Creamy Shrimp Pasta & Stuff

I have neglected posting, so this is a catch-all!  First, creamy shrimp pasta...

It was good, and REALLY simple.  

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• A couple nubs of Butter (I used Earth Balance)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream (I used 1/2 cup, and you could easily sub in coconut milk here for a dairy-free version)
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat a bit of butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat a nub of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add, your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Next, William's bento for this week.  Next week will actually be the last bento of the school year.  After that, William has a week off and then heads to summer camp - where lunches and snacks are provided. William isn't sure how he feels about this turn of events! He loves packing.

Front left: pita triangles with slices of chicken breast

Front right: banana chips

Back left: whole wheat mini chocolate mint cupcake

Back middle: super crackers

Back right: corn

William says this week's lunch is his all time favorite.  But, he has been eating really well - and saying that every week!  For instance, this morning for breakfast he had: a Clif bar, an apple, a handful of sesame sticks, and a lactose-free yogurt.  Every scrap of it went down his tiny gullet.  I don't know where he's storing it!

Lastly, here is the meal plan for this week...

Sunday: salmon out on the grill, strawberries from our garden, and green salad

Monday: black bean tacos, corn

Tuesday: brinner!  I will be making my oat-y pancakes (SO GOOD), scrambled eggs, and fruit salad

Wednesday: Steve has surgery, so I'm picking up whatever he wants for dinner - he says pizza

Thursday: brined chicken breasts, oven fries, green salad

Friday: tuna cakes

Saturday: baked tofu fried rice

Best Pancakes EVER. and a meal plan. (a Jess post)

So I know I posted about pancakes before. And I really did think that recipe was a winner. But I didn't have any buttermilk in the house today so I went searching for other options. And Oh. My. God. This is it. They were, literally, the best pancakes I ever had. And we ate them- ALL OF THEM- so fast that I don't even have a picture! And they were pretty! Here is the recipe so you can find out for yourself:

Ingredients:
1 c white all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar
1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
3 T butter, melted

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly incorporated. Heat oiled griddle over medium heat and ladle approximately 1/4 of batter onto griddle for each pancake. Brown on both sides.

The recipe was also extremely easy. AND it was the first time I got to use the built-in griddle on my new stove! And let me tell you... it was AWESOME! This was definitely an indulgence for me since I'm not supposed to be eating much "white" sugars and carbs, but since I mixed in some whole wheat, I didn't feel AS bad about it.

So here is my meal plan for this week:

Today (Sunday)- garlic lime roasted turkey and orange sweet potato chips, recipe to follow!
Monday- toasted black bean burritos with avocado sauce
Tuesday- (leftover) turkey noodle casserole, salad & sliced fruit
Wednesday- Big Salad with spinach, apples, raisins, roasted beets & toasted pecans
Thursday- slow cooker Spanish meatballs over brown rice
Friday- out
Saturday- Greek turkey burger pitas & zucchini parmesan hummus

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry (a Jess post)

I have only recently found out that I love Indian food. I know, I know... I can't believe it took me so long either. But now that I know, I crave it CONSTANTLY. I've tried to make a few dishes at home with decent success, so when I was looking for a way to use my red lentils I immediately thought curry. The awesome thing about this recipe is that you can tweak the spice a lot to suit you. Plus, it's SUPER healthy!

Ingredients:
1 c dried red lentils
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
water to cover
1 T grapeseed oil
1 onion, diced
1 T plus 1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 14 oz can tomato sauce

Rinse the lentils until water runs clear. Put them in a pot with the sweet potato and cover with water. Allow the mixture to simmer, covered, until lentils and sweet potato soften- about 15 minutes. While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan and add onion. Cook until onion caramelizes. While onion is cooking, combine the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, salt and sugar.

I think spices are so beautiful

Add the spice mixture to the cooked onion and stir constantly, approximately 2 minutes, over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook while stirring another minute longer. Add tomato sauce. Stir and allow mixture to come to a simmer. Once lentil mixture is ready, drain if necessary and add to the curry base. Combine thoroughly and serve over hot rice.

I adored this. It was so satisfying & made me feel like I had gotten authentic Indian takeout. Drew was not as big of a fan, but at least he ate it. We have massive amounts of leftovers and they're all for me!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes & Bento

I made mint chocolate cupcakes for William's lunch treat this week.  They are really good!!  And William LOVES them.  I made a bunch of mini cupcakes to go in his bento and then I made 6 regular sized cupcakes to frost at some point (they are currently hanging out in the freezer waiting for a reason to be frosted and enjoyed.  William and I LOVE all things mint chocolate, so these are a big hit!

William said, "you know, I eat those cupcakes before any of my healthy food at lunch!" and I was all, "I do not blame you, man." And, secretly, these aren't too terrible for you!  

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 1 cup flour (I used white-whole-wheat)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 and 1/2 T cornstarch
• 1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure peppermint extract (or 1/2 tsp, if you only want a very-slight mint taste)
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used a lactose-free yogurt that is super good!)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 T canola oil
• optional: add a few handfuls chocolate chips to the batter!
• 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients, then add wet. Don’t overmix. Pour into cupcake liners or tins, and bake for 18-20 minutes. 

Per regular sized cupcake there are only 130 calories and three grams of fat (depending on what yogurt you use)!!  The mini cupcakes are only about 55 calories - so eat up!!

And here is William's bento this week:

Back left: super crackers

Back middle: mint chocolate cupcake

Back right: baby carrots

Front left: turkey wraps in whole wheat tortillas

Front right: strawberries (some right from our garden!)

This is a very popular lunch.  Today, the only thing that came home was about 3 bites of wrap and 2 baby carrots.  And crumbs.

No-Bake Granola Bars

The quest for the perfect granola bar may be over!  These are GOOD.  They taste like buckeyes to me.  It's like a snack/dessert.  Yum!!

I am going to try one thing this weekend and then, if it doesn't work, I will declare this the winner!  

2 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted almond slivers
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Line a square baking pan lined with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl mix the oatmeal, wheat germ, flax, chips and nuts; set aside.

Melt peanut butter, honey, and molasses together in the microwave. Stir in vanilla and salt. 

Pour into dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Press into baking pan. Refrigerate until hardened.  Cut into squares and store into fridge until right before eating.

This weekend, I am going to try to use mashed dates as both a binder and a sweetener so I can make a no-sweetner added version! If it doesn't taste right, I'm going back to Old Faithful.  

 

Jessica's Meal Plan, week of 5/13

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! I actually had time to relax, meal plan & post because my lovely husband is taking care of my lovely son... ahhhh, quiet.

You'd think that because of that I'd have this super creative meal plan, but alas, I do not. I decided to keep it really simple this week so I would be sure to stick to it! I hate deviating from the plan- makes me feel icky.

So, here we are:

Sunday: I'm taking my homemade sausage and roasted veggie lasagna to my parent's house for Mother's Day
Monday: tofu stir fry with brown rice and sliced fruit
Tuesday: leftovers (I have a feeling there will be a LOT of lasagna...)
Wednesday: red lentil curry with raw veggies & dip (I REALLY hope Drew likes this!)
Thursday: chicken, broccoli & barley casserole with salad
Friday: soy tacos with chips & salsa
Saturday: garlic lime turkey breast with orange sweet potato chips (I didn't get to it last week)

Totally Proactive Meal Plan

Check out how early I have my meal plan done!  what what!  For this week's snack, I am continuing my quest for the PERFECT granola bar.  I have a no bake recipe I will be doing this week.  It's full of flax seeds and other goodness, so hopefully it's also delicious!  William's treat for the week is going to be Monster Mint Chocolate Mini Muffs.  If those things are any good (they're good for you[ish]!!), I'll share the recipes.

And here's what we're having for dinner...

Sunday: Steve is making dinner for me for Mother's Day.  All he'll tell me is it's some sort of blackened salmon on the grill.
Monday: I am modifying a recipe for a penne dish that has shrimp and other delights. I will share if it's any good!
Tuesday: stuffed portabella mushrooms
Wednesday: Ssssspecial sssssecret ssssspaghetti (I am not telling you what's in it yet because I'm afraid Steve will read this and not eat it if he knows.  I will share the sssssecret once Sssssteve has eaten it.)
Thursday: out
Friday: healthy homemade pizza
Saturday: pineapple chicken