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Pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, and pesto

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Pasta with spring vegetables like asparagus and mushrooms mixed with a pesto sauce is an easy weeknight dinner. Use your choice of pasta. Bon Appetit. 

pasta pesto

Once you start seeing the sales for asparagus in the grocery store, you know Spring is on the way! Although asparagus is not one of my favorite vegetables, this recipe stood out to me.  It’s something different and I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate veggies in my diet. This recipe was inspired from Fine Cooking Magazine, April/May 2016 edition.  The recipe calls for cavatelli, but any kind pasta will do- penne, rigatoni, even tortellini!

You can use store bought pesto or click here for my homemade pesto recipe.

Pasta with mushrooms

 

Pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, and pesto
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 lb pasta, your choice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 8 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced
  • 8 oz asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp homemade or store bough pesto.
  • Ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and asparagus, cook until the mushrooms start turning brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
  3. Add 2 tbsp pesto and pasta water and stir. Lower the heat, toss in the pasta and simmer until the pasta is al dente, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and additional pesto if needed. Serve with grated cheese.

 

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Mushrooms, asparagus, pasta

 

 

Week of June 18th

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Week of June 18th

Monday – Trader Joe’s cauliflower crust pizza with pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes– Quick, easy, week night dinner

Trader Joe's cauliflower crust pizza

Tuesday – Creamy chicken tomato and brown rice skillet 

Chicken with brown rice

Wednesday – Teriyaki Glazed Salmon with carrots and edamame

Teriyaki glazed salmon

Thursday – Pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, and pesto 

Pasta with mushrooms and asparagus

Friday – Summer kale salad with strawberries and edamame. Perfect meal to kick off strawberry picking season!

summer kale salad

The 50 Best Items From Trader Joe’s

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In honor of Trader Joe’s opening in my hometown, I’m sharing my list of the 50 best items from Trader Joe’s. Appetizers, condiments, coffee, desserts, dinner ideas, snacks and more can be found in this extensive list. Comment below with your favorite!

Trader Joe's Shopping trip

Appetizers

1. Mac and cheese bites – If you buy anything from this list, this should be it. Darn delicious!

2. Arancini bites – Bite-sized rice balls filled with just the right amount of oozy, melted cheese.

3. Chicken and beef mini tacos – These make a great finger food when hosting family or friends. Heat in the oven and serve. Easy and simple.

Black bean dip4. Black bean dip – I always keep one of these jars handy. It’s an easy appetizer when hosting family or friends.

5. Spanakopita – An authentic spinach and cheese filled pie. Trader- Joes greek spanakopita

6. Pastry bites with feta cheese and caramelized onions – What’s not to love?!

7. Unexpected cheddar cheese – One of Trader Joe’s most famous products. Hints of Parmesan, which provides an unexpected yet sophisticated flavor. Try it on sandwiches, eggs, pasta, or just on its own.

8. Spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms – Whole mushroom caps, piled high with spinach and cheese filling and topped with crispy breadcrumbs.

Snacks

9. Veggie and flaxseed tortilla chips – These are my family’s favorite tortilla chips. The flavors are carrot and tomatoes, spinach and garlic, and red beet and onion.

Trader Joe's snacks 10. Trader Joe’s Salsa Authentic – Pair with the tortilla chips and you have an A+ snack.

11. Dark chocolate covered raisins, almonds, blueberries. TJ’s has them all and you will eat them by the handfuls, like these peanut butter dark chocolate cover cups. 

12. Almonds – I usually buy the unsalted, but I’ve had the salted before as well. They are addicting. The entire nut section is pretty impressive. Every kind you could want.

13. Ranch seasoned crispy chickpeas – A great, healthy snack!

14. Icelandic plain Greek yogurt – The texture is smoother and creamier than regular Greek yogurt. Try making these raspberry lemon yogurt bites. Use Trader Joe’s Icelandic yogurt or regular greek yogurt. Raspberry lemon greek yogurt bites

 

Pantry items

Where do I even start?! Every item in this store is absolutely amazing, but some of my favorites to stock up and always have in my pantry are:

15. Sun-dried tomatoes

16. Marinated artichokes

17. Whole grain Dijon mustard – For those of you who follow Whole30, you can eat this mustard. It has 0 added sugars.

18. Three-seed beet crackers – I’ve also had the sweet potato crackers and they are just as good.

19. Everything but the bagel seasoning – You NEED this in your life. Try it on avocado toast or a fried egg!

20. Champagne pear vinaigrette –Champagne pear vinaigrette This is my all time favorite salad dressing. My husband and I actually fight over it, it’s that stinkin’ good. Try it out on top of this quinoa bowl with strawberries, kale, roasted chickpeas, and feta cheese. 
Tahini

21. Organic tahini – For only $3.49, it’s much cheaper than any other grocery store. Try this lemon tahini dressing with your next salad or quinoa bowl.

22. No boil lasagne noodles – Calling all pasta lovers! These noodles cut down time on a classic family dish. Try my one pot skinny lasagne soup for an even quicker and healthier version of traditional lasagne.

Peanut butter23. Trader Joe’s peanut butters – Made with just 1 or 2 ingredients (depending on if you buy the salted or unsalted version). Both versions available in creamy or chunky.

24. Mexican-style roasted corn with cotijas cheese – The perfect side to tacos or fajitas. Try these sheet pan steak fajitas with the roasted corn as a side.

 

Dinners

Whenever I’m not sure what to make for dinner, Trader Joe’s always comes to the rescue. They have so many quick and easy dinner helpers. Seriously, you can’t go wrong!

25. Frozen green beans – LOVE these when I need to add a veggie side to my dinner; plus you can cook only what you need and save the rest. They are slightly skinnier than fresh green beans you would find in a store and, for whatever reason, my toddler son likes the size of these and gobbles them up.

green beans26. Colorful Carrot Coins – A blend of lightly seasoned orange, yellow, white, and purple carrots. An easy addition to your dinner.

27. Pulled pork in smoky BBQ sauce – Heat up and serve with a bun for sandwiches or make this incredibly tasty BBQ pulled pork enchilada.Pulled pork enchilada with black beans

28. Fire-Roasted Bell Peppers & Onions – In a skillet, heat up strips of chicken or steak then add the frozen fajita mix for an easy week night dinner.

29. Frozen veggie stir fry – I prefer adding my own meat, like their pork tenderloin. Cook it in advance, dice it up, and add to your cooked stir fry.

cheese tortellini salad30. Tortellini and ravioli – TJ’s has the best selection to choose from. Your choice of cheese or spinach tortellini, lobster or meat ravioli. Try my Italian cheese tortellini with artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and a pesto sauce or this turkey meatball and spinach tortellini soup.

31. Cauliflower pizza crust – I don’t eat gluten free, but I wanted to see what the hype was about and I don’t mind trying something healthier either! This crust was crispy and tasty. Try out my pizza recipe with pesto and sautéed cherry tomatoes. Trader Joe's cauliflower crust pizza

32. Cauliflower gnocchi 

33. Chicken dogs – Much healthier than hotdogs. Make a more adult version with this hotdog arugula salad. 

Mandarian orange chicken34. Frozen Mandarin orange chicken – This item is ranked the overall favorite in the Trader Joe’s 9th Annual Customer Choice Awards. So if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to them!

35. Marinated Carne Asada – This meat is tender, juicy, and delicious. It’s Marinated carne asadamarinated with a Mexican-inspired spice blend.

36. Salsa Verde – Add this to my carne asada tacos with a spicy cucumber.

37. Chili lime chicken burgers (frozen) or salmon burgers – Both make an easy week night meal.

 

Drinks

38. Cold brew coffee in 8 oz cans – These are the perfect grab-and-go caffeine fix. They come in either black or French vanilla. I’ve tried the French vanilla flavor and it was delicious! cold brew coffee

39. Trader Joe’s organic strawberry lemonade – Only available in the summer.

40. 100% Kauai coffee beans – Medium roast. Sweet, nutty and full bodied with chocolate notes.

 

Seasonal items 

I wanted to originally keep this list to items that were only available year-round, but there are just too many good seasonal items to not share my favorites!

41. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls – Can’t go wrong with anything pumpkin; it’s all amazing! Chocolate mousse pumpkin

42. Pumpkin cheesecake

43. Pumpkin spice whipped cream

44. Chocolate pumpkin mousse cookies

45. Dark chocolate-covered peppermint cremes – Pillowy and pepperminty perfection.

46. Popcorn tin – With flavors like Olive Oil, Sriracha Lime, Cheddar and Caramel, and Hot Chocolate. This makes a great holiday gift and is perfect to have at the house when company is over. Bonus: keep the tin and store cookies in it!

47. Dark chocolate sea salt caramels

48. Winter wassail – A classic holiday punch that is mighty tasty on its own or spiked with wine.

49. Candy cane Joe-Joe’s – AKA an Oreo cookie on steroids! Also available as gluten free and dark-chocolate covered.

50. Peaches and cream tarte – Flaky and buttery, sweet cream and sugary peach fill this delicious summer tarte.

 

 

 

Week of September 18th

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Monday– Steak Fajitas with black bean, edamame, corn salad

Tuesday – Crockpot chicken and mushroom

The last step calls to remove the chicken and add cornstratch to thicken the sauce. I didn’t do this, mostly because I forgot, but it still tasted good!

Wednesday – Creamy Pumpkin Sausage Pasta – It was a little labor intensive and included lots of dishes, but we doubled the recipe and the leftovers were just as good as the first night.

Thursday– Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake from Skinnytaste

Friday – Lemon basil pork chops

 

Week of June 4th 

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Just when you think life couldn’t get any crazier, guess again! My hardworking hubby is going back to school. He works as an 8th grade English teacher, runs the after school program, and is now getting his reading certification. So for the next 15 months, he will have night classes 2-4x/week! Yikes! So now our dinner, Noah’s dinner, bath time, bedtime routine, lunches for the three of us, and dishes will all be me! I’m not looking for sympathy; in fact, I look at it as a challenge! How can I master my meal planning? The answer – cooking meals in advance.  This way by 8pm I can still park my butt on the couch with a glass of wine and watch The Bachelor!

So moving forward I will mention which meals I prepped in advance and what I did the day I served the dinner.

Monday – Avocado/spinach pasta. This was an easy make-ahead meal. The sauce couldn’t be any easier, and it makes a great finger food for baby, too! Reheat in microwave when you’re ready to serve it!


Tuesday – Sirloin steak with roasted brussel sprouts and parmesan riced cauliflower. For those who follow my IG account, @megsmealplanning, thank you for all the recommendations for riced cauliflower. This entire meal was prepared in advance. I know reheated steak isn’t as good as fresh steak, but I’d rather reheat than eat at 9 pm, and you know what, it still tasted pretty darn good!


Wednesday – Peri peri chicken with brown rice and kale chips. This was my first time having peri-peri, sauce which is basically a red pepper sauce. Both the chicken and the brown rice were cooked in advance. I made the kale chips 20 minutes before we were going to eat. The prep work is minimal, so it’s easy enough to do and still keep an eye on the baby.  TIP- Make extra chicken  and brown rice for Friday night’s dinner! 


Thursday – Stir fry with brown rice, mushrooms, and kale served over brown rice. Who knew how much two cups of rice really makes! I had enough rice left over from last night’s dinner that I could make a 3rd dinner using it! And we used the rest of the steak from Tuesday’s dinner , as well as the rest of the kale.


Friday – Leftover peri-peri chicken wraps. This is the 2nd dinner using the left over chicken and rice from dinner on Wednesday.

It’s all in the family

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Some of the best recipes can’t be found online or in a cook book, but rather right in the kitchen you grew up in.  This week on the blog, I am featuring recipes that are passed down to my husband and myself from his mother and my mom. 

Sunday– Beef Stroganoff. This is one of my go-to recipies when I don’t know what to make.  It’s always a crowd pleaser and, paired with a vegetable, it’s the perfect Sunday dinner. I’ve adapted my mom’s recipe because it’s simple and easy to follow.  I use egg noodles because I like the wide noodle to soak up some of the sauce. 

  • 1 1/2 lbs stew beef
  • 4 tablespoons margarine/butter
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 cup onion-chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Sliced mushrooms- optional 

Cut stew beef in half if smaller pieces desired. Put steak in crock pot with remaining ingredients (except mushrooms). Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with your choice of noodles or rice.  Right before stew beef is ready to serve,  heat olive oil in pan and saute sliced mushrooms until done.  Mix with stew mixture and noodles/rice.  Enjoy! 

Monday– Cider- Dijon pork chop with roasted sweet potatos and brocolli. Often I find pork chops to be too dry, but this recipe keeps them juicy and makes you keep going back for more! 

Tuesday– Mushroom quinoa with spinach salad.  I’ve made this recipe once before; I thought the quinoa needed a little extra seasoning. But it’s a typical one pot dish that I love. 
Wednesday– Pasta night!  I’m italian, I went to Italy for my honeymoon. It’s very hard for me to go more than one week with no pasta.  In my household, I make the homemade meatballs and my husband makes the sauce.  Here is my mom’s meatball recipe (sorry for no exact measurements)  and my mother in law’s sauce recipe.

Laura’s Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • grated parmiginao reggiano
  • fresh parsley-chopped. Can use dried parsley or fresh parsley that has been frozen
  • bread crumbs

1-2 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Mix everything together in all large bowl using your hands.  Break off pieces about 1-1 1/2 inch and roll into ball.  Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.  Rotate half way through cooking time. 

***note- if mix is too dry add another egg, if mix is too wet add more bread crumbs. 

Joan’s homemade spaghetti sauce

  • 2 35 oz cans of Italian style peeled plum tomatoes 
  • 2 6oz cans of tomatoe paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 cloves of garlic-minced
  • 2 tsp italian seasoning or oregano
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2-3 Bay leaves
  • 1 cup of water

    Blend can of tomatoes and tomate paste in blender until well mixed. Then pour into large cooking pot. Repeat. Add all the seasonsings.  Simmer on low 3-4 hours. 

Thursday– Left overs.  YAY no cooking!! 

Friday-Make-your-own-pizza.  Using left over sauce from earlier this week and store bought dough.  I enjoy making a margherita pizza for myself and my husband enjoys pepperoni pizza. 

Stevenson’s Pizza
1-2 fresh dough loaves 
Tomtoe sauce
sliced mozzerella cheese
fresh basil
2 large tomatoes chopped
pepperoni slices

***You can use any toppings you like. Get creative! 

Roll pizza dough out on a greased cookie sheet or pizza baking stone.  Layer sauce on top and top with your favorite ingredients.  When I use fresh basil, I don’t like it getting crispy in the oven, so I put it on after taking out the pizza.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 mins or until edges are golden brown! 

This week for snacks I’ve adapted this no bake energy balls recipe. I used oats, ground flax seed, sliced almonds, chocolate chips, and raisins in mine. They are perfect to add to your lunch or a quick snack during the day.