Tag: protein

dinner, easy, quick, shrimp

Simple Lemon Pasta With Shrimp

Ivy

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Sometimes you just want a super simple dinner, no frills, nothing crazy, just some delicious eats. While I love meal planning most of the time, there is a wonderful freedom about looking in your fridge and pantry and throwing together something with what you have already. In my case it led to this really simple pasta that we loved!

We’ve previously established a shrimp passion in our house and it had been a while since I pulled these babies out of the freezer. Not only are they super delish but they are also a powerhouse of awesome stuff you need! They are super low in calories, high in protein and a great source of iron and omegas, who doesn’t want that?

I love the bite of the arugula in this dish works really well with the lemon and shrimp, its light, refreshing and filling without weighing you down.This comes together super quick so if you’re feeling extra lazy or running late, it’s the perfect dish.

Simple Lemon Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Arugula

Prep Time : 5 minutes | Cook time : 15 minutes | Serves 2

Ingredients : 

4 oz whole wheat spaghetti

20 large shrimp (we like to use a lot)

2 lemons

15 grape tomatoes

1 large handful or arugula

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Lemon pepper

Instructions : 

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1. To assemble lemon sauce, squeeze juice of lemons into a mason jar or bowl.Zest one lemon and add with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Shake or stir to combine, taste and set aside.

2. Use 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss with shrimp, add salt and lemon pepper to taste. Set aside.

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3. Bring water to boil on stove, salt the water, add pasta and cook to al dente.

4. While pasta is cooking, halve your tomatoes and set aside with arugula.

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5. When pasta is done, drain pasta and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and add back to pasta.  Heat skillet with remaining olive oil and add shrimp to cook on medium high until pink, approximately 4-5 minutes.

6. When shrimp are done cooking, add to cooked pasta. Throw in your chopped tomatoes, a big handful of arugula and pour in your lemon olive oil sauce. Toss all ingredients to combine and enjoy! I threw some lemon zest on top to make it extra lemony and it was great.

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This was so good we went back for seconds but it was even better the next day for leftovers. Eat up!

recipe, snacks

Powerhouse Protein Bars

Ivy

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I’m not really a fan of super processed foods. A couple years back my friend and I decided to learn how to better make pie and we decided to dedicate a year to pie making, one a month.  It was super fun to get together each month and try new things and obviously eating pie together wasn’t so bad either.

After that we started making all sorts of stuff from scratch and working on perfecting our skills at making everything from cheese to lip balm. What I realized is that just about everything out there from body scrubs to protein bars can really be made from scratch. Sure, some are more intimidating than others and take more time, but really, there are very few things you can’t handle yourself. And the best part-you get to control what goes into it and make it exactly what you want, what’s better than that?

Since I don’t eat meat, and do a lot of running I have to find new ways to get enough protein to keep my muscles happy. The other night while puttering around in the kitchen, I started pulling out things I thought would work together and these protein bars were born. For a first iteration I have to say I’m really happy with them and hope you will be too. These bars are rich and chocolaty with no refined sugar, they give you energy and keep you full. What you get are gluten free vegan bars with a great mix of healthy fat, omegas, antioxidants and balanced protein, all with no crazy weird ingredients! Yay!

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Dame’s Powerhouse Protein Bars

Total Time : 15 minutes | Servings : 12 bars

Ingredients :

1 cup dry quinoa

1 cup oats

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 tablespoons flax meal

1 cup peanut butter (can also use almond)

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup rice protein (can omit)

4 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Instructions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread rinsed and dried quinoa and oats on baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes to toast grains.

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2. When grains come out of oven, in a saucepan over medium low heat combine peanut butter, cocoa powder, protein powder, coconut oil and honey if you use it.

3. Pour dry oats and quinoa in bowl and add chia seeds and flax meal. When liquid mixture is combined pour on top of dry ingredients and combine.

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4. Pour mixture into a lined 8X8 pan and put into fridge to firm up. I have to admit I was tasting these before they were done 🙂

5. After about 30 minutes remove from fridge and slice into bars.

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Give these a try, they are fantastic and super easy to pull together.  I kept these in the fridge but they are great to grab in the morning and take to work or keep in your gym bag to refuel after a hard run with.

Enjoy!