What to Fix, What to Fix?

Usually I have a menu list to work from for my meals, but this week has been haphazard at best. A summer cold and a side of depression has kept me off balance. This morning as I was getting ready for worship, it occurred to me I had no idea what we'd be having for lunch today. On Sundays lunch is our "big" meal -- whether you call it dinner or lunch, it's the main event on Sundays. Later today we will going to a birthday party for my husband's nephew, so there will cake and ice cream.


So today was "let's be creative with what's in the pantry and refrigerator". Originally I had thought I would grill hamburgers, but when I took the beef and ground turkey out of the freezer the beef had gone bad! I hate that! That left me with one pound of ground turkey. Today it was just the four of us, so I knew a pound was enough, but what would I do with it. 


I set the turkey out to thaw and let my mind begin to wander over what we needed (nutritionally speaking) and what we had. I had some spinach fettuccine noodles in the pantry. When I got home from worship, I begin digging around in the vegetable bins. This is where improvisation comes in. I've been told I'm good at it. All I know is sometimes necessity is the mother of invention, and for some reason I enjoy not knowing what I'm doing! LOL!

1 pound ground turkey

2 T. olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 yellow squash, diced

4 Campari tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 t. basil

salt and pepper to taste

12 oz. spinach fettuccine noodles

olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 T. olive oil in large Dutch oven. Add turkey and vegetables and brown meat. Add spices, cover and simmer while pasta boils. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a bowl. Add pasta and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Toss meat, vegetables and pasta together with a little more olive oil. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

I thought it was pretty tasty, although I'd probably prefer sauteed chicken or turkey cutlets to the ground meat, but hey, you work with what you've got!

Happy Eating!