A Big Haul

So we made it to Costco this weekend.  We spent an hour and a half there looking around, and finding things we "need".  We came back with this haul:

Yes you see little tomatoes and blackberries, boneless skinless chicken and 2 roasts.  Bread, a rotisserie chicken, some juice and fruit snacks for my son, a pineapple, cheddar and fresh mozzarella cheese, frozen mini pizzas, meatballs, jarred muffuletta mix (so tasty), 2 dressings/marinades.  But yes, you also see a giant bag of tortilla chips, some mini angel food cakes, and a JUG - no other way I can describe it - of chocolate- covered salted caramels... stupid food samples + being pregnant = coming home with the caramels.  I have to say, they are absolutely one of the most delicious specimens of caramel and chocolate I've ever had!  1 certainly makes a nice little portioned out treat... if you can stick with one.  You decide for yourself.

Overall I think we got a good haul, and I thank each of you for the suggestions you provided!  To my lovely sister who suggested wine... I have a sad, sad story.  The Minnesota government believes that wine should ONLY be sold in liquor stores, so our Costco sadly is wine free.  Big frowning face!  Oh yeah, and there's that pregnant thing that prevents me from drinking my beloved wine right now.  Note to self:  arrange for wine to be brought to hospital room upon delivery of baby #2.  Anyways... I guess I digress.

The presence of fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese, and this find:

led me to create the yummiest pasta salad recipe on Saturday afternoon.
And so... without further ado I present to you:
Caprese Pasta Salad

1 pound tricolor rotini pasta

a handful of cut in half cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 a cup of diced up fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 diced green pepper

1/2 cup White Balsamic Citrus and Basil dressing from Costco (brand is culinary treasures)

(nutritional info is 2 Tbsp - 60 calories, 4 g fat, 5 total g carbs)

Cook pasta as directed.  Drain, and rinse until cooled.  Mix pasta with the reminder of ingredients and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to let the flavors blend.  YUM! 

Here's where I admit that I have no PointsPlus for this recipe, but I will say it is chockful of veggies, low-fat mozzarella cheese, and the nutritional info on that dressing is amazing (compared with regular Italian or a mayonnaise base) for the taste!  I think it is certainly a healthy choice.  Add in some rotisserie chicken and this makes an awesome main dish!

Enjoy!