HEALTHY EATS: TUSCANY CHICKEN PASTA

Today's #tbt is perfect for the healthy lifestyle I am trying to reestablish if you will. I don't like the word diet because it insinuates that at some point it will end when you reach your ideal weight or goal. A healthy lifestyle means it's something you can keep up long term. And this dish, I assure you, will be eaten in my home for the long hall. If you didn't get a chance to check this out last year…..enjoy the delishiness!  This recipe in particular is one I created when I was literally throwing things together that I had in my fridge -- and the results were a hit! I made this a few years ago for my roommates who loved it, D loves it....and the best part is that it's relatively healthy and guilt free. I named it Tuscany Chicken pasta (don't ask me why, it just seemed like a good name) and the rest is history. Here is the recipe (sorry I don't measure anything) but you'll get the gist if you want to make it for yourself.

 What you'll need:

chicken breast (cut into chunks)

zucchini and squash (diced up)

2 cans of dice tomatoes (I like Hunt's basil, garlic & oregano)

minced or fresh garlic

lemon juice

salt & pepper

parmesan cheese (for sprinkling or loading on like I do!)

pasta of your choice (I like whole wheat bow ties or rotelle)

 First, you'll cut up the lean chicken breasts into small manageable chunks (remember this is being tossed over pasta so whatever size you want) and dice the zucchini and yellow squash. Here I realized I only bought zucchini so I had to make due. But the beauty of cooking is it doesn't matter. You make due with what you have.

 once everything is diced and prepped, saute the garlic (fresh or minced will work -- whatever you have on hand) with a little bit of olive oil in two separate pans. After the garlic browns a little add the chicken in one pan and the veggies in another to cook both shown below.

 salt and pepper everything to taste as they cook.

once the chicken is cooked through (no longer pink) transfer the chicken into the pan with the veggies.

add the two cans of seasoned dice tomatoes. If you only have plain diced tomatoes you can always season it up yourself during this step using a little dried basil and oregano.

Add a little lemon juice (fresh or bottled -- whatever you have on hand) to give the flavor a little depth.

PS. nevermind my crazy chipped nail polish. Blogger FAIL!

 Saute and simmer.

At this point, get a pot of boiling water ready for your pasta. As I mentioned before, I like using a whole wheat pasta option just because it's healthier but feel free to use whatever you like.

Once the pasta is cooked al dente -- remove pan from simmering, and spoon it out over your pasta.

Don't forget the Parmesan cheese!! Or omit if you're trying to cut extra calories.

And bon appetite! 

Enjoy a healthy meal with fresh and simple ingredients : )

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do -- and if you have a questions feel free to ask!

xo Steph