Sweet and Spicy Shrimp, a.k.a. The Best Shrimp You Will Ever Eat

I am a little weird/picky about shrimp.  I mean, I like it, but mostly when it is cold...and a little tougher, you know.....meat-like?  Warm shrimp usually freaks me out texture-wise and so I avoid it.  Except for this dish.

And truth be told, I have never met a soul who doesn't like this shrimp.  Even my pickiest little one (J, of course) will willingly eat this.

It is soooooooo great for a main dish, a side, or as an appetizer at a party.  And quick and easy.  What's not to love?

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Makes 6 servings

145 cals / 3g fat / 4g carbs / 24g protein

2 TB olive oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 lemon

1/2 cup fresh mint

1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste, depending on how spicy you like things)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined, uncooked

1.  In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine olive oil, brown sugar, zest and juice from one lemon, mint leaves, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Pulse until blended.  Rinse and dry shrimp and place in shallow dish or ziploc bag with sauce.  Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

2.  Remove shrimp from marinade and cook over medium-high heat on the grill, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Or, alternatively, cook under high broiler until shrimp is done, about 3 minutes per side.  Serve warm or at room temp.  Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

Cold Cucumber Soup

Ugh.  I have so many "summertime" recipe ideas to share and I am quickly running out of summer-time to share them.  But this is one I had to bump up to the top of the list.  

I am a big big fan of cold soups, and this one is probably my favorite.  It is full of garden-fresh goodness, takes all of 5 minutes to make, keeps well in the fridge, and is so so perfect for those steamy summer nights. 

Plus, at 30 cals per serving you can totally justify that milkshake you had B run out to get you at 9pm...or something like that.

Are you a cold soup fan?

Cold Cucumber Soup

Makes 8 servings

30 cals / 0g fat / 4g carbs / 3G protein

3-4 cucumbers

4-6 green onions

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup fresh herbs plus a little extra for garnish, if desired (I like a mix of mint and parsley.  Cilantro, basil, and tarragon also work well)

1/2 lemon

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil for garnish, optional

1.  Peel and seed cucumbers.  Roughly chop.  Coarsely chop herbs and green parts of onions.

2.  Add chopped cucumber, green onion, chopped herbs, garlic cloves, juice from 1/2 lemon, and broth to blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Add yogurt and purée until smooth and creamy.  Add salt and pepper to taste, blending to mix.  Refrigerate until cold, at least one hour and up to 3 days.  

Serve cold.  Garnish with extra chopped herbs and a few dots of olive oil, if desired.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

 

So today I was talking to myself (right....like I'm the only crazy one?), and I was saying "Ashli, seriously, enough blathering on about yourself and juice.  It is time to talk about real food."

But then the dilemma came...what do I share?  My latest kale concoction that even the kids willingly eat?  The best shrimp on the planet?  My casual dinner party meal?  And then I realized...DUH.  I need to share some real food...like ice cream.  Which is so real, I fully believe I could subsist on it alone. And so, I am back from droning on and on about juicing with this amazing ice cream recipe.

I made this using fresh mint, so if you are expecting the brightly green artificially flavored stuff (which..who am I kidding...is also delicious), then you need to look elsewhere.  The fresh mint gives this a pale off-white/barely tinted green color, and the mint is herbal tasting.  But it is still light, refreshing, and delicious (obvi).

Also, I am adding instructions for my new favorite way of adding chocolate to ice cream.  Feel free to skip this step and just add in some finely chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Makes ~1 quart

3 cups Half and Half

1 cup sugar

1 - 1 1/2 large bunch fresh mint (about 2 cups leaves roughly chopped)

1 cup heavy cream

5 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

4 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate

1.  Roughly chop the mint leaves.  Combine about 2 cups mint with half and half, sugar, and pinch of salt in heavy-bottomed sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is steaming and just beginning to bubble.  Remove from heat and let mint steep for at least 30 min, up to 2 hours.  Strain mixture into a large bowl, pressing on mint to get as much moisture out as possible.  Discard mint leaves.

2.  Whisk in egg yolks and cream until fully mixed.  Return to saucepan and heat over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken slightly and coats the back of your spoon (about 7 minutes for me).  Do not let this boil.  Remove from heat and pour through a strainer back into the bowl (or get a new bowl if you aren't as lazy as me and don't mind doing dishes).  Refrigerate until cold, 2-3 hours, or overnight.

3.  Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to directions.  While ice cream is churning, finely chop chocolate and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so to make sure it is smooth.  Let melted chocolate sit 2-3 minutes to cool slightly (you can always re-warm if you need to). When ice cream is pretty much frozen (soft-serve consistency) using a spoon, slowly drizzle chocolate in thin lines over the top of the ice cream.  Allow to mix in, then add more to the top.  Continue until chocolate is gone (chocolate will harden and be broken into tiny bits as the ice cream mixes).  Or I guess your could just mix in the chopped chocolate or the chips...but you know, why make things easy??  Keep in the freezer.  

Or eat it all and tell your family about how good it was later.  Oh...no, that would never happen here.

 

The 5-Day Juice Fast, My Summary

So, having gone through 6.7 days of juice fasting, I thought I would share a little summary of my pros and cons.  You can read about my actual experiences here and here.

Cons:

- Obviously the hunger.  Made even worse by the fact that I still had to feed my kids and then sit there and watch them eat.  Torture at times.

- The mess.  Juicing is messsssssyyyyyy.  Aside from all the prep you need to do for the produce, the juicer itself constantly needs cleaning.  And it is kind of a pain.  Not to mention the tiny bits of veggie pulp that go flying everywhere that I am still finding.  

- Those days when you feel like absolute hell....tired, weak, grumpy, exhausted.  Ugh.  Combined with hunger?  Kill me now, please.

- The cost.  You need a ton of produce.  Which can get really expensive.  Plus a juicer, which isn't exactly cheap.

- Not conducive to a social life.  I mean, you can't really go out for dinner and bring your juice...you know?

Pros:

- The weight loss factor.  For me (because I am vain), this is the biggest pro.  My starting weight was 147.  My ending weight was 141.8. However, I think a good portion of this was water weight....I definitely have added some back.  And I would not consider this a permanent or sustainable method of weight loss, unless you are prepared to make some serious lifestyle changes when you are done.

- The health factor.  I mean, you are getting super doses of all those veggie and fruit vitamins and nutrients.  All while avoiding the crap food you normally consume.  

So...for the future....

My takeaways from this...I did like the idea of getting more fruit and veggie nutrients, so i do see myself adding in more vegetarian meals.  And it was nice to kind of re-set my eating and drinking habits.  There were several juices that I did like, so I do think I will sub one of those for a meal or snack, especially after a booze/sugar/processed food binge.

A new (to me) breakfast...apples and blueberries sautéed in coconut oil with a little cinnamon.

As to whether or not I would attempt another fast...I have no major health or weight issues, so I don't really need one.  And I am thinking I didn't experience the same benefits as people who actually needed one.  I guess I am not sure....maybe?  But definitely not any time soon.  I am enjoying masticating way too much to try it again now.

Another juicing-inspired meal...pineapple, tomatoes, and 1/2 a baked sweet potato with salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle chili powder.

The Five-Day Juice Fast, My Juicing Diary, continued...Days 4-5 (+6-7??)

Continuation from here....

Day 4:

Seriously.... I feel pretty good. Almost like I am buzzing with energy.  I even woke up this way, almost like...dare I say it...I had turned into a morning person.  I still had my morning cup of coffee, but only because I wanted it and I enjoy it...not because I needed it.  I now see what all the hooplah is about.  Also, I can tell my stomach bloat has definitely gone down.  My gut fat roll is no longer hanging over my shorts quite the way it was.

Yes, I am still a bit hungry.  And yes, those chips in the pantry do look good, but not as good as before.  Maybe it has something to do with how good I feel, maybe I really have flushed out the toxins (still skeptical on this part), but I think it more so has to do with how proud I feel. Like I can't believe I stuck with this crazy plan and actually haven't chewed anything for 4 whole days (well, except for that one moment of weakness with the taffy, but we won't count that).  Proud that I didn't give up, and proud that I no longer feel the need to ruin this accomplishment (or whatever you want to call it).

The makings of "lunch."  Look at all that vegetabley goodness.

It is weird to me to think that tomorrow is supposed to be the last day....I am contemplating going to a 7-day fast instead.  I think I will make it a last minute decision tomorrow, depending on how I feel and how much longer I want to avoid using my teeth.

Day 5:

I did it!!!  I made it to day 5, my goal date.  Woot!  Feeling decent.  I would be feeling a lot better if my day hadn't started off with an orange and red cabbage drink.  It is the equivalent of drinking liquified hot rotting garbage.  I couldn't finish it.  And now I feel like I am going to vom.  Not good at all.  On the bright side, my stomach looks so much better....much flatter, so I've got that going for me.  Oh, and B informed me that he lost 11 lbs.  What a dick.

We decided since we are starting to notice results weight-wise, and feeling pretty good, we are going to extend to a 7-day fast.  We hit the grocery last night and stocked up on produce.  Bring on 2 more days!

Day 6:

MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN!!  We have a man down!

The meal that did him in....

This morning, the 7-day fast and I lost B to the lure of eggs and toast.  Truthfully, I can't blame him.  After last nights torture of watching the kids eat tacos and garlic creamed corn, I almost broke myself.  And B didn't really need to lose any weight to begin with...I am sure he wasn't getting enough calories, and I know he was concerned about protein and muscle loss.  So I don't blame him too much.  

I plan on sticking with this today (the day is almost half over, I can do this!), but I am not sure I will be able to fully complete tomorrow.  I am tired of not eating, and I am bored with this juicing adventure.  We will see....

Day 7:

Breakfast, check.  Lunch...no problem.  Afternoon time...and I am done.  I am hungry.  And I can no longer resist those wasabi almonds.  And all I can think about is a baked sweet potato (wierd).  So....almost 7 days.  I might still have a juice for dinner and dessert, but I guess I am no longer juice-fasting.  The end.

Just kidding, I am going to follow up with a summary.

The 5-Day Juice Fast, My Juicing Diary, Days 1-3

Remember that one time you decided to watch the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and then ended up convinced that you too needed to purchase a juicer and do a juice cleanse?  No?  I do.

So...we have this habit where pretty much every single night, B and I put the kids to bed and then retire to the couch to watch t.v.  Lately, we have been on a documentary kick, and one of those was the above show (Warning: do not watch unless you want to end up convinced you need to purchase a juicer and do your own juice cleanse).

What can I say...I am very susceptible to the power of suggestion.  This is why I have to mute commercials.

Anyways, I bought this juicer from Kohls.com (on super mega sale, plus a 30% off coupon so I wasn't tooooo invested in this hair-brained scheme).  And B and I decided to do a 5-Day Reboot, where we consume nothing but juices for 5 straight days.  Oh, and coffee, because I am not giving up coffee.  Nor do I have any plans to EVER give up coffee.  Coffee is the life-blood of champions. But I drink it black...so no sugar or dairy, I mean....it is vegan so it can't be too unhealthy, right?

Before starting the official fast, I was supposed to start eliminating alcohol, grains, meat, dairy, and processed foods from my diet.  I did nothing of the sort.  In fact, leading up to starting this, I was even more unhealthy than usual.  Starting this totally cold-turkey and hoping my food detox isn't terrible.

Here is my captain's log of this crazy plan......days 1-3, cause this is getting loooonnnng.

Day 1:

Weight:  147 lbs...yikes!

So, first off...It was a big mistake not to get rid of all those salty and sweet processed foods in the pantry (helloooo salt water taffy and chili cheese fritos).  But I do need to feed the kids too.  And I need to learn to resist this junk better, so I plan on exercising some will-power.

Desperation mode....I just put a piece of taffy in my mouth.  But I chewed it a few times then spit it out....I am still good, right?  Also, I definitely stuck my face in that bag of fritos and just inhaled.  But I decided they smelled gross...so we're o.k.

Day 1 lunch...a mean green (kale, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger)

Overall, I felt decent, but by the end of the afternoon I did feel a little tired and cranky.  I also had some mild-medium headaches throughout the day.  I discovered that if my head was hurting, drinking a juice helped it go away.  I think I will just drink more juices on the upcoming days if my head starts hurting again.  My favorite part of the day was dessert/nighttime snack.  Holy crap was that delicious (grapes, blueberries, mint).  I think I can make it through another day with something like that to look forward to.

Day 2:

I woke up feeling ok, but still tired and groggy.  Perhaps it is the juice effects, or perhaps it is the getting woken up in the middle of the night by a screaming L who has decided she is afraid of sleeping (seriously, she is slowly killing me).  And this is why I refuse to give up coffee.

Here is where today totally sucked...I am huuuuunnngggry.  I mean the "my kids are starting to look tasty" kind of hungry.  Stomach growling licking the insides of my juice glasses hungry.  Tomorrow, more tea and hot lemon water is the plan.  Supposedly the first 3 days are the hardest, and then the magical juicing power kicks in and you feel all sorts of wonderful and energized. We will see.

Day 3:

According to some of the reading I did, this is supposedly the worst day.  I concur.  I woke up feeling like shiiiiit.  Queasy, shaky, headache, tired, like i am in a fog and can't think straight....blahhhhh.  The upside is I am feeling so gross that the thought of a cheeseburger (or food in general) makes my stomach turn.  Also, this mornings breakfast juice was a beet concoction, so that probably isn't helping. I don't like beets, and juicing them does not make them any better.  Yuck!

Mmmnnnnnnn.....beet-ey.  Like drinking a big glass of dirt.

As the afternoon went on, I felt a little better, but still definitely tired and a little cranky.  I am planning on taking the kids to the pool.  Thank god they have lifeguards there, because I don't think I have the energy to jump in and save them, if needed.  Another negative here is that i have this constant "scummy" feeling in my mouth...like no amount of toothbrush scrubbing will clean these teeth.

On the bright side, I do feel considerably less bloated, so I might just not automatically reach for my matronly one-piece....gasp! And dessert tonight is the blueberry-grape juice, woohoo!

To be continued for days 4-5, plus my final summary....

Buffalo Bleu Cheese Turkey Meatballs

I made these the other week when Brett was out of town.  I thought getting the kids to eat these would be a struggle, but they literally devoured them.  All while continuously praising me and thanking me for making them.  These got comments such as:

"Oh yum. Thank you for making these, Mom.  You should make these again."

"Mom, these are so good.  You should be a chef, Mom.  You should be a chef at a restaurant."

"Mom, maybe you can make these for our birthday party.  And for daddy."

It was ridiculously funny.  And all over meatballs.  Who would have thoughit?  Either they really really loved these, or they were just trying to suck up so I would let them watch a movie before bed.  A night without fighting to get them to eat?  I will take it either way.

I served these with a low-fat, low-cal bleu cheese dressing for dipping (Bolthouse Farms...amazing stuff).  Also, I am so proud, my kids have started to actually like  bleu cheese.  If you don't, I guess you could skip it (what a shame). Or swap for cheddar cheese and ranch dip.

And I made these for dinner, but they would also make a great appetizer for a party or pot-luck.

Buffalo Bleu Cheese Turkey Meatballs

Makes 6 servings (4-5 balls per serving)

200 cals / 8g fat / 7g carbs / 22g protein

16 - 20 oz lean ground turkey

1/4 red onion

1 stalk celery

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup buffalo sauce (I like Franks best)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup reduced-fat crumbled bleu cheese (optional, or swap for cheddar)

Bleu cheese or Ranch dressing for dipping (optional)

1.  Heat oven to 425.  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Mince onion and celery.  

2.  Combine turkey with minced onion, celery, egg, breadcrumbs, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Gently mix (use your hands, it is easiest) until combined.  Form into balls, about 2 TB per ball.  Place each ball on baking sheet. And bake until cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Serving with dressing on the side for dipping.

Chicken Schwarma Pitas and the Time I Had to Cut My Pants Off

Once, a long long time ago I was at work.  I was wearing a pair of fitted cropped pants with a hidden side zipper (you know the kind I am talking about?) and had started my day by drinking two large coffees.  So naturally, I had to pee.  I got to the stall and encountered a problem.....my zipper was seriously stuck!  I struggled for a good five minutes trying to get it down, to no avail.  By this time, I reallllly needed to go.  So I ran down the hall to enlist the help of my friends in the lab.  

3 people tried with no success.  One of the men even grabbed a pair of pliers and was trying to get the zipper down (you want akward? Imagine having to pee so bad you have a male co-worker try to wrench your pants off with a pair of pliers).  At this point, I couldn't hold it any longer...it was starting to come out.  I did the only thing I could, I grabbed a pair of scissors, ran to the bathroom, and cut my pants off, emergency room-style.  I had never felt relief so sweet.  

Thankfully one of my friends had her dry cleaning in her car, and just so happened to have a pair of black dress pants in my size (spending the day in dirty pants was much better than spending the day in pants held together with duct tape...thanks Jeri!).

The moral of this story....those hidden side zippers are the worst.  And it never hurts to have a back up pair of pants.  

You know what else?  It never hurts to have yet another simple chicken meal.  I feel like I am going on overkill with these, but we eat a TON of chicken, so variety is great.  I originally got this recipe from one of my lady magazines...but I can't remember which one.  Maybe Woman's Day....maybe Good Housekeeping.  

Either way, these are quick and easy and full of flavor, and they make great lunches the next day.  In the summer I grill the chicken, in the winter I just cook it in a pan with a little cooking spray.  Both ways work just fine. 

Also...look at the nutritional info...go ahead, have 2.  These are incredibly healthy!

Chicken Schwarma Pitas

Makes 8 Servings

190 cals / 4 g fat / 20g carbs / 19g protein

1 - 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

6 cloves garlic

1 lemon

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup tahini

4 whole wheat pita pockets

cucumber, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta for garnish (all are optional)

1.  Mince garlic.  Trim fat from chicken.

2. Combine 4 cloves minced garlic with 1/4 cup yogurt, zest from 1 lemon, juice from 1/2 lemon, crushed red pepper, cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Coat chicken in sauce and allow to set at room temp for 20-30 min.

3.  While chicken is marinating....chop/cut any veggies you are using for garnish, make tahini sauce:  mix 1/2 cup yogurt with remaining 2 minced cloves of garlic, juice from remaining lemon half, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and tahini.  Mix well and set aside.  Cut pitas in half and warm, if you want.

4.  Cook chicken on grill (or in pan) until cooked through, about 3-4 min per side.  Slice into thin strips, and serve by filling a pita half with chicken, any of the veggies you want, and a good serving of the sauce.

Jamaican Grilled Chicken and Plantains

This is one of my all time favorite summer meals, originating from the geniuses at Epicurious.

It is quick, easy, and delicious.  And who doesn't need another simple chicken recipe in their arsenal...right?

Also, my sister-in-law is from Jamaica.  And I made this for her once.  And she liked it...so it is at least a little bit authentic.

Jamaican Grilled Chicken and Plantains

Makes 6 Servings

455 cals / 6g fat / 68g carbs / 28g protein

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 TB tomato paste

1/2 small onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (this will be spicy, add less if you don't want the heat)

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp salt

6 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs...mine comes with 3 in the pack and I slice them in half horizontally to get 6)

6 large plantains (make sure they are ripe...slightly soft and blackened peels)

1 TB olive oil

salt and pepper

1.  In a blender, combine the molasses, vinegar, tomato paste, onion, garlic, thyme, cayenne, allspice, and salt.  Process until smooth (I like to leave mine a little chunky, but it works both ways).

2.  Trim the chicken breasts, then season both sides with salt and pepper.  Place in a shallow dish and coat with enough sauce to coat.  You should have 1/2 to 1/3 of the sauce left over.  Let chicken sit at room temp to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

3.  Peel and slice the plantains on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick.  Brush each side lightly with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

4.  Grill chicken and plantains until done.  Chicken will take about 5-8 minutes per side and plantains will take about 3-6 minutes per side.  Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Party Time...L & J Turn 4

I thought I would do a quick re-cap of the kids' 4th birthday party.  For whatever reason, they both insisted on a golf theme.  I was pushing for a circus theme, but whatever....it wasn't my day, so I went with it.

For activities, we had a decorate-your-own golf visor station.  My niece and J especially looked spectacular in theirs.

B built a mini-golf course in the backyard.  The weather sucked and it was freezing, so it didn't get as much play as it should have, but I still think it turned out friggin' adorable.

And of course no party would be complete without a bounce house....

My favorite part is always the food (B did the streamer wall...didn't he do a great job?).

For this party I served:

Terra Chips

Pita Chips with Spinach Dip

Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Horseradish Cream and Rolls

Poached Salmon with Tarragon-Herb Mayonnaise

Hot Dogs

Sugar Snap Peas with Orange, Mint, and Goat Cheese

Orzo Pasta Salad

Fruit Salad

(If you want a recipe for any of this stuff, just let me know.  I am more than happy to share.)

And to finish it all off...the cakes and these adorable sugar cookies we handed out as favors.

J's cake was banana layer cake with chocolate hazelnut buttercream filling and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream frosting and L's cake was cherry chip layer cake with cherry chip buttercream filling and cherry swiss meringue buttercream frosting (pink, pink, pink!).

When all is said and done, I think it turned out great (despite the weather) and I actually really liked the golf theme idea.  These kids are geniuses.

And I leave you with these adorable photos....