30 weeks prego and my Pesto recipe!

I'm 30 weeks along-- completely into my third and FINAL trimester! My doctor as well as the doctor who delivered Maggie (and therefore saved my life and hers), both assure me that everything so far looks perfect. As it goes with Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, I won't truly be in the clear until post-partum, but I cherish those words of encouragement. Here's a picture of my pregnant belly in my very messy bathroom:

In other news, I made Basil Pesto last night! This classic is an absolutely favorite of mine-- so much so that last summer I actually started to get sick of it from making it so often. It's SUPER easy to make (though it does require a LOT of basil), and such an amazing flavor when made fresh. Here's my recipe:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
salt & pepper

Combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and olive oil in a food processor. Remove from food processor and stir in Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, and pepper. Do this in a small pan on low heat if serving immediately.

Voila! That's it! The most time-consuming part of making pesto is picking the basil leaves, IF you're picking them straight off of the plant. Many grocery stores sell packages of fresh basil leaves that will work just as well-- and so much less work for you!

 

Since I have Gestational Diabetes, I can't just sit there and eat a giant bowl of pasta like I really want to. So I have to find a way to transform my Italian dishes into something more blood-sugar-friendly. For dinner last night, I started with whole wheat ziti.

 

I then sautéed a large cubed eggplant with a pound of hot Italian sausage. I only needed to add a little EVOO to the pan-- no other add-ins were necessary. The sausage is plenty flavorful by itself!!

And that's it! I combined all of the above, with less focus on the pasta and more focus on the sausage, eggplant, and of course PESTO, and I had a very happy blood sugar two hours later! I love it when I can eat the pasta that I crave without my body punishing me for it! :-)