Let’s talk about quick and easy meal planning…. Come on, pull up a chair, I’ll serve you some tea…
Every day for me just seems to get busier. I mean with 2 funny kids, an awesome husband, no nanny to speak of, a house, laundry, bills, paperwork, being a school board member, and chairing two separate committees I seriously feel like I have no time!
And yet, I’m unwilling to compromise on how my family eats. I still want to feed them really healthy, home cooked meals 5 days a week.
Do you feel the same? Okay then let’s talk about how we can make that happen!
Lately I’ve been all about the quick and easy meals (let’s put more on the blog please?!). And this pesto is my go to whenever I have less than 15 minutes to go from 0 to dinner.
In just a few magic moments you can have this super fresh, super tasty, super nutritious pesto done. Throw it on pasta with some sliced grape tomatoes and vegan parmesan cheese…
…or spread it on some bakery bought broccoli sprout pizza crust, add your favorite toppings and you have a yummy meal ready to go.
Spinach is loaded with tons of nutrients like protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. And basil is packed with vitamin K, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, vitamin C and potassium. When you blend them together with garlic, lemon, sunflower seeds and pepper, you have a super nutrient packed sauce in a pretty little vibrant green package.
And this recipe couldn’t get any easier. I love that its vegan (for us health fanatics), it’s oil free (for those of us watching our waistlines), and it’s nut free (for those of us that want to throw our EpiPen at the person behind us talking smack on their cell phone)… It’s so easy my 8 year old kid can even make it herself…not to mention it tastes like heaven…
…and lately, it’s become my secret weapon, whether I’m entertaining with a gourmet style meal…
or throwing it on a kid friendly pasta with peas and pesto….
- 2 cups (tightly packed) basil
- 1 cup (tightly packed) baby spinach
- 2 large cloves garlic
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tbs sunflower seed butter OR ½ avocado
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- To make the pesto, add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until combined, leaving a little texture. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add it to any of your favorite dishes...pasta, sandwiches, pizza, veggies, etc.