And a side of radish

In a pinch, you can make anything happen if you have some staples in the house.  For me, this includes, but is not limited to pasta, frozen pesto (homemade from last year - still good!), chicken breast and red bell peppers.  I always try to keep these things in the house.  Last week I pulled this gem out of my bag-o-tricks because I was in a hurry to go to a short seminar presented by the North Texas Chapter of the Texas Association of Massage Therapists. 

Veggie Pesto + chicken

1 broccoli crown, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 small tomatoes, chopped

2 "ice cubes" of pesto, thawed*

2 cups of pasta, whatever

Some bacon bits

1 chicken breast, grilled and cut in bite sized bits

About 2T of Olive oil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pan large enough to fit all of your veggies and chicken. 

Add broccoli and bell pepper and saute for about 5-8 minutes, until the broccoli is super bright green and al dente.  Add in all other ingredients, let cook until the veggies are "done enough," taste, season some more if needed, then serve.

*Ice cubes - I make my pesto in a large batch whenever the basil is ready in my garden.  Then I pour the pesto in a large ice-cube tray (close to an ounce each cube) and freeze.  After it's frozen, I plop those puppies out of the tray, put them in a freezer safe bag, and store them in the ice-box until I'm ready for them.  The recipe I use for the pesto is here.  Oh, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't freeze pesto with Parmesan in it.  BS.