Asparagus, Bacon, Corn and Sweet Potato Skillet

I love when beautiful things come about by piecing together pre-existing parts you never thought belonged together. I realized on Thursday that I had a half a bunch of asparagus and a sweet potato that I needed to cook before they went bad, so to Pinterest I flew! I did a quick search for asparagus and sweet potato and found this amazing recipe off of Barefeet in the Kitchen! It is super quick, super simple and so delicious! I was amazed by how much flavor was in this simple dish! Enjoy!

As of lately...

I think I am really going to get back to writing more regularly soon, but as for now...

Eating-- Vegetarian Chili from the Healthy Grocery Girl Nutrition Plan. This is not the exact recipe, but it is a twist on the original. Even though it is crazy hot, this was super easy to make and made a TON of food!

Listening-- Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (Previously of Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate). Jack's Mannequin is one of my all time favorite bands and their song "Swim" is pretty much my anthem.

Drinking-- Water, water and more water. Have I mentioned it is hot here?

Thinking-- About cyberbullying and how it doesn't necessarily get better once you become an adult (more to come on that later)

Wasting-- time watching "Royal Pains" on Netflix #obsessed

Dreaming-- Weird dreams that somehow take place at the Louvre and Disney World at the same time #lifegoals #wanderlust #happiestplaceonearth

Eyeing-- Tory Burch Riding Boots from Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Laughing-- At my coworkers and their ridiculous stories. They keep me sane :D

Reading-- Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman. I just started it so I haven't formulated an opinion/review of the book. The topic, though, hits right on point.

Wishing-- I had air conditioning or a tropical beach. But at least it isn't winter....

Recipe: Sauteed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

January Goal Progress for Nutrition!

I made myself plan out meals for the week in a very real and structured way. I know that I never have time for breakfast and that some days I have to pack a lunch that doesn't need to be refridgerated, so I made sure I planned specific meals for that.

 

I also picked a new recipe to try (thank you Pinterest!) I love seafood, so this shrimp recipe is light and packed with flavor, lots of veggies and yummy quinoa! I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp instead of uncooked to save on time and roma tomatoes instead of sundried. I added a litttttlllee too much lemon juice (whoops...didn't measure) so it was very lemony, but still delicious!

 

 

The recipe is from The Kitchn

 

Saucy Sautéed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

Serves 2 to 4

1 cup golden quinoa ( I just used whatever quinoa I had at home)
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup full-bodied white wine, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small red onion or 2 large shallots, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, finely sliced (I used roma tomatoes!)
1 pound fresh small pink shrimp (I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp!)
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under running water. In a 2-quart (or larger) saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained quinoa and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the salt, the lemon juice (about 3 tablespoons), 1/4 cup white wine, and 1 1/2 cups water.
Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Simmer for covered for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa. Stir in the lemon zest and half of the minced parsley.
While the quinoa is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat in a deep heavy skillet. Add the garlic, red onion or shallot, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic and tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or get crispy; let it cook slowly in the butter. Turn the heat to medium and add the second tablespoon of butter and the remaining 2/3 cup white wine. Whisk constantly and bring the wine to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced and shiny. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and keep the sauce warm while you cook the shrimp.
Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a separate large skillet or wok, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter over high heat and sear the shrimp quickly until cooked — about 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the pan with the vegetables and sauce and toss with the remaining parsley. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediate, topping the lemon quinoa with shrimp and its sauce.

Happy Eats!

January Goals

Every year I make New Year's Resolutions and every year I feel like I just end up trying for a bit and then forgetting about them. Overall, I'd like 25 to be a healthier year, so I've decided to break down my resolutions to monthly goals.

My January focus is a Physical goal: re-vamping my diet.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have not been to great about every sticking with a certain style of eating. Throughout college, graduate school and now post-grad life, I've had a lot of anxiety around food. I tend to avoid food when I get stressed out in order to have an area I can control. If the kitchen is too crowded and I don't have room to cook, I'll just grab something I don't need to cook. If there isn't enough room in the refrigerator, I tend to not grocery shop or get anxious about what to eat. I have a peanut allergy that has recently gotten worse, which really cuts peanuts out of my diet as opposed to me just selectively eating peanuts. I had a period of time where I had a lot of medical testing to see if I had any other food allergies or if I had developed a gluten intolerance. While nothing has come up in the past, at different points I have cut out dairy, selectively been gluten free but have not fully embraced a holistic way of eating. I have the biggest sweet tooth which leads to me to choose sweet treats (aka chocolate) most of the time over other options. Even though I believe in healthy eating, I have never been able to fully grasp onto that lifestyle.

My big goal for the year is to get a strong grasp on my health in a holistic way. I have chosen to start with what will be fueling my body. I've recently joined The Healthy Grocery Girl Nutrition Plan as a way of trying to commit (slowly) to a whole food plant based diet. It is a program that slowly breaks down transitioning to a holistic way of looking at food, and I'm sure that I'll be reviewing it on here, so here it goes!

As for the rest of my physical goal, I want to increase my cardio by trying to do some in house workouts 2-3 times a week for a start.

Spiritual Goal: Finish reading "My Sisters the Saints" by Colleen Carroll Campbell and post a book review

     Dedicate 5 morning minutes to prayer daily

Mental Goal: Dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to writing, whether for blog or for personal thoughts

   No screen time (phone, iPad, Computer) in bed (hopefully this will help with sleep!)