Easy Peasy Pesto Pasta

This is what I threw together last night for Adie's school lunch today.  She loves pasta and I know this will go down a treat.  It also makes a nice change from sandwiches.  I threw in some berries for brain food, a cheese stick, nutella on 1 slice of bread (her Friday treat) and yoghurt for morning tea (she's a very big eater) and an apple to go with her lunch.

I didn't throw in the meat for Adie as we had a tofu smoothie for brekky and we are having meat for dinner so her protein needs will be covered but it is a great option to get some extra protein in if needed.  The pesto also contains some great fats which will help to make her feel fuller and do all of those wonderful things that good fats do.

Serves 1

Ingredients

Handful of dried pasta (so technical I know)

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1.5tbs pesto sauce or pesto dip (it's what I had left in the fridge!)

Small handful of ham or cooked chicken optional

Method

1. Cook pasta according to packet directions

2. Add pesto, tomatoes and meat to pasta and serve.  Lunch done!

My Delicious Berry Tofu Smoothie and why I love silken Tofu

Silken Tofu

Silken Tofu for me is an absolute wonder product.  It is extremely versatile, inexpensive and high in nutrients such as calcium (tofu has 372mg per 100gms compared to skim milk which has 122mg per 100mls), protein (6gms per 100gms with all essential amino acids), it is a good source of thiamin, magnesium, phosphorous and copper, it is low in sodium,  fat and most importantly saturated fat and is suitable for vegans.

Silken Tofu is similar to firm tofu (regular tofu) except that it is processed differently and has a different texture.  Pressing and separating the soy curds and whey is what gives regular tofu it's firmness whereas in making silken tofu the two are not separated which gives a much lighter and creamier tofu.  

This is perfect for me as I like to use silken tofu to increase the nutritional content of many old favorites such as potato and leek soup, pumpkin soup and pesto sauce.  Like regular tofu, silken tofu takes on the flavour of what you are cooking it with but the beauty of silken tofu is that it blends into whatever you are making and the only difference is that it will slightly thicken and make creamy whatever it is you are cooking.

I wanted to share with you a recipe I adore.  I'm not someone who is huge on eating highly processed foods and so when I need to get some protein in quickly and I don't have time to cook eggs or just to add a bit of additional protein and nutrients to a smoothie I whip this up as a breakfast or after workout snack.

Note: A Tofu smoothie does not have the equivalent protein of a protein powder so if you are looking for a large amount of protein then a protein powder (whey protein isolate is great) would be a better source.

Berry Tofu Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients 

125gms Silken Tofu

2 handfuls of frozen berries

500mls(ish) of milk or soy milk

2 drops vanilla essence

1 pinch of cinnamon

Method

Throw all ingredients into the blender and process until smooth.  Continue to add more milk to achieve the right consistency and then enjoy.

Optional Extras

Banana (great for extra carbs), LSA powder, chia seeds, cocoa powder, coconut oil, flaxseed oil.