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Friday, June 12, 2009

[diet] Foodie Friday: pasta salad


I've been studying for licensing exams for almost a month now, which means that a good part of my day is spent sitting on my rear in a coffee shop, as often as not munching a pastry. It also means that I can use the "I have better things to do than exercise" excuse to skip running or working out. The result of this combination is a couple of pounds of pudge that I don't know where to put.
I'm not going to panic about the weight; I actually planned to kind of let it go then whip back into shape after testing (probably not the healthiest plan!) but I decided to start at least focusing on healthy meals. Once I'm done with tests I'm going to do a quick shape up by eliminating desserts except once a week, eating all healthy meals (which I usually do anyway), and upping my exercise by adding about 10 miles a week plus daily strength training. I should be back to normal in a week or two. I'll let you know how that plan goes!
For now, here's what I've been eating:
Sort-of healthy pasta salad
12 oz whole wheat rotini, cooked and cooled
1/2 can pinto beans
1/2 can garbonzo beans
1/2 tiny can chopped black olives (these cans are packed with olives, you just need half of it!)
handful of green olives, cut in half
1 can diced italian style tomatoes
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 or 3 scallions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
optional: cubes of muenster cheese (I added it because I had some lying around)
Italian seasoning of your choice - I used some basil and marjoram
crushed red pepper
red wine vinegar

Simply combine all ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste with spices, red pepper, and vinegar. The canned tomatoes create a sauce that just needs to be perked up with vinegar. Leftovers may need an extra sprinkle of vinegar before serving since the pasta tends to soak up the sauce.
Serve with fresh fruit. Yum!
PS - you don't need much to fill you up: the whole wheat pasta plus legumes makes a very filling dish and should keep hunger away all afternoon!

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