20-Minute Deliciousness

I fully planned on eating dinner at a friend's house tonight, but ended up having to get some work done, so I headed home instead...and I hadn't planned dinner. I'm a couple days overdue for a grocery adventure, so I put my thinking cap on, and cooked up this yummy meal in about 20 minutes with some random things in my kitchen! Sometimes you just gotta get creative!

Curry-roasted shrimp, with roasted peach, chayote and basil medley, baked tomato and a peach-basil yogurt dip.

INGREDIENTS

Raw shrimp (if you can get them already deveined, great!)

Peaches (you can get them canned, I won't judge you...but drain the juice out of the can)

Basil leaves

Tomato

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

Chayote (Mexican squash)...you can use regular summer squash, too...I just think chayote is fantastic!

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt (or regular salt will be fine)

1/2 tsp ground pepper (I like mine freshly grounded, but you can use the pepper shaker, if you like)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the peach (or use 1/2 canned peach slices -- drain the juice out of the can) and spread the slices on the baking sheet. Sprinkle peaches with 1/4 tsp salt. On the same baking sheet, roast 1/2 tomato and quartered slices of squash (or chayote). Roast peaches, tomato and squash for 14 minutes.
2. In separate bowl, mix shrimp with olive oil, curry powder and the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt. As soon as the peaches, chayote and tomato come out of the oven, set them aside and put the shrimp on the baking sheet, and roast for no longer than 5 minutes.
3. Peach-basil yogurt: put remaining peach slices in blender or food processor with crushed red pepper. Mix blended peach mixture with greek yogurt and chopped basil leaves. Set aside.
4. Once shrimp comes out of the oven, mix chayote and peaches (add a bit of chopped basil), and plate all food (see above picture). Put peach-basil yogurt in a separate dish to dip the curry shrimp in...or you could spread the yogurt over the shrimp...either way, it's yummy.

AND ENJOY!

Much Ado About Scallops

It's no secret I'm a seafood enthusiast. On my 10th birthday, all long-limbed and twiggy, I proceeded to devour 3 lbs of snow crab legs...by myself....with room for more! I've always loved seafood and always will....I think it's the New Englander in me. 

Anyway, one of my Dad's favorite seafood dishes is scallops and I remember him eating them from time to time when I was a kiddo, but I don't think I really tried them until a few years ago. They are delicious! And now, I eat them so much, I'm kind of burned out on them, but they are easy to cook and actually, quite good for you! 

I usually just pan sear them and throw them on top of a salad, but I had some cauliflower and heirloom tomatoes I needed to use, so I whipped up this quick, delicious meal.

Scallops, chili-spiced mashed cauliflower, heirloom tomato and feta salad

The salad is pretty self-explanatory (pick your favorite greens, chop tomato, sprinkle feta and some balsamic vinaigrette, and ta-da! Salad complete! You could add some pine nuts for a little something extra, too)

Cauliflower is actually equally as easy to make! I modified this recipe since I didn't want to use olive oil in my cauliflower, so I added a little zip by adding a tablespoon of some chili-spiced cream cheese I bought for a dinner party a few weeks back.

Broiled scallops are quick and very easy... Turn the broiler on high. Pat your scallops dry, season with coarse sea salt and black pepper and set aside. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to shallow baking dish (I just use my Pyrex) and place scallops in dish. Broil for 5 minutes, flip scallops over and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika (for color). Serve immediately.

ENJOY! 

Foodspiration

A few friends have asked how I come up with meals... if I follow recipes or just come up with things on my own. The answer is both! I mainly come up with things on my own based on what foods I like to eat, and knowing what flavors would work well together. Then, there are times when I want to do something creative with a vegetable, and I'll research a unique, flavorful way to enjoy it!

I usually head out to my favorite grocery store on Earth (shout to Central Market) and gather my staples and then play all week to come up with fun and delicious recipes. Here is my usual grocery list:

PRODUCE

Squash

Zucchini

Red Onion

Eggplant

Cucumber

Kale

Cauliflower

Broccoli Slaw

Brussel Sprouts

Tomatoes 

Peaches

Avocado

Mango

Bananas

Blueberries 

Watermelon

SEAFOOD

Salmon

Crab

Red Snapper

Scallops

Shrimp (occasionally)

SNACKS/ADD-ONS

Seaweed/Nori Peanuts (I am seriously addicted to these)

Dried Turkish Apricots

Almonds

Dried Cranberries

KIND Bars (so great when you need something quick)
Almond Nut Thin Crackers
Goat Cheese (love it...add it to everything)
Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt (great for a lot of different things)

Grilled Eggplant Pizzas

I've bought several eggplants over the past few months, and guess what? They all went bad and ended up in the trash after I couldn't decide to what to do with them. Last week, I bought another one and decided today to hop on Pinterest and found this wonderful recipe! 

Here is the version I made on the right: 

I added cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, basil, sunflower greens, crushed red pepper and red onion. It was wonderful! And for once, they are just as pretty as the Pinterest picture (cause we all know how RARE that is)!

The original recipe (see link embedded) called for a grill, but these turned out just fine with a grill pan on the stove top. All in all, the meal took about 20 minutes to make...very easy...and I think I'll make it again tomorrow for lunch, and this time, I'll drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top for an added zip!

Food is Fuel, Folks!

So, about 9 months ago, I completely transformed the way I was eating after years of lethargy, headaches, "unexplained" high cholesterol, mood swings and just general "ickiness." It changed my life! Bottom line, friends...FOOD IS FUEL. If you put crappy gas in your car, it's going to run like crap. If you put crappy food in your body on a consistent basis, it's going to function like crap. 

Now, this is not to say I don't indulge from time to time...hello, LIFE IS FOR LIVING! But, I try to reserve those indulgences (namely french fries and/or ice cream - my guilty pleasures) for every now and again instead of right now and then, again. Believe me, I am a reformed nightly milkshake drinker and chicken nugget enthusiast, so if I can come around, you can, too!

I'm not following any sort of specific diet plan because I don't believe in diets, but I DO believe in clean eating and positive lifestyle changes. No processed foods, excessive sugar, hydrogenated oils, enriched this or that...just whole foods. Food tastes really great without lots of butter and salt and oils and that jazz. And guess what? By eating clean, you will feel better, look better and your body (and mind) will love you for it!

Another thing...GET MOVING! You can eat healthy all day long, but if you don't get moving and get some exercise, you won't see optimal changes in your body. I'm an avid cyclist and swimmer and love to try new workouts! So, I might also post about exercise along with nutrition from time to time. AND...I like to check out new natural products for the skin, hair and body, so as I find some great ones, I'll share!

Over the past several months, I've posted some of my meals on Facebook and people have been asking me for recipes and advice on what to eat, so I figured a blog might do the trick! I love to cook, and I think food is like art, so I like to eat and cook "pretty food." I consider myself a sort of "Paleo-Mediterranean" foodie (I made that up) meaning I mostly eat along the lines of the Paleo and Mediterranean diets (although, I'm not on a diet). So, that's mostly what you'll see on this blog. You definitely don't have to eat exactly what I eat (even though I think it's good), but I hope this blog inspires you to make better and more exciting food and lifestyle choices! 

I'm not a health expert or nutritionist by any means. I'm just a normal gal who has found something that works for me, loves good food and fights the urge to have ice cream every day (truth!)...so, thanks for reading and CHEERS to eating well and living well!