Shrimp Two Ways

Saturday night we had our first flag football game of the corporate challenge. We lost, but I had a lot of fun. I even managed to get one “tackle.” I can’t throw or catch very well, but I figured I might be okay at chasing people. It was way more of a workout than I was expected and after our 30 minute game our team rolled our sweaty selves in Buffalo Wild Wings for beer – gotta rehydrate!

We didn’t make it home until nearly 10pm and I was starving for a real dinner, so I threw together a pesto shrimp pizza using the master recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I love how quickly the pizza dough can be used. While the oven was preheated, I flattened the dough, peeled the shrimp, grated the cheese and layered the pizza. After 11 minutes in the oven, I was greeted with real food! So tasty. It was almost 10:30 by this point so I pigged out and then passed out. Glorious. I took a photo, but I was clearly more exhausted than I thought because it is basically a giant, unrecognizable blur.

Sunday I spent all day prepping for the upcoming week. I cut veggies, cooked chicken, soaked and cooked beans, made enchilada sauce, did laundry, and got Brent to help vacuum the whole house. I also pre-read some chapters for psych nursing and at the end of all that, I made another shrimp dinner. I was planned on making Cilantro Shrimp from Cooking Light, but I had no green onion, and very little cilantro – and I wanted more veg in it.

I sautéed 4 cloves of garlic and 2 tablespoons of grated ginger in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil for 30 seconds. Then I threw in 1/2 lb. of peeled and deveined shrimp and cooked for 1 minute. Finally I added 1/2 lb. of sugar snap peas, 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of Sriracha, 2 tablespoons of cilantro and cooked for an additional minute. I served it over short-grain white rice and called it a day. The whole meal took 25 minutes – mostly because of the rice.

I like to eat with chopsticks whenever possible. Makes meal time much more entertaining. The dish was tasty, but I’m a wuss and put in way too much Sriracha for myself. Brent called it barely spicy, but it took me 40 minutes and 3 tissues to eat it. B then claimed it was too insubstantial for dinner and we should walk down to the ice cream shop 1.5 miles away and get some ice cream. I thought dinner was substantial enough, but I don’t really turn down ice cream, so off we went. It was a nice hour of walking there and back, and when I got back, I was ready for bed because…

Today is the first day of my last semester of nursing school! The beginning of the end! I’m so excited! In 17 weeks, I’ll be graduating.

Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp

More good food today. I spent all morning working on case studies for class and 3 hours later I was ready for lunch. Because I’m in a wrap rut (which I have no desire to break out of), I made another one for lunch. Today’s included 1/2 cup white kidney beans mashed with 2T spinach and artichoke hummus (Sabra – delicious, but roasted red pepper is my fave), shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, 1/4 of an avocado and a handful of spring mix. I use the La Tortilla Factory whole wheat, high-fiber wraps.

Dinner was this recipe, which I’ve been meaning to make for a while. I love roasted broccoli (even if it does make my house smell like it’s cousin, brussel sprouts) and I loved the pop of lemon in this dish. I tossed the shrimp and broccoli over some Minute Rice brown & wild rice.

The article accompanying the recipe also suggests using pressed tofu (which I think sounds really tasty) or cubed chicken in place of the chicken. I will definitely make this again because Brent and I both enjoyed it and it was super quick and easy to prepare. A perfect weeknight meal.

Repeat Performance

I like shrimp, avocados and tacos. Together, they’re one of my favorite warm weather meals and I make these Ceviche-Style Shrimp Tacos quite frequently in the spring and summer.

Another reason I chose to make these tacos is because we have 4lbs of frozen shrimp in our freezer, and it looks like we’ll be moving out of here in 2 weeks!! Obviously I’m trying to use up our freezer and pantry items now so that we’ll have less to move. Plus we will definitely have a lot less room for food storage in our new place so I might as well downsize now.

My semester is winding down. I have a rather important comprehensive pediatrics exam at the end of this week that I’m studying like crazy for. I’ll be glad to get that exam over with, but I’m actually pretty sad about my pediatrics clinical ending. I really loved it and as of right now (it’ll probably change next semester), I really think that’s the area I would like to work in when I graduate.

That’s all for now. I’ve got to watch Lost with Brent and the dogs. I think there will be more tacos tomorrow for dinner.

Shrimp & Mango Curry

Sorry for the lack of posting. I think I got food poisoning last week and my appetite has been really off for the past few days. Before that happened though, I made this Shrimp & Mango Curry from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook, which I love! I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while, but I wasn’t sure how Brent would feel about it.

This recipe was a hit. Brent’s opinion: “I wouldn’t have chosen it. The mango threw me off, but I think it’s really good.” I made enough for leftovers and he enjoyed it even more the next day.

I served the curry over brown and wild rice, which came from a Minute Rice Cup. I just found these at the store and they are super convenient. Each cup is one serving and the package comes with 2 cups for $1.99. It’s a bit pricey for something as simple as rice, but it saves time and I stink at making rice anyway.

In other news, I really LOVE my pediatrics clinical. No one is more shocked by this revelation than I am. I was convinced I would just be “surviving” this clinical, but I really like working with kids and their families. Considering I’m on the fence about having kids myself and I generally find other people’s kids annoying (that sounds mean, I know), I was so surprised how comfortable I feel working on this unit! In a week or so I will be transitioning to the labor & delivery unit, which I’m still nervous about.

CSA Week 3 & Other Local Vegetables

Last weekend when we were visiting Brent’s family I demanded Brent’s mom offered me some of their asparagus, which Brent’s dad grows in his “garden.” They live on seven acres and his garden is actually bigger than my backyard, so he’s got quite a bit of good stuff growing in there.

Monday night, I used this super fresh, pencil-thin (just how I like it!) asparagus to make a simple shrimp and asparagus pasta with white white sauce.

It was tasty and simple, perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta with White Wine Sauce

• 5oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ~1/3 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch asparagus, probably about a pound, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
• 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large pan.
3. Sear shrimp in pan, flipping to cook other side when done.
4. When shrimp have cooked through, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon.
5. Put the onion and garlic into the pan and saute until softened.
6. Add the wine, and scrape up any stuck on brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the asparagus and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.
9. Add back in shrimp until heated through.
10. Toss with pasta and serve.

And now for our CSA haul! This week we got a lot of greens!

Clock-wise from top-left:

• lettuce mix
• arugula
• kale
• peas!
• basil
• chives

I’m planning a green smoothie tomorrow with the kale or spinach, I think. That basil looks amazing and it might get used in a margherita pizza or some pesto. Any other suggestion?

Shrimp & Avocado Tacos

Like I said, I was all psyched up for summer weather when I was planning this week’s menu, so I’ve included some of my favorite warm weather foods this week, like the pasta salad and these tacos.

I made these tacos some time last summer and they’ve been a staple ever since. My love of avocado is pretty well documented, so obviously I think these are delicious. I personally prefer a crunchy shell over the tortilla, because I like the contrast of the crunch against the smooth avocado. This meal is super quick to prepare and took me only 15 minutes.

It’s supposed to be another rainy, dreary day, but rather than working today, I get to go to an “Administrative Professionals Luncheon” instead. Unfortunately it’s at a fancy steak house, so I’m hoping there’s something for me to eat there.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Brent and I try to live fairly eco-friendly. We rarely eat meat. We have energy star appliances. I take reusable canvas bags to the grocery store, and we only buy necessary paper products, like toilet paper, and we normally get the recycled kind. I’m sure there’s more we could be doing though. What are your favorite green habits?

Fresh Tomato Pasta

So, I have a secret. A deep, dark, slightly embarrassing secret. I have kind of sort of gotten addicted to Rachel Ray. For shame, I know. Not that there’s anything wrong with liking Rachel Ray, but she is a bit too perky for me, and her food isn’t normally stuff I’d make. However, ever since we cancelled cable, I’ve greatly missed watching people make food on the Food Network. Rachel Ray’s afternoon talk show has slightly filled that void for me. I watch it while Gmail chatting with my best friend, or when I’m feeling more motivated –  while I’m on the elliptical.

Twice recently, she had made a pasta sauce with cherry tomatoes, slowly cooked until they burst, and added wine.  Sounds perfect to me, so I sauteed some garlic and onion until very soft, added a pint of grape tomatoes, some salt and pepper, and cooked on low for about 30 minutes. The tomatoes got super soft and squishy. I added about a cup of white wine and cooked until it reduced down. Then I threw in the remains of a bag of shrimp and added some whole wheat spaghetti.

I really loved this sauce. I like most sauces with wine.

Brent’s response: “Tomatoes have alcohol soluble compounds in them, so they taste better when they’re cooked with wine.” I guess that means he liked it.

Off to work, which means Popcorn Fridays! And then a stint at the animal shelter, and then finally our dinner date! It’s shaping up to be a pretty good Friday. I hope it’s fun, because I have a major Microbiology exam hanging over my head the rest of the weekend.

Here’s a Friendly Friday PSA –  Head over to Jenna’s blog to donate to her Team in Training effort and get her e-cookbook, which has one of my recipes in it!

And when you’re done with that, go see Sarah for an awesome Bob’s Red Mill giveaway!

Whirled Peace

This afternoon was kind of lazy. Larry’s walk was ruined by rain, and then I just kind of bummed around. I tried the Chedd-Airs. They were fine. Not as cheesy as I was hoping, but you get a lot for one serving.

After laying around surfing the internet for a while, I decided to be slightly productive and did a little cooking project. I made flour tortillas! I used this recipe, using bread flour. I found it need a bit of extra water, but they turned out well.

The tortillas were used for dinner, which was shrimp fajitas. I made a ton of veggies! A red bell pepper, a green bell pepper, and a red onion. The leftovers will be used for breakfast tomorrow.

After dinner, I wanted ice cream. No particular reason, you know sometimes cravings just hit you. Unfortunately, upon arrival at our closest ice cream shop, we discovered it was closed. So I moped for a bit, and we finally ended up at the grocery store, where I purchased some Ben & Jerry’s Imagine Whirled Peace ice cream. It was amazing.

We’re watching a few episodes of Arrested Development. Nothing too interesting. Unfortunately, even though he worked 8 hours today, Brent has to go in to work tomorrow too. Who knew the life of a software engineer was so demanding? I’ll probably bum around a bunch more tomorrow, hopefully doing some laundry and yoga in there as well.

Very Veggieful

I made it! Of course, it’s winter in Indiana, so we’re expecting 4-7 inches of snow and it started just as I was about to leave work, slowing down my already super tight dinner time-line! I got home at 5:34pm, threw some shrimp into a non-stick skillet to cook, whisked a balsamic dressing together and dumped everything in a bowl with some veggies I chopped on Sunday. I was flying around that kitchen like a Whirling Dervish! This is why I love doing prep work ahead. Dinner was on the table by 5:45!

This piled high salad included some bagged salad mix (it’s under there somewhere), cucumbers, carrots, frozen corn and peas, and diced roasted red peppers. I’m sure this was delicious, although I barely remember tasting it because I was in such a hurry to get out the door. The dressing was good, although I’m not sure if Brent liked it. He of course added chili paste to his. For the dressing I whisked: 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons honey, salt and pepper. Perfect because I have some extra for the rest of our salad mix this week.

Today was my longest day, so it’s all down hill from here! I’m very excited about tomorrow night’s dinner — it’s a “new to us” recipe that I’ve been meaning to make for a while now, so I hope it lives up to my excitement. Brent thinks it may be a bit abnormal to get so excited about dinner, but I like to look forward to little things to get through the week, and bigger things too! We have some friends coming a few weeks for a visit, which is always a lot of fun.

What things (big or small) are you looking forward to?

Convenience Food

Today was the opposite of yesterday. I felt very productive. I read three Micro chapters, studied for my quiz, prepped food for dinners later in the week, made bread, got a run in, and convinced Brent to vacuum the house!

While we were planing our grocery list, Brent remembered the box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix we had in our pantry, that we had picked up for $0.50 or so when our grocery store was having a sale. The mix did not seem up my alley, but I figured it might come in handy at some point in the future. I followed the package directions, but used cooked pinto beans in place of the recommended ground beef and added a green bell pepper, an onion, and a few stalks of celery. I also added just a few ounces of shrimp to it too. I was surprised how much I liked it. Pretty tasty, not too “fake” tasting. I’m glad I added the extra veggies because those dehydrated vegetables in it are pretty sad looking.

I don’t have much experience with this dirty rice mix, but on Brent’s suggestion I added a spoonful of sour cream. Yum! This tiny box made a ton of food, especially with all my “add-ins,” so we have plenty leftover for lunches too.

Well, we’re going to watch Man on Wire instantly on Netflix and then call it a night. Mondays are our “early days” where Brent goes to work at 7am because he has a class, so I’m going to try to turn in early and get a full night of sleep.