Summer Pepper & Corn Salad

If you can still find some fresh ears of corn, buy it and make this super easy salad.  These summer veggies are fresh, tasty and the salad is so easy to make that you will quickly add this to your summer salad recipe list!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Points Plus: 1pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 earns of corn, cooked and cut off the cob
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash and prep the veggies.  Add the tomatoes, corn, peppers and onion to a large bowl.  Add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined. Serve and enjoy this simple, fresh salad.

Tip:
This salad is freshest if served immediately, but it will keep for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Thanks for letting me share,
Guest Blogger,
Jessica (Katie's sister)

Grilled Mexican Corn

There is an AMAZING side dish of Mexican corn that they serve at Manny's steakhouse!  I have
always wanted to recreate it and decided to seek out some recipes to make it happen!  This recipe makes the perfect side dish to any BBQ meal.  The lime, chili powder and grilled corn make the flavors pop and are a good representation of true Mexican corn. 

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of the dish
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Grill/Cook Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh sweet corn
1/8 cup creme fraiche
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (Mexican queso fresco)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Prep the corn by removing the silk, but keeping the husks on (this is critcal for grilling corn!).  Heat the grill to a high heat.  Grill the corn by constantly turning to get grill char on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Remove the corn cobs and let cool slighty.  Cut off the kernals using a knife.  Heat a skillet on the stove and add the corn kernals, creme fraiche, lime juice, zest from 1 lime, chili powder and salt & pepper.  Add half the cotija cheese and fresh cilantro to the skillet as well; stir to combine.  Cook on the stovetop for about 10 minutes, stiring occaisionaly until the corn takes on a creamy mixture and is heated throughout.  To serve, top the corn with the remaining cheese and cilantro.

XOXO Megan

Pudding Pops

I picked up popsicle molds at Ikea months ago, and just got around to using them last week as summer winds down. Now that I tried them, I have many plans for more, but let's start with a SUPER easy popsicle recipe involving pudding!  This is a double chocolate recipe for any chocolate lover, is fun to make and even fun to eat! Enjoy!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 pudding pop
Points Plus: 2pp
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Freeze Time: 2 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 package of sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding
2 cups of cold milk
4 T mini chocolate chips
Popsicle maker or 8 mini dixi cups and 8 popsicle stickes

Directions
Mix cold milk with pudding mix and whisk for about 2 minutes.  Add in chocolate chips and using a measuring cup, pour about 1/4 cup of mixture into each mold.  Insert the stick end and freeze for two hours!

After the popsicles are frozen, run one under warm water until the stick end easily slides out.

Tip
You could use many combinations of pudding flavors and candies/fruits, get creative people!

XOXO - Katie

Cherry BBQ Pork Chops

We took a trip to northern Michigan about a month ago and as we explored the quaint, tourist towns we found ourselves finding cherries at every turn!  Michigan cherries are a classic tradition and we were excited to find that the sweet cherries had just ripened for the season. We knew that at least one of our souvenirs from the trip had to include some of the cherry love!  We picked up this delicious Cherry BBQ grilling sauce that is locally made in Petoskey, MI.

A few weeks later, we decided to try out our new grilling sauce and we though pork would be the perfect pairing.  Grilling pork chops allow you to sear in flavor and get some serious grill marks.  The combination of sweet and tangy in this cherry BBQ sauce really compliments the pork chop.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 pork chop
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook/Grill Time:

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick (about 6 oz. each)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
12 Tbsp. cherry BBQ grilling sauce (American Spoon brand)

Directions:
Light your grill and turn the burner to high heat.  You need a very high heat to properly sear the pork chops and lock in flavor.  Generously season both sides of each pork chop with salt and pepper.  Place on the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes per side.  The pork chops should be nicely brown before you flip to cook the other side.  Reduce grill heat to medium low to finish cooking the pork chops.  Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, making sure it reaches 160 degrees.  Serve with you favorite side dishes!

Tip:
Intrigued by this cherry BBQ sauce?!  Check out American Spoon's website and find this grilling sauce and tons of other goodies!

XOXO Megan

Caramel Apple Fruit Dip

In case you didn't know, fruit is a whole lot tastier when you have something sweet and delish to dip it in.  Like this fluffy fruit dip for example. You can whip it up in a a flash and it is the perfect pairing for apples and strawberries this summer. It seriously tastes like caramel people!

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Points Plus: 3pp

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 small box of sugar-free fat-free butterscotch pudding

8 ounces of crushed pineapple

12 ounces fat-free cool whip

Fruit of your choice! I used apples and strawberries

Directions

Mix together the pudding with the pineapple. Stir in the cool whip until combined.  Let the dip sit in the fridge for about 3 hours prior to serving.  Serve with cut up apples, strawberries, and any of your FAV fruit!

 

Tip

You could easily sub the butterscotch pudding for a chocolate!

 

XOXO - Katie

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream

I have always been intrigued by grilled fruit. It seems like it would be hard to get those perfect grill marks and won't it require careful attention to make sure the fruit doesn't burn?? Well let me tell you... grilling fruit is really quite easy! These ripe peaches carmelized while on the grill and made for a delightful summer dessert!

Servings: 2
Serving size: 1 peach + scoop of ice cream
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes (time for the grill to heat up)
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches
2 tsp. honey
1 cup Edy's Slow-Churned vanilla bean ice cream

Directions:
Turn on your gas grill and heat to high heat. Wash, halve and remove the pits from the peaches. Place the peaches flesh side down on the grill. Cook with the lid closed for 5 minutes (this ensures you get some good grill marks on each peach half). Flip the halves and cook with the lid closed for an additional 3-5 minutes. Once finished cooking bring the grilled peaches inside and place two peach halves in each bowl. Top with a 1/2 cup scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a 1 tsp. drizzle of honey. Serve while the peaches are still warm from the grill!

XOXO Megan

Bellini

Who doesn't love to end the week with a fun and unique cocktail!  Here is a simple Bellini recipe, which really just consists of a peach puree topped off with sparkling wine (or Champagne)! This drink is fancy people, enjoy in the evening or serve at brunch!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 2 T peach purée + 4 fl oz Champagne
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
2 rip peaches, seeded and diced
1 T fresh lemon juice,
1 T sugar
8 fl oz chilled sparkling wine, I used Prosecco

Directions
Get out your food processor, magic bullet or blender and add the peaches, lemon juice and sugar to the bowl. Process until smooth. Press the mixture through a sieve and only keep the liquid that you are able to squeeze through. Chill the peach puree for at least two hours. Place 2 T of peach puree into each Champagne glass and fill top with cold sparkling wine. Serve Immediately!

Tip
For a non-alcoholic twist, serve the peach puree with peach flavored La Croix!

XOXO - Katie

Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Lemon Chive Sauce

I finally invested (actually got for a birthday gift) the Veggetti! This unique kitchen tool is the latest Weight Watchers craze, and very simple cuts your veggies into long thin strips, creating veggie noodles!  It works pretty great, and is especially fun with zucchini. I whipped up the below flavorful side dish, that actually uses crunchy raw zucchini noodles!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Points Plus: 2pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a/
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Instructions
1 large zucchini, washed but not peeled
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 T chives, finely chopped
Salt + pepper to taste

Directions
Wisk together all of your ingredients besides the zucchini.

Follow the instructions on your Veggetti to cut your zucchini into small strips.  The tool allows you to cut in two different sizes, so choose your fav!  I used the larger size.  When your strips are cut lay them on a cutting board and cut them in 1/2 with a knife.  If you don't do this you will essentially have one super long zucchini noodle!

When your zucchini is cooked simply mix your strips with the sauce and enjoy cold (that's right people!).

Tip
If you do not have a Veggetti simply use a veggie peeler to cut your zucchini into strips. Or, cut your zucchini into chunks and top with this bright and summery sauce!

XOXO - Katie

Recipe inspired by Laloosh.

Honey-Mustard Chicken

Grilled chicken is such an easy weeknight dinner!  This honey-mustard sauce is a new variety of grilled chicken with some sweet and salty honey-mustard flavor.  Check it out and see what you think!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard and dried thyme and mix well with small whisk.  Start the grill and heat to a medium-low temperature.  Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through (about 25 minutes).  During the last 5 minutes, brush frequently with the honey-mustard mixture. Serve immediately with a side salad or veggie!

Tip:
I would recommend adding one final coat of the honey-mustard mixture on top of the chicken after you take it off the grill - this will make sure you get good flavor!

XOXO Megan

Chicken Salad w. Strawberries and Feta

It's Friday!!!  Here is a wonderful example of a food I saw, and immediately had to make. One of my absolute favorite weekend activities is watching The Pioneer Women on Saturday mornings at 9am. She whipped this up a few weeks ago and I just loved the combination of sweet corn and strawberries with the salty chicken and sauce.  And come on, I never even considered putting strawberries into a fruit salad! This is a perfect summer, weekend lunch ya'all!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 7pp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
Salad
3 chicken breasts, boneless and skins removed
Kosher salt + pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup fresh corn (or frozen)
3 T fresh dill, minced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cup strawberries

Dressing
3/4 cup crumbled feta
2 T skim milk
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 t sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt + pepper

To serve
Use leaves of butter lettuce, sliced romaine, spinach (as I did), kale or whatever lettuce you like!

Directions
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat up your grill pan (or use your outdoor grill) and lightly mist it with cooking spray. Grill your chicken about 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove chicken from your grill pan and let it cool.  When it is cooled, cut it into small chunks (I hate that word).

Mix together chicken and remaining ingredients under 'salad' above. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients under 'dressing' above. Mix together salad + dressing ingredients.  Serve on top of lettuce for a light summer meal.

Tip
On the show Ree used strawberries, which I loved and though were a unique flavor.  You could also use blueberries or grapes!

XOXO - Katie

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Women

Cucumber Lime Gimlet

Gin & tonics are a classic summer cocktail!  This takes a little different twist in the form of a gimlet with cucumber and lime flavors.  These are light and refreshing summertime flavors that make a perfect cocktail.  Enjoy!
Servings: 2
Serving Size: 8 oz. cocktail
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 finely diced slices of cucumber
12 oz. Simply Limeade
4 oz. gin
2 wide slices of cucumber (for garish)

Directions:
Slice two thin slices of cucmber and then finely dice each.  Add to the bottom of a low-ball glass and muddle with a spoon to try and break up the cucumber and relase some flavors. Place ice in two low-ball glasses. Pour 2 oz. gin into each glass and then add 6 oz. limeade. Stir to mix well. Garnish the edge of each glass with a sliced cucmber.

Tip:
My husband likes to say... a good drink starts with a full glass of ice!

XOXO Megan

Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio

Carpaccio - not just for meat people! This simple tomato carpaccio is inspired by my belived True Food cookbook, and really a lovely sumer side (or meal). Tomatos are so beautiful right now, and what better way to showcase them than by slicing them thin and layering them on a pretty platter.

Servings: 2
Serving Size:1/2
Point Plus: 1pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
An assortment of Heirloom tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1 T champagne vinegar
1 Shallot
1 small bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Kosher salt + pepper to taste

Directions

Using a sharp knife (or event better, a tomato knife!) slice your tomatos very very thin, as thin as you can. Do the same with your shallots. Add both your tomatos and shallots into a small bowl, and pour the oil and vinegar over them. Mix well then add parsley, salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatos on a nice platter and serve.

Tip

I used cherry heirloom tomatoes for this dish, but you could use any type of tasty tomato that you like!

XOXO - Katie

Lime Basil Sorbet

Happy birthday to foodlove co-creator Megan! In celebration, here is a unique summer dessert that is easy to make and the perfect ending to a summer meal.  I went to a local ice cream shop the other day and tried their lime basil ice cream.  It was IN-credible, totally amaz!  I decided to re-create it at home and although the recipe I made was more like a sorbet than an ice cream, it was still really tasty.  You don't need an ice cream maker for this and it requires only a few ingredients.  If you wanted to be really fancy you could also serve this as a palate cleanser BEFORE dessert. Enjoy!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: About 1/4 cup
Points Plus: 2pp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Freeze Time: 2 hours +
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/3 cups sugar
5-6 limes, zested
1 1/3 cups lime juice
About 20 basil leaves

Directions
Place water and sugar in a saucepan, bring it to a boil. Add lime zest and simmer for about 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes. Cut basil into really small pieces, and then using a mortal and pistol (if you have one, if you don't use the back of a spoon) pound the basil so that the juices release. After the water and sugar mixture has cooled, add the lime juice and basil puree.  Stir this mixture and let sit so that it infuses, about 30 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve to remove all of the basil pieces, then pour it into a plastic Tupperware container with a lid.  Place it into the freezer and let it set for at least 2 hours.  While it is freezing, stir it every 30 minutes. Scoop into a pretty glass and serve with a basil leave and tiny spoon!

Tip
This recipe could easily be made with lemons instead of limes.

XOXO - Katie

Recipe adapted from here.

Refrigerator Iced Tea

I really like a tall glass of iced tea on a hot summer day!  The best part about iced tea (well, unsweeted iced tea) is that it's is ZERO points!!!  Did you know it's really quite simple to make your own iced tea at home?  You really just need a good pitcher and some loose leaf tea!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: ZERO!
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Steep Time: 8-12 hours in the fridge

Ingredients:
1 2-quart glass pitcher
2 tea bags
8 tsp. loose leaf tea
8 cups water

Directions:
Fill the pitcher with cold water.  Add 4 tsp. of loose leaf tea to each tea bag and secure each by tying into a knot.  I prefer to use black or green tea for iced tea.  Drop the prepped tea bags into the pitcher and place in the fridge.  You want to allow the tea plenty of time to steep (or soak up the delicious flavors from the loose leaf tea). 

Both black and green tea come in MANY different flavors!  You can find peach, raspberry, lemon, pomegrante, etc!  My favorite place to buy tea is a store near my mom's house called Fava Tea, but you can find it at specialty tea stores like Teavana too!

Tip:
When I am craving some fresh brewed iced tea, I typically make a pitcher right before I go to bed.  This way the tea has plenty of time to steep overnight and is ready for lunch the next day!

XOXO Megan

BLT Pasta Salad

Megan brought us a wonderful BLT salad a few weeks ago, and here is another twist on the BLT. I bring you the BLT pasta salad!  A great way to use tomatoes which will soon be in season, and a great side dish for yet another summer BBQ.

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 2 cups
Points Plus: 6pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

 Ingredients
1 cup small whole wheat pasta, uncooked
2 slices bacon, raw
2 cups small cherry tomatoes
2 T mayonnaise, light
2 cups baby spinach
Kosher salt + pepper to taste

Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions, drain, rise with cold water and set aside.

While pasta is cooking fry up your bacon.  Cook it until it is pretty crispy.  This will make it easy to break up and will also fry out a good portion of the fat (it will still be tasty, trust me)! When bacon is finished cooking use your hands or a scissors to cut/break it into small pieces.

You're almost finished! Place your spinach in a bowl and add hot pasta and bacon over it.  Stir it around so that the pasta begins to wilt a bit from the hot pasta.  Next add 2 T mayo, salt, pepper and cherry tomatoes.  Give the pasta salad a good stir and your done!

Tip
This pasta salad is served great cold. Place it in the fridge and pull it out about 10 minutes before serving for a cool and light summer dish.

XOXO - Katie

Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers

Turkey burgers are a lighter burger option that still has a ton of flavor.  And for some reason, they remind me of summer! Trader Joes makes a delicious Cilantro Lime Turkey Burger, and I decided to try and recreate them in my own kitchen. The unique cilantro and lime flavors give these burgers a tasty Southwest feel!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 burger + 1 bun
Points Plus: 7pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 t garlic, minced
½ t salt
¼ t red pepper flakes
½ cup cilantro, copped
Juice of 2 limes
4 light buns, toasted
Pinch of garlic powder
1/2 avocado, sliced
Cooking spray

Directions
Add ground turkey, green onions, bell pepper, salt, cilantro, red pepper flakes and lime juice to a bowl.  Mix with your hands until well combined.  I added all ingredients to my Kitchenaid and turned her on, letting the mixer do the mixing! When ingredients are well combined split the meat into four balls, then make each ball into a hamburger patty.

At this point you could easily toss these burgers on the grill, but I grilled my burgers inside on a grill pan. Lightly coat your grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.  Toss on your burgers and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until done.

When burgers are done place them on a bun.  Lightly sprinkle each burger with garlic powder, and then toss with a few slices of avocado. Also feel free to add ketchup, mustard or any other zero point plus condiments!

Tip
You could easily make these burgers ahead of time and bring them to your summer BBQ to grill on the spot!

XOXO - Katie

Chicken Salad over Lettuce

Chicken salad makes for a great summer lunch!  Serve it over lettuce instead of in sandwich form to save on points.  And this recipe makes enough for 6 servings so you should end up with easy leftovers!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 3/4 cup scoop of chicken salad
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup grapes
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup craisins
1/3 cup walnuts, diced
1/3 cup mayonaise, light
Romaine lettuce

Directions:
Cook the chicken on the stove until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Shred the chicken with two forks and add to a large bowl.  Wash and chop the celery and onion.  Wash and slice the grapes in half.  Add the grapes, celery, onion, craisins, walnuts and mayo to the bowl and mix until everything is well combined.  Serve a scoop of chicken salad over washed romaine lettuce leaves.
 
Tip:
Instead of just serving the chicken salad over lettuce, you could easily turn these into chicken salad lettuce wraps!

XOXO Megan

Grilled BBQ Chicken

We just bought a grill and it has been life changing!  Okay, that might be a little extreme... but it does make for some quick and easy summer weeknight dinners.  Our 2nd grilling attempt was to try our hand at barbeque chicken.  We used a store bought sauce for this meal, but I think it would be fun to try out a homemade BBQ recipe at some point.

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 BBQ chicken breast
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy!
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook/Grill Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

4 Tbsp. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.  Generoulsy season each side with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Place on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes before flipping.  Cook the other side for an additional 5 minutes before adding the BBQ sauce.  Brush a generous amount of sauce on one side of the chicken breast and flip to cook and sear in the BBQ flavor.  You will probably end up losing some of the sauce on the side that is face down on the grill, but don't worry the taste will still be there.  Brush a coat of BBQ sauce to the top of the chicken breast and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Tip:

A good hearty pair of tongs are a MUST when grilling!  They allow for easy flipping of chicken breasts and they help to minimize losing any BBQ sauce.

XOXO Megan

Strawberry Glaze Pie

Happy Fourth of July everyone! What is more American that fruit pie.  We are just reaching the end of strawberry season, so here is a great recipe to showcase those berries.  This recipe is really easy, and you can just pop it out of the fridge and bring it to your summer BBQ party!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1/8 of Pie
Points Plus: 6pp
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cool Time: 4 Hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 Pillsbury Pie Crust
4 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
Cool-whip, fat free

Directions
Lay your pie crust into a pie tin and pre-bake the crust according to the package directions, about 10 minutes at 400. Remove from the oven and cool for about 30 minutes.

Put 1 cup of your sliced berries into a shallow dish.  Using a potato masher, mash those strawberries until they are good and crunched. Place them in a medium sauce pan and add your water. Cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat.  remove the berry mixture from your heat and press it through a mesh strainer, using the back of a wooden spoon to push as much of the berry mixture through the strainer.  Discard the pulp and seeds.

Combine the sugar and cornstarch back in your sauce pan and add the berry juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has become thick and begins to boil. Remove from the heat and cool for about 2 minutes.  Add the remaining sliced berries and stir to combine. Pour the strawberry glaze mixture into your slightly cooled pie crust.  Put in the fridge and allow to set for about four hours.

This pie is best served the same day it is prepared. Top it with a dollop of fat-free cool whip.

Tip
A super easy way to slice strawberries evenly is to use a hard boiled egg cutter.

XOXO - Katie

Creamy Spring Pasta

Well now that it is officially SUMMER it is time to use up some of those spring veggies! Asparagus and spring peas come together in this tasty, creamy pasta.  This recipe is perfect for a slow weekend dinner - to only be eaten while sitting outside on your patio!

Servings: 5
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 8pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
8 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta, any type
1 t olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 T flour
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 cup fat free milk
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt + black pepper
Fresh parsley

Directions
Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. When the water is bubbling add your asparagus and peas.  Cook them about 3 minutes, until crisp but tender.  Remove your veggies from the water and rinse them with cold water.

Bring another stock pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, until cooked to your liking.  Drain and set aside.

Add 1 t oil to a large skillet.  Add chopped onion and garlic cloves and cook for about 3 minutes, until tender.  Put your flour in a small bowl and gradually whisk in chicken broth.  Add the broth mixture and milk to your skillet and whisk constantly, bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the sauce for about 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened.  Remove sauce from the heat, add cheese, salt and pepper.  Add pasta to skillet along with asparagus and peas.  Toss until combined! Top with fresh parsley and enjoy.

Tip
Feel free to add other veggies to this pasta.  Matchbook cut carrots

XOXO - Katie

Recipe inspired by Cooking Light.