One Pot Shrimp and Veggie Pasta in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce

Being that it's summer and all, I wanted to make shrimp skewers on the grill for dinner tonight.  However, my plans were rudely interrupted by a lack of propane.  Then I thought, I guess shrimp scampi it is!  But to my dismay, we had no butter. And anyone who's made shrimp scampi before knows butter is the holy grail of scampi.  Well dang!  What the heck am I gonna make with all this defrosted shrimp?! Ah- ha! I have heavy cream and parmesan cheese. I suppose I could make a creamy cheese sauce of sorts.  I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I was hoping in 15 minutes I'd have something edible.  Otherwise, it was gonna be a Domino's kinda night.

I'd heard of making these one pot pasta dishes, but really wasn't sure about the idea.  But, I figured if I was gonna pull something out of my magic hat, I might as well go all the way.  So I stumbled through my freezer and crisper and came across some frozen green beans, frozen onion bell pepper mixed veggies, and fresh mushrooms.  Hmmm... How bad could it be, right?! 

I used my dutch oven on the stove and filled it with about 3- 3 1/2 cups of water. I chopped my mushrooms (half the package), poured in my frozen veggies (half of each bag), and tossed in my whole wheat pasta (about a third of the package). 

I searched through my spice cabinet and finally came across a small container of tyme.  This should work.  I didn't measure, but would estimate I used about 1 tsp of dried tyme.  It still needs something else, but what?... I know!  Scampi always uses a lot of garlic!  I added about 4 tsp of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste and then turned on the heat to high.  I stirred it all together and let it reach a boil.  Then turned the heat to medium and let it all simmer for about 8-10mins, watching to make sure I didn't let all of the water evaporate.  

Bringing to a boil.

Once my pasta noodles were cooked, I tossed in my cooked and defrosted shrimp.  I mixed them up and allowed them to gently heat on the stove for only about a minute. Once they were heated through, I turned off the heat and made my sauce.

Heating my shrimp.

I poured in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and added 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese.  (I'm sure freshly grated would have been best, but I used the canned stuff I had on hand.) I mixed the cream and cheese well and was sure everything was coated nicely.  Then, I let it sit for about 3-5mins to allow the sauce to thicken. 

Allowing my sauce to thicken.

Finally, I scooped a nice helping onto my plate, sprinkled with more parmesan and garnished with a touch of parsley. I took my first bite, and O. M. G. that was good!!  Seriously?!  How in the world did I come up with this?!! I can't wait for my fiance to get home from softball and give it a try!  I even packed him and his buddy at work a serving.  His buddy Dave has gotten quite used to me packing them lunches.  Every few days, he asks what new meal they'll be getting this time.  Typically I stick to my tried and true weekly recipes, but I really enjoy getting creative and thinking out of the box from time to time.  It doesn't always work out, but when it does... it's a beautiful day in the clean life.

Isn't it purdy? 

Can you smell it? 

One Pot Shrimp and Veggie Pasta in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins


Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 lb Spaghetti

1 lb Mushrooms
1/2 bag Frozen Green Beans
1/2 bag Frozen Fire Roasted Onions and Bell Pepper Mixture (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
4 tsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Tyme
Salt to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste
1/2 lb Cooked Shrimp
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Parmesan, Grated

Directions:

In a stock pot or Dutch Oven add water, spaghetti, mushrooms, frozen veggies, garlic, and spices. Heat on High and mix, bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down heat to Medium and let simmer uncovered for about 8-10mins.

You don't want all of your water to evaporate, but you do want the majority of it to reduce.  Be careful not to overcook your noodles. Once noodles are cooked, turn down heat to Low and add shrimp. Mix well and allow shrimp to heat through for only about 35 sec - 1 min.

Turn off heat and stir in cream and parmesan, making sure to incorporate them well. Remove pot from heat, uncovered, and allow sauce to thicken for 3-5 mins.

Serve and garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and parsley.

Enjoy!

Meet the Smiths

Welcome to my blog!  This is my first blog post and I thought I would start by introducing myself and what's going on in our busy house.

My name is Jennifer and I am happily engaged to my amazing fiance, Adam. We have a dog named Ruger and two cats, Jasmine and Roxy.

This is Adam, Ruger and I at our engagement photo shoot. Ruger was less than cooperative, but we did manage to get one or two decent shots with him. 

I have been battling Crohn's Disease since 2008 and am happy to say it has led me to a much healthier and happier lifestyle.  Crohn's is a digestive disease that affects the intestinal tract.  It has really forced me to watch what I eat and how I treat my body. Although it has been a long road for me to get to this point, I'm truly thankful for all it has taught me.  

I was prepped and ready for surgery. 

When I was first diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, back in 2009, I was extremely unhealthy.  I was a smoker, an occasional drinker, was anti-physical activity, severely overweight, and had a diet that would make a diabetic drop to the floor. After my diagnosis, I changed the obvious vices in my life. I quit smoking and drinking, but I really wasn't willing to change my eating habits.  I figured I should be able to live a normal life while still enjoying the foods I loved.  After all, everyone else did.  Why should I be any different?  It took me two long and hard years to realize I was, in fact, different. 

It wasn't until I went on a family vacation to Greece that I learned what my body had been trying to tell me all along.  I needed to get outside and move!  I needed to eat clean and natural. My body was screaming at me!! I was terrified to go to Europe in my current state of health.  What if I got sicker?! What if I needed emergency care? I was scared, but decided not to let this disease prevent me from doing the things I wanted to do.  So, I went anyway.  It was a stressful 24 hours of travel before we arrived in Athens, Greece.  I wasn't feeling well and just wanted to get to my grandpas house and sleep off the jet lag. On our three hour drive from Athens to Koroni, we stopped at a little restaurant for dinner. Boy was I glad to see something other than airplane trays! The food was amazing and it felt good to eat unprocessed garbage.  I mentioned to my mom, "The food tastes so much better here!"  

Restaurant on the beach, where we stopped for dinner. 

My grandfather explained there are laws in Greece, and most of Europe, that prohibit the use of certain chemicals and food dyes.  Their produce was all grown naturally.  The animals raised the same way they have for centuries. Everything there was natural, and essentially, organic!  I was suddenly craving foods and flavors I had never craved before.  I was feeling better and had more energy.  I couldn't believe how well I was doing!  By the time our trip had ended and it was time to return to reality, I didn't want to leave.  I was scared I wouldn't be able to maintain this healthy eating I had discovered there.  I had lost weight, gotten color back into my face, had energy again and was mentally and emotionally back to my old self.  

I was feeling great on our flight back to the US. 

Shortly after arriving back at San Francisco Airport, I decided to grab something to eat.  It had been a long day of flights, luggage and customs.  I stopped at the cafe and got a bowl of chicken noodle soup with crackers.  I figured I'd just have something gentle.  Boy did my body not agree with the term "gentle". I was so sick!  I couldn't believe how one meal had completely changed the way I felt. At that moment, I knew I needed to make some serous changes to my lifestyle.  

The first logical step seemed to be cleaning out my fridge and pantry.  I went through everything and packed up 3 boxes of pantry goods from processed pasta meals, to Oreos, to box cakes and fried potato chips.  I took all the boxes down to our local food bank and donated them. I made a long grocery list and went to my local discount grocery market and bought everything I could find that had a USDA Organic label on it.  It didn't matter if I wanted it or needed it.  If it was organic, I bought it. It wasn't long before I started to notice a big difference in how I was feeling again.  I was so excited, I wanted to continue with my healthy lifestyle.  So, I decided to get a gym membership. 

I was lost at the gym and had no idea what I was doing.  So... I did everything!  I spent two hours a day in the gym.  Moving from equipment to equipment. It didn't take long for me to start seeing results.  However, not all of the results were positive.  I was getting bigger in certain places and boy I didn't like it! I struggled to find a happy medium between cardio and weights but I just continued to get frustrated.  It wasn't that I didn't want to workout.  I actually enjoyed my daily two hour gym sessions.  I just wasn't getting the results I wanted. So, what did I do?  The same thing most of us do.  I quit going to the gym. I slowly began to fall back into old patterns. I stopped eating organic products and started buying those processed foods again. I even started to go back to my late night fast food stops. I didn't just fall off the wagon, I plummeted! 

I started to notice my health decline again.  And before I knew what hit me, I was back in the hospital for a nice week long stay.  How did I get here?! I was doing so well! I knew it was time to get back on track, but how?  How was I ever going to keep up this lifestyle if I couldn't figure out how to make it work for me?!  That night in the hospital, I came across a friends post on Facebook. She mentioned she was now working for Beachbody and was selling their Shakeology products. I love smoothies and was having them regularly from the local Jamba Juice.  So, I thought, why not take a look.  I was amazed at this product and all it had to offer!  I couldn't believe so much nutrients could be packed into just one daily shake.  The idea that this could help me get back on track began swirling in my head.  I wasn't sold just yet though.  First, I wanted to try the product.  Right there, in my hospital bed, at 3am; I ordered a sample pack of Shakeology. I paid extra for 1 day shipping and my mom brought it in to me the following day.  I was so excited to try this stuff! Maybe this was just the answer I was looking for!  

I mixed my chocolate Shakeology packet with water in my blender ball cup. And let's just say, I was less than thrilled. It was not the flavor I had been anticipating.  Luckily for me, I had ordered the sample pack, and there were a few other flavors to try.  So, I tried the vanilla.  It was more tolerable than the chocolate, but still not something I thought I could drink on a daily basis.  Then I thought, maybe I need to blend them with fruit and make more of a smoothie.  I started looking up recipes online and came across a blog by a woman named Melinda.  She had tons of recipes and I wanted to try them all!  

I sent her an email and explained my situation.  I wanted to use the products for their nutritional value, but it needed to taste decent enough for me to drink every day.  She told me her personal favorite flavor was chocolate.  I was shocked!  I thought that was the worst one I'd tried so far!  She explained she made hers with banana and peanut butter.  Well... I was out!  I hate peanut butter!!  And adding banana wasn't going to make much of a difference. But, I decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, it was much better than simply mixing it with water. And I was able to drink the majority of it.  But I knew it wouldn't be a flavor I could drink on a daily basis.  I told her I loved fruit smoothies and asked what flavor she recommended to mix with frozen fruit.  She told me to try the Greenberry flavor.  

Now, the idea of drinking a green colored smoothie did not appeal to me, but I figured it was worth a shot.  So, I mixed my greenberry shakeology with frozen pineapple, a little orange juice and half a banana. WOWZA was that good!  I was so excited I ran into the living room to force my reluctant fiance to give it a taste. He finally obliged and was pleasantly surprised!  I was so excited to have finally found something I could use on a daily basis that would give me the nutrients I needed with the protein and enjoyable flavor I wanted. I immediately ordered a 24 pack!

I soon started to notice my energy levels coming back, which only made me want to eat even better. I started to research different diets.  Paleo, Clean Eating, Omni... All of them had similarities.  I decided Clean Eating was the best of each and plowed ahead. I got back into the gym and was beginning to feel like my old, healthy self again.  But I still hadn't mastered my gym technique and I wasn't losing the weight I wanted.  I was maintaining my current weight and building muscle, but that wasn't enough.  So, I contacted Melinda again.  I asked her about the Beachbody programs and what she thought might be best suited for me.  She told me to take a look at the 21 Day Fix program and asked me what I thought.  I was so impressed!  Where has this been all my life?!  An eating and workout plan that breaks everything down into portion control containers?? Why had no one thought of this before? I shared my interest with Melinda and she mentioned she runs bi-monthly Challenge Groups. I had never heard of a challenge group before.  She told me her challenge groups run on Facebook and are created to keep her clients motivated and held accountable to their fitness plans. She just so happened to be starting her next 21 Day Fix Challenge Group the following week.  

I was very interested, but wasn't sure if I was ready to join something that would require a commitment. Even if it was just 21 days.  I spent the next three days thinking about the program.  I must have watched the video a dozen times!  I finally decided it was in my best interest to just jump in and see what this challenge was all about and boy am I glad I did! I lost 3 pounds within the first week!  Now, I had my good days and bad days.  There were plenty of slip ups, and stumbles along the way.  But I was feeling great!  I had lost 6 pounds just in time for our engagement photo shoot!  

Another shot from our engagement photo shoot.

I was so excited about how good I was feeling and how well I was doing, I decided to contact Melinda again.  This time, I wanted to know how I could be a Beachbody coach.  As soon as I got off the phone with her, I was online and signing up to become a coach myself!  I wanted to spread the word and help my friends and family to feel as good as I do!  

Not long after becoming a coach did my close friend, Yasmin, become very ill with a digestive disease.  It wasn't Crohn's, but it was similar and had her in excruciating pain and unable to eat solid foods. She was now living off smoothies and wasn't getting the vital nutrients her body needed.  She was withering away and miserable.  I wanted to help and knew her options were limited.  So, I asked her if she would be interested in a sample of Shakeology. She was willing to try anything.  So, I whipped her up my favorite fruit smoothie blend with Greenberry Shakeology.  She was nervous to try it, but she was pleasantly surprised.  "I could definitely drink this every day!", she said. After a few sips she added, "Wow, this is filling!  I won't feel like I'm starving all the time if I drink this." I'm so happy to say, that although she is still battling Gastroperesis, she is loving her Shakeology shakes and maintaining her weight and energy levels. I couldn't be more proud of her!

My Bestie, Yas, with her Greenberry fruit Shakeology.

I just have to say how proud I am to be working for a company that, not only helped me to create a healthy life for myself, my fiance and someday my children; but also, a company that allows me to help others achieve their goals and live healthier and happier lives.  I am truly blessed! And if you would like any additional information on Beachbody or the their products, please fill out my beachbody challenge group application below.  Wishing you all the clean life! 

-Jenny