Sunday, August 7, 2016

Fast Fixins - Shrimp Stir Fry

Happy Sunday!  I hope y'all are enjoying this last day of the weekend.  By this point, the Sunday blues are probably setting in as you get ready for Monday morning.  I know that's especially true for my teacher friends who are heading back to work tomorrow.  This summer FLEW by!  I am praying over all of you and the sweet kiddos that will soon walk through your doors.  I know the Lord has placed them all in your care for a reason.

We had a great morning at church.  We had bagels with the seniors that we teach as we enjoyed our last Sunday school class together before they head off to college, then we heard a good word from Dr. Ben McCarty.  He preached on God's mercy in the middle of our mess.  It was a humbling sermon and a reminder that we all have messes in our lives - some of us bare our messes for the world to see and others have internal messes that we try to mask and hide. If I'm being totally transparent, the latter would be me.  I don't mean to do this.  It's more of a "I don't want people to think I'm a negative person" issue.  I definitely don't have it all together.  Some days it feels like it's hanging by a thread.  BUT The Lord sees, hears, and opens the way for us. He wants us to come to Him so that He can help us deal with our messes.  Praise Jesus!  I need all the help I can get!

With a busy week looming over us, I thought I'd share my first "Fast Fixin" (here in the South, fixing has numerous meanings).

This recipe is so delicious, healthy, and QUICK!  From start to finish it takes about 20 minutes.  Here's what you'll need:

Shrimp Stir Fry (feeds 2-3 people)
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman)


Ingredients:
-1 to 2 lb shrimp frozen or fresh (I buy mine peeled and deveined then quickly remove the tails.  If you buy frozen, make sure you allow about 5 minutes for them to thaw)
-3 fresh zucchini, cut into wedges
-2 cups grape tomatoes, chopped
-1 cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned - just drain canned)
-2 cloves garlic
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-fresh basil
-salt & pepper to taste
**Disclaimer: I honestly don't measure when I cook.  So, these are my estimates based on what I used.  Feel free to use more or less!

Directions:
Mince and saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan.  Add shrimp and cook until opaque.  It's usually about 5 minutes.  Remove shrimp and set aside.  Add a bit more olive oil to the pan and saute your zucchini and corn over med/high heat for about 5 minutes and then add in tomatoes, stirring to combine for about 2-3 minutes.  Add the shrimp back to the sauteed veggies and season with basil, salt, and pepper.

 

This is seriously so easy.  And so healthy.  Shrimp is an excellent source of lean protein and you're getting a good mixture of complex carbohydrates from the vegetables.  I serve this just as it is.  If you want, you can always serve it over rice, but it's honestly not needed.  I hope you enjoy!


Friday, August 5, 2016

I'm Baaaaack!

Y'all...it's been quite awhile!  I think my last post was December of 2013.
So much life has happened!
I got a chuckle reading my "About Me" section.  "I'm a twenty something year old..." Ha!  Not anymore!  I need to make some updates.  That one made me laugh, but then the "Featured On" made me sad.  I can't bring myself to take that off.  I miss reading my sweet blogging friend, Leslie's posts.  She went to be with Jesus a year ago.

Where do I even begin?  I will have to go back and blog all about our infertility struggles and ultimately success because J and I are now proud parents to our precious miracle girl!
 Newborn photo courtesy of Patsy Brown

Those big blue eyes melt our hearts.  She brings so much JOY to our lives and she's a constant reminder of God's goodness.  He hears our prayers!  I could never thank Him enough, but I will always try.

So, since I'm a new momma, time is of the essence...meaning, I don't have a whole lot of it.  I'm going to try to blog a couple of times a week.  I thought about bringing back Meal Plan Monday to help motivate folks to try new foods and meal plan too.  I will also try to do a weekly recipe post that I'm going to call "Fast Fixins".  It'll be a healthy recipe that takes 30 minutes or less.  Sound good?  Of course I'll have to post about our precious Emmy girl as well!  I'm excited to start back to blogging.  Here's to my 30s and the adventures life holds!

Image result for psalm 116:2