Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Creamy Avocado Fettuccine with Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes



The finished product - YUM

What You'll Need:


(click for larger image)




First - start out with layering several Campari tomatoes (I got a carton at the grocery store) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
(don't they look like polka dots?)


Quarter the tomatoes and cover with just enough olive oil to coat them lightly


Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour to an hour and a half (depending on how dried you want the tomatoes) 

~

While the tomatoes are baking, in a food processor add avocado (peeled, seeded, and halved), 2 tbsp. olive oil, dash of salt, juice from one lemon, and 2 peeled cloves of garlic. Pulse until mixture is smooth and creamy (taste and add in more lemon/garlic/salt as desired)

In a large pot, bring 4-5 quarts of water to a boil (add a splash of olive oil and a dash of salt); once water is boiling, add in fettuccine noodles and cook for 9-11 minutes, until desired tenderness is reached.

In strainer add in frozen cooked shrimp; when fettuccine is done, strain over shrimp (to thaw)

~


To finish - combine all ingredients back in the pasta pot (shrimp and pasta, tomatoes from the oven, and avocado cream)

Serve warm and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper. 

Cheers!

-Em


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Emily's Juicing Journey, Day 4

You know...I thought it'd get easier as I went along...but it doesn't.

Last night I had Community Group and Hope made (FROM SCRATCH) chicken pot pie (with a Gordon Ramsey recipe for the crust) and a cobbler...I got there early for discipleship and got to watch her make it all...with my stomach gurgling the entire time. I have a bottle of juice that I brought with me in the fridge. Do I stay true to the plan? Do I give in a little? Is one bite really gonna hurt all that much??

I sat through the entire meal watching all 9 other women eat this delicious food while sipping my juice. And...I'm going to admit it - I finally couldn't take it anymore. I caved. And I had 2 bites of chicken pot pie. Everyone asked why I was juicing, what was the reason, what my plan was...and you know, unlike some of my other friends who have had negative responses when I said I'm still eating lunch (and not juicing 24/7) these women were really supportive of me and saying 'you know what? it's ok that you had 2 bites of pot pie.' I didn't eat any cobbler, though it was offered - NO SUGAR!

I still feel like I've failed, to a degree. I've always struggled when it comes to food - portion control, eating the right things, eating out of boredom vs. eating out of hunger...and it feels like I caved last night. But you know what? I woke up this morning and went on a run. I came home and I juiced my breakfast (some variation of the fruit/veggie medley I've been using), brought in juice for lunch, and have my lunch in the fridge. Here's what I'm eating for lunch:


Smoked Salmon, Whole Grain, Seeded Bread, Sharp Cheddar, Olives, Mustard
(protein, grain, dairy, sodium)


Spinach, Kale, Celery, Apple, Kiwi, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Lime, Ginger

Throughout this process, I'm not only going to work on eating better/getting healthier, but try to also work on my relationship with food. Any suggestions?

Cheers,

-Em

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Emily's Juicing Journey, Day 3

Ahhhhhhhhhh - feeling so much better!

I went to my first pole dancing class in MONTHS last night - I forgot how much hard work it is! I stretched muscles I'd forgotten I had...then I went to Trader Joe's to pick up some more produce and other essentials and walked back home (1.5 miles!)...then I woke up this morning and went on a nice jog annnnnnnnnnd....I did sprints and suicides! Haven't done those since soccer training in...high school...yeesh :)

I made an excellent juice for breakfast:


Apple, grapefruit, rhubarb, strawberry, carrot, tomato, radish, nectarine, spinach, ginger, lime
(sounds like a crazy combo and doesn't look amazing, but it's delish)

I also grabbed food for my light lunches (for me, still eating something for this first go-round is essential). For lunch this week I'm having:

  • More juice (leftover from whatever I make in the morning)
  • 2 oz smoked salmon (I *finally* found one I like that's not too fishy)
  • 1 oz sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 slices whole wheat/seeded bread
  • Olives
  • Mustard
After work I'll run home and make a more veggie-based juice before church group. WAHOO!!!!!

Cheers,

-Em


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Emily's Juicing Journey, Day 2

So....I went back and forth in my head for a good 24 hours - do I stick to the original plan I outlined:


  • 14 Day Detox
  • Two fresh juices a day (one in the morning, one in the evening)
  • Fresh veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains for my mid-day meal
  • No sweets

Versus complete and utter 24/7 JUICE. I made it a full 24 hours on just juice...and then I realized that come on - this is ME we're talking about here. Emily? Emily who LOVES food and LOVES to cook and LOVES to eat surviving for 2 full weeks on nothing but juice??? Without biting anyone's head off??? 

No no, I think that's a bit too ambitious. I've got to stop setting unrealistic goals for myself and just assess where I'm at and what I can feasibly handle. So today, I had juice for breakfast (apple, nectarine, rhubarb,  grapefruit, ginger, celery, strawberries) which was really tasty, and I made juice for lunch...I don't know what I was thinking with the lunch one - it was AWFUL. Cabbage, celery, radishes, carrots, tomato, apple, broccoli. No no no no no...never again. And then I had the bright idea to add in protein powder. Nope - way worse. I drank about 14 oz of that before I couldn't anymore and then went to Clover and got an Egg & Eggplant - Pita, hummus (tahini, lemon juice, garlic, chickpeas, tiny bit of baking soda, salt), eggplant, cucumber tomato salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, salt, lemon juice, spices), hard boiled Chip In Farm egg, tahini (tahini, lemon juice, salt, water). Calories 418 kcal, Carbohydrates 43 g, Fat 19 g, Protein 17 g, Fiber 11 g, Cholesterol 212 mg. I think I can handle that :)

So lessons learned: 
  • For the sanity of Emily and all who surround her, she needs to eat at least a little bit every day
  • Don't make juice completely of veg (cause it's probably pretty gross)
  • Don't add protein powder to juice
  • Don't set unrealistic goals or judge yourself too harshly when you have to modify the plan 

(Today's breakfast)

Cheers,

Em

Monday, May 6, 2013

Emily's Juicing Journey, Day 1

It has arrived!!!! And so....my journey begins - 2 weeks of JUICING!!! I couldn't wait to get started, so even though I had originally planned to have a 'last meal' I went ahead and made my first batch of juice for dinner...


It's like Christmas!


I went and bought out the produce section of Shaw's...


Gotta wash all the veggies


Look at it go! This thing is *awesome* - I got so much juice and the pulp was really dry


Nom nom nom


Welcome to my meals for the next 2 weeks...


Not sure how I feel about this...


That's not half bad!


Grocery bill for the week (at least, I think everything should last me a week) - I saved $15 and it cost me less than $60 for everything

I'm excited to see how this goes....

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Emily's Juicing Journey, Part 1

Ok folks...I'm doing it! I finally bit the bullet and bought a juicer. Now that I've done the research and invested the money, I'm just waiting (impatiently) for my beautiful Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain 700-Watt Juice Extractor to arrive...


(*not my image*)

My mom has been on to me for years to eat more fruits and veggies, and (more specifically) to eat less meat, and when I do eat meat, make sure it's free range/grass fed/organic/straight-off-the-farm. It's always been something at the back of my brain (and I always try to incorporate fresh fruits/veggies into my cooking), but not something I made a priority. Over the course of the year, I've started watching more documentaries, reading more articles and books, and talking to more people about plant-based diets/juicing. Here are some of the resources I'm talking about:
Now, I'm not saying I could EVER completely give up meat and dairy, but I will fully own up to the fact that I eat too much of these things and not enough produce. Lately I've been feeling really tired, sleepy, and lethargic...so you know what? I'm gonna try something new - something other than just my normal bursts of health and fitness, where I"ll exercise a bit more, eat a bit better, but ultimately fall off the bandwagon. 

I'm going to go on a veggie cleanse. Not a full-on juice cleanse (because we ALL know how grumpy Emily gets without some sort of food in her system), but something that's radically different enough from the norm to shock my system. So once my juicer arrives, I'm committing to the following:
  • 14 Day Detox
  • Two fresh juices a day (one in the morning, one in the evening)
  • Fresh veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains for my mid-day meal
  • No sweets
For any experience juicers out there - any tips? Recipes? Advice? I'm really excited to get going!