had in a long time.
I made a pasta primavera of sorts a few weeks ago that went over well with the hubby that included fresh carrots, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and the feta and romano again (but somehow I don't tire of it). I Another one he loved, saying it was the best he's ever had (really!) was a ground turkey and vegetable lasagna. I used the no-boil lasagna noodles from TJ's, their tomato basil marinara and layered with my 2 favorite cheeses again, ground turkey that I pre-cooked with italian seasoning and garlic, portabellas, black olives and 45 minutes later, tasty goodness.
I made a pasta primavera of sorts a few weeks ago that went over well with the hubby that included fresh carrots, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and the feta and romano again (but somehow I don't tire of it). I Another one he loved, saying it was the best he's ever had (really!) was a ground turkey and vegetable lasagna. I used the no-boil lasagna noodles from TJ's, their tomato basil marinara and layered with my 2 favorite cheeses again, ground turkey that I pre-cooked with italian seasoning and garlic, portabellas, black olives and 45 minutes later, tasty goodness.
