Category Archives: Snacks

Snack Time!

Roasted Vegetables – more filling than you’d think!

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Do you like the smell of things baking in the oven? Do you like to eat the things baking in the oven? Do you ever wish something healthy could smell good, and then you could eat it without guilt or regret?? 😉 The other day, for lunch, I was not sure what to eat. I was needing something without any processed carbs, but not sure what to do. I knew I had a bunch of fresh vegetables and trying to think that to do with them. Then, I thought… why not oven roast them all together!!

So, I did! I cut them all up, drizzled some stuff over top, sprinkled some seasonings and voila! DELISH! I had planned on eating something a long with it to fill me up, but actually found it completely unnecessary. It was so satisfying and filling! Now, I probably did have a pretty large serving, more than most would have if used as a side dish… but it’s vegetables! Can’t go wrong!

Try this one as a side dish, or a main dish, or roast ahead of time and take bits out for a snack during the day to munch on!!!

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Makes 4 large servings or 6-8 small servings

Ingredients:

1 LARGE sweet potato – peeled and cut up into bite size pieces (about 1 inch pieces)
1 large zucchini cut into slices and then cut those in half
2-3 large carrots – peeled, rinsed and chopped
3-4 sweet mini peppers cut into large bit size pieces
1 large yellow summer squash sliced and then halved
2-3 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 TB butter (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Mrs. Dash or Trader Joes 21 seasoning salute
pepper
2 TB parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
salt to taste

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Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop your veggies and put onto a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the seasonings and stir to coat evenly. Add bits of butter sporadically over the top of the veggies. Place into oven and bake for 20 minutes, and stir around. Place back into oven and bake for and additional 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Sprinkle cheese over top and serve! ENJOY!!!!

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And now, for the quote of the day:

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Vegan (allergy friendly) Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Do you or a child in your family have a food allergy? Have you decided to live a certain diet where you cut out eggs and butter? These may be and good answer! And, you cannot tell that they are lacking butter and eggs!
What?! You say, no eggs or butter? That’s right! And they are still chewy in the center and crispy on the outside. You cannot tell that the two quintessential ingredients for cookies are being substituted! Give this one a try for sure!

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Allergy Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup Earth Balance (picture below)
1/2 cup organice pure cane sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened Coconut milk (I like Trader Joe’s the best)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/4 cups Lily flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Organic Gluten-Free Flaxseed Meal

10 oz Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips – 10 oz

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Directions

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.
Using an electric mixer or sturdy wooden spoon, cream earth balance (or butter or margarine) and sugars until light and fluffy.
3.
Slowly add coconut milk, mix well, then add the vanilla.
4.
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir to blend. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5.
Drop by teaspoon onto buttered or parchment-lined cookie sheets.
6.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. (I did mine exactly 12 minutes)

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It was so fun to be able to hand my little guy a cookie and watch him enjoy eating it! To see his face light up when he realized he got one too was so precious! I’ve gotta make him some little treats more often!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Chicken Wrap

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I had a meal plan. That plan went out the window tonight. Do you ever do that? Just don’t feel like cooking/doing/eating whatever you planned? Not sure if it was my dog barking at random noises, my son whining at my feet, or my daughter asking to go down to the lake nature trail for the 50th time in 5 minutes, but my energy was suddenly drained. I quickly made the tiny minions , that I made, and adore… their dinner and sat down to figure out what on earth actually sounded good. When I made my meal plan it was cold and rainy outside. I have 2 weeks worth of meals to choose from and they all look “bleh”… so what’s a girl gonna do? My husband was on his way home from work. Granted it takes him 45 minutes to get home… but still!
I hop on pinterest, duh, and find out all about this new Mediterranean Diet. Which of course leads me to travel ideas, which leads me to beach pictures, which leads me to memes and funny pictures of cats. Suddenly my husband’s home, and I haven’t cooked a thing! Darn endless scroll on pinterest! Hehe! So, chicken wraps it was! And you know what? They were good! 🙂

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Ingredients

This is for 2 servings

4 chicken tenderloins
1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup vinegarette  (I used my leftovers from a previous recipe… you can use any Italian dressing or vinegarette)
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 TB parmesan
Tortillas (flour or whole wheat )
Toppings:
Greek yogurt, sour cream, avocado slices, spinach or lettuce, hummus, Lindsay Naturals Black Ripe Pitted Olives
, tomatoes and or mustard.

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Sautee the chicken in a skillet with the oil, and or butter and seasonings until almost done. Add half of the salad dressing and let simmer. 5-8 min until no pink is left and shred it with 2 forks. Top with either shredded cheese or parmesan and then place onto the tortillas. Top as you’d like!

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And now, for the quote of the day: saw this random picture… yes, on pinterest, and had to post it!

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Quick and Easy Skillet Cabbage with Kielbasa

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Sunday night and I need a quick dinner that’s filling, but won’t make me regret it the next morning. When you think Sunday dinner, what do you normally think? I usually think Chinese takeout, pizza, popcorn, oh… the list of easy options where I don’t cook could go on for quite a while! But tonight, I am remembering that I am in a fitness challenge group, and that I will be posting a picture of what I am eating. This, in turn, helps me to keep accountable to eating healthier! So… Cabbage and turkey kielbasa it is!

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Ingredients

2 TB butter or margarine
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced (I use all natural and nitrite/nitrate free turkey kilebasa)
4 TB olive oil for sauteing
Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup or so) plus zest
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dash (or more if you’d like!) Hot sauce

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Directions

Heat olive oil in the skillet on medium heat. Place chopped cabbage into the skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sautee until cabbage starts to get slightly more tender (about 3-5 minutes). Add lemon juice, zest and butter and sausage. Stir until cabbage is soft, bit still has a bit if crunch (unless you like it softer). Season with salt and pepper to taste  Serve with hot sauce or a bit of cheese if you’d like. It’s good as a main dish and also as a side dish! Quite filling too! Give this one a try if you want something to make with ingredients you most likely already have in your fridge and have no clue what to make! Isn’t that how great recipe are made?!

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Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Quick Shrimp and Avocado Salad

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I needed a quick dinner… something using fresh foods, and low in carbs. Something yummy but also filling, and this salad definitely did the trick! I LOVED it! The natural fats in the avocado and the high protein in the shrimp were exactly what I needed! So fresh and yummy! If you want a nice salad to go with dinner, a quick lunch with leftover shrimp, or even something to put on a hoagie roll, this is it! Try this salad out!

This is for the dressing and the salad.
Also… I usually use this cute little wish when I’m making salad dressing:

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Cute huh? It fits easily into bowls and measuring cups, or whatever I need to fit it into to mix something. Perfect size for little jobs. 🙂

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INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Baked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 avocado, cut into large pieces
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1/2 cup sweet white corn (thawed frozen or fresh)
1/2 to 1 English cucumber sliced and quartered
Optional handful of grape tomatoes

For the Dressing

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Dash white balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
Dash hot sauce

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INSTRUCTIONS

Bake shrimp for 12 min at 350 with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Remove, set aside. After cooled (10 min), either leave whole, or chop into bite size pieces.
Add shrimp, avocado, and onion, corn, cucumber and tomatoes to a large bowl.
In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together ingredients for the dressing. Whisk until well-combined.
Add dressing to shrimp avocado salad until it has the amount you desire. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese if you’d like!
Serve additional dressing on the side. I put leftover dressings in washed glass jelly jars and save it for up to a week in the fridge.
And now, for the quote of the day:

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Tomato Paste… in a tube! (And other quick tips)

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Ok, so in a few of my recipes, and recipes that I’ve seen, it will call for a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Then you’re usually left with a dilemma… what do you do with the rest of the tomato paste? Put it in the fridge usually. Then, you have to make sure you use it within 5-7 days or it starts to mold! Then, you’ve wasted food and money! I do not like do not like doing either of those! So, my tip for this is something that I saw on “The Chew” talk show, and then FOUND at Trader Joe’s (only one of my favorite stores EVER!)

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It’s in a reclosable tube! What?! Am I Right?! How exciting is this? Now, those of you who are chefs are probably thinking, “um, that’s been around forever”… but this is new to me and I’m ecstatic! This is gonna be great!
Also, did you know they have tubes of fresh herbs? They do! Basil, cilantro, parsley, etc. So, if you need a couple of months to use up herbs in things like guacamole and pasta,  try those! They are still fresh and taste fresh, but last so much longer! Sometimes my herbs are bad within 5 days!
Remember my tip about onions! Slice them, put them in a freezer bag and freeze the leftovers!
Canned condensed soups… don’t use them if you don’t have to! It’s soooo easy to make a creamy base! Butter, flour, milk or cream… and then chicken or veggie broth! Seriously! That’s it! I keep all of those in my pantry or fridge at all times! Then you just add mushrooms or chicken or whatever base you want! I’ll make it soon to post on the blog. Then, you have a natural and organic food base that you know where it all came from! Chicken broth is easy to make too! After Thanksgiving I make Turkey broth and saved it in glass jars in the freezer! I made some awesome soups with it!
Any questions or tips you want to know about? Ask! Send me an email or ask a question in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond and even possibly make a post out of it!

Good luck cookin’!

Vegetable Tian

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Do you have a threenager? Because I do… I have one that’s seriously kind of exhausting. We didn’t experience the “terrible twos” with either kid… but age three with a little boy is way different than what I expected. All if my friends with little boys warned me… they told me it’s a VERY MEMORABLE stage…. but I was not prepared for the exhaustion. The decision to be consistent and follow through no matter how tired I was and how badly I wanted to give in. There are tests all day long. All day. And right now, he FINALLY laid down for his nap. Finally. After over an hour and a have and me having to go in there with consequences two times.
You know what though? I dearly love him. My heart melts when he looks at me and says “I wuv you mommy, so much!”. He can turn me to absolute mush if I’m not careful! God gave us children that are precious and adorable… with a sin nature, but quite moldable! But oh… these times of molding! I can’t imagine how God must feel! Ha!
Sorry, off on a tangent.

And…. I must have been tired when I edited these pictures I must have been REALLY tired. I put the wrong name of the blog on the pictures! HAHAHAHAHA! And you know what? I’m too tired to change it. Giggle about it in my honor. 🙂
Last night I needed vegetables. I’m on this “need less sugar and carbs in my life because I have a problem” kick. I know when I start slipping. So… veggies for the main course tonight! A vegetable Tian! Most tians have tomatoes, but mine does not for 2 reasons… 1. I didn’t have any. 2. I, sadly, do not care for tomatoes. I’m weird. That’s all I can say. 🙂

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Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow sweet onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium yukon gold potato
1 tsp dried thyme
to taste salt & pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
4 sweet mini peppers sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheese

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion. Saute in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).
While the onion is sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
Spray the inside of an 8×8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and thyme.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

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Serve and enjoy!

This was incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious! Make sure that you cut the potatoes quite thin and all the same size! You can even use a mandolin if you have one!
Another topping idea is also a balsamic glaze! I’m gonna try it the next time I make this one!

And now, for the quote of the day… something I have learned in the past and am currently putting into practice:

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Another Pancake Recipe!!!! Also egg and dairy free! :)

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Everyone has those nights where they have breakfast for dinner right? I know I do! As much as I cook, I do have those nights where I just need a break!

So last night we had a breakfast night of pancakes and bacon for dinner. Levi, with his food allergies cannot have just any old pancake mix, and I always have to make them from scratch. Doesn’t bother me though, because I like knowing exactly what is being put into it.

These are another recipe that I just tried last night (because I was short a couple of ingredients from the last time I made the previous recipe!):

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  • Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose white flour
  • 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar
  • 2 1⁄2teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1⁄4teaspoon himalayan sea salt
  • 2 1⁄2tablespoons margarine (I use smart balance with olive oil… and then I melted it)
  • 3⁄4cup water
  • 2 small RIPE bananas mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

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DIRECTIONS

  1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into medium mixing bowl.
  2. Melt 2 1/2 Tbsp margarine in measuring cup and add to the dry mixture.
  3. If you do not have a non-stick pan, make sure to grease your skillet first.
  4. In a small bowl, add water and bananas; Mix well. Add vanilla and cinnamon and stir.
  5. Stir liquid mixture into the dry ingredients until it is thoroughly moistened.
  6. It is OK if this batter is lumpy.
  7. Cook the pancakes over medium-high heat on the stove-top (or 375F on electric frying pans).
  8. Cook pancakes until the tops are bubbly and the bottoms browned.
  9. Turn the pancakes over to cook other side (approximately four minutes per side).
  10. Serve hot with margarine, a little honey, pure maple syrup or a little fruit jam!
  11. Actual cooking time will depend on the size and type of pan you use. I had a large skillet and cooked 3 at a time. I had it on medium heat.

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Quote of the day:

Do you love Ina Garten? I do. I love her show and her recipes, and I always get a kick out of when she says to use “good” vanilla, or “good” eggs…. like… I’d hope they aren’t bad!! So I found this quote and laughed so hard! I had to share it:

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Salted Caramel Popcorn

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So, my friend had her annual Oscar party last night and I had no idea what to bring. I was trying to bring something that I already had stuff for at home… and I need to go grocery shopping. PLUS my birthday was on Saturday and I had just spent the whole weekend NOT cooking and laying around! HA! So… what to do?!?!?!

I went thru Pinterest like a mad woman! I was looking for an easy recipe that had just a few ingredients that I already had in my cupboard. I couldn’t do “Oscar” shaped cookies, or fancy cheesecake filled strawberries, or bacon wrapped filet etc… lol. It had to be SIMPLE.

And then…. I saw it. Golden – PERFECT color! – warm and easy with just a few ingredients…. Salted Caramel Popcorn! YES!

So I start making it and I realize I do not have brown sugar. So, I being an emotional woman, break down into tears. Yes, tears. It was a sad sight. My husband looked at me very strangely and did what any good husband would do: He went quick to my mom’s house to get me some brown sugar. 🙂

And here it is!

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I did NOT use my own recipe, I got it off of this great blog that came to me in my time of need! 🙂

http://cookiesandcups.com/salted-caramel-popcorn/

Check it out!

Salted Caramel Popcorn
Makes about 16 cups of caramel corn
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels (about 16 cups popped corn)
  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup light corn syrup
  • 1½ – 2 tsp kosher or sea salt, divided
 
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300°
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
  3. Pop popcorn kernels using air popper into a large bowl.
  4. In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 tsp salt together over medium heat. Bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
  5. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
  6. Pour popcorn into lined pan, sprinkle remaining salt on top (1/2 tsp – 1 tsp depending on your personal taste preference) and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
  7. Allow popcorn to cool on a parchment lined counter.
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Notes
You can add in 2 cups of nuts to the un-coated popcorn if desired! Coat with caramel as states!
– I didn’t follow her recipe exactly because I do not have an air popcorn popper, I have the oil popper. I also do not have parchment paper, so I used sprayed tin foil. AND, I did not have a full pound of butter… so I reduced all of the amounts of the ingredients for the caramel. I also added about 1/2 tsp of vanilla to the caramel mixture. Other than that I followed her recipe and it came out perfectly!!!

ENJOY!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Lemony Bacon Avocado Pasta

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Do you ever look in your fridge and see all these separate components and wonder how in the world you’re going to make dinner out of them?? This is one of those. Bacon? Avocado? Lemon? Parmesan? Spinach? Basil? Peppers? Doesn’t that just SOUND like a winning combination?

When I’m having a cruddy day, I always crave pasta. Today was actually a pretty GOOD day. But, really, when does a good day stop you from wanting pasta with bacon? I mean, really.

I’m actually quite picky about my bacon though. As my previous post states, my son has a lot of food allergies and sensitivities. I found out that he is QUITE sensitive to a lot of preservatives. It can range from a rash to hives! So, when we buy bacon, we buy uncured and nitrite/nitrate free. Strangely, a LOT of ham and bacon has that in it. I CAN find it, but it’s hard and expensive. Trader Joes does have a good option that isn’t too expensive. Our favorite is this: TraderJoesFullyCookedAppleSmokedUncuredBacon-Package

When I cook it in the microwave, or in a pan on the stove top, it ALWAYS comes out yummy and crispy. Unless, of course, I’m at my sister’s house who has a monster of a microwave that burns it after 30 seconds and I always forget how powerful her’s is. HA! So… watch your wattage. I am NOT going to tell you how long to cook it for, because it seems my microwave may be weaker than other peoples… lol.

So, here’s another craving for you…

baconavocadopasta

You’re welcome world. That’s right. This dish has Bacon. Avocado. Cheese. Pasta.

And… it’s delicious. 🙂

My recipe is inspired by: http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/28/bacon-avocado-pasta/

I changed a few things, so the recipe below is my own, but if you’d like to see the original, check out the link above.

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces tri-color rotini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
  • 4 slices nitrite and nitrate free bacon, chopped
  • 1 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup diced sweet onion
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup baby spinach leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and onion cook until bacon is brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • In a large bowl, combine pasta, bacon, avocado, peppers, onion, spinach and basil. Stir in Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve hot or cold, garnished with Parmesan, if desired.

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ENJOY!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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