Squats, squats & more squats. Oh, and Shrimp Scampi

Good morning!

Yesterday was a physically tiring day for me yesterday. Between all those wall ball shots at CrossFit and all the squats I did at physical therapy, I was wiped out! I’m pretty sure I did more than 300 squats yesterday.

Physical therapy has been going pretty well. I’ve been working hard and I’m hoping to be back out on the road soon. I think I might actually try running today! Woot! *fingers crossed* I feel like I’m ready to try it but I’m also a little nervous. The last thing I want to do is try it and not be ready so, of course, I’m going to defer to Ken (my PT). I’ll let you know what happens!

I’m meeting some friends after work for dinner so I decided to go to CrossFit this morning instead of riding my spin bike and hitting CrossFit tomorrow. I’m not sure what time I’ll get home and, since I turn into a pumpkin at 8:30 on most nights, I didn’t want to try and get up at 3:30 tomorrow morning and make it to the box. I need my beauty sleep! 🙂

CrossFit this morning was …. MORE SQUATS! And, some other stuff. No, I didn’t run the warm-up – I rowed 1600m instead. I really gotta get one of those!

I was pretty stoked with my work this morning! I only scaled the C2B (chest to bar, aka pull-ups and scaled means I used bands) – the rest I did Rx. That means I did 30 shoulder-to-overhead (S2O) with 65#!! That’s a PR for me! I broke them up into 6 sets of 5 to get them done. It took me a little extra time but made them more manageable. I was working really hard to lock my arms out on reps 4 and 5. But, I got them done! Finished the whole thing in 13:19. Yes! 🙂

I was a hot mess when I finished, though.

Dinner!

I love shrimp scampi. I love Italian food. Hell, I just love food in general! Except for Brussels sprouts. I’m not even in like with those.

Anyway, scampi is more a style of cooking and if you order it in a restaurant, that style is “drowned in butter.” Delicious? Oh, definitely! Healthy? Um, not so much. So, when I came across this light version of scampi, I knew I had to make it!

Using heart-healthy olive oil instead of butter, this dish is one of my new favorites. Seasoned with garlic and crushed red pepper, this dish is so good you’ll never even notice the butter and excess fat are gone – but your waistline will! Win! And, per serving, making this at home will save you money, too. Double win! Win win! Om nom nom!

What’s your favorite Italian dish on the menu?
As a runner, I’m pretty partial to plain old spaghetti with marinara sauce.

What’s your “go-to” Italian dish that you make at home?

Shrimp Scampi

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes
1 small red onion, sliced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Zest and juice from one lemon

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is light brown, about 30 seconds. (Careful! Garlic burns and turns bitter easily.) Add the onion and continue cooking until it is translucent.

2. Season the shrimp with a pinch of salt and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occassionally, until the shrimp are pink and lightly caramelized. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve as is or on top of a small portion of buttered linguine, quinoa, or couscous.

Per serving (nutrition content does not include pasta, quinoa, or couscous):
Calories 170; Fat 6g (saturated 1g); Sodium 470mg

Recipe from Cook This, Not That!

– jennifer

Fiesta 10k and Crockpot Jambalaya

Race day! Thank goodness the rain left before the race started but it left behind cooler temps. It was downright chilly and a little windy! Brrr! But, really, perfect weather for a race.

My first 10k race since high school. No, really! Obviously, anything I did was going to be a PR. But, I was actually a little surprised to do this:

Finished 2nd in my age group!! Woot!!

Here’s a little song to get you in the mood for dinner. 🙂

I love jambalaya. Such a perfect dish! Kind of spicy (depending on your tastes) and definitely delicious. This recipe calls for the rice to cook all day which kind of makes the rice break down and gives the dish a slightly mushiet look but doesn’t affect the taste at all. If you don’t prefer that, you can certainly add the rice with the shrimp (which I left out – still delicious). Or, cook it separately and serve the jambalaya over it; if you do this, make sure you adjust the liquid in your crockpot … unless you want jambalaya soup. It’s a free country – eat jambalaya soup if you want. Either way, eat! You’re hungry. 🙂

Crockpot Jambalaya

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 pound cooked andouille sausage, sliced*
2 cups boiled ham, diced
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley
1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 whole cloves
1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cleaned

*or substitute 1 pound cooked smoked sausage or kielbasa

1. Place all ingredients except shrimp in crockpot. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.

2. 30 minutes before serving, turn crockpot to HIGH. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are done. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

3. Put it in a bowl. Om nom nom!

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew

By now, everyone is probably REALLY tired of eating Thanksgiving leftovers….except for pumpkin pie, of course. Who would get tired of eating pumpkin pie? Definitely not this girl! 🙂

Anyway, everyone’s tired of leftovers, tired from all that crazy Black Friday shopping, and just plain tired. So, why not give your family and yourself a break with this easy, quick, and light stew that’s just perfect for a chilly weeknight meal? You probably have most everything in your pantry already…and your family will definitely thank you. Besides, a meal this quick allows you more time to stock up on all those Cyber Monday deals. 🙂 Now, that’s a win win situation in my book!

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, September 2009

2 teaspoons Olive oil
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup thinly sliced turkey smoked sausage (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (such as Rotel)
8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bell peppers, sausage, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over rice or with crusty bread and pass the hot sauce!