Skip to main content

Summery Balsamic Dijon Pasta Salad for Hot Summer Night

Two on Thursday
This morning started off checking off a to-enjoy list entry: morning run with hubby. Jason was not nearly as excited about the early morning run as I was. I think he fell asleep in the car on the way back home ;-)

I got in just under 6 miles (5.9 to be exact; yes I like to be exact). It really was a great run again today, though the humidity was definitely up there and not a bit of a breeze to help out in the cooling department. But, everything just clicked. Then again, maybe I wasn't awake enough to know any better.

During lunch, I was able to get my back workout done and some abs. I went with giant sets today of 2x8 and 1x10

Double-arm dumbbell row
Pullover
Rear flye

Band work - lat pull downs - 2x12

I did abs from Cathe's Power Hour DVD. It was a pretty good workout, but I really wish I had a barbell at the house for barbell rows. I feel like I have better form and can lift heavier weights for underhand position. Oh, while I'm "wishing," I'd like a pullup bar too thank you.

Pasta Salad Night
When I got home from work I decided to throw together an easy pasta salad to try to use some fresh veggies that were on their last leg. I can't really call this a recipe, but I'll list out the ingredients and what I did for my Summery Balsamic Dijon Pasta Salad.

Summary Balsamic Dijon Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
6-7 oz whole-wheat penne or rotini (cooked per package)
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small squash, diced
Asparagus, chopped (I was only able to salvage about 6 stalks or I would have used more)
1/2 can whole artichoke hearts, chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 frozen peas (more or less to your liking)
6-7 sundried tomatoes, reconstituted and chopped
To taste: lemon pepper spice blend, sea salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes 

5-6 tbsp Dijon mustard
Balsamic vinaigrette (or just balsamic vinegar) to desired consistency


Directions:
Drain the pasta well and transfer to large mixing bowl. Add the frozen peas on top of your hot pasta along with chickpeas, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes.

Meanwhile, steam the zucchini, squash, and asparagus for just a couple of minutes then transfer to mixing bowl along with spices and nutritional yeast flakes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette and mustard then pour over pasta and veggies, mixing well.

Refrigerate at least an hour.
 

While I let the pasta salad refrigerate, I enjoyed some pool lounging time. The water felt perfect on this hot, summer evening. The only way to top that off is with a nice, cool summery salad of course. I was really happy with this. I think the Dijon was a nice touch that added a little bit of thickness/creaminess to the dressing.

To-Enjoy List
  • Morning run with hubby (check)
  • Watching the sun rise (check)
  • Pool lounging (check)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

I Run to Feel Alive

Today is National Running Day . Guess what I did this morning? Cycling? Nope. Lifting? Nope. I bet you thought kickboxing right? Nope. Running? But of course! I actually sort of planned my running days this week just so I could participate this year. I didn't get to run last year and didn't even know about it the year before. But running has become such an integral part of my life and who I am, that I couldn't miss this year. Basically, I run to feel alive . It calms me, it helps me work through life, it's often a reason to get out of bed. No matter how tough a run is, it makes you feel ... period. My plan was to get in 5 miles (got in 5.5 actually). It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning and definitely more humid. That always makes for a tougher run. We decided to take a different route today. Well, it was really only a few streets over different, but still. The point is we took a different street. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not. I did realize th

Vacation Day 2 - Running, Reading, Relaxing

Running This morning I woke up a bit before 7 am. Of course, we had gone to sleep by 9....on vacation no less. I had thought I might try for an outdoor run, but the temps were already a humid 83 degrees by 8 am. So, I took my run to the treadmill. I had the Food Network to keep me occupied for a pretty decent 5 mile run. Running and watching tv isn't so bad ;-) I did 3 miles, then 4 1:00 athletic intervals then finished up another mile to round it out to and even 5. After stretching and rolling (yep, brought my TriggerPoint kit ), we packed up the cooler with lunch and headed down to the beach. Not a bad way to start the day if you ask me. Beach Time & Stair Cardio We set up our little umbrella camp and proceeded to just relax. I was excited to start one of the books I brought along with me: Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon . I've read her memoir, Lucky , and her first work of fiction, The Lovely Bones . . We were out for a few hours before taking a break.