pesto | Balancing in the Kitchen

A few posts back, I shared my Basil Pesto recipe that I absolutely love and I enjoy on the reg. Well, I decided one week to make a HUGE batch of it and incorporate the pesto into at least one meal a day during the work week. Do you think I got sick of pesto? Not a chance. I could eat it every day for every meal. And although I have zero self control, I do try and diversify my meals every once in awhile. This is also a great meal-prep trick. I always try to use the same ingredients across many of my meals in a given week. This reduces the money spent at the grocery store and also reduces waste. Admittingly, I have yet to master the art of buying just enough groceries to last me the week. I always seem to be throwing out unused old fruits and veggies!

So here is my week with pesto at a glance:

Monday: Pesto Quinoa Salad

pesto-quinoa

I’ve posted this recipe a few times on Instagram, and that is because it is one of my favorite salads! It is so easy to put together and prep for the whole week, and it doesn’t involve a laundry list of ingredients.

Ingredients: ( makes one serving- double or triple up for the week)

1-2 Tbs Basil Pesto
1/2 Cup cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup halved Heirloom tomatoes
arugula
olive oil
lemon juice
A few mozzarella cheese balls
4 oz grilled chicken

Directions:

1. Mix together quinoa, pesto, and mozzarella cheese in a mixing bowl.
2. Squeeze a half a lemon or some lemon juice and 1 tsp olive oil on a bed of arugula.
3. On top of the arugula, add the quinoa pesto mixture, halved tomatoes, and grilled chicken strips.
Enjoy!

Tuesday: Pesto Meatballs with spaghetti squash

pesto-meatballs

I made a big batch of these meatballs and froze half to enjoy in the weeks to come. I love meatballs because you can throw them on pasta, put in a soup, or add to salads. The options are really endless. These are also very lean and a healthy alternative to pre-made meatballs.

To make the meatballs:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3-4 tablespoons Basil Pesto
Spices (salt, pepper, italian seasonings, garlic, etc)

Directions:

1. Mix together all ingredients.
2. Form into meatballs (i like to make mini meatballs, but you can make them as big as you want!)
3. Place on baking pan and bake in oven on 400 degrees for 20 min (or until cooked through).
Enjoy!

Wednesday: Pesto Quinoa Salad

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I never said repeats were cheating!

Thursday: Pesto Burger

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This is the same exact recipe as the meatballs, just formed into burger patties! Build out your burger to however you would like it! I used a sandwich thin, sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, spinach, more pesto, and the patty! So delicious!

Friday: Pesto Ricotta Broccoli Pasta

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Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)

4 oz Pasta
1-2 cups Broccoli
3-4 Tbs Basil Pesto
3-4 Tbs Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbs olive oil
salt + pepper
red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup water.
2. Place broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes to steam
3. Mix together the pasta, broccoli, pesto, ricotta, olive oil, parmesan, and spices. Add reserved pasta water to desired consistency.
Enjoy!

pesto

My battle with pesto started from a young age when I was always told to limit the amount of it that I put on my ravioli. When I’m out at an Italian restaurant, I never go with the pesto because I know how high those calorie counts can get. Well, I’m happy to say that I now eat my pesto, and I eat however much of it I want!

I am so happy to share with you my skinny-fied version of pesto. It is packed with basil and free of guilt. I pretty much put it on everything when I have a batch of this in my fridge. In fact, watch out for a future post where I share how I incorporated my pesto into at least one meal every day of the week. It was amazing.

This recipe is extremely simple. All there is to it is a few ingredients and a food processor. No experience necessary. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings):

2 cups packed fresh basil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs lemon juice
3 Tbs water
3 1/2 Tbs Olive Oil

Directions:

In a food processor, add basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and water. Start blending while slowly adding the olive oil. Blend until desired consistency. You can always add more water to taste.