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Today’s post brings some crummy news. As you know, my motto is “I run so I can eat”. Sadly, I was hit by a car while jogging 11 days ago which means I’m not going to be able to run for at least 3 weeks. It’s been really tough on me so far, not only because running is my prozac, but also because I’m missing out on the wonderful happiness that I get from dining. I am trying to focus on the positive: that I AM breathing, that I WILL recover, and that it could have been much much worse. That said, I will not be doing much dining out for a little while and hence have been finding myself with quite a lot of time stuck at home. The bright side here is that I can work on another hobby of mine, cooking. I am trying my best to eat healthfully so that my injury doesn’t mean I’m going to gain too much weight. My friends have been sending me recipes and healthy suggestions and I am actually really enjoying experimenting. Last night’s dinner was a total success and I thought I’d share it with you. A garden salad with creamy herb dressing and a cheesy non-fat pasta with vegetables. I used half the amount of pasta and doubled up on the veggies. Here are the recipes, enjoy!

CREAMY FRESH HERB DRESSING (from Clean Eating Magazine)

6 tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp raw organic honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp parsley, chopped finely

1 tsp fresh dill, chopped finely

1 tsp lemon zest

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

in small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until blended. refrigerate until serving or use immediately. store in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the fridge.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES (from Real Simple Magazine)

8 oz. mezzi rigatoni
1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
1 9 oz package frozen of creamed spinach – thawed
1/4 cup grated parmesan (1 ounce)
2 cups grated NON-FAT mozzarella (8 ounces)
black pepper

cook pasta according to package directions and return it the pot after drained.
heat broiler…
add artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan and half of the mozzarella to the the pasta with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss it all
transfer the mixture to a shallow 2 quart or 8 inch broilerproof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella
broil until the cheese is browned.