Wednesday, August 15

Simple Summer Sausage, Veggies and Pasta


I’m trying to especially enjoy the simple things with my son as I get closer and closer to the birth of my second child.  I’m feeling a bit sentimental right now, knowing that we’ll soon have a newborn baby who will take my full attention away from my son.  However, it’s of course a blessing to have a new baby in our family with double the joy and love!


Some of our latest simple pleasures?  
  • Teaching him how to catch a ball (even better than he does already!)
  • Listening to him sing “take me out to the ball game” as he’s going to sleep during his nap
  • Watching him enjoy a tasty and healthy meal or even a new treat
  • Giggling with him over a silly book or sound
  • Getting extra cuddles when there’s a thunderstorm since he’s currently afraid of thunder
  • Having an impromptu “dance party” with music and a flashlight in our living room
  • Reading books together on the couch or in bed
  • Listening to him "read" a book to his favorite doggy toy
  • Watching him discover the world! 

In order to enjoy those simple pleasures, we also need easy and healthy meal ideas.  Here’s a simple meal idea to stay with the simple pleasures theme:

Simple Summer Sausage, Veggies and Pasta

Here are the ingredients you need:
  • 1/2 lb of pasta (We enjoy gluten-free quinoa pasta)
  • Bunch of fresh asparagus
  • 1 cup (or more if you prefer) of cherry tomatoes
  • Package of chicken sausage (I used al fresco Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage)
  • Optional ingredients include:  Garlic, salt, pepper and other seasonings




Directions:

Wash and chop the asparagus into small pieces (it's always nice to cut them the same size as your pasta), and add them to a pan with a drizzle of olive oil (and garlic if you prefer).


Slice your sausage however you prefer (you could crumble it, etc.).  This sausage is pre-cooked, but if it were raw I'd add the sausage first.

Wash and cut your cherries tomatoes in half and add them to the pan after the asparagus and sausage are warmed throughout (this prevents the tomatoes from overcooking...I prefer these tomatoes to be more on the raw side rather than mushy and overcooked).


Feel free to put your skillet on the table as you see below - it's beautiful just the way it is!

Or you can have fun and put it on a pretty plate, add some fresh basil on top, and enjoy. The photo you see below was my portion - I used whole wheat pasta since I didn't have a full box of quinoa pasta to serve to everyone.

This portion is my toddler's plate (on a small salad sized plate) and includes the quinoa pasta shells.  He enjoyed every bite!

2 comments:

Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} said...

I know exactly how you are feeling. I felt the same way just before baby #2 was born. I couldn't help but feel sad and joyful at the same time.

I love your easy recipes today! Perfect for busy weeknights.

Kathryn @ Mamacado said...

Hi Maryea. Yes! Such a range of emotions. Glad you like the recipe - I appreciate the feedback!

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