Pasta Salad

 

It's funny how life as a child seemed so much simpler.  If I wanted carbs, I ate carbs.  If I wanted sweets, I ate sweets.  As I got older, and as my metabolism began to slow, suddenly, it no longer became a question of do I want something.  Rather, it was along the lines of well, I want it, but do I really need it?  Do I really want it?  How long will I have to work out at the gym to burn it off?  

Case in point.  Pasta salad.  I loved it when I was a kid.  Did I care that it was full of carbs?  No.  Did I worry that it was somehow going to end up on my hips?  Of course not!  But, that was then, this is now.  I still love pasta salad.  But, in an effort to keep things healthy, I also add in a lot of veggies, some beans for protein, and use fat-free salad dressing.  And, even with the changes, it is still delicious.  Maybe even more so because of all the yummy add-ins.  I usually put in things like cucumbers, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, and a few olives to give it a little kick.  The end result is colorful, bright, and tasty to the very last bite. 

Pasta Salad

1 lb. tri-color rotini pasta
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 c. fat-free Italian salad dressing

Cook the pasta as directed and drain well.  Add the cucumber, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, and olives and toss to combine.  Add the salad dressing and mix until everything is well coated.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until well chilled.  Serve.