Pesto Chicken Florentine

I was craving pasta, but it turns out that it is really hard to find a low-calorie pasta dish! I found this one that wasn't too bad, but I adjusted it to make it even more healthy, by adding more veggies and using whole-wheat pasta.

REVIEW: I usually steer clear of alfredo since it's really bad for you and sooo rich and heavy, but I only used the minimum needed to coat the pasta, so it had just enough creaminess. The added carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli definitely made the dish more interesting. It would be great without the chicken too. And I made the full batch so I have lots of lunch leftovers!

RECIPE:

olive oil

3 cloves garlic

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced

1 stalk broccoli, chopped

4 oz alfredo sauce

1 pkg dry pesto mix, prepared

8 oz whole-wheat penne pasta

grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and vegetables except for tomatoes, saute until softened to your likeness and spinach is cooked. Remove all from skillet and set aside. Cook chicken in skillet until done, then add veggies back in, cover and put on low heat. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Add pesto and alfredo to pasta until coated, then add in vegetables and mix all together. Serve with grated cheese sprinkled on top. Makes 4 servings. (original recipe stats per serving, but I think I did better: 571 cals, 19g fat, 42g protein, 57g carbs)