Exciting News!

My crab mat in my kitchen makes me happy. When we move into a house, I'll part with it. But for now, it makes me smile.



Last night we busted out the Griddler to make some mini burgers. We bought these burgers at Trader Joe's because they are super low in fat and calories. And sometimes you need a burger.



I had 4 mini burgers dipped in ketchup, dijon mustard and regular mustard. Mama likes her sauce. And roasted zucchini is fabulous.

I'm excited to announce that I won a free entry to the Santa Monica Classic-Heal the Bay 5k!

I entered a contest on the Pom Wonderful site never thinking I'd win. But I did!!!

The 5k is on Sunday May 16th, which is also our 5 year dating anniversary! (I guess we can't really celebrate since we're married now. Oh well!) I'm pretty excited.

I've been having a lot of unexplained muscle aches and pain so I'm not counting on beating any records. I just plan to finish. This will be my 3rd 5k in 2010!

Have you ever won anything? What did you win?

Pasta with Roasted Veggies, Italian Sausage and Pesto Cream Sauce

This morning I tried a Wallaby Australian yogurt for the first time. It was creamy, pineapple-y and smooth. I loved it!



I also had half of my FAVORITE bar ever. I spent $2 on it and it was worth every penny. I ate 1/3 and saved the rest for Andy.



Lunch was my favorite burrito. Amy's Southwestern. I have no idea why it's so good but it is.



Food Should Taste Good Multi-Grain chips with sabra hummus. Look how full our pantry is. This is why I needed the November Challenge. To empty out this darn pantry.

Ok so onto what I really wanted to post about. Dinner.



Tonight I was craving pasta with creamy, cheesy sauce and roasted veggies. I sliced up a butternut squash (cost me $1!!), zucchini, eggplant and an onion.





Roasted with sea salt, black pepper and a little olive oil. I put it in the oven at 400* for 25 minutes.



While I roasted the veggies, I consulted my favorite recipe book.



It didn't have what I was looking for, so I improvised.



I had this asiago cheese and Mezzetta pesto. (The pesto was from the Foodbuzz festival!)



I made a creamy pesto sauce using 1/2 cup half & half, 2 tbsp ricotta cheese, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 3 tbsp pesto, 2 tbsp unsalted butter and a dash of olive oil. Just add each ingredient slowly and whisk quickly until well blended.



Throw the roasted veggies in with the whole wheat pasta.



And then toss in the pesto cream sauce. (Yes, I realize it's a little sinful and high in calories but it's Friday night!) I would also love to try this pasta with balsamic vinegar and olive oil instead of the cream sauce.



We also added in some italian sausage. This pasta made enough for 6 people. Leftovers! YAY!!!



I had a mini pom-tini with dinner. Bliss.

I love meals like these because they taste rich and sinful but have way less calories than your typical meal at a restaurant. I made sure to serve Andy and myself one serving each. I put the rest of the pasta in a tupperware immediately so we didn't overeat. That really helps a lot.

Hope you are having a great Friday night!