Saturday, October 10, 2009

another recipe.... not necessarily low in fat

So in an effort to be nice to my sweet hubby I made him a classic favorite today... but wished I knew how to make it lighter...any thoughts?
Brown Butter Pesto Ravioli's with marinara sauce
3-4 tbs of butter
3-4 tbs of pesto (fresh or store bought is fine)
1 lb bag of frozen ravioli's (I like the cheese filled)-anyone know of a good whole wheat one?
2 cups (or so) marinara sauce (fresh or store bought)

First Boil your water - in the meantime start browning your butter in a saute` pan
Put your marinara in a sauce pan on med heat to heat thoroughly
When your butter begins to get brown (a stainless steel is best for this) add in your pesto, salt, and finely ground pepper.
In the meantime your water should be ready for your raviolis - boil about 3 minutes
Remove the cooked pasta and drain. Add drained pasta directly to brown butter sauce cook on both sides for a minute, coating completely with brown butter sauce. pasta will brown slightly.
note - you will not fit them all at once, this has to be done a little at a time.
Plate your pasta as it is finished and top off with a little marinara sauce and some freshly grated Parmesan....yummy, not necessarily low in fat
this makes about 4 servings

my sweety loved it and so did my kids - and I have to admit, I had a tasting as well (only about 5 ravioli's so not too bad.) I really love that my whole family is healthy and fit and they don't have to worry about their food, but it does make it harder for me, I wish I could take the dishes I know they love and 'health 'em up' to make them suitable for all of us to eat together. I hate having a separate meal...

today update:
sleep: in by 11:30 about 6 hours - not too bad
exercise: not much just a walk , about a mile
water: at least 50 oz and still drinking :)
food: well today was a bad one for me in this area - but what I really wanted was a hot fudge sundae so I did ok... I guess
9am Kashi Go Lean crunch with Almonds
12pm 5 brown butter raviolis
3pm an apple (this is when the sweet tooth started)
6pm Taco soup and half a turkey sandwich on wheat
8pm 4 squares of dove dark chocolate (trying to curb the sweet tooth- didn't work)
8:30 baby sized frozen vanilla yogurt
9:30 pumpkin bars (3) with cream cheese frosting

yeah, needless to say my attempt to avoid a rich dessert just made me eat more I think, because the substitute wasn't 'enough'....hmmm, gonna have to watch that

5 comments:

Friend of the Bear said...

Hi Natalie. Don't you just hate it when that happens? In trying to avoid the thing you really want you take in many more calories.

I don't know what the answer is, apart from if you can't have it then abstain completely. Or have ir and take it out of your calorie allowance (or budget it in to your overall intake if not calorie counting) and then at least you'll be satisfied.

I've never heard of frying ravioli before! Very decadent! You could just boil it and stir in the pesto afterwards - which is what I'd do anyway.

Hope you're having a restful Sunday.

Best wishes,
Bearfriend xx

Diane, Fit to the Finish said...

I love ravoli. I just do what Bearfriend does - boil it then add the sauces. That helps avoid about 400 calories from the butter!

When I really want something then I will have some. But then I eat light the rest of the day. If I have several chocolate chip cookies, which has been known to happen on occasion, then instead of eating the casserole (or whatever) with the family, I'll just have the salad, fruit and maybe a yogurt. It balances things out.

Have a great Sunday!

South Beach Steve said...

I have to say, this looks delicious! Pasta, or should I say Italian food in general, is the one food type I cannot say no to. It is just best for me to avoid it.

april said...

Pumpkin bars sound like a perfect dessert for me!! :)

beej said...

WOw, that ravioli sounds great! It doesn't sound too tough to make, either...I may have to try it. I also love Italian food (it may be because I'm part Italian...)