Licking the Plate Worthy Bangin' Shrimp

Here's a little pre-story to this post. I came up with the name for this blog when I first started blogging on the Weight Watcher's website. I named it Licking the Plate of Life, because early in my Weight Watcher's journey, I kept finding myself licking the plate or tray of Smart One's meals in pure hunger to try and get every last bite of food and calorie in my body (reference the this WW blog post). As I began to look at food differently, this activity stopped and I thought to myself, I'm now licking the plate of a healthy life instead, hence the name of my blog!

Now, since I tell you that, I must say that this recipe had me glancing around, realizing I was home alone, and simply put,...licking the plate.

First, I have to send a huge THANK YOU out to my friend Robin for sending me the idea and recipe for the bangin' shrimp sauce. I'm officially hooked.

So here we go. The shrimp sauce is light mayo, thai sweet chili sauce, siracha, and green onion. I used 5 tbsp mayo, 3 tbsp chili sauce, 1 tsp siracha. I cut up my green onion and reserved it on the side to toss with everything at the end.

Since I'm little miss lazy pants and didn't feel like peeling, de-veining, and steaming shrimp, I took a short cut and used a bag of Gorton's Frozen Garlic Grilled Shrimp. I wasn't sure how to garlic would go over, but it turned out awesome. I chose to cook them in the oven  because, like I said, I was feeling lazy and they actually taste great this way. 

(pic is of finished shrimp)

I also steamed some broccoli in my Pampered Chef microwave steamer (jeez, I really was feeling lazy) and sauteed the green onions for a few minutes in a skillet. 

Once the broccoli and shrimp was done, I threw everything together in a skillet over medium heat and added the sauce. I tossed it together and let it simmer and sizzle for about a minute to get nice and hot. 

It turned out to make about 3 cups worth. I counted that 1 cup/serving would put you right around 4 WW points. 

Since it was only about 4 points, I took it upon myself to eat 2 servings (and lick the plate) instead of serving it over rice. But I thought it would taste good with some brown rice on the bottom. 

In any way, it is definitely my new favorite recipe, and a sauce I will be using not only on shrimp. Robin gave me the tip that using greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise lowered the points value even more and that she tried it with chicken and broccoli.

So, if you plan on coming over for dinner anytime soon, you can be pretty sure this recipe in some form is going to be hitting the dining room table. 

Adventures in Pinterest Cooking #4

Last night I got home from work and was starving. Since the roommate was out, I decided to try a new recipe. This way I wouldn't embarrass myself when disaster strikes (which it is bound to do when I try a new recipe).

I haven't been to the store this week, so I was working with what I had in the fridge and on hand. I remembered I had some shallots and that I love shallots, so I went searching on Pinterest for an easy pasta recipe using shallots. Within minutes I had in hand a recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Shallots, Garlic, Broccoli & Lemon (Pinterest never disappoints)!

So I got started. I managed to cut everything without taking off a finger, although I did drop the slippery lemon approximately 2 times as it rolled off the counter. Here's your ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil (for in pan), 1 box angel hair pasta (prepared per box instructions), 2 cups chopped broccoli, 1 large shallot diced, 3 garlic cloves diced, 1 tbsp of butter, 1/2 cup of white wine, & 1/2 lemon (for juicing)

First I sauteed the shallots until they softened on medium for about 5 minutes.I added the broccoli and sauteed another 4-5 minutes. Then I added the garlic for another 2 minutes and then the white wine until it reduced by half (a few more minutes). Finally I added the lemon juice and butter and stirred until the butter was melted.

  

          

After the pasta was cooked and drained, I added it to the pan and stirred everything well. Then I plated the pasta. I had some Manchego cheese leftover from another recipe, so I grated that on top for a little extra flavor. 

Now, I'd like to say that this tasted as good as it looked. But really it didn't. Which is why I haven't referenced the Pinterest recipe/blog I got it from. I have no doubt, it was operator/untrained chef error on my part. I did think that the broccoli, shallot mixture was good, it just seemed to not come together when the wine was added and everything was mixed with the pasta. It needed more. 

Perhaps, it needed a stronger cheese, maybe more garlic, I'm not sure. But if you want to original recipe and want to show me up and do it right drop me an email. :) 

Hello Fall! Goodbye Summer!

Hi Everyone!

I know I'm a little behind on this post, since we said goodbye to summer about a month ago, but I'm finally feeling like fall is here and the craziness has settled down for me.

These past few months have been life changing to say the least. Let's see- there were  a few weddings and celebrations, a vacation, a couple of races and a new workout routine, and a new job. Whew, I am tired just thinking about it.

Let's start with the weddings! This year, I added 3 more weddings to my long list (It seems I'm working towards the 27 Dresses Fairy-tale, I think we are at about 16...). In May we had Jen and Tony's wedding, then in September was Amanda and Brett's truly fairy-tale Cinderella wedding, and in October the beautiful beach wedding of my best friend Shelly and her new husband Ryan. Here's some highlights!

Getting down at Jen and Tony's Wedding! 

Amanda's Bachelorette Party in OC! 

Shelly's Bachelorette in Baltimore!

Shelly and Ryan's Ceremony in OBX!

My BFF is Married! 

Vacation this year in OBX with my family was also as wonderful as ever. We did a Raven's beach photo shoot, and I caught my very first fish. (May I also note, for my first time fishing, I caught the first fish of the head boat AND the most fish of anyone in my family!)

Our Family Raven's O-Line

My First Fishy

Sunset in Nags Head

What else! Oh! I ran a few races. First as a part of NS FIT Run A was the Women's Distance Festival. Then I did a few more 5K's, one for the 4th of July and one in the fall for NFRC which is a non-profit close to my heart! On top of that, my good friend Stacy got me involved with Extreme Fun and Fit Bootcamp  and now I've been going there to get my workout on even more! (By the way, if you live in Howard County, they have an AWESOME Groupon going on right now...you should try it!)

Run A at WDF 

Remembrance Run with Neighbor Sandy

Me and Elizabeth Running NFRC 5K

Finally, I took a promotion at work and became a member of Associate Professional Staff, which was something I have been really working towards in the 5 years I have been here. I even got to do some work travel. I took a few trips to Albuquerque, New Mexico and one to Boston! 

Me at the top of the Sandia Mountain Tram

So, now that we are all caught up and settled in, I can finally get back to basics and this blog. I hope everyone stuck around even though the posts were few and far between. I'll be sure to get back later this week with maybe a new dinner recipe or I'm sure some post about one of the crazy boot camp workouts, or maybe both! 

Friday Favorites #8- May Madness

The month of May has been an absolute whirlwind of work, fun, family, and so much more. Not to be sappy, but looking back on the month has me thinking how blessed I am. With all the things I complain about and stress about and lose sleep about, this has been a wonderful month. I have to remember to write my troubles in the sand, and carve my blessings in stone. So here's a little stone carving of my whirlwind month in review wrapped up as Friday Favorites #8.

First, May has been full of runs, fun, and the running community. I hit a bunch of personal records for May, and those aren't even including my Thursday training runs! I was able to go out and support a few friends in the Warrior Dash. And, I finished up the month with a Memorial Day Remembrance run that my loving Mom came out to support me in!

Second, May has been full of all my favorite Baltimore things. Orioles baseball, steamed crabs, fire pits, and the start of family pool parties. I know there is so much more of this to come this summer!

Third, who doesn't love a good wedding? Congratulations to my cousin Tony and his new bride Jen! I am so excited to have been a part of their special day. Welcome to the family Jen! 

Finally, I saw this on a friends Facebook, and think it should be my motto for the next month. So it's my final favorite thing. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and don't forget....

What Planning Ahead Looks Like

Things have been crazy busy recently! (This should just be my standard opening line to every blog I post, since they seem to be few and far between recently, followed by...) I'm so sorry, I will try harder to blog more often! 

With things being as busy as they have been (especially at work) it reminded me about the power of planning my meals ahead. So, I thought I would share what planning ahead looks like for me. (By the way, planning ahead can also be called, how to avoid the office sweets snack attack). 

So that is what I had today- A SmartOnes breakfast quesadilla, some strawberries, a SmartOnes lunch, some carrots and fat free ranch dip, some popcorn, and a protein shake (which is for this afternoon). Lots of good low point snacks and two yummy meals! Tonight, I have some chicken breast out and I'm planning to make grilled chicken flatbread sandwiches. 

Now, if I can just keep this planning ahead stuff up for the weekend, we should be go to go! 

Happy Friday! 

Progress To Be Proud Of!

First, to my awesome friends that say to me every couple of days, "I love reading your blog," I get the hint. I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last post. But here I am, better late than never. 

So, on with it. I have progress to be proud of, so I am going to take a moment to pat myself on the back and scream from the tops of buildings about it. 

Last year right around this time I posted this blog- Run Auntie Em Run! . A blog first, announcing the birth of my beautiful niece Ella (who turned 1 yesterday!), and second announcing I was starting a 5K training program and I was fairly certain there was no way I could run the 1 mile time trial. In fact, I dramatically posted, "Be ready for some blog posts about me passing out in the middle of the run, or tripping and falling on my face, or breaking a leg." 

Well, here we are just about a year later, and I have progress. This weekend, I ran a 10K! That's 6.2 miles people.Last year, I didn't think I could run 1 mile without "breaking a leg." 

I really can't believe it, such progress and in only a year! I can only guess what another year could bring. So thank you to all my friends and family and runner girls who helped me get here. I am truly thankful for all your support and need to scream that from building tops as well. 

Oh and just in case that isn't enough, looks like this year I'm moving up a group in my training program. Run A- Please be nice to me. 

On that note I think this about rounds it up. 

Roasted Basil-Mint Red Potatoes

By now you should realize that I love love love roasted red potatoes. One of my favorite Weight Watchers Recipes is their Dijon Roasted Red Potatoes. This week, I was looking for something to do with a bunch of basil that I had leftover and went searching for a recipes on Weight Watchers online. I found this recipe for Warm New Potato Salad with Basil-Mint.

The only thing is that this was for Potato Salad and I'm not really a big fan of potato salad. I think it's because I don't really like boiled potatoes, unless I'm going to mash them into the creamy wonderful mixture that is mashed potatoes. :) Anyway, so I decided I was going to do the recipe but instead of boiling the potatoes, I would toss them in the basil-mint pesto and roast them in the oven.

I put them in for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees and stirred halfway. They came out really good!

The only thing is that they had quite a kick to them from the pepper and the mint. In the future, I would use only a 1/2 cup of mint and a full cup of basil and probably not add pepper in the mixture, but instead add it at the end. 3 points plus for 3/4 of a cup. Not too shabby if you ask me. 

Enjoy! 

Food Rant! Lean Cuisine Salad Additions

First, Happy Valentine's Day! 

I love Valentine's Day. Anything that involves pink and red and hearts and kisses is a great day in my book. Notice I left out chocolate from that statement. I'm trying not to think about the fact that I ate pizza yesterday and went over my points and I am paying for it today.

Which prompts the point of this blog. Today I made sure to pack a nice healthy lunch and healthy snacks. I figured it was the perfect day to try out the new low point Lean Cuisine Salad Creation in Bistro Chicken I picked up at the store this week.

My review?- HUGE LETDOWN. I was not happy at all with it. First, I'm not a huge fan of the warm veggies on my cold salad. Second, the 'onion straws' were few and far between. Third, there wasn't much chicken and it was bland. Fourth, I hated the dressing. It was some vinaigrette with bacon in it and just not to my liking. Besides all these things its 6 points! I much prefer my salad trick I blogged about back in May (see it  HERE!). 

Then again, maybe I'll just still cranky about not getting to eat chocolate today and on another day this salad would be under the title "Food Rave!".

Hope everyone enjoys their V-day and has a lovely lunch, dinner, or Valentine's Day treat planned! 

Dreaded Pizza Party Day on WW Blog

New Weight Watchers blog post on Dreaded work Pizza Party day.

I'm still here! Just busy! Hawaiian Vacation Post!

Whew! Can you say exhausted? What a whirlwind of a January for me. My Hawaiian vacation was amazing. I had such an amazing time with my Mom.

We ate wonderful food and drank wonderful drinks....

Enjoyed the farmers markets and Kona's monthly street fair...

Lounged by the pool and enjoyed the view....

Hiked a beautiful rain forest and Hawaiian volcano botanical gardens...

Went to our favorite snorkel beach and swam with the turtles....

And finally I was able to take the picture I have been worried about taking for 2 years. My side by side, same spot, same outfit progress shot! 

So there it is. 2 years. 44 lbs. I still have a long way to go, but I can't wait to see what 2 more years looks like. Hopefully I'll be back in Hawaii then to take another picture. I love it there and I truly hope we can go back. 

I'll try to do better about blogging! I have some great new recipes I have been trying that I want to share. Just have to find the time to get the posts together!

PS. The Ravens won the superbowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOO!

PPS. New weight watchers blog post too!