Healthy Cooking on the Cheap: 3 Ways to Use Homemade Pesto

Nothing says summer like fresh pesto. Now is the time you can easily buy basil in bulk (or grow your own!) and create this simple and tasty sauce in a matter of minutes. This week we are going to make all pesto, all the time. One batch of pesto can easily supplement a week’s worth of meals, so here are some of my favorite ways to use it. Note that I don’t put pine nuts in my pesto. I don’t use them because they are incredibly expensive, and I think the sauce tastes just fine without them. You could, however, use them if you want to or substitute them for some other nut, such as walnuts.

Grocery list:
8 ounces whole-wheat linguine (or spaghetti)
3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 cups fresh basil leaves
1 lemon
4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets, preferably wild
1 jar chopped kalamata olives
1 bag Parmesan cheese
6 garlic cloves
2 zucchini
1 eggplant
2 red bell peppers
1 can giant lima beans (Or prepare 1 cup dry beans.)
Arborio rice
Chopped walnuts