Bang Bang Shrimp

With a name like Bang Bang Shrimp, how could you go wrong? You can't! This shrimp is rich and creamy with just the right amount of spice. It's so simple to make. Just add a veggie and some brown rice and supper is on the table in a half hour. 

1 lb bag of thawed baby shrimp

3/4 cup Paleo mayo *recipe below*

3-4 tbsp of hot sauce

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp olive oil

Garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Season shrimp with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix mayo, hot sauce and red pepper together and add seasoned shrimp to the mixture. Mix well and cook over medium heat until the shrimp is hot. 

Paleo Mayo:

1 egg yolk 

1 tsp dry mustard 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1 tsp sea salt 

1 cup olive oil   

Beat egg yolk in a bowl. Add dry mustard, apple cider vinegar & sea salt & mix together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while stirring continuously.  Makes about 1 cup of mayo that rivals the taste of Helmann's! 

If all else fails you can use regular mayo but this just makes it a tad bit healthier. Feel free to experiment with the levels of hot sauce that you use as I know everyone's taste buds are different. Enjoy! 

Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Quinoa

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It's a heavier meal best suited for fall but I'm quick to sneak it into a summer menu when possible. It's also made almost solely in the crockpot. *Distant Applause*

Here goes...

4-6 frozen chicken tenders

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can cream of chicken

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

2 cups broccoli

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

Put everything except the sour cream and broccoli into a crockpot and cook on  low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred the chicken. On the stovetop bring the broccoli to a boil and cook until fork tender. Bring 1 cup washed quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates. Stir in broccoli, quinoa and sour cream and let the flavors cook together for about 30 more minutes. 

That's it. You're all done. Serve with dinner rolls or sides of your choice and enjoy! 

Banana Oat Pancakes

If I told you that pancakes could be guilt free, would you believe me? They're so guilt free in fact, that you can even sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and wouldn't even have to adjust your belt notch. Behold this beauty...

I was never a fan of regular pancakes, but on my healthy eating quest, egg whites and turkey bacon could only suffice for so long. One bite is all it took to find these on my breakfast plate 4-5 days a week! Don't like bananas and/or oatmeal? The banana taste is so subtle that a good coating of butter and syrup drowns it out and you'll never even know that there's oatmeal in it. Now, this is a simple process, barely requiring more effort than a regular pancake. 

1/2 banana

1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 cup dry oatmeal 

Blend all 3 ingredients together. (I use a Ninja food processor but a regular blender would do the trick.) Pour the mixture into a well-greased skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides. This method makes 1 normal sized pancake. Double, triple or quadruple the above recipe to meet your needs. This passed the taste test of a 1 year old with flying colors. My husband doesn't like pancakes but I made him try a bite and he said it was very good and unfortunately my 7 year old won't touch them because I made the mistake of making him a double chocolate chocolate chip pancake and he's had tunnel vision ever since. Feel free to adorn with fruit or toppings of your choice and enjoy! 

Italian Meatballs

I'm a fan of convenience, as I'm sure most of you are as well. I'm also a fan of my crockpot. If something can be made in the crockpot, that will be the method of cooking that I use. Thursdays in the late summer/fall mean soccer practice in our household, so tonight I decided we would have meatball subs to fill the small void between school letting out and soccer practice beginning. This is an embarrassingly easy "recipe" but here goes...

1 package of frozen Italian meatballs

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used garlic and Parmesan)

Garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste 

Mix everything together in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve on hoagie buns with melted provolone or over pasta. So simple and so delicious. I love it when an easy recipe comes together to taste as if I've really put a lot of effort into it. All 3 members of the male species in my household, including one very picky one, were satisfied. Enjoy!