Recipe of the Week - Creamy Shrimp Pasta

 

I love to cook and I enjoy improvising from recipes I find online (or watch on Food Network or the Cooking Channel) to make dishes my own.  One of the super-easy recipes I make almost weekly is for Creamy Shrimp Pasta.  Now, I don't have specific measurements - I tend to cook to taste, so all of these directions should be amended to whatever size meal you are making and to your specific preferences.

Start some pasta cooking.  Hubby likes fettuccini, so that I what I use most often, but this dish would be yummy with any kind of pasta.

I use whatever size shrimp I have in the freezer (and that just depends on what I find on sale) and thaw and peel it.  I then sauté some chopped garlic (I like a lot of garlic, but, again, make this to taste!) in olive oil to start cooking.  Before the garlic is fully cooked, I add the thawed & peeled shrimp to cook up until they are just pink (it really only takes 3-4 minutes, depending the size of the shrimp).

Once the shrimp are cooked, I add some white wine and let that cook to burn off a little of the alcohol (this step can absolutely be left out if you prefer!).  To finish the dish, I add some heavy cream, salt, pepper and some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Then toss the sauce with the fettuccini (or your pasta of choice), perhaps grate some parmesan cheese over it (if you are cheese lovers like we are) and serve!

Recipe of the Week - Chicken Parmesan

When asked to contribute a Recipe of the Week blog, I was thrilled! But while I have a ton of recipes (ask me about my homemade deodorant), I'm not the best writer. So let's see how this goes! I've been thinking about what kind of meals most moms I know really cook and I think it comes down to a couple of things.

• Quick - there's a kid screaming somewhere.
• Not a ton of ingredients.  It takes too long to get them together!
• Nothing that requires unusual items.  After all, you don't want to buy something you're only going to use once.

I know we want to be super mom and do everything...AND do it perfectly!  But I think sometimes super mom is the mom who says, "Dinner is a ham sandwich and I have a child that needs me more."

I've got a few recipes to share that shouldn't take too long, but look and taste awesome.  And they are mostly healthy. What can I say, I'm Southern and I like butter! So here's my first contribution:

I'm not a huge Italian food fan, but this was really good! I made a few tweaks because I believe recipes are better when tailored to your family. In this case, I used Italian bread crumbs (no, I didn't make my own.  That seemed way too time consuming with that screaming child.), basil and oregano diced tomatoes.  Also, I skipped the fresh herbs because I didn't have them on hand.

Even with the changes, it was awesome!

Quick Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

• 2, 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1, 28-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

PREPARATION

1. Cut each chicken breast in half on the diagonal to make 4 roughly equal portions. Place between pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Combine breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to high.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken. Transfer the chicken to the plate.
4. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour in crushed tomatoes; add Italian seasoning and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Turn to coat with the sauce.
5. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese over each piece of chicken, then top with the reserved breadcrumb mixture. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. (Watch carefully to prevent burning.) Serve the chicken with the sauce, sprinkled with basil (or parsley).

Original recipe found here.

To a Healthier Holiday

Last month our writers shared some of their holiday traditions and plans for the upcoming season. In November, we continue our conversation about holidays. How do we juggle visitors, travel with small children, eat well amidst all that delicious food and most importantly, take time to just BREATHE? This time of year can very quickly become stressful, so we hope our writers' words this month will give you a few moments to slow down, think about how you're spending your energy and encourage you during this busy, but wonderful time of year. ~TMC  Staying healthy over the holidays can be tricky...especially if you’re not the one doing the cooking! While I don’t want to be a party pooper, I have found that I have to be a little more hands-on when it comes to holiday meals. This has meant a lot of thinking ahead, preparing for possible awkward conversations, learning to "let go" and practicing graciousness.  While you may only have control over one or two dishes, there are a few things you can do to limit the chemicals and carbs in your holiday diet.

1) Limit the rolls or go whole wheat. I won’t hide it. I love bread! I would never be able to skip the rolls. I do limit myself to one roll but I also found this delicious whole-wheat roll recipe last year and I felt better about eating them throughout the weekend. http://realmomkitchen.com/1617/no-knead-whole-wheat-rolls/

Please keep in mind that most packaged yeast includes MSG. It is very easy to buy yeast, in bulk, from a health food store. For those of you who do not know how to recognize MSG, it’s listed, typically near the bottom of the list, as monosodium glutamate.

2) Make what you can from scratch. My father-in-law makes delicious pot pies with leftover turkey meat, but he uses canned soup. While I am thankful that he’s leaving me with 3 plus dinners in the freezer I'm not thrilled with the thought of all the MSG we, and especially my 1-year-old son, would be consuming.  I kindly asked if I could make the soup for him to use, and he didn’t mind. Here is the recipe I used. It was really simple to make, obviously, not as simple as popping the lid off the can but definitely worth the minimal extra effort. http://www.grouprecipes.com/70195/make-it-yourself--condensed-cream-of-soups.html

3) Halve the sugar! *According to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar a year! It sounds crazy, but start checking the ingredients list. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. If you eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, you’ve most likely already hit the recommended consumption of sugar for the day (six teaspoons) and it’s not even 9am. So, when it comes to baking that yummy pie, consider halving the sugar and even using a healthier substitute rather than white sugar. Honey, raw sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup or stevia are all great substitutes and there are many more.

4) Choose wisely and use common sense. If you’re given the option, a homemade dessert is going to be “healthier” for you than a store bought dessert. Also, remember you don’t have to eat everything. I am a people-pleaser so choosing one aunt’s dessert or dish over the other can be tough for me. I have to remind myself that others will eat it and no one will get their feelings hurt. You have the right to choose your calories. If you don’t care for mashed potatoes, don’t have any and eat more dessert!  I’m not a huge fan of pie so I double up on the sweet potato casserole. To each his own!

5) Pick your battles and practice flexibility. I mentioned the canned soup above. I know my father-in-law. That was a situation where I knew I wouldn’t be stepping on any toes. Now, if I had tried to suggest I make the piecrust, from scratch, for his famous Thanksgiving pies, my husband probably wouldn’t have spoken to me until January. Some things just are not worth it. Though the holidays seem to revolve around food, it’s really about being with your family and the people you love, among other things. If you can keep that as your focus and take a deep breath, those few extra chemicals, carbs or calories won’t seem to matter as much.

*http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/jodi-sawyer-rn/sugar-sour-side-effects