Nutty Noodle Goodness

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, so far! It's rainy and dreary here in the ol' C-bus (aka, Columbus). I've got a busy day of dietary consults and errands, then tonight we are looking for houses!

Updates Since Last Time
- Last night my friend Annie was in town with her new boyfriend. It was a great excuse to go out on the town with all of my high school friends! We had a lot of fun.

- I was reunited with Quinoa after I stole some from my mom's cabinets (she knew I was stealing it...). I hadn't had it in a long time and I wanted to see if Nick would eat it. Well, he did, and it's our new staple food now. I can't eat it alone (it tastes bland), but with other ingredients it's perfect.

New Dinner
Dinner #6 Nutty Noodles

Ingredients
(serves 2)

2 cups cooked pasta
6 ounces cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup crunchy Smart Balance peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
1 t Smart Balance canola oil

Possible Modifications

• Use any type of noodle (fettuccini, linguini, spaghetti, etc.)

• Use any type of oil you choose, such as sesame or peanut oil

• Use low sodium soy sauce

• Add extra vegetables to increase the bulk, and the nutrition

• Omit the chicken, or use another protein, such as tofu, turkey, or beef

Instructions

Follow the simple directions on the pasta bag/box, or if you are using regular pasta, go ahead and cook it as usual (bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add a dash of salt, add pasta, cook and stir for 8-10 minutes, depending on how you like your pasta cooked.

In a small saucepan, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, oil, and pre-cooked chicken. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously. Once the peanut butter has just about finished melting, add the noodles. Continue stirring until the noodles are evening coated with the sauce. Cook until everything is evenly heated (about 4-5 minutes), while continuing to stir. Last step, put on a plate!

My Rating: 10 out of 10

This was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. I wanted more! The Pasta Slim could have easily been confused for real (in my opinion)

Nick's Rating: 7 out of 10

He knew it was fake, so I know that effected his opinion. However he did enjoy it! He'll eat anything with peanut butter

Nutrition Facts

**Using an average pasta **

Notice the problem? HOLY SODIUM!! I would definitely suggest purchasing low sodium soy sauce. The rest of the sodium in this dish was from the peanut butter, which was just a general brand I used in the Calorie-Count database, but I used Smart Balance all natural, which is lower sodium. Most natural peanut butters are not going to be as high in sodium.

Coming Up

Stay tuned for my next post, which will include a "Nutrition TidBit" about whole grains, and also some new food creations. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!!