Pasta Meals Need A Lot of Veggies

I purchased these brussel sprouts ($2.68) and radishes ($1) a weeks ago and really needed to use them.  I decided to roast them together.

rinse them

cut them-this takes the longest time (5-10 min)

toss them with 2 tbs. olive oil and dash of sea salt, place  on cookie sheet and roast for 15 min at 400 degrees.

 While they are roasting,  place about 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan and boil for about 5 min.  Then, pour it over the brussel sprouts and radish medley.  Place back in oven 5 min. (if you want it to cook in a little bit) and below is the finished product.

Roasted medley...The radishes tasted amazingly sweet and the brussel sprouts have a wonderful flavor.  The kids enjoyed them (well 2 of my kids) Can't please everyone, but they tried them at least!  I added this medley to our meal below:

While the above veggies were roasting, I boiled up the pasta and warmed some jar sauce (made in St. Louis).  I didn't have any ground turkey or chicken in freezer but I found a bag of frozen green beans.  

This sauce was higher in Sodium than I like, but
 I had to make due since it was the only thing in the pantry.

Cover and heat for 10 min.

I warmed the other half of the bag in the microwave and added some garlic powder,
and Parkey spray-tastes just like butter but no bad fat!!

Mama portion-1 cup pasta and sauce, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 cup roasted medley.
 Approx. 60 grams carbohydrates and the only fat is from the olive oil

This was the kido portion and topped it with some Parmesan cheese.  The kids like this on steamed vegetables most of the time instead of butter or margarine.
3/4 cup pasta and smaller amount of veggies.
45 grams carbohydrates


Why so many veggies???   Pasta is Carby (carbohydrates with not much nutrition and then they turn into sugar).  When we eat too many of these at one time, it is hard for our bodies to use them (especially if we have Diabetes).  If we eat too many carbohydrates at one time, we can also store them as fat.   So, it is a good idea to always pair a high carbohydrate meal (Pasta, Bread, Rice, etc.) with half of your plate.... low-fat veggies.   Some of you may not want to go through the hassle of making 2-3 different veggies with these meals...DON'T THEN....Eat a large portion of ONE vegetable (about-1 and 1/2 cups or more).    Be careful that you do not add a Starchy/Carby vegetable like (corn, peas, potatoes, sweet
potatoes)--Save these for a meal that does not have many carbohydrates.
 Happy Eating and you may want to have some protein for your snack a couple hours later--handful nuts, peanut butter and crackers, cottage cheese and fruit, 1 cup low-fat milk and 2-3 cookies,  yogurt.