Asparagus and Tomato Pesto Pasta

I have been craving some good Italian and my husband loves asparagus so I was positive he would like this recipe.  And he did..he mentioned multiple times it was very good.  I loved it as well and will definitely be making it again. I made the pesto earlier on in the day and it was really easy.

Mixed herb pesto

2 Tbsp pine nuts (I just went to winco and filled up a bag with about 2 tbsp of pine nut) it only cost me 65 cents.
2 garlic cloves (I as always used the diced garlic cloves that you store in the fridge)
1 1/2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley
1 cup mixed herbs. (I used dry, so I put less then 1 cup but would recommend using fresh and I used Basil, oregano and thyme)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put nuts and cloves in a food processor and process until minced.  Add parsley, herbs, salt and Parmesan cheese and process until herbs are finely minced.  Slowly pour olive oil into processor while going until its mixed in.  Spoon into a zip lock bag and store in fridge.

 Asparagus and Tomato Pesto Pasta

8 oz whole wheat uncooked spaghetti
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (this gives it a little kick so leave it out if you don't want spicy)
2 1/2 cups sliced asparagus
1 1/2 cups grape tomato's halved
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp mixed herb pesto (recipe above)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Cook pasta according to package directions.  I left out any fat or salt. 
After pasta is cooked reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add Asparagus and red peppers and cook for five minutes or until asparagus is tender. 

Add Tomatoes and garlic, cook about 1 minute.  Add remaining ingredients and pasta, toss well.  Add the reserved water if needed.  Cook for 1 minute.

The green blob on top of the pasta is the pesto.  YUMMY!

If your family doesn't like whole wheat pasta, I recommend this brand.  It was really good and my husband (the picky one) could not even tell it was whole wheat. 

Serves 4- Serving size about 1 1/2 cups
Cal. 336, Fat 10.1,  Protein 12.1, Carbs 50.5, fiber 3.8, WWPP 9

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Recent eats

Ripped in 30 is going great!  I am already down 2 pounds from monday and hoping to get down another pound by next monday.  This first week is not too tough for me but I know that it will get harder.  It is, after all, Jillian Michaels.  Here are a few things I have eaten this past week that are sort of remakes of what is on her meal plan.  I am still counting points and only trying things on her plan mostly for lunch or breakfast.

This was already a common breakfast for me.  I found some really good whole wheat english muffins recently (at winco).  The brand is Bubba's and have been eating them regularly for breakfast.  I put WW cheese wedges (1pt+) on them and got the idea to put egg whites on them from Jillian michaels meal plan.  Love the egg whites with it for sure!

 Tuna is by far my favorite thing in the whole entire world.  My midwife recommended that I not eat tuna while I was pregnant because of the mercury in it and so after I had my daughter it was the first thing I requested in the hospital.  I love a really good tuna salad as well.  I mixed the tuna with the Lighthouse poppyseed dressing that you see in the picture instead of mayo and just put it over the salad.  The dressing is really low fat and is only 2 pts for 2 tbsp.  I only put one tablespoon in the tuna. 

 This is just pinapple and apples mixed with half a cup of low fat cottage cheese.  It was a nice change for a breakfast for me

 I LOVE  HUMMUS.  I tried this particular brand at costco the other day while they were doing samples and craved it for days so last night I went and picked myself up some and could not wait to try it with some whole wheat pitas.  YUMMY!  I added in some grape tomotoes that I had leftover from a dinner the other night and it was so good. 

This is the Hummus I got.   5.99 for the big container which is a good deal I think!

Meal Planning

I have been searching the internet for good healthy recipes and I have made a meal plan for the next week that I thought I would share.(This may become a permanent part of my blog)
The menu is as follows:

Friday: Turkey Burgers with baked fries.
Saturday: Grilled Chicken Parmigiana with Salad
Sunday-Chipotle marinated pork tenderloin
Monday-Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce
Tuesday-Loaded twice baked Potatoes
Wednesday-Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime with Asparagus
Thursday-Turkey Vegetable chili
*All of these recipes are linked except the last which I don't remember where I got it so the recipe will come soon and in the mean time I will search for where I got it. The first is not linked either but I will get the recipe from {The Hubby} and let you know what it is!

I get recipes off the internet quite often and I usually print them, try them out and if they are good they will go in my recipe book. I haven't actually tried any of these except the turkey burgers (because its {The Hubbys} recipe) so I dont know if they are any good but I will for sure let you know!