Is it my tummy or my emotions?

Have you ever found yourself in the pantry not knowing how you got there? Have you ever been "starved" and yet, you just had lunch an hour before? True hunger and emotional hunger can be hard to tell apart sometimes. This week in meeting, we will be figuring out some ways to distinguish the two and strategies to combat the emotional binges!
Filling Food Tip of the Week: Try a whole wheat blend spaghetti if you are new to whole wheat pasta. It is a great way to enjoy the whole wheat goodness if you are a bit nervous about it :) Let me know what you think.
I can't wait to see you all!

Pasta Primavera

POINTS® Value: 6 Servings: 4

Ingredients

	8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, linguine
	1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
	4 tsp olive oil, divided
	8 oz asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces
	4 oz sugar snap peas, fresh, trimmed, large ones cut in half (about 1 1/3 cups)
	1 small yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 1 cup)
	13 3/4 oz canned artichoke hearts, without oil, drained, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
	1 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
	1 cup(s) grape tomatoes, halved
	1/2 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	1/2 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook according to package directions.
  
  
• Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add asparagus, snap peas and squash. Cook vegetables, stirring often, until vegetables are almost crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook and stir over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  
  
• Stir in tomatoes, peas, salt and pepper. Scoop out 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water and add it to skillet. Cook, tossing ingredients, until tomatoes soften slightly and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
  
  
• Drain pasta; return pasta to pot. Add vegetable mixture, basil and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to pot; toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately. Yields about 2 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes

• We used frozen peas and canned artichoke hearts to cut back on preparation time but if you don't mind the extra prep work, you can substitute 1/2 cup of shelled fresh peas for the frozen peas and 6 steamed, fresh artichoke hearts for the canned ones.