How to Make Homemade Pasta (Without a Pasta Maker!)

I’ve been making pasta from scratch for about eight years now, often with a child standing at each hip, and all without using a pasta maker.

Sometimes gadgets can be barriers to experimentation in the kitchen, but a small kitchen or a lack of funding shouldn’t prevent anyone from making delicious homemade food. I find that most meals can be made with a few simple tools that serve multiple purposes.

In the case of my homemade pasta, my rolling pin doubles as my pasta roller.

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_homemade_pasta_without_a_pasta_maker/

Skinnytaste Meal Plan (March 5-March 11)

A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points.

Great news, Friday I finished the last of the 140 recipes for my upcoming cookbook, Skinnytaste One and Done, woohoo!! A whole year of recipe testing in my Instant Pot, Skillet, Air Fryer, Slow Cooker, Sheet Pan, etc!! What does that mean? More time to create new recipes here, and maybe even a few vacations.

Back to the meal plan. If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc. You should aim for around 1500 calories* a day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!

MONDAY (3/5)
B: Petite Crust-less Quiche (5) with 1 cup cantaloupe (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Italian Style (10)
Totals: Freestyle Points 17, Calories 1,007*

TUESDAY (3/6)
B: Petite Crust-less Quiche (5) with 1 cup cantaloupe (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Picadillo (3) with ½ cup brown rice (3) and Quick Cabbage Slaw (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 15, Calories 1,049*

WEDNESDAY (3/7)
B: Petite Crust-less Quiche (5) with 1 cup cantaloupe (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Air-Fryer Beef Empanadas (5)* with Fiesta Lime Rice (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 981*

THURSDAY (3/8)
B: 6 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt (0) with sliced banana (0), 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (2) and 1 teaspoon honey (1)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup (7) with 2 ounces multi-grain baguette (3)
Totals: Freestyle Points 15, Calories 996*

FRIDAY (3/9)
B: 6 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt (0) with sliced banana (0), 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (2) and 1 teaspoon honey (1)
L: 1 whole wheat pita (4), with ¼ cup hummus (3) and 10 baby carrots (0)
D: Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Bowl (3)
Totals: Freestyle Points 13, Calories 827*

SATURDAY (3/10)
B: Breakfast BLT Salad (4) (recipe x 2)
L: LEFTOVER Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup (7)
D: Dinner out!
Totals: Freestyle Points 11, Calories 492*

SUNDAY (3/11)
B: Easy Bagel (3) with 2 strips bacon (2), 1 egg (0), 2 tablespoons cheddar (2) and an orange (0)
L: Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips (1) with 6 baby carrots (0) and 2 tablespoons  Low Fat Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing (1)
D: Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Peas (5) with ½ cup basmati rice (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 877*

*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://www.skinnytaste.com/skinnytaste-meal-plan-march-5-march-11/

Meal Plan for March Week 1

This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins, and Army wife – and she is also one of our Simply Recipes recipe testers!

With so much excellent produce available all year round, you might not always realize that there are food seasons that coincide with the seasons in nature.

That’s right! While it may seem that all fruits and vegetables are obtainable throughout the year (thanks to technology and human ingenuity), the truth is that there’s a particular season for enjoying every fruit and vegetable at its ripest.

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://www.simplyrecipes.com/best_recipes/meal_plan_for_march_week_1_2018/

Thai Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

A Thai-inspired soup that is incredibly light, healthy, hearty and cozy! It is so easy to make using baby carrots, sweet potatoes, lite coconut milk and lime juice. It is packed with SO MUCH FLAVOR!

Greetings from Phuket!

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The post Thai Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup appeared first on Damn Delicious.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://damndelicious.net/2018/03/01/thai-sweet-potato-and-carrot-soup/

Chickpea Egg Salad

This easy chickpea and egg salad is so simple and delicious for lunch (or breakfast!). It’s inexpensive to make, high in protein and fiber and great to make ahead for the week.

Chickpea Egg Salad

I’m obsessed with chickpeas, I can literally eat them right out of the can. My husband, on the other hand doesn’t share my chickpea love so I usually have them for lunch when he’s not around. And now that chickpeas and eggs are zero points on the new Weight Watchers Freestyle program, I love them even more!

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://www.skinnytaste.com/chickpea-egg-salad/

Sage in February

Believe it or not, February has been a pretty low-key month for Sage.

I mean, as you might remember from every picture taken of her ever, low-key is kind of her approach to life.

Snuggly? Gentle? Nap Champion? Check yes, yes, and yes.

Also – Awkward? Nervous? Never quite comfortable with the camera? Yeah, all of that, too.

As much as Sage loves the occasional sprint through the dog park, she really shines in an indoor environment packed with couches, blankets, and treats.

She has always been a back sleeper – like, the kind of back sleeper where her legs stick straight out in every direction – and as Bjork and I did some research, we were not surprised to read that “when a dog is doing the Crazy Legs, they are letting their family know that they feel 100% comfortable and safe in their environment.”

Yeah, that sounds about right, Sageroontoons.

Sage’s big win this month has been playing fetch. She has always been afraid of a) balls, and b) the heating vents in our house, which makes fetch difficult as the balls often roll over the vents and immediately the game is done. But my mom got her a tiny squeaky stuffed animal that is supposedly infused with lavender, “promoting relaxation with each squeak” – lol – and now she wants to play fetch.

Okay, WANTS to play is a stretch. It took some work aka treats to get her to figure out what she was exactly supposed to do, but now I can toss her little stuffie across the room and she knows that she’s supposed to go over and pick it up.

This is her I-don’t-know-why-you-think-this-is-fun-but-I’ll-do-it-for-a-treat face:

Sage’s one big challenge this month has been – and will continue to be – dropping a few of those sweater-bod pounds that she’s accumulated over the last few months. I am not gonna lie – her second, third, and fourth chin rolls are getting pretty extreme. The vet tells us that the rolls are less of a concern, but the overall extra weight (in her case, a solid 3-5 lbs.) should probably be addressed. So Sage’s fitness future is looking like a combination of a little less food and a few more walks around the ‘hood.

Mostly, Sage is a queen and we love her.

Here’s a peek at her February highlights.

WHO IS THIS DOG LOL.

*Photo cred to Bjork for many of these Sagealicious pictures! Team effort on this post.

MORE SAGE PICTURES AND POSTS:

Sage in June

Sage in September

Sage in June

Sage in February

Sage in October

Sage in August

Sage in May

Introducing Sage

The post Sage in February appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://pinchofyum.com/sage-in-february-2

Lemony Broccoli Rabe with White Beans

Years ago, I was with a group of friends talking about the dishes that our mothers made all the time and that became our idea of comfort food. One of the women said that her Italian-American mom made broccoli rabe and cooked it with lots of lemon and white beans.

We all quizzed her like crazy: Was this a dish her grandmother had made, too? (Yes!) Was it a weeknight dish? (Yes!) Did her mom make it for holidays? (Yes!)

We were so intrigued that something bitter, tart, and garlicky would be considered comfort food—the rest of us had been thinking about creamy, toasty, cheese-y things!

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8174097 https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/lemony_broccoli_rabe_with_white_beans/