Tasty Tuesdays - Cold Pasta Salad

This is a favorite summertime recipe for me and I just felt like a little summer sunshine was needed in this cold weather we have had in the past few days. This is a very versatile recipe in that you can use different pasta shpe and any combo of veggies that suit your family. Enjoy

Ingredients:
1 pound box pasta - I like the Tri-color bow pasta but you can use anything you prefer
1 Bag frozen Birds Eye Baby Blend Veggies (I love the one with Carrots/Soy beans/Broccoli/Water Chestnut)
1 Bottle Fat free or low fat House Italian Dressing - can also use regular Italian dressing if you prefer.
1 Package dry mix Italian Dressing mix (do not mix)

Directions:
Cook pasta per the directions on the box and at the end of the cook time add in the Birds Eye Baby Blend Veggies and cook 4 minutes. Drain pasta and veggies well and run cold water over mixture to cool. Place in large bowl with tight fitting lid and pour dry Italian dressing powder into bottle of House Italian dressing and shake well. Pour entire bottle over pasta veggie mixture and mix well. Chill several hours or overnight for flavors to merry. You can add chopped chicken/salami/pepperoni/cubed mozzarella cheese to serve as a a complete meal or serve without the addition of meat or cheese as a side dish or great luch. This will last several days in the fridge and just gets better every day:)

Enjoy

Tasty Tuesday - Figure Friendly Recipe

I fell in love with this recipe from "Hungry Girl" is has all the right stuff to make a "comfort meal" on a cold winter day.  Enjoy

*The PointsPlus™ values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark.

Too-EZ Mac 'n Cheese

PER SERVING (1 heaping cup): 222

calories, 5.5g fat, 772mg sodium, 35g

carbs, 6g fiber, 6g sugars, 8.5g protein --

PointsPlus™ value 6*

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 1/2 oz. (about 2 cups) uncooked whole-wheat-blend or high-fiber rotini pasta (like the

kind by Ronzoni)

24 oz. (about 6 cups) frozen Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese Sauce

3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese

Optional: salt and black pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, prepare pasta according to the instructions on the package; drain well

and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the broccoli & sauce package in

a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until sauce has melted and broccoli

is hot, 10 - 12 minutes.

Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, remove it from the microwave and add cooked

pasta. Unwrap cheese wedges and add those as well.

Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the cheese wedges are evenly distributed and the pasta

and broccoli are coated in cheese sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if you

like, and then enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS