Busy Days, Gnocchi Nights

Minutes away from delicious

Hello lovely blog followers! Its been over a week since I blogged, and I wish I had a fabulous new dish to present, but sometimes life is just too busy. I am trying to find a place to live by July and the hunt is going fairly poorly. I feel like the little engine that couldn't find a place to live :) I know there is a home waiting to be filled by my happy cooking self, but right now my housing future is uncertain.

So my nights and weekends are filled with house hunting, interviewing, and craigslisting, which leaves little time for recipe reading and playing in the kitchen. Sigh. Im still making it the farmers market, but my meals are fairly bland as of late. Luckily I have some simple healthy meals I can make quickly, though they are not new or original.

I do have to give a special shout out to basil, which is in full bloom in NC right now, and made my Sunday evening dinner a particularly sweet treat. Healthy Boyfriend even gave last nights dinner a round of applause. Cue pitter patter of heart now. Nothing like making a healthy meal that we both enjoy, making happy bellies is one of the greatest accomplishments there is, especially in this time of unknown.

Green, local, AND delicious? Oh yes, OH YES!

Dinner was simple, as it has to be until I find a place to live. Walking into my home each day I do not see a peaceful place to create food magic. I see boxes, disarray, and rapidly disappearing furniture as my current roommate is moving out a month early and taking her stuff with her.

I understand why it becomes so hard to eat and plan healthy when the chaos of life eats away our time. Luckily with healthy boyfriend as extra motivation I am still eating good food, though have some nights resorted to pizza of the frozen variety sort, because I literally couldn't think of something to make. It happens, though Im very much looking forward to being in my new, yet to be discovered home, and planning all my meals again.
So last nights meal, which was AMAZING, took 20 minutes, if that, and each bite was a little bit of heaven.

Simple "Green" Ingredients...hahaha

I made toasted pre-packaged whole wheat gnocchi with basil pesto and steamed broccoli. When I have time I will make my own gnocchi, but until then the pre-packaged kind is pretty good. The broccoli and basil were from the Saturday farmers market and healthy boyfriend and I gobbled this meal up as if it was a race. Since having toasted gnocchi, I no longer eat boiled gnocchi. Toasted gnocchi is lightly crisp on the outside, yet still soft and chewy on the inside. Its perfection, do it yall.

After making strictly basil pesto and also spinach pesto, I believe I prefer the half spinach, half basil pesto to the traditional all basil pesto. Now the pesto last night was incredible, but I like the additional depth the spinach adds to pesto. If you can make it to a farmers market, grab a bag of basil and make some pesto of your own. It couldn't be easier, and I've never had an unsatisfied customer.

To see a recipe for toasted gnocchi and pesto click here:Toasted Gnocchi with Spinach Pesto
Ill do my best to keep posting, though summer is so jam packed Im not sure where all the time goes. Why can't my life be jam packed with jam? Something to ponder as I begin another week.
Go check out your local farmers market, they are the best part of the summer!!