We’ve pretty much eaten ourselves out of house and home this week. Literally. House repairs and the removal of our hot water tanks meant we needed to be out of our house for a week. Eating out for every meal may sound like fun, but it’s not as exciting as one would think, even if someone else {insurance co} is helping pick up the tab. We usually make pretty healthy choices when we eat out but even so, after a week of eating restaurant meals we’re f.u.l.l. So much is made about portion size in this country. When you eat out once or twice a week, you can miss what all the talk is about. By Thursday night, we were looking at each other saying “why is everything so huge?” Even my salmon filet was ginormous. It would have easily served two. After this week I’m sure I am in serious need of a cleanse. The other thing I realized, I really love cooking in my own home making food we can enjoy and relax over. So it was so good to finally make dinner tonight. If I didn’t have a 12 mile run tomorrow I’d probably have gone with a big salad, but I needed some carbs. Pesto pasta with beans + tomatoes hit the spot! You can use a really good quality store-bought pesto if your tight on time but my neighbor has a great recipe {complete with useful tips} for wonderful creamy pesto on her blog Heather Christo {P.S. if you love to bake, her blog is a must!}.

Pesto Linguine with Beans + Tomatoes
serves 4

1 lb. linguine
½ lb. green beans, sliced in half
1 cup frozen petite peas
1 cup basil pesto
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
½ cup finely grated parmesan
2 tbsp. fresh basil , chiffonade

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package instructions. Two minutes before cooking time is done, add green beans to the pot. 1 minute before cooking time is done, add peas. Drain and add pesto to the noodles and vegetables. Stir gently. Add tomatoes and gently toss. Divide among four bowls; sprinkle with parmesan and fresh basil.