31 July, 2012

Pasta Primavera

Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.

UNKNOWN

So many things have changed in my life since I got pregnant. The biggest difference for me is my lack of focus or what some people like to refer to as pregnancy brain. While blogging used to come so easily to me, now I am lucky if I have enough energy just to make dinner, let alone take pictures and write about it.

I know things are going to get much harder after the baby’s arrival, but I imagined that I would have ten months to really prepare myself. With my new ever-forgetful brain, I question if I will be ready and what areas of my life will suffer from neglect. Trying to make the most of what I can with each day, I made sure to celebrate my first baby’s birthday tonight.

I can’t believe my little girl, Nellie, is six! She has been such a joy in Chris and my life. To celebrate the big day, I even mustard up enough energy to cook a healthy meal to enjoy.

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 (24 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

4 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 zucchini, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup carrot, shredded

4 serving rotini pasta

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, butter, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. The reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

2. Heat olive oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Sauté the zucchini for ten minutes until it reaches desired consistency.

3. Cook pasta according to directions. Continue stirring pasta sauce using spoon to crush the tomatoes.

4. Shred carrots and set aside.

5. Layer pasta with fresh carrots, sauce, zucchini, and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I’m not a huge fan of cooked carrots, so I opted to top my pasta with fresh ones. It added a fantastic crunch to the dish. From here on out, fresh carrots are going to be a staple in my pasta dishes.