Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Easy- Pesto Sauce!

Pesto has become one of my absolute FAVORITE sauces on earth.

After tasting Pesto FRESH from an Italian restaurant, I couldn't believe how gross the grocery store pesto tasted that I had been buying for all these years. Now that I compared it to fresh home-made pesto I am spoiled!

I found out pesto can be made with many different types of herbs, but after doing a bit of research I discovered that Parsley is healthier than the traditional basil.

So after my trip to Trader Joes (aka my second home) I picked up all the necessary ingredients, and didn't spend that much at all!

It was so incredibly easy to make, and I even had enough left over for a few days after :) Over all, it is DEFINITELY cheaper to make it yourself with fresh ingredients at home then buying it pre-packaged and processed at the store.






What you need:


  • 1 1/2 cup Parsley (or whichever herb you'd like to use)
  • 1.4 oz Pine Nuts (you can also substitute walnuts)
  • 1 Table spoon of Almonds
  • 14/cup of Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of freshly chopped garlic
  • A pinch pf Black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil

What to do:

  • Blend it.
Literally that is it, it doesn't get easier than that!



This is what it should look like after you're done blending it all together. 

If your consistency comes out too thick, add water! If it comes out too watery, add more nuts!



**Note** It was a bit hard to get my blender to blend all the ingredients together (this is my boyfriend Bryan squishing everything with a masher in there.) 

We have started to LOVE cooking together as a couple!

Be patient! Don't stick your hands in there. Add a bit of water if you're having trouble blending it, and mash it around with a spoon :)







^Finished Pesto Spaghetti!^

My best friend Allie came over and we all 3 had pesto pasta for dinner and it ended up turning out SO delicious!

I definitely recommend impressing your friends and family with some home made pesto of your own :)

Have a fabulous and healthy day <3


Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The BEST vegetarian healthy panini you'll EVER eat!


I finally purchased my very own PINK panini maker, and I have been COMPLETELY obsessed with it since the moment it arrived at my house!

I've made a plethora of delicious panini's already, but this is BY FAR the healthiest most delicious panini I have ever made/tasted in all of my 24 years of life!

SO, I present to you "THE OFFICIAL FITSPIRATIONAL BLONDE PANINI"!

It's easy, vegetarian, healthy, and it guaranteed to impress ANYONE you make it for.

What you need:
  • Avocado
  • Fresh Spinach
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Pesto
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Black Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • Your favorite Panini bread (I used Sour dough)
  • Pepper Jack and Parmesan Cheese
My fabulous PINK Panini Maker!!!
Her name is Polly, she is pretty hot. (Yes, I name everything)
What you need to do:
Preheat your oven to 325
Place 2 pieces of sourdough on some tinfoil and spread each evenly with pesto. Put your cheese on top of the pesto and put in the oven for 5 minutes. This melts the cheese and lets the pesto be absorbed into it, while making the edges of your bread perfectly crispy.

While you're waiting for that to bake, slice your red bell pepper into relatively thin pieces. Marinate the bell pepper in a cup by mixing olive oil, cayenne pepper and a pinch of black pepper. Make sure the red bell pepper is evenly marinated with the mix of spices.
Take the bread out of the oven, and replace it with the red bell pepper on the tin foil. Let the bell pepper get crispy in the oven for another 5 minutes.



Start to layer your veggies!
  1. Spinach
  2. Avocado
  3. Marinated Red Bell Peppers
  4. For a little extra flavor, grate some fresh parmesan to top it off!

Pop it in your Panini maker until it gets perfectly crispy on both sides

There you have it, a PERFECT healthy and delicious panini.
Try it out, tell me what you think!!
Xox Brittany 
The Fitspirational Blonde