Broccoli Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe

I have really been trying to be more creative in the kitchen. I follow a lot recipes I find on Pinterest, but with this dish I decided to try something that was based on a pinterest recipe, but with my own twist! I decided to add a sun-dried tomato

Ingredients:
2 cups pasta (any kind you like, I used Geminilli from Barilla brand)
1 tsp of minced garlic (I probably used a little more than this, but I LOVE garlic)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pesto
2 cups grape tomatoes (cut in half)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto sauce (Simply Enjoy brand, photo above, is delicious) OR you could always use sun dried tomatoes if you can't find the sauce.
1/2 cup (more or less, again this is personal preference) Shredded Parmesan Cheese
dash of Salt and Pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes


Directions
1. Cook pasta to package instructions
2. While pasta is cooking heat olive oil in large deep skillet
3. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds
4. Add 1 tbsp pesto and stir
5. Add grape tomatoes, let cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir and cook 1 more minute
6. Put tomatoes to one side of skillet making sure the empty side is directly above heat
7. Add broccoli. Cook the broccoli for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, salt, pepper and red prepper flakes. stir together
9. Add the pasta and stir together. Let sit for a few minutes to marinate.
10. Serve and Enjoy!

Does This Post Offend You?

2015 was the year of being offended. Offended by the color of a cup, offended by someone else's beliefs, offended by a flag, offended by someone else being offended by something. Saying that it was ridiculous is an understatement. However, now that I look back and reflect on it all I realized something. Not many people were actually, truly, honestly offended. Someone vocalized their dislike for something and everyone jumps on them for being "offended" by it because they thought it was silly or stupid.

We are all allowed to not like things in life. We are allowed to have opinions. I am allowed to think that making a cup red is not festive enough when previous years said cup had snowflakes or snowmen on it. I am allowed to not agree with someone else's beliefs or lifestyle, but let me make something clear, this does NOT mean that I am in any way offended by it. It does not hurt or insult me that a corporation changed the color of their cup, or that someone else is living their life different from me or that someone is flying a flag that doesn't stand for something I believe in.

Let's all agree that we are allowed to like and dislike different things. But just because someone else does not like something that I like or they have a different opinion, does not mean they are offended by it. Let's all agree that we will stop using the word offended and just agree that it is ok to have different opinions.

Toothpaste

I am not totally against modern medicine, but I really try to educate myself and if I don't like certain chemicals or ingredients I try find alternatives. Lately, I've been researching toothpaste. Fluoride is one of the most common ingredients in toothpaste (it is also in most treated water) and it is extremely toxic to our bodies in high levels. I know this is a controversial argument and the other side of the argument states that fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, so how is it bad for you? But asbestos is a mineral, and we all know how bad asbestos is for us. I have no doubt that between the amounts of fluoride in our hygiene products AND in our water supply we are being bombarded with way too much fluoride. In an effort to reduce the amount of fluoride I allow in my body I decided to make my own toothpaste.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp baking soda

about 10-20 drops of peppermint essential oil

Place in a glass jar (a babyfood jar or small mason jar will do) and be careful spitting it down the drain, as the oil can build up in the drains. I prefer to spit it into a trashcan. 

Since there is a bit of baking soda it will taste a little salty. You can add some extra drops of peppermint oil, however you will never be able to match the flavor of traditional toothpastes, as they use artificial flavorings. 

So far in the few weeks I've been using it I don't have any complaints. My teeth feel just as clean as if I used regular toothpaste, but I know exactly what is going in my mouth and I don't have to worry about the toxicity. 

I post this to strongly urge everyone to ask questions. Don't just accept anything your doctor or your dentist tells you. Do your research and learn what ingredients are in the things you use everyday. Our bodies are important and we need to make sure we are treating them with  love and care, and that includes knowing what we put into them. 

For more information check out these links

6 Reasons to Start using Coconut Oil as Toothpaste

Does Fluoride Really Fight Cavities

fluoridealert

*EDIT Ok, so a friend of mine brought up a good point and I feel the need to include that here. Our bodies DO need fluoride, HOWEVER not in the amounts that most of us get it in (hence my above post). Fluoride is naturally occurring, but adding it to products is unnecessary since most people do get it from their water sources. I have city water where I live, so I know I am getting the amount I need, I don't need to add any more from the hygiene products I use. Fluoride is found in most water sources around the world, however water treatment plants often add even more fluoride, and that on top of using hygiene products with added fluoride can cause fluoride poisoning if you ingest too much of it. 

My Advice for Brides-to-Be

It seems Christmas is a popular time to get engaged (I got engaged over the holiday season as well). But now that the holidays have ended and life has gone back to normal, many newly engaged couples (congratulations!) will sit down and start to plan their big day. From a new wife who did an almost totally DIY wedding, here are my biggest words of advice for all the soon to be brides out there. Of course this is advice based on my experience, every bride and every wedding is totally different so what worked for me, might not work for you. But here is my advice, take it or leave it as you please.

1. Listen to your gut

You know what you want, or maybe you don't but you surely know better about what you want than your uncle's girlfriend's cousin who just got married. And now she is telling you exactly how your floral arrangements need to be designed because that is how she did it and she loved it, and exactly what color dress your bridesmaids should wear because her bridesmaids were blue but not just any blue, they were ocean blue, and there is no better color for a wedding than ocean blue. And that you NEED to use her hairdresser, because not other hairdresser will make you look as beautiful as her. But seriously, everyone will be giving you their opinion, listen to their advice, but do not feel like you need to take everyone's into consideration. Do what YOU want, ask people you trust, people who you know have the same style or vision you do, for their help and their advice. Your neighbor's aunt might have just attended this really cool wedding on a dinner cruise boat, but that doesn't mean she is the expert on weddings when she tells you that you absolutely need to have your wedding on a boat.

2. Splurge on the Photographer

I love photography, I am photographer by hobby. But I knew with my wedding I needed to hire a professional, not just a friend who is in art school taking a few photography courses. I did my research, found a few local photographers I liked, contacted each of them and rather than going with the cheapest, I went with the one who's photography style I liked and who's price was fair for what I was getting. Do not just go with the cheapest option, but find a photographer who you truly like. A lot of photographers also offer a "free" engagement session. This is always a great option because you can use those photos for Save the Dates, on your wedding website, etc. These photos will be what you will have after the day is long gone.

3. Cut Corners Where you can Without Sacrificing Quality

Find an aspect of your wedding that has the potential to be really expensive and brainstorm how to save money. You do not need a $10,000 dress to look beautiful, you don't need the most elegant diamond tiara you could possibly find. You can look absolutely stunning for less. This is somewhere I suggest cutting corners (of course, if this is top priority for you, you can find somewhere else to save) but for me this worked and I felt like a beautiful princess all day long! Another is by doing as much DIY as you can, or you are able to. Most of my wedding was DIY, which I know is not ideal for every bride, but one fun DIY project I think most people can do is the centerpieces. We took old candelabras, beautiful lanterns, etc. that we borrowed, found around our house or bought at thrift stores and used that as the main centerpiece and from there had tealight candles in eclectic jars around the rest of the table. If you plan far enough ahead you will have plenty of time to find the things you need at thrift stores, or from friends. Another word of advice for saving some money is wait for sales. I knew by March that I wanted to have burlap table runners, so I kept an eye out at Hobby Lobby for Burlap to go on sale, and when it did, I bought 10 or 12 rolls for half off!

4. Have Fun! 

The planning process can be stressful if you let it get to you, especially if you are bad at making decisions. But I promise that whatever decision you go with, it will be amazing. At the end of the day, you and your new husband or wife are married and in love and that is what matters. It doesn't matter if you decided not to do a cake cutting or decided to use purple flowers instead of yellow. What matters is that you had fun and you are in love. Don't stress, Seriously, don't. Don't worry what your Aunt Sally will think about the pink bridesmaids dresses because you know she hates pink. Don't worry about any of it, just enjoy the process, enjoy the day and enjoy your new life with your new husband or wife!