Don't Skimp on the Shrimp

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all! Next week I will publish my last post of 2016. Time just keeps moving more and more quickly. This has been quite a year and it will be interested to see what 2017 holds. We got our tree up a little late this year but it's still bringing a little holiday joy to our house. I hope you all have safe travels and pleasant holidays, wherever you end up. I haven't weighed for a couple weeks and don't intend to until the last day of the year. I am holding strong for at least 2 of the 3 meals every day and as usual, exercising. I am looking forward to the new year as I thrive with a strict schedule and food plans. For right now though, I'm staying positive!

Since I've been eating more rich foods, I try to balance that out with healthier options. So, if I know I'm going to a Christmas dinner and party at night, I have been making a healthier lunch which is an improvement from my normal attitude when I stuff myself all day just because I'm not going to be perfect. The holidays are among us which means a little more food than normal. That means my appetite is let's say...hearty. I found some shrimp in my freezer from when it went on sale at Fresh Market and made a huge, healthy salad that kept me full all day. Shrimp is super lean and the only fat I added was about a little less than a tablespoon of oil (much of which was left in the bottom of the bowl), less than that of light balsamic dressing and low fat blue cheese. To prepare the shrimp, I just tossed it in oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. My goal was to cook them on kabobs on the grill but alas, I discovered we were out of propane. So, I sautéed them in the skillet and that worked just as well. I laid all the shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails in tact for flavor) on a bed of lettuce with just a little of the cheese and dressing. There was so much shrimp that it didn't need much else. For crunch, I crushed up about 5 pita chips. It was nice to have something that wasn't so rich and still be stuffed at the end of it. And, yes, I ate all of it. The only thing left on my plate at the end was a pile of shrimp tails.

I made my last Blue Apron meal last night. We will get a new box next weekend and it will probably be our last for awhile since money is a little tight right now because of the holidays. Anyway, I made Broccoli White Bean Burgers. For those watching at home, Ian didn't come near these with a ten foot pole. The concept is simple, mash the beans and combine them with small chopped, sautéed broccoli, one egg, bread crumbs and spices. The problem came when it was time to make a patty out of these bad boys. Ian did a better job than I did but and we got one solid-ish patty but for the most part I wound up with a plate of broccoli and beans. It was OK. The potatoes and cheese were a good side but overall, not my favorite Blue Apron dish. And, if I'm being honest, it made my stomach blow up like a balloon and it's been dangerous in my house for 12 hours. Anyway, I'm sure I'll share the results of the next box too.

Have a great week everyone and Merry Christmas!!!