I’ve had to get a bit more creative with dinner during this blizzard.
While my husband is eager to leave the house to go to work, the gym, and run errands, I prefer to stay curled up on the couch with my feet up.
I had about 16 different ideas for dinner last night, all involving tomato sauce, cheese, and steak — none of which we had.
Yes, my house is currently cheese-free. Not because I want it to be, but because I’ve been emotional-eating my way through 30 inches of snow on the windowsill. I need more cheese, please.
One thing I did have? Bacon. Thank goodness. If I didn’t have bacon, I might have been in trouble.
This dish is actually pretty healthy: whole wheat pasta, grilled chicken, crispy kale, tomatoes, and only two slices of crumbled bacon for the two of us. You’ve got to indulge somewhere.
We had the juiciest tomatoes, so I knew they had to go into the pasta.
My husband kindly picked up whole wheat pasta on his way home, which we were also out of. In fact, the whole BLT idea came from him.
Sometimes I can be whiny — shockingly so. I like to complain to my husband that he should cook me dinner. His usual repertoire includes egg whites, plain turkey burgers, and peanut butter on bread, so asking him to cook is a gamble.
A few days ago I asked what he was going to make for dinner and, for once, he answered: “How about a BLT?”
BLT? Sure, I like bacon, but BLTs have veggies. If there were 16 slices of bacon on the sandwich, I’d eat the veggies too. That night I wasn’t feeling a BLT, so I declined.
I think I made up for it with last night’s dinner.
I baked kale chips with nutritional yeast for a crispy, savory crunch. I tossed whole wheat penne with olive oil and parmesan first, then added the toppings.
It was perfect for me, though my husband wanted sauce — thick and hearty sauce. He can be picky.
Chicken BLT Whole Wheat Pasta
Serves 2-4
1 lb whole wheat pasta
3 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 stems kale leaves, seasoned and baked at 350°F for 15–20 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Once the pasta is cooked, add it to a large bowl and toss with olive oil and parmesan. Add the grilled chicken, tomatoes, bacon, and crispy kale. Toss and serve.
I would have been perfectly happy with just the tomatoes, bacon, and kale on the pasta.
But when you live with The Protein King, compromises happen: add meat to each meal, buy fewer shoes, eat less chocolate, and stop wearing ratty sweats. So far I’ve managed one of those.