Spaghetti with Chicken and Vegetables in Lemon Sauce

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I was excited about participating in a conference call with Bob Greene (yes…Oprah’s Bob Greene!) last week. I was recently contacted by Barilla about their “That’s Whole Grain?” Taste Challenge and they asked if I would be a part of an informational conference call with a handful of other bloggers. The conference call would be a Q & A session with Bob Greene about nutrition and fitness and of course how to incorporate healthy whole grains into your diet. Most of you already know that Barilla products such as their Whole Grain pasta line has Bob Greene’s Best Life seal of approval which consumers look for to find “healthy” product choices.

After Barilla contacted me and explained the “challenge” to me I looked in my pantry and found several boxes of their whole grain pasta. The “challenge” is to go out and buy a box of Barilla Whole Grain pasta and try it. If you don’t like it, they will send you a voucher for a regular box of their other pasta. Not such a bad deal is it?

I personally have been using this line of pasta for quite some time already. I don’t really remember when I made the switch to whole grain, but once I did, I never thought twice about it. I come from an Italian family so it’s not like I don’t eat white pasta…but I do make it a habit to go whole grain for more “everyday” eating if you know what I mean. It’s what I cook for my husband and kids and they honestly don’t know the difference.

I made this pasta the other night and it’s one of those all in one meals that can be thrown together with whatever veggies you have on hand. I started with this recipe that my sister in law sent me after I told her I had a ton of fresh sage in my herb garden. I used Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti and took the recipe just a bit further and added some fresh veggies to it…red pepper, squash and zucchini…dinner was complete. I love adding lemon to a pasta dish like this, it’s perfect for a night where you don’t want to eat too heavy and aren’t in a saucy type of mood.

Leave a comment and let me know if you plan on participating in the Barilla “That’s Whole Grain?” Taste Challenge or if you are already a fan of whole grain pastas. If you have a favorite healthy pasta recipe go ahead and share it with the rest of us by leaving a link to it!

Enjoy!