There has been a lot going on around here! First of all, we brought out beautiful, scrumptious, amazing, little peach of a daughter home a few days ago! She is ten days old and already seems to be changing so much. Being Ryan’s Mom is the greatest joy I could have ever imagined. It is also such a hard, tiring time in a new Mom’s life. You are trying to get a grasp on breast feeding, naps, etc…taking care of yourself falls way down the list of things to worry about. (Luckily, she likes to sleep so I sneak in showers!)
One thing that I forgot to do the first few days I was home with her was eat! There is just so much happening and you are truly running on adrenaline.
But Mama, if you aren’t healthy and happy, you won’t have the energy to care for this new little life!
Today was the first day I got back in to my kitchen to make some food for us. I went with something I knew would last a few days and would be easy to open and take a few bites in between feeding her! New Mom or not…you will love this pasta!
Chargrilled Veggie Pasta Salad
There are quite a few recipes like this floating around…feel free to add extra veggies or take out something you don’t like. I would have added some asparagus tips but I used what was in our house or our backyard!
What you need:
1 box of whole wheat penne (I used Gluten Free)
1 yellow squash
1 zuchini
1 large bell pepper or 2 small ones
1 ear of corn
1 heirloom tomato
Handful of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 heaping table spoon of store bought pesto
1 lemon & zest
Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
(healthy pinches of each below)
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Paprika
Cayenne
Garlic Powder
Cook pasta till al dente, run under cool water and set aside. Toss with a small amount of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together!
Using a grill pan or the outdoor grill, grill your veggies! After they are softened and have nice char marks, dice them!
Toss pasta & veggies in a big bowl. Add pesto, olive oil and spices! Top with parsley!
