Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine
May 22, 2011
I got this recipe from Self magazine and while at first glance it looks complicated because the number of ingredients, it’s actually pretty easy to throw together. We used gluten free noodles for the pasta and it turned out great. Also, it tends to be much more flavorful the day after so you can look forward to yummy leftovers!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more!)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (we used about 1/2 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 C dry white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon, crumbled
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (you can buy them already deveined at the seafood counter @ HEB!)
- 1/4 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (we actually used curly, not flat-leaf)
- 1/4 C grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz whole-grain fettuccine (again, we used gluten free pasta)
Preparation:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic, stirring until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes
- Combine 1/4 C water with wine, basil, bouillon, cornstarch and oregano in a bowl
- Add tomatoes and shrimp to skillet. Cook until shrimp begins to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes
- Reduce heat to low, stir in wine mixture
- Cover; simmer until shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more
- Stir in parsley, cheese and pasta
- Serve immediately
Per Serving (makes 4 servings): — Calories: 400, Total Fat: 8.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, arbs: 55.14g, Fiber: 6.7g, Protein 33.4g
First night - Leftovers the next day (with better lighting for a picture)
Eggplant Parmesan Panini
May 15, 2011
“This Clean Eating iteration of an Italian-American favorite honors the beloved flavors of complex marinara sauce, soft, earthy eggplant and decadent melted cheese without all the frying fuss.”
Well, that’s pretty elaborate, huh? I think I’d agree though – this panini is definitely earthy and the cheeses really help accentuate all the great flavors going on in this wrap.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, halved
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 C part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated (1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 large whole-wheat or multigrain wraps (about 12 inches in diameter)
Directions:
- Heat large saute pan on medium -high. When hot, add eggplant and tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggplant begins to soften and both vegetables release liquids.
- Add garlic and herbs and saute for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to medium and cover pan and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, uncover, stir and let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Spread 2 tbsp cheese mixture in center of 1 wrap, then place quarter of eggplant mixture (about 1/2 cup) in a pile on top of cheeses.
- Pull bottom of wrap up over filling. Fold both sides inward so creases form at the ends of the filling, creating a pouch. Fold top edge over pouch.
- Place wrap seam side down on panini press and press for 2 minutes on medium-high heat, until panini is slightly toasted. Slice panini diagonally down the center and serve immediately.
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins
April 4, 2011
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins – that’s just another way of saying YUMMY.
The past few nights as I’ve been cleaning up the kitchen after dinner I’ve noticed the half rotting bananas on the counter, but just couldn’t bring myself to throw them out. I can’t bare to throw away food these days, maybe because I’ve seen the grocery bill continually rise the past few months (and I’m only buying/cooking for 2!). So tonight I decided to put the poor little brown bananas to good use. I knew I didn’t want to make regular banana bread and after nearly 30 minutes of searching for a recipe that didn’t yield muffins with a gazillion calories each I finally landed on cooking blog that looked to be very promising.
While the only sweetener used in this original recipe is honey, I decided at the last minute to throw in 2 teaspoons of Truvia. The reason is because I’ve tried sugarless (honey or molasses sweetener only) muffins before (banana and blueberry) and both Dustin and I were not impressed. I think we’ve become too accustomed to boxed muffin mixes that contain all kinds of unnatural sugars. But this time I think I got it right. I’ll be taking some of these to work tomorrow to let my gym-buddies try them out and I’ll report back on what they think, but my overall opinion is that, although a lot less sweet than a ‘normal’ boxed or bakery bought pastry, these muffins are delightfully delicious and satisfying.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium overly-ripe bananas
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup & 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 2 tsp Truvia (OPTIONAL)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, egg, and a pinch of salt and beat until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat until incorporated.
- Add remaining 3/4 cup of flour and baking powder, along with 2 tbsp of water and Truvia, and beat until incorporated.
- Stir in chopped strawberries gently.
- Pour batter into lightly greased or lined muffin pan. For me, the batter made 14 regular sized muffins.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean.
*The only thing I might change next time is to put fewer strawberries (maybe only a cup). I noticed that the very center of the muffins were still a little gooey even after nearly 28 minutes of cooking. They were OK to eat, but the gooeyness made it hard to remove the wrapper from the muffin and made the muffin fall apart easily. I could have probably cooked them longer too, but I was afraid that I was over-cooking them…but now I know I wasn’t.
Scrumptious!
Per Muffin: — Calories: 144, Total Fat: 1.13g, Saturated Fat: 0.11g, Cholesterol: 15.36mg, Sodium: 10.18mg, Carbs: 31.64g, Fiber: 6.21g, Sugars: 17.01g, Protein 4.04g
Summer Vegetable Casserole
April 3, 2011
A light, delicious veggie dish with some potatoes thrown in.
Ingredients:
- 2 yellow squash
- 2 zucchini
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 large purple onion
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 tomatoes
- 2-4 oz feta cheese (I used 4)
- 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt & pepper (I used sea salt)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375º
- Peel all veggies and potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices and all other vegetables into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a bowl, mix all veggies except tomatoes with lemon zest, 3 tbsp olive oil, seasoning salt, and pepper.
- Place in 9X13 casserole dish.
- Top with tomato slices and crumbled feta and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove foil and cook another 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are slightly browned.
DELICIOUS! I served it with the Smoke Paprika Pork Tenderloin.
Serves 8. Calories: 188, Protein: 5g, Carbs: 25g, Fat: 9g, Fiber: 4g
Smoked Paprika Pork Tenderloin
April 3, 2011
This recipe came from Clean Eating magazine. I chose it because I had bought some smoked paprika for another recipe (the Steakhouse Wrap Panini) and wanted to use it again since it was so tasty. The succotash and meat were flavored well and not near as overbearing as I thought they’d be. I served this with the summer vegetable casserole you can find here.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt and ground black pepper, divided
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat and silver skin, sliced into 12 medallions
- 1/2 medium white onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn niblets, thawed and drained
- 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed and drained
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 tsp oil, paprika, cumin and 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Add pork to bowl and mix until pork is well coated, set aside.
- Heat 1 tsp oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and red pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is softened and translucent. Add corn and beans to pan and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently until warmed. Transfer mixture to a bowl and toss with cilantro and remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
- Carefully wipe pan with a paper towel. Return pan to stovetop and heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium-high heat. Add pork to pan, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 2 minutes per side for medium-doneness or 3 minutes per side for well done.
- To serve, scoop 2/3 cup corn-bean succotash onto each plate. Top succotash with 3 slices pork tenderloin and about 2 tsp pan juices.
The tenderloin on top of the succotash served with veggie casserole.
Nutrients per serving (4 oz pork and 2/3 cup succotash): Calories: 257, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 20g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 28g, Sodium: 424mg, Cholesterol: 74mg
Sesame-Crusted Tilapia
March 20, 2011
I’m trying to incorporate more fish into our diets, both for the health effects and for some variety so I was happy to finally find a tilapia recipe that didn’t gross me out while eating it (the last 2 I tried just didn’t go well and left the fishiness way too unflavored!). I’ve had good tilapia before so I was determined to find a way to cook it at home. And, here it is…a fairly simple recipe with light, yet flavorful Asian tones. The recipe, from Clean Eating magazine, is for the tilapia and green beans and I complimented them with the au-gratin potatoes (NOT ‘clean’ – haha).
Salmon & Green Beans
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger, divided (I actually used ground ginger b/c I was out of the fresh root)
- 4 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 4, 6 ounce tilapia fillets, skin and bones removed (bought mine out of the fresh fish case @ HEB)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water (I used the broth)
- 3 cups trimmed fresh green beans (about 12 ounces)
- 1/8 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- IN a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy cause, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- Place tilapia in a shallow nonstick or foil-lined baking pan and pur lime juice mixture over top, turning fillets to coat
- Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over top of tilapia
- Bake for 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork
- While fish is baking, heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat
- Add remaining 4 tsp ginger and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant
- Add broth, beans, slat and pepper
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until beans are bright green and tender-crisp
- Remove from heat, add remaining 1/2 tsp sesame oil and toss to coat
- To serve, place fish on plate and drizzle with remaining pan juices – serve with green beans
Makes 4 servings. Calories: 268, Total Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 9g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 2g, Protein: 38g, Sodium: 468mg, Cholesterol: 85mg, Omega-3s: 320mg, Omega-6s: 800mg
**One thing I might do different when I make this again is to double the sauce (lime juice, soy sauce, oil, and ginger) to strengthen the flavor on the fish.
Yummy sesame tilapie w/ ginger green beans & au gratin potatoes
Au Gratin Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Peel potatoes and slice as thinly as possible (I used a food processor)
- Grease bottom and sides of 8X8 or slightly smaller baking dish (I use a round corning ware dish)
- Layer ingredients – potatoes, few dabs of butter, few dabs of cream cheese, few grinds of salt & pepper, 1/3 of cheese
- Repeat layers 3 times
- Pour milk over entire dish
- Bake at 400°F for 40 to 50 minutes until browned and bubbly (I usually cover mine after 30 to 40 minutes so the top doesn’t get too crispy)
Calories: too many to count, just enjoy!
Steakhouse Wrap Panini
March 20, 2011
If it weren’t for the accompanying picture in Clean Eating magazine, I would have NEVER tried this recipe after looking at the ingredients. As a matter of fact, several times when reading the recipe I thought to myself “this can’t possibly be good”, but that glossy photo of the nicely sliced and stacked wrap kept pulling me back to the page for the Steakhouse Wrap Panini…so I gave in and said I’d give it a try. Man, am I glad I did because this was one of the tastiest paninis I’ve ever eaten. I’m betting you’ll think the ingredients (and processing thereof) are a little strange, but trust me, they compliment each other well. This wrap held up well for leftovers too and I’m already planning to make extra next time I cook them so I’ll have some to take in my lunch. Bon apetit!
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 large green onions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 8 oz flank steak
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I had never used smoked paprika – it’s DELICIOUS!)
- 4 large whole-wheat or multi-grain wraps, each about 12 inches in diameter (we used spinach wraps)
Directions:Preheat oven to 425°F. place a sheet pan in the oven as it warms.
- Quarter sweet potatoes, cutting each in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again. Cut each quarter into 4 think wedges.
- Remove hot pan from oven and brush with oil
- lay potato wedges in an even layer across pan
- Transfer potatoes to oven and bake for 25 minutes, flipping them over halfway through until both sides start to brown
- Remove potatoes from oven and set aside
- While potatoes are cooking, in a blender, add spinach, onions, blue cheese and buttermilk
- Blend until completely smooth, pulsing, scraping the sides and stirring as needed
- Refrigerate sauce until ready to use
- Sprinkle both sides of flank steak with pepper and paprika and rub spices all over surface of meat
- Place stead on a broiler pan
- Turn on broiler and place place ban on highers rack in over, beneath broiler, for 5 minutes
- Flip meat over and broil for 5 more minutes, until cooked to medium
- Let steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing it very thinly against the grain
- Place 4-8 potato wedges in center of each wrap. Top with quarter of stead, then drizzle 3 tbsp spinach blue-cheese cause over top
- Pull bottom third of wrap over filling and then fold ends in. Continue to roll wrap forward onto itself, like a burrito, until the filling is entirely enveloped in the wrap
- Place wrap on a hot panini press, seam-side-down.
- Press wrap for 2 minutes or according to the directions for your press so that you toast the outside of the wrap
- Cut wrap in half diagonally and serve
Calories: 304, Total Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Carbs: 37g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 19g, Sodium: 303mg, Cholesterol: 21mg
Clockwise from top left: the electric green spinach blue-cheese sauce, starting to assemple the panini, pressing/grilling the panini, the finished product
Shrimp Paesano
March 20, 2011
My brother-in-law made this recipe for my mother-in-law’s birthday and Dustin and I were lucky enough to get to join in on dinner. If you’ve ever had the Shrimp Paesano at Paesano’s or the Gamberetti alla Scuzzi’s at Scuzzi’s (in SA), then you know this is a very richly sauced shrimp dish that will satisfy the palate quite well. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp, deveined (this will allow for 3 to 4 shrimp per person for 4 people)
- 2 pints half & half
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 Cups flour
- 8 ounces pasta (we used gluten free)
Sauce:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 Cup butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- 3 Tbsp chives, chopped
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
Directions:
- Soak shrimp in half and half for at least 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Prepare pasta as directed on package
- After soaking, drain shrimp and dust all sides of shrimp lightly with flour
- Saute shrimp in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not turn shrimp, do not over crowd while sauteing
- Remove shrimp and put in baking dish saute side down, place dish in pre-heated oven
- Immediately turn oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes
- Mix yolk, lemon juice and half of butter in sauce pan
- Stir sauce over low heat until butter is melted, take off heat
- Add garlic and remaining butter and return pan to heat. Stir briskly until butter melts and sauce thickens.
- If needed, add small amount of half & half to thicken sauce
- Add chives and parsley to sauce
- Place 2 ounce pasta on each of 4 plates, pour sauce over pasta and top with shrimp
- Serve immediately
Focus on happy & YOGA
January 20, 2011
It’s been a bad week and it’s been a good week, but right now I’m choosing to focus on the good (because frankly I don’t have the time or energy to think about the bad right now…specifically to sit down and get it all out…in writing, off my chest, outta my head…but I’ll get to it, I have to in order to move on…last time it took me nearly a year…hoping this time doesn’t take quite that long).
So, on that note I received an exciting package today – my OFFICIAL Livestrong gear for the Livestrong Austin Marathon! HIP HIP HOORAY! I got a nice hat, a reinforced (and pretty damn cool) Nike backpack, and a bright yellow racing jersey all adorned with, you guessed it, the Livestrong logo.
This package made me excited for a few different reasons. But the #1 reason it makes me happy is because it means the race is close…so close I can see the finish line – 4 weeks and counting down. This has been one of the most challenging yet most rewarding 26 weeks of my life. I never knew it would be so hard and never imagined it could be so easy. This gear solidifies my entry, tells me it is time, and gives me renewed strength to keep doing what I set out to do – Fight for 5 plus 28 million. Can’t wait to plaster my Fight for 5 logo on the front and back of my jersey – YAY!
Now, on to other happiness. My friend and yoga instructor, Tia Pirkl, recently approached me and asked if I would be interested in holding a fundraising yoga class. My first reaction was YES and my second reaction was THAT’S GONNA BE A TON OF WORK and I wasn’t sure I had time for it. Then, Tia proceeds to inform me that she’s already gotten the consent of the yoga studio (Yoga Shala is donating the space for free), found several dates and times that would work, created a draft for a advertising flier, and above all that she was going to donate her time to teach the class…SERIOUSLY, she just took the TON of work and turned it into a pile of dust. We got another friend, Barbara Holland @ BlackStone Studio, to spice up our flier, so without further ado check it out!
You can RSVP to the event on Facebook (or just show up the day of, but if you let us know you’re coming we can plan appropriately for the refreshments after class), then share the flier/event with all of your friends! The class is ‘free’ but donations are encouraged (you’ll be able to donate by cash, check or credit card) and I promise that you’ll leave refreshed and with a full heart. This is an all-level class and it’s going to be F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! You’ll even have a chance to win some door prizes. RunOn San Antonio has already donated a gift certificate for a 6 week training class and we’re working on securing additional items from other businesses.
I hope your week has been all good and no bad, but if by chance you’ve had some bad work its way into the mix know that it will find its way out eventually, it always does. And until then I hope that you can find time to focus on the happy.
I can see clearly now…
January 13, 2011
the contacts and glasses are gone!! Ok, a little variation to what you were probably expecting, but true none the less! I haven’t been blogging much lately, so you know something pretty amazing has had to have happened to get me to write…and indeed a miracle has occurred.
Yesterday, at approximately 1:20pm I got Lasik and almost immediately my eyesight went from being worse than 20/400 to being 20/20 – now that’s a miracle! I’ve been contemplating this surgery for years, but my excuse was always “I’d rather go on an extraordinary vacation than spend thousands of dollars on Lasik”. Now that I’ve had it done I already know that my extraordinary vacations are going to be 10X what they were before because I’ll be able to see clearly and crisply without worrying about getting sand in my eyes, losing a contact on a scuba dive or the winds of some foreign country blowing my contact out!
The entire procedure took less than 8 minutes and I was at the office less than an hour. After a quick ‘cleaning’ of my eyes I was lead into the laser room and laid on the table. When Dr. Starck came in we got started almost immediately. The first step was creating the ‘flaps’ on my eye. I felt some pressure, but nothing bad at all. Each flap took about 30 seconds to make. After the flaps were made, the lasering started – I was told to look at a blinking red light and the laser started doing its thing. Each eye took 58 seconds with the laser. At each part of the surgery Dr. Starck’s assistant Rey walked me through everything including counting down so that I knew how long I had left to be as still as I could. Both Rey and the doctor did a great job of telling me just enough about what was going on during the surgery, but not too much to freak me out. After lasering, I was led back to an exam room where some drops were put into my eyes and I was given a quick exam…all was well. I went back this morning for a post-op appointment and everything is great – pretty much 20/20! I do have some haziness (kinda foggy looking), but they said that is to be expected in the first 48 hours especially given how bad my vision was to begin with. I also have some haloing around lights at night (including text on the computer), but that too will fade in the coming weeks.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with how everything went and turned out! My only regret (as everyone says) is having not done this sooner. Dr. Starck and his entire staff (including Nadja, Lettie, and Rey) were professional, friendly, and outgoing while ensuring every question was answered and any help was given wherever I needed it. THANKS Dr. Starck & UltraVision for giving me brand new eyes!
Here are some photos Dustin took during the surgery. He was able to stand right outside of the room and watch the entire procedure. To see the entire album, click here.
