Need an easy weeknight meal? Look no further. Shrimp can be cooked on a skillet in just minutes and when you add steamed veggies and some simple brown rice you’ve got a complete and balanced meal. Did we mention it’s delicious?
Why Shrimp?
It’s a low calorie, protein- and nutrient-rich option. Four ounces of baked or broiled shrimp provides about 25 grams of protein, 135 calories and only 2 grams of fat. Not to mention it contains selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, choline, zinc, omega 3 fats and more.
Try this for an easy weeknight meal. You can adjust a few ingredients to make this work with your Paleo or Vegetarian eating plan
Worried about cholesterol?
The 220 milligrams of cholesterol contained in a 4-ounce serving of shrimp may be a concern if you have high cholesterol, but it doesn’t mean you should avoid shrimp. Dietary cholesterol doesn’t affect our cholesterol levels like we once thought. Go ahead and enjoy shrimp in moderation with reasonable portions.
What about mercury?
The Environmental Working Group has a nice guide for safe seafood consumption and classifies shrimp as a low mercury choice. So again, moderation is key.
Ingredients
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup honey (or coconut nectar)
¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional: 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
Optional garnish: chopped green onions
Instructions
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (optional) together in a medium-sized bowl
Place shrimp in a large zip-lock bag. Pour ½ of the marinade on top, seal and shake, and allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in skillet, cook on one side until no longer pink, about 45 seconds, then flip over. Pour in the remaining marinade and cook until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
Top shrimp with the optional green onions for garnish.
We recommend enjoying this with a 1/3 – 1/2 cup serving of brown rice and 1 cup steamed vegetables for a Well Balanced Meal!
ALTERNATIVES:
For a Paleo dish use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
For vegetarian use the honey ginger marinade with tofu instead of shrimp!
If you don’t like fish use the honey ginger marinade with chicken breasts cut into small bite-size pieces and sautee in the pan.
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (optional) together in a medium-sized bowl
Place shrimp in a large zip-lock bag. Pour ½ of the marinade on top, seal and shake, and allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in skillet, cook on one side until no longer pink, about 45 seconds, then flip over. Pour in the remaining marinade and cook until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
Top shrimp with the optional green onions for garnish.
Are you in need of a healthy and refreshing treat this summer? Look no further! These 3-ingredient FroYo Fruit Bites make a great snack for kids, taste delicious by the pool, and can be the perfect after dinner treat that will hit the spot. They are super simple to whip up – even kids can make them! Wendy Sharer, a local dietetic student, shows us how.
Ingredients
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries
The only ingredients you need to make these refreshing FroYo bites is yogurt (I used Oikos Greek yogurt, plain) and 1 cup of berries or diced fruit. I used blackberries and raspberries because that’s what I had in the fridge at the time, but you could use almost any fruit such as strawberries, kiwi, peaches, pears or mango.
After chopping up your fruit, just mix together the fruit and yogurt in a medium bowl. Finally, spoon bite-sized scoops of yogurt-fruit mixture onto a flat surface such as a plate covered with aluminum foil and place in the freezer for a 2 to 3 hours. (You can also toss them in a blender for a smoother consistency and freeze them in an ice cube tray.)
Storing: Relocate FroYo Bites to a freezer ziplock bag or other container and enjoy within 1-2 weeks
Until recently, I have been eating upside down. No, not eating while standing on my head – that would be an interesting site. Ha.
I was starting my day off with too little calories and eating most of my calories toward the end of the day. That’s a bit upside down considering we need good fuel during the day when we are moving, thinking, working, walking, and doing all the things and at night we tend to slow down, relax and unwind – things that don’t require as much fuel.
When you are busy, it can feel hard to give breakfast the attention it deserves. For a while, it was the last thing on my mind in the morning (even though I was fixing my kids a good breakfast). I was just grabbing something small that would satisfy me for the moment. As Lucy explained a few weeks ago, eating too little early in the day can easily lead to overcompensating in the evening. This was definitely true in my case. I was feeling hungry and deprived by the afternoon. Then, my belly would start hurting. I’d eat too quickly at dinner time and then my belly would hurt even more. Ugh. It was not a good cycle. Can you relate?
Is breakfast that important?
In general, eating breakfast has been associated with lower body weight. Seventy-eight percent of those who have lost weight and kept it off for a year or longer are regular breakfast eaters. Breakfast has also been shown to increase fullness while reducing appetite, food cravings, and brain signals that regulate reward-driven eating behavior. Furthermore, studies show that eating a high-quality, high-protein breakfast decreases late-night snacking of foods high in sugar and fat.
So, if food cravings and late night snacking are things you struggle with, I highly recommend focusing on your breakfast. Perhaps you are eating upside down, too? Try a high-quality, high-protein breakfast.
What is a high-quality, high-protein breakfast?
Well, first, your breakfast should be made of real food. I know it’s super tempting to just grab a protein bar or granola bar on your way out the door, but those protein and granola bars often include a lot of artificial ingredients and added sugars and is far from what nature intended. This is not to say it’s never okay to have them. They should just be a backup breakfast instead of a go-to breakfast.
Secondly, you want to aim for a breakfast that contains between 20 and 30 grams of protein. Here are some examples of what that might look like:
Two Egg Omelet with leftover veggies, 1 oz of beef and cheese = 29 grams protein
Egg and Canadian Bacon Breakfast Sandwich on English Muffin = 26 grams protein
8 oz Greek Yogurt with 1 oz Nuts = 26 grams protein
Peanut Butter Quinoa = 31 grams protein
Easy Morning, Egg, Potato and Zucchini Cups with fruit and yogurt = 30 grams protein
If you are like me and have busy mornings that can feel rushed, you may like this make-ahead option that works for me.
Kristen Norton, RD, LDN
Easy Morning Egg, Potato and Zucchini Cups
These can make your morning easy-peasy and delicious! Make them on the weekend and reheat them each day. They go great with yogurt and fruit or avocado and fruit.
Evenly distribute the hash-browns in each cup. Then the shredded zucchini and cheese.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and add in salt, pepper, turmeric and a savory all purpose blend (or use your favorite blend).
Pour egg mixture into each cup Give each cup a little stir and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
To reheat: Place on microwave safe plate and heat for 1 minute 15 seconds on 50% power. Add 10-15 more seconds as needed. Nutrition Facts: Calories 312, Protein 16g, Carbohydrate 14 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g,
Total Sugars 2g, Total Fat 21g, Saturated Fat 7g, Monounsaturated Fat 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Food for thought: Let me know if you try these and what you think! Or share with us your favorite make-ahead high-quality protein-packed breakfast.
We recently made these for a health fair held for City of Durham employees. We were honored to be there and meet so many wonderful people! We got rave reviews on these treats so we thought we’d share with everyone here. I didn’t snap a photo of my own and I owe full credit for the photos in this post to www.thebigmansworld.com. This recipe was modified from one on their beautiful site.
Kristen Norton
3-ingredient Cereal Treats
These are a fun alternative to your typical Rice Krispy treats. The nut butter adds healthy fats and protein, while the whole grain cereal adds more fiber than the rice cereal. Using the Truvia Nectar can help you save on calories and sugar.
2cupswhole grain cerealsuch as multi-grain cheerios
1/3cuphoney or Truvia NectarNectar is sweeter so you will use less
1/3cupnatural nut butteralmond butter or peanut butter
Method
On stove top, melt honey or Truvia Nectar and nut butter over low-medium heat in a sauce pan.
Add the cereal and stir until combined.
Press and flatten mixture into pan.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until well set.
Cut into 10 squares/bars.
Notes
1/10 of this recipe provides:
78 calories
5g of total fat
0g sat fat
7g carb
2g sugar
1g fiber
2g proteinThis recipe was modified from http://thebigmansworld.com/2016/03/16/healthy-3-ingredient-no-bake-cereal-bars/.
Photo credit: http://thebigmansworld.com/2016/03/16/healthy-3-ingredient-no-bake-cereal-bars/
Photo credit: Bigmansworld.com
Let us know if you tried these, what you thought and if you modified them to your taste preferences!
Y’all it’s finally happened… I’ve been in the south long enough that I developed a taste for cooked greens and bacon. So yummy! Below is a recipe I’ve modified from Martha Stewart and my friend, Culley.
Lucy’s Favorite Collards w/ Bacon!
Ingredients
2 bunches collard greens, stemmed
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp molasses
Directions
Working in batches, stack greens; cut crosswise into 2-inch-thick strips. Gather strips; cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water; swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander using a slotted spoon; let drain. Repeat until greens are free of grit.
Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon; cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add greens; cook, stirring, until greens begin to wilt and are reduced in volume.
Raise heat to high; add vinegar. Cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet, until vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute.
Add stock, red pepper flakes and molasses; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until greens are just tender, 12 to 14 minutes. If making ahead, refrigerate, covered; reheat over low heat.
1cuphomemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
1tspred pepper flakes
1Tbspmolasses
Method
Working in batches, stack greens; cut crosswise into 2-inch-thick strips. Gather strips; cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water; swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander using a slotted spoon; let drain. Repeat until greens are free of grit.
Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon; cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add greens; cook, stirring, until greens begin to wilt and are reduced in volume.
Raise heat to high; add vinegar. Cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet, until vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute.
Add stock, red pepper flakes and molasses; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until greens are just tender, 12 to 14 minutes. If making ahead, refrigerate, covered; reheat over low heat.
Staying in your pajamas a little longer, watching cartoons, and snuggling on the couch… all reasons I love Saturday mornings. It is a sunny but cool day here in Durham and the perfect fall day for pumpkin muffins. We had these as a mid morning snack and they really hit the spot!
This recipe is modified from this post over at The Kitchn. They make a point to use the individual spices instead of the premixed pumpkin pie spice. They also remind you that the recipe calls for plain pumpkin puree not the sweetened pumpkin pie mix in a can.
Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan (or two 6-cup muffins pans) with liners, or skip the liners and just grease the cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after adding each one.
Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract.
Stir in half the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the second half. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups so they are 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a tester comes out with few crumbs.
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