Buon Appetito!

Evviva!  (Yippee!)  I tried another new food and, Italian or not, you’re gonna love this Authentic Italian Homemade Pasta from Marigold Pasta.  I purchased three kinds.  The Angel Hair, Spinach Fettuccini and Tomato Basil Fettuccini.  I was going to wait and tell you about all three at once, but I can’t.  I tried the Spinach Fettuccini today for lunch.

First, I start the pot of water boiling and add a teaspoon or two of chicken granules to make it a light, savory chicken broth.  I always add a jigger of olive oil and salt to season things up a bit too. 

Then, to top the pasta I create a fry pan full of goodies.  I use olive oil to simmer a bit of onion and garlic (surprise) until soft.  Add basil to suit your taste.  Here’s a trick…  I always have a “tube” of basil and other herbs in the fridge.  It’s not as good as fresh, but I like it better than the dried.  Then artichokes, mushrooms and tomatoes go in for the “all swim”.  Top again with more olive oil, salt, and pepper.  After that has simmered the water should be boiling and calling for the pasta.  Lastly, I throw ½ stick of butter on top of my goodies in the fry pan and cover it before answering the pot.

The Marigold Spinach Fettuccini Pasta goes into the pot.  It softens up quickly and the color green is beautiful.  Al dente is achieved in 9 minutes!  

It is transferred to a colander for a brief minute, long enough for me to get the other ½ stick of butter into the pot and melted before tossing the pasta back into the butter.  A couple of go-a-rounds with the Italian Spanking Stick (otherwise known as a wooden spoon) and it is ready.

Finally, put a layer of Spinach Fettuccini Pasta into a pasta bowl, give the fry pan goodies a swirl to integrate the butter and scoop some onto the pasta!  Top with parmigiano reggiano cheese if you’d like and mangia!!!

I’ll keep you posted on the other two AND the lasagna, which I will be purchasing next time from Marigold Pasta! 

You may want to Visit, Share and Like the Facebook page for info and give aways too!  

                                   

     Grazie Marilyn!  È delizioso!

How does a woman decide?

We, and I say "we" to include myself, as women whose natural instincts are to provide and protect have responsibilities far beyond our own realization.

We protect our families, especially our children.  From infant to adulthood we will do everything in our power to insure our children are safe.  When they are learning to walk, we hover over them.  We make sure they are dressed appropriately to insure they are comfortable.  We feed them healthy foods and attempt to keep them germ free to insure they do not get sick.  Whoever might take care of our children in the event we must leave them is scrutinized to the tenth degree to insure the child’s well being.  We teach them, we love them and we send them off to school insuring they have everything they will need.  Then, we worry.  We hope the other children treat them kind.  We hope they remember all the manners they have been taught.  We hope they do not misbehave.  We hope they learn quickly, can see the chalkboard, make friends and respect the teacher.  After all of this, we go to work to earn money to pay the bills.

We provide for our families.  Many households are dependent on two incomes.  Mortgages, utilities, childcare, tuitions and grocery bills add up quickly.  Single mothers face challenges and must overcome obstacles every day.

Nothing Half-Baked About It!

My final review for Healthy Choice includes two Baked Entrees.  I chose the Chicken Enchilada Bake to satisfy my desire for Mexican cuisine and the Four Cheese Ziti Marinara simply because I love Italian food.  Since I couldn’t decide, I ate them both.  Neither disappointed.

We’ll start with the Chicken Enchilada, because that’s the one I ate first.  I have to admit, it has just been recently that I have introduced black beans into my diet.  They are definitely an acquired taste.  I have always been a fan of rice, corn, queso, and especially cilantro.  Healthy Choice has combined all of these flavors with a chicken enchilada to make another delicious, healthy, low calorie meal.  The rice stayed tender, and the corn and beans crisp.  Even the enchilada shell was nice texture, which surprised me for microwaveable food.  I also found there was a good ratio of rice and veggies to enchilada and sauce.  The portion looked a bit small, however, it was filling enough and perfectly suitable for a light lunch, at least for me.  It includes just enough spice to know you’re eating a Mexican specialty.  A fiesta for your taste buds!  This was quick, (only 4 minutes) easy, and tasty.  Thumbs up.

Also thumbs up, is the Four Cheese Ziti Marinara.  Healthy Choice has perfected microwave cooking of ziti pasta.  A perfect al dente cooked for 4 minutes and it would have passed the Italian “throw it at the wall until it sticks” test.  Even Mama would approve of the fresh, classic marinara sauce.  Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, and Mozzarella were also perfecto, but personally, I would have added more Mozzarella and less of the stronger flavored cheeses.  After microwaving this entrée, and giving it a stir, I had pasta with sauce portioned adequately for a nice lunch.  Add a salad and call it dinner.  The kitchen aroma would have indicated I had been cooking sugo all day.  Incidentally, Healthy Choice Four Cheese Ziti Marinara was preferred over other brands in a national taste test. 

There are 8 more baked-from-the-oven tasting entrees waiting for me.  I will probably have to try them all before I pick an absolute favorite.  Overall, the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurts (chocolate and raspberry) are ranked high on my thumbs up list and I will be purchasing them again in the near future.  The Healthy Choice Café Steamers are next, followed by the Baked Entrees. 

I have really enjoyed tasting and reviewing these Healthy Choice Entrees and am thankful for the opportunity.  I am impressed with the organization of the Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign, and hope to be doing more.  Come back and visit often to learn about new products and read my reviews. 

 

Thank you!  Bon Appetite!

Disclosure:  I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign.  I have been provided with free products and remuneration in exchange for my honest opinions about the products.  All opinions are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by Healthy Choice prior to posting.