Pasta Perfection: Part One

My dinner staple? Pasta. It's simple, versatile, and delicious! Throughout this blog, you will find examples of endless pasta possibilities! Starting with spinach and mozzarella marinara.

What you'll need:

• pre-made pasta sauce (try Bertoli's Tomato and Basil--it's great and goes on sale often!)
• fresh mozzarella
• spinach (either frozen or fresh--Whole Foods sells great tasting frozen spinach)
• pasta--try whole wheat it tastes almost the same and is much healthier!
• medium size pot
• pasta drainer

If you chose to use frozen spinach, let it thaw out by following the directions on the bag for stove-top cooking or simply put a few drops of water with the size portion you desire in a bowl and microwave.

Fill a medium size pot with water, sprinkle in some salt, and place on high heat until it starts to boil. When it comes to a boil, pour in about a quarter of a box, or the serving size listed. Cook for 9-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it to be al dente--a mixture of firm and chewy--taste for your preference.

Drain the pasta then pour it back into the pot, on low heat. Pour in about a quarter of the jar of sauce and stir. Cut up half of a large mozzarella ball into 1 inch pieces and pour into the pot along with the spinach. Stir, dish out, and enjoy!

Realize you cooked too much? Don't worry, pasta is great left over--just put the extras in a Tupperware, refrigerate, and have a quick meal for another day!

Sizzlin' Chicken Salad Made Your Way

One of the best options for a hot summer night is a simple salad topped with chicken. The best thing about salads? Find all your fresh produce that's about to expire and throw it in! This way, you eat all the fruit and vegetables in time and you have a delicious and healthy meal.

Start out with a package of thin-cut chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders, healthier portions than regular chicken breasts. Purdue offers Perfect Portions--each piece of chicken is individually wrapped for convenience. But if you can't find that in the local store, don't worry! Just buy a regular package and wrap up the extra pieces individually in aluminum foil, place them all in a freezer Ziploc bag, and the chicken will stay fresh in the freezer for what seems like forever!

Cut one of the thin cut chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and season with an Italian seasoning or other flavoring of choice. Heat a pan with a thin coat of olive oil then throw the 1-inch piece of chicken in.

Cutting the chicken allows it to cook faster for people not used to cooking chicken, like myself--you don't want to get salmonella!

When the chicken is fully cooked, find any other ingredients that you would like for your salad. Tonight, I opted for a fresh tomato cut in wedges, sliced celery, and one of my precooked hard boiled eggs.

Another great buy that makes life simpler is a bag of already cooked and peeled hard boiled eggs--how much easier can you get?! They're great for egg salad, sliced eggs on salads like this one, basically anything...and they're easy to find! Trader Joe's sells a bag of six precooked and peeled eggs or you can get a dozen from Eggland's Best at almost any store.

Season with a 2-1 ratio of olive oil to red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy, another simple meal in under 10 minutes!

Simple Smoothie in a Snap

It's hot, there's no air conditioning in my house, I just got home from a long day of work...and now it's time to start thinking about dinner!? The last thing I want to do right now is cook. Simple solution? A healthy, quick, and delicious strawberry-banana smoothie!

The best part about this smoothie is that its low-fat and made with frozen strawberries--that way you won't have to worry about fruit spoiling before it's used!

So here's what you need:

• a handful of frozen strawberries (Trader Joe's is a great stop for frozen fruit)
• one banana
• 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup ice cubes

Blend until smooth and enjoy! With no extra sugar needed, this smoothie is a healthy option on the go!