back to the kitchen

I have officially eaten my way through all my delicious freezer concoctions.   So back to the kitchen I go, in smaller portions, of course.  One of the things I've learned by cooking & buying lots of freshness is that I have to plan if I don't want to let things go to waste.
Flashback to Friday - Jackie came to play and we had goat cheese & pearl onion risotto with spinach salad on the side. What this means I have almost an entire container each of baby spinach & grape tomatoes in the fridge. Being that those are two of my fave veggies - I need to use them and now.

Recipe: (adapted from a WW recipe)  4 servings
8 oz whole wheat penne
1/4 cup chicken broth
the rest of the container baby spinach  - probably about 3.5 oz
the rest of the container grape tomatoes - probably about 6 oz., halved
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 oz goat cheese
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper

Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

Meanwhile, heat broth in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add spinach, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add cooked penne, reserved cooking liquid and tomatoes to skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until tomatoes are slightly pulpy, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes; add cheese and heat through

notes for next time: more cheese (used all I had, definitely not enough), maybe even ricotta. add splash of olive oil, more veggies.
but overall - delicious.

 love affair with garlic

 lots of spinach

 shrinks veryyy quickly

:)

In other news, I bought myself a present!!  how excited was I when it came in the mail yesterday. eee!

brand new 8 cup food processor. what to make first!?

the weather just won't cut me a break - today was 50 and windy- ugh, so back to the treadmill. It was brutal since I haven't run since thurs and I was stuck between two smelly guys. (and by smelly guys, I mean the older Indian gentleman who runs in a polo shirt & the jibberish speaking guy in the daisy duke running shorts - awesome) as much as that shouldn't affect me, it does. i want to run... AWAY.

But I powered through and got in some decent mileage at a decent pace.

please please please be nice out tomorrow.

happy birthday j.britz. miss your face! 

(which obviously I tried to put here, but my computer is not cooperating, booo)