Check out that Checklist

So, I really like checklists. Something about those empty boxes just waiting to be checked. And yes, all of my checklists have check boxes. The month of June has been a little beyond busy for me. I worked or went to all day trainings for 17 days straight. Interspersed in there were several 12 hour days. Needless to say, some other parts of my life suffered. My latest checklist took an hour to write and prioritize and extends into August. Checklists make my world seem manageable.

One item, sorely neglected in the last three weeks, was cooking. You know, meals and food and all that other stuff that keeps you going. Instead of cooking, I've been blowing my food budget on take out sandwiches and frozen meals. No longer!

Lookit this picture!! I actually took pictures while cooking! This was abso-ridiculously delicious and just what a fresh and easy dinner should taste like. My friend was overwhelmed by the bounty of his CSA share and gifted me 1 lb of kale, fresh basil, and a bunch of scallions. I made sauteed kale and my first ever batch of kale chips. The chips tasted exactly like greasy junk food - I think I could use waaay less oil than I did and they would still taste like an indulgence.

Basil Zucchini Pasta

1/2 lb pasta (I used quinoa pasta- expensive, but full of protein)
4 tomatoes
1 tbl olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 zucchini
big bunch of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta. Chop tomatoes, zucchini, and basil. Mince garlic and sautee in olive oil. Toss the pasta in the olive oil and add veggies and basil. I cooked it just until everything was heated through.
So delicious and simple!

The tomatoes were from my CSA share last week, which makes the majority of the produce in this meal Vermont grown and consumed. I hope this will be the first of many recipes to come.

Coming up this week: Book Club, a bbq, Wanderlust, and a visit to Southern Vermont!