Is This Good Bye?

After 10 years, I'm thinking that I'm finally through with this blog. I've been blogging over at Tumblr for a couple weeks and really enjoy the micro blogging aspect.  I think I'll leave this blog "alive" for the rest of this month in order and then put it to sleep for good. So if you still follow me and would like to see what I'm up to just look for me at Tumblr, or even Google+. I'll still be somewhere on the internets.

Also, one last note, I've decided to go with a new income earning opportunity. No startup fees or autoship required (but in all honesty, autoship is recommended). No pushy sales, you are promoting  a healthy lifestyle. You can earn free products, a free ipad mini, $800 monthly car bonus. I know it may sound too good to be true, but as with any business you get out of what you put into it. The possibilities are there, you just have to try. Just click on the pic below to watch a short video to learn more about the company then sign  up as a customer or promoter if you desire.

Shrimp Alfredo with Zoodles

I'm playing around more and more for ideas for cooking for one or two. I need meals that I can throw together  for a healthy lunch for me and sometimes when I'm cooking at work I only have one or two people to cook for. Also, my kids are all teenagers and will start leaving the nest in the next few years. I don't want to be one of those people who forget how to cook once they have less people to cook for. 

This is a dish I threw together one day a couple weeks ago. I went to the store to pick something up and decided to pick up something for my lunch as well. I wanted fish or seafood so I grabbed shrimp. I wanted creamy, so an alfredo or white sauce sounded great. I wanted healthy and the Hubby had gotten me a Vegetti (a handheld vegetable spiralizing tool) for Christmas and so I thought zucchini noodles. Finally I grabbed  a cheese stick, because I wanted to keep this dish cheap and still healthy. It came in at less than three dollars a serving. I think this could easily feed two people, especially if you added a small side salad. 

Ingredients: 

1 small zucchini

 4 oz shrimp

 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 1/2 cup 2% milk

 2 tsp olive oil

 1/4 tsp chicken base (like Better Than Bullion) 

 1/4 cup water

 1/4 tsp garlic salt

 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 cheese stick or about 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese.

Directions:

1. Using a spiralizer or julienne plate on mandolin, slice zucchini into noodles. 

2. Heat olive oil in small non stick pan and cook shrimp till done. Remove from pan.

3. Make Alfredo sauce. Mix a bit (just a couple tablespoons) with cornstarch and let set aside. Heat the rest of the milk, chicken base, and water in same pan until it begins to simmer, add cornstarch mix and stir well. Add cheese (pull apart the cheese stick if using) and stir until it's all melted and thickens. 

4. Add zoodles, seasons, and shrimp and toss till warm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 307, Total Fat 14.0g, Saturated Fat 3.5g, Cholesterol 249mg, Sodium 708mg, Potassium 580mg, Total Carbohydrates 14.6g, Dietary Fiber 1.4g, Sugars 7.7g, Protein 31.4g, Vitamin A 12% • Vitamin C 34% Calcium 27% • Iron 4%

Spicy Kale, Red Cabbage and Andouille Stir Fry

Hello Dear Readers, I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are sticking with their 2015 goals so far. Sorry I've been MIA for a while, just been busy with life I guess.

So today I'm sharing with ya'll this yummy stir fry I made at work last night. It was kind of a thrown together deal that turned out lovely. It has a bit of a Cajun feel to it and a nice bit of heat that warmed your mouth without making your eyes and nose run. I only work Monday through Thursday, and since I do not like letting veggies sit in the fridge over the weekend I try to use up everything I purchased by Thursday. So I had some unused kale and red cabbage. I figured I could cook the two together and then thought hey a stir fry sounds good. Well I had watched a cooking show on t.v. last week where the cook prepared run up turnips and used a smoked sausage. So I decided a stir fry with andouille would be great. So this recipe was born.

Like I am known to do, I didn't measure my spices and so the measurements are near guesses. You can always add more or less of each spice to satisfy your taste buds.

Spicy Kale, Red Cabbage and Andouille Stir Fry
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Kale, stems removed and leaves sliced thin
1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced thin
12oz of andouille sausage ( I used Aidell's), sliced
3 ribs of celery, peeled and julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 jalepeno, diced with seeds and ribs removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 tsp dry mustard
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup beef broth or 3/4 cup water with a generous teaspoon of beef base
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directons:

1.  After you've gathered, chopped, grated, all of your ingredients...heat oil in large skillet. Add carrot, celery and jalapeno. Cook over medium-high heat until veggies are tender, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add sausage and cook until it just begins to brown.
3. Add kale, cabbage, ginger, spices and salt & pepper. Stir until well mixed and kale just begins to wilt.
4. Add vinegar and beef broth. Stir well (in this step it's more of a steamed dish instead of stir fry, but I wanted to make sure the veggies were tender) cover and reduce to medium heat. Cook 5-10 minutes until cabbage is soft but kale still has some structure. We want soft not mush.
5. Serve as is or over rice, noodles or whatever you like. You could also add 2 tablespoons of corn starch to a bit of cold water, stir till smooth, and add to the liquid from the stir fry. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute until thick. This would give you a yummy sauce to go with your stir fry.

Nutrition Data (from caloriecount.about.com)

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 197, Total Fat 21.9g, Saturated Fat 8.9g, Trans Fat 0.0g, Cholesterol 39mg, Sodium 1013mg, Potassium 827mg, Total Carbohydrates 18.0g, Dietary Fiber 4.1g, Sugars 4.4g, Protein 17.4g, Vitamin A 224% • Vitamin C 161%, Calcium 14% •Iron 16%