Pasta Salad Mix

Well I'm in limbo these days, feeling great some moments and terrible others. Still more terrible moments than great ones, but the balance will slowly start to shift in the upcoming weeks.

When I do feel great, I feel HUNGRY, and no amount of food is enough. I'm still having trouble even looking at meat, so I've been eating a lot of meatless foods lately. Like....

Pasta Salad! (single use)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

What else you'll need

1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
4 (or more) cups of cooked pasta noodles
Several cups of chopped veggies (tomato, onion, peppers, beans, ect)

(What I used)

1 chopped tomato
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped red pepper
1 can kidney beans drained

Really, you can pretty much throw anything into it that you feel like. It's a great way to clean out your fridge. I skipped the onion due to pregnancy issues and added a can of beans to bulk up the protein I'm not getting from meat these days. I also made the ratio of veggies to pasta much higher because I'm trying to get as many nutrients into me as I can and I find it tastes better. But the great thing about pasta salad is that it's hard to ruin it- it doesn't have to be exact, it just has to have a reasonable combination of ingredients.

Combine mix, oil and vinegar in a bowl and stir.

Using the pasta pot, combine cooked noodles and veggies and then stir in the seasoning mixture. Serve chilled and enjoy!

This turned out very delicious and is proving to be a great mid-day grazing food. It's a good thing to pack in your lunch, it's just filling enough to keep you from eating junk food and healthy enough to be a good choice.