Back to Cooking (August 13-17)

It has been awhile!  The summer has been so hectic and hot.  I have been flying by the seat of my pants meal wise, doing lots of salad and grilled meat.  Really nothing exciting enough to post about.

Our waistlines are getting angry though, so I am back to planning and cooking.

Monday:  Crispy chicken ceasar salad
Tuesday:  Chinese take-out (Dad's birthday!)
Wednesday:    Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry
Thursday:  Cranberry pork, brown rice, broccoli
Friday:  Venison chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli

I did it!

This post is completely unrelated to cooking, however I am so proud of myself and my girls, that I had to post about it!  I did the swim leg of a sprint triathlon!  I was incredibly nervous.  While I was quite confident I could finished the swim, the start cased me great anxiety.


Things not to do the night before you do a mass beach start for open water swimming:  Start watching youtube videos of triathlon starts.  Aiiieeee.


I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard, because it was.  The first 200m or so was a serious battle.  For about 2s I tried to be polite and keep my elbows and feet to myself, but realized that it was definitely a kick-or-be-kicked situation.


Case in point (Sarah, circled in white):

750m in around 14:00 minutes, 34/111 out of the water!  Not to shabby for my first group open water swim.

My girlfriends did the bike and run legs and were fantastic as well!  We are totally making this an annual event.

In all their glory, 750m's of swimming, 20km's of biking and 5km's of running later, I give you, Notorious T.R.I.

Whatcha got cookin'? (June 25-29)

Our church anniversary party is this weekend, so we are really busy this week!  I planned a menu that is easy and uses up some pantry and freezer items.

Monday:  Poached eggs over sauteed onion, mushrooms and asparagus on toast
Tuesday:  Pulled pork salad
Wednesday:  Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup from the freezer
Thursday:  Tilapia and veggies (roasted or stir-fried)

Grilled Potatoes

Yes, potatoes grilled right on the BBQ grate.  I am going to make a bold statement here and say that this might be my new favorite way to eat potatoes.  So simple, but so, so delicious!  The potatoes are crispy on the outside, but light and flaky in the center.

I grilled chicken thighs with the potatoes, and the cook time was about the same.  Convenient and virtually no clean-up!  My kind of meal!

Serves:  4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium russet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes.  Slice them length wise, so you get the longest and widest potato slice possible (with the most surface area.)
2. If you have time, soak the potatoes in cold water for an hour or two.
3. Drain the potatoes and pat dry.  Toss the potatoes in olive oil.
4. Heat the grill.  Place the potato slices directly on the grill.  Cook for about 16 minutes total, flipping every 4 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Meal Plan (June 17th-21st)

Sunday:  Kirkland margarita pizza (with extra veggies) and salad
Monday:  BBQ chicken thighs, roasted potatoes and salad
Tuesday:  Some kind of shrimp and rigatoni pasta, similar to last week and salad
Wednesday:  Cheeseburgers and salad
Thursday:  Venison steaks, mashed potatoes, veg

We have a lot of greens to use up, so it is a salad kind of week!

Real Food Connections Kitchen Basket

Milk, eggs, raw milk extra old white cheddar, homemade whole wheat bread
Boston lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, apples, herbs, radish, potatoes, 1/2 a gigantic cucumber

Rigatoni Rosa with Shrimp

As promised, here is a post about this Penna Rosa with Shrimp recipe.

This pasta was creamy, with a nice flavour.  In the future, I would definitely add fat-free greek yogurt to dishes, in lieu of heavy cream.  The shrimp was a great addition of protein, without adding a lot of calories.  As usual, I didn't follow the recipe to the letter, so I will share my rendition.

Serves:  4  (BIG servings!)

Nutritional Information:  466 calories, 6.5g fat, 3g fiber, 34g protein

Ingredients:

• 300g of penne or rigatoni
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 pkg of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, julienned
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 12 oz of shrimp (about 48 medium shrimp)
• 4 c. spinach
• 3/4 c. crushed tomatoes (or marinara sauce if you don't want to season)
• 1/3 c. fat-free Greek yogurt (I like Liberté Plain Greek Yogurt 0%)
• 1 tbsp Litehouse freeze-dried Italian Herb Blend
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta to slightly al dente.  Drain and set aside.  As the pasta is cooking, prep the veggies and shrimp.
2. Heat the olive oil on medium in a very large skillet or wok.  Cook the garlic and onion until they are soft.
3. Increase the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms, red pepper and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms release their liquids.
4. Add the shrimp and cook for around 2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink.
5. Remove the skillet from the burner.  Spread the spinach over the top and place the lid on the skillet.  Let it sit for around 2 minutes to wilt the spinach.
6. While the spinach is wilting, mix up the tomato sauce, Greek yogurt and Italian seasoning.
7. Return the skillet to low heat.  Toss in the pasta and let it cook for a few moments, allowing it to release some of the sugars.  Add the sauce and mix it in.  Let the pasta cook up the sauce for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender.
8. Served topped with the parm cheese.

What's cooking? (June 9-14)

Saturday:  Chicken and shrimp fajitas
Sunday:  BBQ at the parents
Monday:  Penne Rosa with Shrimp, salad
Tuesday:  Chicken chili
Wednesday:  Meatloaf muffins, mashed potatoes, veggies
Thursday:  Burgers and spinach strawberry salad

I am really excited about the Penne Rosa with Shrimp and I will definitely be posting about it!