PASTA PUTTANESCA

My daughter bought me a colorful pasta variety pack from Trader Joe's that needed to be used in a worthy way (optimally it would have been a whole grain pasta but it wasn't). Knowing that "Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures" consistently has delicious recipes, I searched and found this one. My daughter, husband, and I really enjoyed it.

Here’s the recipe: Pasta Puttanesca

I find that many patients are worried about eating pasta if they want to lose weight. Cooked pasta in general has about 500-600 calories per pound (called "calorie density") which is relatively low compared to many other foods. What you need to be concerned about is the calorie density of what you put on your pasta! See picture section for a calorie density chart.

Here is what Dr. John McDougall says about pasta: "We prefer you choose whole grain pasta whenever possible, however we allow for the use of refined flour when a whole grain option is not available."

What I did differently and clarifications:

-My cup of onions was heaping

-Used reduced sodium vegetable broth instead of water when given the option

-Used about 15 olives (I chopped them as directed. My daughter said she would have preferred them just cut in half so more apparent when biting into them.)

-For spice/herb mix used 1/4 tsp salt