Back to the Grind

As per usual, Monday morning was rushed. For breakfast I had a Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut barand half a grapefruit
I snacked later on half a Blueberry Crisp Clif
I surprised myself by liking this one. I don't usually like fruit flavored granola bars. I prefer muffins or the real thing!
I dragged my butt to the gym today. Was so not feeling it, but once I was there everything was fine. Isn't that always the case?
For lunch I packed an enchilada and a half, plus extra tomatilla sauce. I listened to my senses and only ate a whole enchilada. 2/3 of the below picture. It was so tasty.On the side I ate a carrot and a few grape tomatoes.I missed my hummus, although the carrots and tomatoes didn't really need it. Very good produce.
I was super-snacky today, and I think it was all due to being very tired. I had almonds and puffins. Sorry for the recycled pics, I have no excuse.Dinner was a success. I made a pasta with broccoli and shrimp. It was topped with pecorino romano, and liberally spiced with red pepper flakes and roasted garlic. Yum!
This post has to be a little short because Mr. Beans needs to further his education and write a paper!
'Til next time - check out the fruit basket my mater bought me. Wasn't that sweet? Nice pears too! I can't wait to eat them.

Taste Explosions

Today's post might be a little short because I'm trying to get a lot (of chores) done.
Breakfast was a nonfat Voskos greek yogurt, topped with super nutty granola and honey.This combo had my mouth yelling, "I love it! I love it! I love it!'There was no snackage for me today. My boss went to Zea Rotisserie and Grill, and offered to pick up for everyone. The menu was so big that I had trouble figuring out what to get. What I ended up with was a Carving Board Sandwich with a side of Corn grits. It came in a microwarmable container. Good to know.The grits were my favorite part, and very different from the grits I make at home; more of a sweet mush with corn niblets, milk, sugar(?), and butter. It was like a sweet, creamy corn pudding.After my food coma wore off, I felt a little better. I stopped at the library after work, which was nice. Unfortunately they didn't have about 8 of the books I wanted. :(

For dinner I decided to make a simple stirfry. It contained yellow squash, carrot, celery, edamame, onions, shrimp, bell pepper, and mushrooms on top of brown rice. The sauce is one I've used before.
My pictures of the stirfry came out horribly -
Flash:
No flash:With dinner I drank a club soda with a twist of grapefruit.Now I'm moving on to the One and Only...

Szechwan Shrimp Stirfry

Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday's spicy oats. Midmorning I had a cup of Mint Medley tea and half of a Clif bar. Yawn!
Let me help you out with this picture: the greenish thing in the foreground is a tea bag, the black blob behind it is my mug and there may be a clif bar in the shadows. Also there is a healthy christmas cactus to the left (not mine), and a parking lot through the window.
Lunch was leftover cauliflower mac and cheese, field peas, and an oven roasted sweet potato. It was just as good the second time. I still have about 4 servings of cauliflower mac and cheese!
Dinner: I wanted something green, and the boyfriend wanted shrimp and pesto pasta, which is a dish we often eat. I told him to go ahead and make it for himself, but make enough shrimp for me. I had an easy szechwan shrimp stirfry in mind. I've made this recipe before, and remember liking the sauce but not liking the veggies I used. Plus I needed to use that Romanesco I bought!

Ingredients for stirfry:

• The sauce

• Romanesco (about half a head)

• 1/2 cup of sugar snap peas

• 1/2 cup shelled edamame (both this and the sugar snap peas have been taking up valuable real estate in my freezer)

• 1/2 of a red bell pepper

• 1/4 cup sliced onion
• 

Served on a bed of rice.

Magnifico! Much better than the last time I made it! I used more ginger than the recipe called for, and only 2 cloves of garlic. Next time I'll add some carrot and maybe toasted sesame seeds.

The evening also saw 2 of these. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
I've got to go to bed!

Sichuan

Risotto and Broccoli with Pine Nuts

Lunch: The boyfriend made risotto and shrimp, I made stir-fried broccoli, and my mother made salad. I would consider all of these dishes our specialties. Well, *ahem*, the three of us have more than one signature dish, but in some circles that might be considered bragging. Onions in a bath of extra virgin olive oilArborio rice and "vegetable" stock. It was really seafood stock (sorry, mom), but my boyfriend pasted the word vegetable over every mention of seafood on the box. I guess you had to be there.Risotto cooking away. It takes close to an hour to cook, but it is worth the wait.

Meanwhile, we all ate cantaloupe, and enjoyed a glass of wine.

My parents went to Groth vineyard this summer. Excellent!My mom brought out some special feta she picked up at the market. As you can see, we made a sizable dent. I like those sundried tomato triscuits.

I couldn't help but take some pictures of the pretty things sitting about.
I chopped up two heads of broccoli. Usually I would cut the pieces a little smaller, at least to "mouth size". I forget how long it takes to cook when I leave huge chunks.

Throw it in the wok with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a chopped clove of garlic, and a tablespoon of pine nuts. Toss it around until it gets steamed through and has a few dark edges. If you don't like your pine nuts or garlic as burnt, leave those out until the last minute of cooking. I like the flavor that they give the broccoli and don't mind a little crispiness.
Salad before tossing. The ingredients were mixed baby greens, grape tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, and possibly more. The highlight was the homemade dressing. The base was cottage cheese and yogurt, with lemon, garlic, and several other ingredients. It was slightly creamy but not heavy. Very good salad!
Shrimp seasoned with Tony Chachere's. Sometimes that's all you need.We stuffed ourselves and made plans for the following Sunday. I think we're going to a concert out in Covington, La.


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Dinner was a sloppy sandwich of pulled pork on an Orowheat thin. We were disappointed by the quality of the meat. I did take a picture, but will spare you. I was so tired that I zonked out without making my lunch, breakfast, or generally getting ready for Monday!

Pirate's Booty thief!

Shrimp Skimpy

Note: Tonight's recipe is largely based on one I remembered from Kath Eats Real Food: here



Tonight I hemmed and hawed over what to eat. Should we clear out the bursting freezer? Or chip away at some canned goods? We have a few odds and ends in the fridge, but other than that, not much.
Originally I was going to make a shrimp stirfry using some frozen veggies, but at the last moment I changed my mind and threw some pasta into the pot. I'm glad I did, because it was heavenly.



Ingredients Used: whole wheat pasta, spinach, olive oil, a few shrimp, white wine (1/3 cup or less), a clove of garlic, white hard cheese (pecorino romano), red pepper flakes and Tony Chachere's. We usually use those small screw top bottles of wine for cooking. They're sold in little 4 packs. In case you are wondering, there are a few paper towels in my spinach bag to keep the spinach from getting that slimy wetness. I believe I picked up that tip from B+B. It helps with lettuce mixes too!Moving on...I cleaned and deveined some shrimp. We had about 6 left in the bag, so that will really clear out some freezer space. Or not.

Gulf coast shrimp -WILD!

Here they are in a cold bathHello handsome!

Shrimp with olive oil, garlic and sprinkled Tony's.

Grab a few handfuls of spinach and toss in the pan. When the pasta is finished cooking, add it as well as a bit of pasta water, plus a splash of white wine. Let the liquids cook off. Serve it topped with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

My serving

His serving

Clean plates

**Notes**I was reading about shrimp scampi, and it should really have some lemon juice, and possibly some bread crumbs, but I like it this way just fine!



My cat/blog partner pretending not to eat my chocolate covered crack raisins.