Garlicky Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients:
- approx. 8 oz of pasta (I only use whole wheat pastas, and for this recipe, I like ones that kind of catch some of the garlic and broccoli, like fusilli or macaroni.)
- 12 oz of broccoli florets
- about 7 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped finely
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (I use non-fat) or Mocha Mix (to make it non-dairy)
- 1 1/5 tblsp. all-purpose flour
- Seasoning: Garlic salt, chili flakes, oregano

Directions:
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
- Pour in pasta and give a stir and cook for about a minute and half.
- Add broccoli florets in with the pasta (saves time and dishes) and cook for about 8 minutes until pasta is cooked and broccoli is bright green and a little tender.

- Meanwhile, in a small pan over low heat add about 1 1/2 tblsp. of olive oil and garlic.
- Once garlic starts to cook, add in flour (add a little bit at a time and mix well with a wooden spoon, you may not need all of the flour).
- To the garlic, add the chili flakes, garlic salt, and oregano.

- Add milk to the garlic mixture a little bit at a time, mixing thoroughly with the wooden spoon after each addition. The mixture will thicken up very quickly. Continue to add a little bit of milk, stirring after each addition, until the sauce is the consistency you want.

- When the pasta and broccoli is done, strain them both well and then add them back to the pot.
- Add garlic sauce to the pasta and broccoli and stir until pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.

You may also want to try:
- Rather than boiling the broccoli with the pasta and making the sauce separately, spread the florets on a baking sheet with ample olive oil, garlic, and seasoning and roast in the oven at 350 degrees until broccoli begins to brown. Add broccoli and garlic to the pasta and enjoy! (Add diced roma tomatoes to the roasting sheet for additional liquid, flavor, and color.)
- I've also made this recipe without any milk or Mocha Mix, you may just need to add a little bit more olive oil if you choose to do this and just skip the milk/Mocha Mix step.

Meat, meet Pasta

It's easy, it hearty, it's healthy, and it reheats well....who could ask for anything more?!

Ingredients:
- 1 package of ground turkey (I was trying to keep it lean, ground chicken or beef works just fine too)
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes
- 1 small can of tomato sauce
- 3 red jalapenos (I like things spicy so I use 3. Also, I find red jalapenos to be a tad sweeter than the green ones, and I think they blend in with the color of the tomato to keep the dish pretty.)
- 1 package of whole wheat macaroni/elbow pasta
- hot sauce (depends on how spicy you like it, I use Tapatio.)
- Seasoning (to taste): salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, chili flakes, cayenne pepper

Directions:
- In a medium sized sauce pot, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta in.
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, drizzle a little bit of olive oil and add in ground turkey. Break it apart and move it around until it is mostly browned.
- Add seasoning to taste.
- Add jalapenos diced and cook down a little bit with the meat.
- Once meat is completely browned, add in entire can of diced tomato including juice and the small can of tomato sauce and hot sauce. Add more seasoning (tomatoes need a lot).
- Stir meat and sauce and cook uncovered on high to let some of the liquid evaporate. (Tip: you could put the heat a little lower and cook the meat in the tomato a little longer)
- Use a slotted spoon or a spider spoon thing to scoop out pasta and add right into meat sauce. Cook on medium/low for a few minutes until pasta has absorbed a lot of the extra liquid in the sauce.