I knew joining a CSA would be a good way to get me over the hump with some of the more intimidating veggies and in the first week it already is!

I made a huge salad with greens I would have never bought, tried kohlrabi for the first time and now I am cooking with rainbow chard. Scratch that… WE are cooking with chard. That’s right "WE!" Last night’s dinner was a collaboration between Little Guy and I. We were home alone for dinner and decided to play. :)

The result was a healthy vegetarian pasta dish that both him and I LOVED! Let me show you how we made it… And I do mean SHOW you.. I went picture happy again. ;)

• 6 oz of cooked whole wheat pasta (we used bionaturae Organic Whole Wheat Chiocciole)
• 2 tsp olive oil (10g)
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 lb Rainbow Swiss Chard washed
• 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1-2 pinches of salt
• 1/2 tsp drid basil (plus more to taste) and/or fresh basil leaves
• 1 15oz can of great northern beans drained and rinsed
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Put on a pot of boiling water and cook the pasta according to the package.

Wash the chard. It’s so pretty, isn’t it?

Chop it up a bit and seperate the steps from the leaves. We are going to cook them at different times since the stalks will take longer.

Heat the 2 tsp of oil in the pan over medium high heat. And yes that is 2 tsp, can you see it? Coats the pan nicely without drowning everything in oil.

Add the onion and the garlic. I love having a helper!

Add the chard stalks.

The pan may start to get dry as the onion and garlic cook. That’s ok. Add the can of diced tomaotes.

I plucked some baby basil leaves from my garden if don’t have any, no worries we’ll be adding dried in a bit. :) Add a pinch of salt

Add the leaves of the chard and…

…stir until they start to wilt. (I had SUCH a great helper!)

Add the beans.

At this point we tasted it and thought it needed some more basil. We added 1/2 tsp and another pinch of salt.

Add the cooked and drained pasta and…

… again stir to coat.

It should look like this…

As soon as all ingredients are well mixed, serve! We liked it with a little Parmesan cheese. Honestly, I was shocked at how good it was AND that Little guy ate a whole serving! Don’t tell the husband, but dude… we eat MUCH better without him. ;)

I love the beans texture with the small pasta shapes. Mom always used a type of Tubettini. I used elbows as the choices of whole grain shapes are pretty limited.

When I told the husband and toddler what I was making I got a face from both of them. I just rolled my eyes and made it anyway. To their surprise they both liked it! The toddler didn’t finish his plate but he hate enough to constitute a meal and husband devoured his bowl. Now.. when will they TRUST me? ;~)

• 2 tsp olive oil (8g)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic minced
• about 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
• 2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can (~15oz) Northern Beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• black pepper
• 12oz whole wheat elbow macaroni
• dried parsley and Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium to large saucepan (big enough to hold all the pasta.) Add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic just starts to brown. Add the two cans of sauce, beans, dried herbs and pepper. Cook until bubbles start to form then lower to simmer.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package. The sauce will simmer as you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, about 20 minutes total.

When the pasta is finished drain and add to the sauce and beans. Shut off the heat and stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce. Scoop out, top with some parm cheese, parsley and eat!

As for the family, they LOVED IT and so did I! The toddler was completely interested in the entire process. Here he is stealing piece of zucchini from the cutting board. Look at that expression, I love it!

When we sat down to eat he was at first, a little intimidated by the pie piece but once I showed him how to eat he went to the town. Even the husband had nothing but good things to say. I was shocked! Although he thinks it would be better with my sauce. Ok, how can I argue with that? :)

My strategy was simple… reduce, replace and add some veggies. It’s what I always do!

• 12 oz whole wheat rigatoni
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz fancy shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• dried parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until just done. Shave off 1-2 minutes from the time given on the box. I cooked mine for 10.

While preparing the pasta you’ll be making the sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with the olive oil, onion and garlic. Add the zucchini and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

By this time your pasta should be ready. Drain, rinse with cold water and put back in the pot. Add 1/4 cup of the crushed tomatoes and stir to coat the pasta. Set aside.

Add the remaining crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Stir and add the tsp of basil. It should boil fairly quickly. Lower to a simmer.

Returning to the pasta, add the 1/2 of Parmesan cheese and stir to coat.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Begin to place the pasta upright in the pan. It will be a little touch and go for a bit but you’ll get the hang of it. I started with the perimeter and worked my way to the center. It took me about 10 minutes. Don’t worry some will be taller and shorter. Some will even have a bend. It will all work out once you are finished.

Top the pasta with the meat sauce. Now, I do NOT have patience to make sure there is meat and sauce in every tube. I just banged the pan a few time allowing things to setting and then added some more sauce until all but about a cup or so was on left in the skillet.

Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle a bit of parsley on top. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge. Release the spring form and viola!

Add a splash of water to the remaining sauce in the skillet to serve on the side in case anyone wants a little extra.

Now, for the nutritional information. I reduced the amount of pasta, cheese and meat from the original recipe, yet used the same size pan. Using the ingredients originally posted on Noble Pig and using the same number or portions for each recipe (6), I reduced everything but fiber, that I increased. :) Here is a little side by side from Nutrition Data. Remember these are just estimates.

To my surprise… He liked it!

Although after the picture taking session a mom/som battle of epic proportions began. After about 4-5 bites he declared "I’m Full."

"OK" I said, as I don’t like to force him to eat past fullness. However, I save the plate and if he returns (in a reasonable amount of time) and asks for a snack I make him finish his meal first. Well, that’s exactly what happened yesterday. About 10 minutes after leaving the table he asked for candy. I told him he needed to finish he lunch first. (side note: I only gave him half a portion although kept the full portion in his pictures.)

Without going into all the nitty gritty details, the next hour was SHEER torture for mom and child alike. I wasn’t giving in and either was he. He’d ask, I put the plate on the table. He’d cry. I told him he didn’t have to eat it IF he wasn’t hungry BUT he wasn’t getting any candy until he did. Tears, yells, and cries later a majority of his lunch was gone and he TOTALLY forgot about the candy. LMAO So whole grain pasta, zucchini, carrots and chicken eaten and NO candy. I chalk that up to a win for mom. ;~P

Anyway, I’m still marking it as toddler approved as he never stated he didn’t liked it and when I asked him if he did he said yes. Which makes the whole mom/son battle completely illogical. KIDS! *sigh*

• large boneless chicken breast (about 8oz) cut into chunks
• thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• handful of baby carrots (about 3oz) sliced
• half of medium zucchini chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 3oz whole wheat angel hair pasta

Put a pot of water on high and bring to a boil for the pasta

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brown the chicken with the onion and carrots. Add the zucchini. Lower the heat to medium.

Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, oil and chicken broth together. Set aside.

Stir the chicken and veggies. By this time your water should be boiling. Add the pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness.

Drain the pasta and plop on top of the skillet. Pour the soy sauce mixture on top. Work the pasta around the veggies and chicken, it will want to clump together. Keep stirring until they are well mixed up. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Serve!

Scroll below video for the recipe.

• Batch of Turkey Meatballs made small (at least 30)
• 10oz Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta uncooked
• 1/2 small sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2-1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

Prepare the Turkey Meatballs according to the recipe making them a smaller size. You should easily get about 30. Broil the meatballs for about 5 minutes to help them stay together.

Prepare the pasta according to the package.

In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic. Cook for a minute then add the broiled meatballs.

Stir in the can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with about 1/2 cup water (add more if it gets too thick.) Add the garlic powder, basil and parsley. Bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cover. Simmer for at least 10 minutes even longer if you have the time. The meatballs will start to soak up the sauce a bit.

By this point your pasta should just about be done. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Stir to coat everything. Cover again until ready to serve.

Check out my other “Beef-a-Roni-ish” ideas…

• Rainbow Turk-a-Roni
• Simple Beef-A-Roni with Peas

Roni, I love your recipes! I wanted to tell you about my roasted cherry tomato adventure! I made the roasted tomatoes as per your instructions. I roasted them a bit longer so they all popped and then, upon removing them from the oven, I stirred them so the oil and juice and herbs mixed. Then I tossed them, along with every bit of juice I could scrape from the roasting dish, with some penne pasta, sauteed mushrooms and steamed zucchini. IT WAS DELICIOUS! A meal itself, it’s wonderful hot or at room temp!

So I took her advice and made something similar for lunch today.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 2oz (56g) Whole Wheat Angel Hair

Roast the tomatoes as per the original Simply Roasted Cherry Tomatoes recipe. This time using just a bit of the olive oil (out of the tbsp you will need for the whole recipe)

Now you can roast like Mary recommends but I was too hungry to wait so I just did the normal 20 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting prepare the pasta according to the package.

Once the pasta is done remove from heat. Drain. In the same pot add the remaining olive oil, baby spinach and cooked pasta. Toss. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes scraping everything from the pan and toss again.

Serve! SO YUMMY!

Note: If you take Mary’s advice and wait for the cherry to pop you will not have to use as much olive oil reducing the fat and calories of the dish. Add just enough for the pasta not to be dry. I used the full tablespoon.

Thanks so much Mary!!

Now let me tell you about the video so you know what to expect if you want to watch it. It’s long. The toddler shows up about 5 minutes in and he’s, ummmmm, all toddler. It’s about the only way I can describe it. This video is truly a look at how we make dinner most nights, disheveled and unorganized. But FUN! it worked out in the end. Everyone actually enjoyed this meal, husband included. I was quite surprised. If you remember the husband has that whole fruit/dinner thing. It is a sweet dinner. :)

So if you have an extra 20 minutes… enjoy laughing at me trying to be a patient mom. If not scroll down for the recipe.

• 4 oz whole wheat Orzo Pasta (I buy a case here and it’s lasts forever! Stores well too)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts (approx 1 pound) cut into chunks
• 1 can pineapple slices packed in their own juice (20 oz) cut into quarters with 1/2 cup of the liquid saved
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 sweet onion diced
• 2 large bell peppers (1 red & 1 green is fun!) cut into large chunks
• 1 small-medium zucchini sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger root
• non-stick cooking spray

Prepare the pasta according to the package

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and brown the chicken.

While the chicken is browning open the pineapple can. Take 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice and whisk with soy sauce, vinegar and flour. Set aside.

Cut your veggies.

One the chicken is completely brown remove from the skillet and set aside. Return the skillet to the heat, spray with a bit more cooking spray. Add the onion, peppers and zucchini in that order allowing some time in between for the onion to get soft. Add the pineapple. Stir. Grate in the garlic and ginger.

Raise the temperature to high and add the pineapple juice mixture. Stir. It should start to thicken.

Add the cooked chicken. Cooked orzo and stir for a minute or two merging the flavors.

Remove from heat and serve!

What’s a girl to do?

Hit her pantry of course!

Armed with those "healthy" Ramen noodles and a couple of stock items I whipped this up. Oh my! So yummy and super filling!

• 1 package of Choice Ramen Noodles chicken
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 can pinto beans rinsed and drained (15oz)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)

In a medium pot place the dry Ramen noodles (break if you want they do tend to clump together). Top with the can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water.

Crank the heat up to high. Leave alone while you sprinkle the top with the chili powder, cilantro, cumin and 1/2 of the seasoning packet (done to reduce sodium.)

Start to stir the noodles. They should start getting soft and break apart. After 3-4 minute drop the heat to medium. Add the drained pinto beans. Stir in really trying to break apart the noodles.

Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Serve!

I sprinkled a bit of dried cilantro and fancy shredded Mexican cheese blend. So YUMMY!

Somehow I succeeded! The only thing the husband said was it could have used a bit more garlic. I, on the other hand, thought it was the perfect amount. The hint was there without being overpowering and I couldn’t add more anyway, I used all that I had!

Sorry the picture isn’t that great. I wasn’t planning on posting it but after I tried a bite I reconsidered and snapped real quick!

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil (7g)
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz boneless skinless chicken breast uncooked and cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/2 of a large bag frozen broccoli (about 8-10oz)

Put a large pot of water on high and bring to a boil Cook pasta according to package.

In a large skillet (don’t do what I did and run out of room), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for a bit. Not too long, you don’t want it turning brown. Add the chicken and brown.

Once the chicken is all white and minimal pink, add the tablespoon of flour. Stir to coat. Immediately add the chicken broth and frozen broccoli. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.

At this time the pasta should be done. Drain and add to the skillet once boiled. Toss to coat, cook a minute or two, remove from heat and serve!

I sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper.

One of my favorite school lunches growing up was beef-a-roni. You remember it, right? Overcooked elbow pasta, grade F meat in some kind of tomato base. I don’t know when the concept of “comfort” food begins but at age 9 this really hit the nail on the head for me. Maybe it was the massive amount of fat and carbs that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Who knows. But whatever it was, that was one lunch I always asked for seconds of.

Well tonight, armed with 8oz of defrosted ground turkey and remnants of weekly produce I gave my old favorite a nutrition lift. I’m calling it “rainbow” as I used a red, orange, yellow and green vegetable. It made the dish really pretty and you know what they say about eating from the rainbow.

As for reviews, well this was the first dish in WEEKS that I got a “Mmmmmm this is a good” from the toddler. However, he did have to be coaxed to eat the veggies that were left in his bowl. I did my best to dice them small, which may have been a mistake. Here he is chowing down and looking awfully cute if I don’t say myself. :~)

Remember this is one of those ‘take it and run’ recipes! Use what ya got!

• 6oz of your favorite whole wheat pasta
• ½ sweet onion diced small
• about 10 baby carrots diced small
• 8oz lean ground turkey
• 1 yellow bell pepper diced small
• 1 medium zucchini diced small
• 1 medium tomato diced small
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (like del monte)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Kosher Salt & Pepper

Put the pot of water on high for the pasta and cook according to package.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Dice and add the onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and leave alone for 2 minutes while you dice the carrots. Add the carrots to the pot, stir and leave alone while you dice the pepper. Add the ground turkey to the carrots and onion skillet and break apart a bit. Once it starts to brown (grey) add the diced peppers. Leave alone while you dice the tomato. Add the tomato and stir over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked all through.

At this point the pasta should be almost done. Drain the pasta when it’s ready and set aside.

Add the tomato sauce and spices to the skillet, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta, continue stirring until everything is coated. Shut off heat and serve or cover until ready to serve.

Honestly it was a keeper, I’ll make it again when it’s just me and the little guy, he really liked it! Just look how pretty it is!

Well today was another perfect day to make a quick lunch. I have a sick toddler on my hands, I didn’t eat a big breakfast, I was running around like a nut and there just seems to be no food in my house! Then I open to cupboard and saw lunch. Ahhh the noodles! This is why a stocked pantry comes in handy. I whipped this up and could not be happier!

• 1 package of Beef flavored Choice Ramen Noodles
• 1-2 slices of a sweet onion chopped
• 10 baby carrots diced
• 4-5 button mushrooms sliced
• handful of baby spinach leaves
• non-stick cooking spray

Prepare the noodles according to package using only 1 ¼ cups of water.

While waiting for the water to boil, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion and leave alone for at least 1 minute. You want that nice brownness to start. Stir in carrots and cook while slicing the mushrooms, stirring occasional.

By this time the water should be boiling, add the noodles and flavor package. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. You may have to flip the noodle wad over once as there isn’t much water. After a few minutes shut of the heat and continue to cook in the water.

In the mean time, add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook down. Test the noodles, they should be done with a bit of water remaining. Pour the noodles and fluid into the mushroom-carrot mixture. Cook for about 1 minute breaking the noodles apart, they have a tendency to stick together. Add the handful of spinach. Cook for about 1 more minute until the spinach reduces a bit then serve! (Man – I should record that – it sounds complicated now that I typed it out!)

It’s a HUGE serving but I’m not going to split it up.

Oh! and I SUPER proud of that picture. I need to start making all my meals in the AM! Good lighting!

Click here to check out my other Ramen noodle idea

So I perused the pantry and found this…

Yup! That’s all you need to make a quick homemade meal. A meal, the toddler LOVED, beans and all.  Now I did add a little spice and you can take the idea and run with it. The pasta, sauce and beans will give you a good quick base. I served it with some sautéed bell peppers.

• 4 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta
• Small can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans rinsed and drained (you could use any beans)
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta according to package.

Drain, rinse and return to the post. Add the all the remaining ingredients except cheese. Simmer on medium low heat stirring to coat the pasta in the sauce.  

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese!

The toddler ate so well we decided to make a fabulous dessert afterwards. So for no dinner plans, we ended up eating like kings! It was a great night. :~)

Now, I’m counting this as 2 large servings. I actually got 2 and half (the toddlers) but three would be stretching it a bit.