Quick Linguine with Artichokes, Tomatoes & Parsley

So yesterday was one of those days for me. It's summertime. There's almost zero schedule. No baseball practices, homework, or scheduled play dates. In the midst of all the chaos around here with four boys, I feel like I'm getting nothing done except feeding my kids! I swear, I hear this phrase all day long: "Mom, I'm hungry!"

With that being said, I was so proud of myself for getting motivated yesterday to get some things done around here. My neglected flower bed got weeded and watered, my neglected guinea pig got her cage cleaned and changed, I got a good 4 mile run in, made 2 dozen cookies, did 5 loads of laundry and most importantly, I cleaned out my microwave - YAY! No, but seriously, I was so proud of myself! Except when it came to be 7:30 PM and I STILL HADN'T SHOWERED. So after my morning run I stayed in my smelly gym clothes without a stitch of make-up on. All. Day. My poor kids.

Anyway, I put my irish twins in bed and in comes the hubs from work. I'm in gross gym clothes, no make-up, and not even beginning to make dinner. So I threw this pasta dish together and it took under 30 minutes to make. LOVE. THAT. It was so tasty and refreshing, too. It only uses one pot (and one cutting board :) so clean up is a breeze.

And everyone loved it.

Oh, and then I showered. ;)

QUICK LINGUINE WITH ARTICHOKES, TOMATOES & PARSLEY: (recipe adapted from Everyday Food Magazine, May '08)
Ingredients:

• 1 (12-oz) box linguine (I used Dreamfield's Healthy Carb Living)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained & quartered OR 1 package (10 oz) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered. 
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water and return pasta to pot.

2) Add butter, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, and /4 cup pasta water and toss to combine.

3) Add artichokes, tomatoes, parsley and if necessary, remaining pasta water to create a sauce to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. ENJOY!!!

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