Day 26: Partying like it's 1999

Took a little while to get this post for yesterday up. It's because I was doing things like this until the wee hours of the morning:

Breakfast: Coffee. Just coffee. I'm sure this is really healthy.

Lunch: Chicken nachos

OK, OK, so I know what I said yesterday, but I made nachos again anyway. Andy is not a fan, so I have to take advantage of eating them while I can. Also, I already had all the stuff chopped up, so it was easy.

Just chicken, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, red onion, lime, raw organic cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Dinner: Spaghetti squash with basil pesto, tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Don't the let the picture deceive you. If you make one recipe from this blog, this should probably be it. I got it off the Recipes for Divine Living blog. Click the link for the original post. I added/modified/left out a few ingredients, so heres my version of the recipe:

1 Spaghetti squash, roasted
olive oil
salt and pepper
Trader Joe's chopped garlic, onions and shallots mix
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 can (or jar) artichoke hearts, chopped
basil pesto (recipe below)
1 cup sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
Trader Joe's fresh parmesan/asiago cheese mix
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped


Start by roasting the spaghetti squash. If you're not sure how, you can check out a few of my previous posts. Once you've roasted the squash, set it aside to cool and start with the other ingredients.

Add 2 Tbs olive oil to a large skillet over MedHi heat. Add the onions, garlic and shallots mix and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the sherry and chicken broth and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in basil pesto, tomatoes and artichokes and simmer for another 2 minutes or so. Add the spaghetti squash, cheese and parsley and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper if desired.


Basil Pesto:
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pecans
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

Put the first six ingredients into a food processor and pulse into a paste. Add cheese and pulse to blend. Pour in olive oil and mix to incorporate.



This recipe was actually relatively easy to make, and the flavor was so great. Even Uriah loved it! The pesto was fantastic--I will probably make it again to use with other recipes or even as a stand-alone spread.