SIMPLE creamy asparagus and penne pasta

1/2- 3/4 box small penne pasta
1 bunch asparagus
3 chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
2 tbs. flour
1/4 c. cream
garlic salt, to taste
3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus (chop off the ends, then cut into thirds.)

Add chicken breasts to 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter. Cook 7-8 minutes, rotating as you go. Add garlic salt and dried onion (as it cooks, or at the end).

You might want to cut the chicken into pieces— especially if it is thick.

After transferring chicken, pasta, and asparagus to a baking dish, make your cream sauce. Start with a roux.  Melt the butter, and add flour as it melts.  Slowly add 1/4 c. cream, may need more butter and/or cream to reach desired thickness.  At the end, add 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted through.

Add sauce to the pasta, chicken, and asparagus, and add the rest of your parmesan to the top. Put in a 350 oven for 15 minutes. Turn to broil and cook for 5-10 more minutes, watching so it doesn’t burn!

I had to quick stop and write this down the other night after I made it. I adapted it loosely from a recipe I found on Cooking Classy (correction: Nell found it and linked to it on her blog). In the interest of honesty rather than full disclosure, I tried that exact recipe with the bacon and it took me no less than 2 AND A HALF hours to make.  So I recreated it as SIMPLE creamy asparagus and penne pasta and wa-la. Here it is. SO GOOD. This is at most a 30 minute meal- promise.

The Perfect Pregnancy Smoothie

As you know, Stephen and I are really into making juice in our juicer, and smoothies, peanut butter, and desserts in our Vitamix. I have tried a lot of variations of smoothies in my day.  I have to say, though, that this was THE BEST smoothie I have ever tasted. Yum, yum, yum.

Mango Smoothie (with mango nectar)

1/2 bag frozen mango chunks
1 c. strawberry yogurt
1 c. milk
1c. mango nectar
ice
2 bananas

another alternative: I found the Jamba juice mixer at Publix. It makes all the difference in taste, and the fun thing is, I didn't have any yogurt on hand, but the bag included cubed frozen yogurt, so it didn't matter. The extra bananas make it sweeter and fill it chock full of potassium.


Peachy Strawberry Smoothie (with peach nectar)

1 bag Jamba All Natural Smoothies Mix (contains frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, and frozen yogurt cubes- no alcohol! ) 

2 cans peach nectar

2 sliced frozen bananas

Put all in Vitamix and turn to Smoothies program. Press start and wait until the cycle is finished.

Don't forget the peach nectar- so good!

Enjoy!