Shrimp and Eggplant Pesto Pasta.

I ordered a chicken and veggie pizza Saturday night and I've been eating it slice-by-slice for the last few days...  I still have a quarter of the pizza left, but I needed something different, so I rummaged through my fridge and put together a modge-podge of ingredients that actually took shape quite nicely. 

If you're new to my blog, that's kinda how I cook.  I find some protein, add some carbs, throw in some veggies and season it. 

So today's concoction was a shrimp and eggplant pesto pasta. 

I took a chunk of butter, sauteed a chopped up eggplant from my CSA and 1/4 of an onion. 

To the mix, I added a little more butter (yup) and the shrimp.  I had a bag of about 10-12 shrimps that have been hanging out in my fridge since last week, so I pulled the tails, stripped peeled them, and put them all in.  When they looked pink and opaque, I added a generous spoon full of my homemade pesto. 

The pesto is just a big bunch of basil, chopped with some Parmesan and walnuts in my food processor. There aren't real ratios... Just add what you want, and add it 'till it tastes good. And then I drizzle in some EVOO until it takes the consistency I want.  I like it a little bit chunkier than the bottled type, so a little less oil.  Make sure to mix in some salt and pepper (seasoning is important!), and store it in a Tupperware in the fridge.  I even added a little to my hummus to make a fancy-pants hummus dip.

Well, anyway.... back to my dinner...  I added the pesto and some cooked angel hair pasta.

It tasted like a restaurant meal, but I knew exactly how much of everything was in it.  No surprises with the butter, no surprises with the salt. 

But I may or may not have eaten two servings of pasta at a time.... Don't judge, I've been running. 

Speaking of running, I've been running!!!!!! 

I'm NOT a runner.  I'm a cyclist at heart.  But, I signed up for the Color Run with a bunch of girlfriends, and I'm bound and determined to run the whole 5K in October. 



I struggled with the treadmill, only making it about 5 minutes before I had to stop...  And then I tried to tackle the hills in my neighborhood at a slower pace, and only made it about 7... So finally, Monday, I went to Gray's Lake, a really flat trail around a pretty lake, and I made it 17 minutes!!!  I ran 1.2 miles, and walked the rest to finish the 2-mile course in 30 minutes flat.  I know I have some improving, don't think I'm dipping my tennis shoes in gold and calling it a career... But it gave me some hope that I can make it by October.  My goal is to finish in less than 45 minutes, which is kinda my 5K average, so I have my work cut out for me. 

I even found a friend! A girl named Christine caught up with me on the bridge while I was waving to my imaginary fans....  She was walking her dog, and she said she could tell I was training for something because I had the look of determination, and she thought to herself, "you go girl". 

Now, I know that's code for, "girl, you looked like you were gonna die right there on the trail, and I spotted the nearest emergency phone just in case".  But, I took it as a compliment, and stayed with her power-walking pace for the rest of the loop. 

I'm using that as my excuse to carbo-load with the rest of this pasta for supper.