Category Archives: Seafood

Biz Ate Meatloaf?

Shrimp and Artichoke Barley Risotto May 2, 2012 Comments: 36

I am so excited because I got an email from Chobani that they are sending me some more yogurt – I should have it next week, so you better believe that the breakfast parfaits will be a common breakfast!  I have to say I think one of my favorite combos is strawberry and banana with the plain yogurt – I thought I had granola in my drawer but I must have left it at home, so I just had about 2 tablespoons to sprinkle in this parfait – breakfast comes in at 343 calories, 2 fat, 63 carbs, 5.4 fiber and 21 protein.

The weather was a bit iffy yesterday, but I decided to chance it.  No rain!  I did my regular 50 minute walk.  My phone was ready for an upgrade so I got a new smart phone – it’s U.S. Cellular’s version, not an iPhone, but the sound while I am listening to Pandora is amazing – I had no idea how crappy the sound was on my old blackberry!

Have you ever cooked with barley?  I’ve beef and barley soup, but I’ve never really had barley straight up before.  I saw this recipe on tastespotting when I searched for barley – I did switch it up a bit because I used instant barley, so I will say this recipe was inspired by Cara’s.

Shrimp and Artichoke Barley Risotto

  • 4 servings, 365 calories, 4 fat, 52 carbs, 11.3 fiber and 30.5 protein

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups water
  • 3 teaspoons better than bouillon lobster base
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 jar (6 oz.) artichoke hearts packed in water, chopped
  • 1 jar (3 oz.) roasted red pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup instant barley
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cups frozen peas
  • 2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • salt and pepper
  • (I forgot the parmesan cheese, so that shaved off about 50 calories per serving)

Boil the 3 cups of water.  When it comes to a boil, add the lobster base and stir to dissolves, add barley, put on simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Stir in garlic, artichoke hearts, red peppers and lemon zest.  Since I was making this for one of my lunches, I just sauteed my shrimp yesterday morning before work in some Pam and crushed red pepper and then reheated it all when I got to work.

I actually had never even heard of lobster base before, and as luck would have it, my store had it on sale for $2.99 last week. :D

This was so good.  I thought it wouldn’t be flavorful enough because other than salt and peper, there isn’t too much seasoning, but the lobster base was delicious.  Do you have any barley recipes to share?

I was supposed to have dinner with my Mom last night, but something came up and she had to reschedule.  I had defrosted a meatloaf I had put together for Tony to bake for himself.  Here’s the deal people.  I don’t really like meatloaf.  Which is weird because really isn’t it just a glorified hamburger?  Maybe it was the huge chunk of onions my Mom used to put into it as a child, not sure.  I don’t really have a recipe per se – I buy the meatloaf mix at my store – it’s 1 pound of ground veal, pork and beef.  I mix that with about 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, a beaten egg, a splash of worchestershire sauce, some A-1 and salt and pepper.

Oh, and I squeeze ketchup and rub it all over the top and . . . wrap it in bacon.

I bake it on a rack above a cast iron skillet so the bacon gets all crispy around it.  It baked at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  I served mine with a drizzle of bbq sauce, homemade mashed potatoes made with fat free half and half and Greek seasoning, and sauteed zucchini.  Dinner comes in at 483 calories, 34 fat, 24 carbs, 2.8 fiber and 19 protein.

The verdict?  I really liked it!  So Tony I guess you’ll be sharing your meatloaf with me from now on!

We are supposed to have temps in the low 80′s today, but its going to be stormy – hope I get in my walk at lunch today. 

Make it a great day!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp, Uncategorized April 20, 2012 Comments: 26

I talked to Charlie!  Every time I had called he was sleeping.  I called my Mom and started to talk to her and I heard my brother in the background say “I have cancer.”  You have to know Charlie personally, but he was saying it in a funny voice and it made me laugh.

He sounded tired.  His main complaints are the awful, constant bad taste in his mouth, and not getting a full nights sleep yet.  But he sounded . . . like Charlie.  His next round of chemo doesn’t start until the first week of May.  My Mom is still there too, which I am sure is a big help to his family. Open-mouthed smile

Are you stick of seeing my breakfast parfaits yet?  I can’t help it – they are delicious and so filling.  This one comes in at 386 calories, 2.5 fat, 74 carbs, 7.7 fiber and 23 protein.

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Remember a couple weeks ago when I posted the Bang Bang dipping sauce?  (thanks again Jacky for that link!).   I was talking with Jacky about making the bang bang shrimp and asked her if I should use the dipping sauce as a marinade or just toss the cooked shrimp in the sauce.  Her response?  Why not both!  This time I added sriracha to the sauce too.

Bang Bang Dipping Sauce

(four servings – 1 heaping tablespoon each: 50 calories, 0 fat, 11 carbs, .5 fiber and 1.5 protein)

  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha

I mixed the sauce together and using half the sauce, marinated 1 pound of shrimp for about an hour.  I simply pan fried the shrimp until they were cooked through.  Then tossed the shrimp in the remaining sauce.  I served mine over 3/4 cup brown rice and zucchini.

On my walk yesterday I stopped at a Chinese restaurant and ordered a container of brown rice – it ended up being about 3 cups of rice for $1.65 – nice!

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I swear if I had Bonefish Grill’s bang bang shrimp and that dish, I am not sure I could tell the difference. Best part?  That whole bowl (4 oz. shrimp, marinade, zucchini, brown rice) comes in at 369 calories, 5 fat, 50 carbs, 4.3 fiber and 29 protein.

We had a birthday celebration yesterday – more snacks!  This time I had some grapes, some cheese, salami and unphotographed – a few tortilla chips and garlic crisps – my snacks set me back 289 calories, 14 fat, 23 carbs, 1 fiber and 15 protein.

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When I got home from work I picked up the mail from my mailbox – my Saveur magazine in the mail . . . check out all this bread!

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One of the first breads I am going to make from this issue is an Italian loaf of bread that has a biga, or starter you make the night before.  It doesn’t seem too complicated, but there is a lot of resting, so I’ll tackle it over the weekend.

Guess what Tony wanted for dinner?  Pizza!  But about one of the few times I didn’t actually have everything to make one at home.  A quick phone call and 45 minutes later, dinner was served.  I have to admit, it was kinda nice to sit back and read my magazine and relax. Open-mouthed smile

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I had that plate, plus one more just like it – I like the ends and middle pieces equally.  Dinner comes in at 576 calories, 33 fat, 44 carbs, 2.4 fiber and 24 protein.

Stats for Yesterday:

  • 1620 calories, 56 fat, 192 carbs, 15.4 fiber and 91 protein
  • 48% of calories from fat, 31% from fat and 21% protein
  • 30 minute walk at lunch
  • 30 minute Classical Stretch

Hooray for Friday!  Although I wish it was 5:00 already.  Hopefully my work day will go by fast.  Make it a great day!

 

Lunch and dinner and in between

Creamy Stilton Soup with Sauteed Pears, Garlic Shrimp Polenta with Pancetta, Uncategorized October 13, 2008 Comments: 5

Hannah and I went out and about so ended up having a late lunch – more homemade pizza!  See I told you I like eating the same things over and over!

This was about 500 calories

This was about 500 calories

I decided not to make zucchini bread today, with temps in the 80′s, I didn’t want to have the oven on in the afternoon.  But, I decided to make a new soup!  My inspiration came from my local newspaper:

Creamy Stilton Soup with Sauteed Pears

Creamy Stilton Soup with Sauteed Pears

Of course, I made some modifications, i.e. NO ONIONS! “:evil:”  And I reduced the amount of butter from 5 tablespoons to 1, reduced the potatoes from 2 pounds to 1.5 pounds, and then reduced the amount of cheese from 10 ounces to 8.  It calls for all blue cheese, and while I am a fan, I didn’t want to have it overshadow the whole soup, so I did 4 ounces of blue cheese and 2 ounces of the last of my gouda mustard seed cheese.  And while I think the sauteed pears are a nice touch, for soup for lunches, it didn’t make sense.

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1.5 potatoes, diced
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 4 ounces blue cheese
  • 2 ounces mustard seed gouda
  • 1/2 cup 2% milk

In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the celery and saute until softened, about  5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, stock and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer soup to blender (unless you have a stick blender like me) and puree.  Over low heat, whisk in the cheese until it melts, then whisk in the milk.  heat for another minute and salt and pepper totaste.

My version: Makes 8 cups: 182 calories, 8 fat, 17 carbs, 1.75 fiber, 8 protein. 

The result?   So good!  Look at all that goey cheese before it melted!

I decided to try the Blogger Secret Ingredient challenge from this weeks ingredient: POLENTA!  Check it out at www.rhodeygirltests.com. 

This is what I started with:

And this is my recipe (for one serving):

  • 3 ounces sliced polenta (two 1.5 ounces slices)
  • 3 ounces garlic shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  • .5 ounce pancetta
  • 2 ounces homemade marinara

Dice up 2 ounces of pancetta and pan fry to render out some of the fat.  Remove to separate plate after its browned.  Rinse out pan and pan fry slices of polenta in splash of olive oil mixed with butter flavored Pam.

When browned on both sides, remove to plate.  Heat pan to high and stir fry 3 ounces raw shrimp in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, Italian seasoning and minced garlic (and lots of cracked pepper!). 

Assembly for 1 serving:  3 ounces pan fried polenta, 3 ounces shrimp, drizzle with warmed up marinara sauce and then sprinkled with .5 ounce diced pancetta and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese:

Finished product:  262 calories, 8.3 fat, 20 carbs, 1.1 fiber, 25 protein

My daughters exact words: “I would pay $45 for an appetizer of this!”

The only thing I would do differently was to pan fry the polenta a bit more for a crispier crust, but this was SO GOOD!  Thanks to the hubby for suggesting the pancetta – it made the recipe!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Manga Pasta

Garlic Shrimp Cavatappi with Spinach and Perlini Mozzarella, Uncategorized September 26, 2008 Leave a comment

I have been craving pasta for a while, so tonight was the night.  My daughter loves any kind of pasta, but especially shaped pasta, i.e. Cavatappi which is what we had tonight.  Sadly, she does not like marinara sauce, but uses butter and garlic on hers.  I added about 2 tablespoons of fat free half and half to my sauce which made it REALLY creamy! :D   Everything prepped while water was boiling:

I found fresh perlini mozzarella - loved it!

I found fresh perlini mozzarella - loved it!

  • 1 ounce fresh spinach on the bottom
  • 4 ounces cooked cavatappi
  • 1 ounce perlini mozzarella
  • 4 ounces marinara
  • 2 tablespoons fat free half and half
  • 3 ounces shrimp (cooked in cast iron skillet – yum!)
432 calories, 9 fat, 51 carbs, 3.4 fiber, 36 protein

432 calories, 9 fat, 51 carbs, 3.4 fiber, 36 protein

I was bummed that the cheese store did not have goat cheese, and all the cheeses they had were undescriptive and tightly wrapped.  One said “fresh cows milk cheese.”  While I think I would like any cheese, these were expensive.  They started at $10 for 8 ounces all the way up to $22.50 for a 4 ounce piece of blue cheese!  I wished they would have had samples, but as I wandered through their 50 square foot “shop” I realized that it does a lot of catering and offers cooking classes.  May have to check that out!

But the salami was SO GOOD!  So flavorful and not spicy.  It has a “skin” on it.  And this was expensive, but really worth it.  It was about 14 ounces for $14.75.  I considered dicing a couple slices to put on top of my pasta, but decided not to.

You know how you wait for something and then your like, what was I waiting for?  That’s kind of what I felt like with the Office tonight.  It was good, but I guess after watching reruns all summer, I expected more?

STATS:

  • 1417 calories
  • 30 fat
  • 162 carbs
  • 18 fiber
  • 98 protein

EXERCISE:  10 minute dog walk (that’s it!)

BLOOD SUGARS: Normal!

Shrimp and crab

Mini Crab Cakes for One, Uncategorized September 23, 2008 Comments: 3

We had leftover crab from our fondue fest.  I ended up making Maryland style crab cakes.  I had to adjust the recipe to the amount of crab I had left.

  • 5 ounces crabmeat
  • 1 ounce bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon light mayo
  • dash Old Bay Seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • dash of worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix together eggs, mayo, Old Bay, pepper, worcestershire sauce, and mustard until creamy. 

Add bread crumbs, mix evenly.  Shape into cakes (I got three).  Saute in pan with a hint of vegetable oil and Pam, about 5 minutes each side.

pan fried in butter flavored Pam

pan fried in butter flavored Pam

Then I found this product at the store – it was on sale for $2.00 and the whole thing is only 90 calories.  It ususally sells for $4.00, which I don’t think it is worth that, but I’ll check the sale papers for it.  I added hot sauce to the broth to kick it up a notch.

90 calories, 2.5 fat, 10 carbs, 1 fiber, 7 protein

Whole container: 90 calories, 2.5 fat, 10 carbs, 1 fiber, 7 protein

All together:

545 calories, 23 fat, 42 carbs, 7 fiber, 41 protein

545 calories, 23 fat, 42 carbs, 7 fiber, 41 protein

By the time I got down to my office gym, I realized that I forgot my cheat sheet for my circuit training.  So I ended up doing 40 minutes walk/run.  Three weeks away from the 5K!

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