Pasta Primavera

Old, old favorite recipe in our family - you see how poor this copy is? The original by now is probably just a memory!

I think it came out of Good Housekeeping originally, but it clocked in at 590 calories a serving, which I really can’t do! 

So. I am lightening it up for you, here, halving the calories per serving! 

*By the way, after you’ve weighed and measured your food for as many years as I have, you really DO get better at eyeballing things. As you can see from the recipe, I was trying for 6oz here - pretty close!

PASTA PRIMAVERA

Olive oil pan spray

Garlic to taste

2lbs broccoli florets, trimmed

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (if you’ve got one. I don’t, and this turns out just fine without it!)

6oz pasteurized processed cheese food (like Velveeta, that is)

1 1/4 C skim milk

1/3C grated dried Parmesan (like Kraft)

Fresh oregano - as much as you have!

14oz rice noodles (regular spaghetti if you don’t have to be GF)

Soak your nice noodles (or cook your spaghetti) according to package directions. Drain when done. 

In a large skillet or pot (whatever you have that fits 2lbs of broccoli), brown garlic in pan spray over medium. (I like a lot of garlic here!) Add broccoli and bell pepper, if using, and sauté for a second, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 C water; cover and cook until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

Cube your pasteurized processed cheese food (sorry, it’s so processed I can’t resist) while your broccoli is steaming. Once the broccoli is done, add the cheeses, oregano, and the milk and stir until cheeses are melted and mixture is blended.

Pour over hot pasta and serve.

Servings: 7

Calories per serving: 300

Spinach with Navy Beans

SPINACH WITH NAVY BEANS

I suppose I don't really even have a recipe for this in the sense of measuring anything! But it really is such a good recipe it deserves writing down, even if you're going to be on your own for quantities, lol. 

I use a lot of spinach. (I like spinach. Spinach is my diet secret.)

I wilt it in the microwave, in a large plastic bowl, after adding a little bit of water and covering it. Four minutes, stir; if all your spinach didn't fit in the bowl for the first four minutes, add more now, cover again and microwave another four. 

When it's done, I toss in a handful of navy beans. You could use canned; I do them in the crockpot in batches and freeze. (They're healthier and I don't have to worry about them being gluten free that way.) 

Then I add another handful of fresh Parmesan, and usually a good bit of thyme or oregano, too.

Stir it up, let the Parmesan melt a bit, and serve it hot - or portion it out in tupperwares to have it ready to eat later. (Another diet secret: I'm more likely to eat more veggies if they only need microwaved a minute!)