I have three go-to dinners that I classify as “back-up”.  These are items I keep stocked in my house at all times so when I am in a pinch I have food I can serve and feel good about!  For me being prepared is 99% of the process when it comes to eating healthy.  The times that are the hardest for me are when I am out and about, find myself starving, blood sugar crashing and start thinking that just about anything sounds good…and would be just fine for me to eat.

This is also true when it comes to feeding my family.  I really dislike feeling like I am stuck with having to get Subway (though I like this option on my own terms), or some other fast food item because I just didn’t get around to thinking about dinner!

Back-up Dinner #1

I ALWAYS have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer.  When I use it, I replace it.  I can not tell you how many times this bag has saved me!  Shrimp are an excellent source of protein, provide omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce the risks of heart disease by reducing triglyceride levels in the bloodstream, and they also contain selenium, essential for proper thyroid and immune system function.

Over the years shrimp have gotten a bad rap as cholesterol raisers, but recently this has been turned around and shrimp are being shown to raise the “GOOD” cholesterol levels, the HDL, while lowering the “bad” cholesterol or LDL levels.

I buy frozen, uncooked, peeled, tail-on.  Shrimp defrost VERY quickly, simply put them in a colander and run them under COLD water, shifting them around every 30 seconds or so.   As for what kind of shrimp to buy check out the Seafood Watch list!

What I love most about shrimp is they really taste like whatever you choose to cook them in.  The easiest thing is to saute them in olive oil, a bit of garlic, and a splash of white wine if you have it handy! 

I usually serve with edamame, also easy to keep on hand frozen.  My kids love to pick, help themselves, and dip!  Foods they can dismantle (like shrimp and edamame) are always big hits!!

I found a spice recipe for Moroccan Spiced Shrimp on the DALS website about a year ago.  It is a bit much for the kids, though it is growing on them, but Michael and I have this for dinner all the time if the kids have eaten somewhere else or we are eating later for some reason.  It is excellent and tastes like some exotic dish you would order in a posh restaurant.  I will put the recipe for Phoebe’s Spice below, but the thing to remember is shrimp are easy to dip (keep some cocktail sauce in the pantry) or saute in just about any sauce (Trader Joe’s has many sauces that are perfect for this, Peanut, Curry…so on).

This was dinner a few nights ago! 

Here is Phoebe’s Magic, as I like to call it, and I make it in large batches when I make it, seal it in a jar, and always have it on-hand.  The actual recipe is to sprinkle this over the uncooked shrimp, saute spice side down for about 5 min, flip, add more spice, until cooked…serve with naan bread (also easy to keep on-hand frozen) and a yogurt dipping sauce (Greek yogurt, cilantro and lime).

Phoebe’s Spice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

The other fabulous thing about shrimp for dinner is shrimp for lunch.  I take the leftover shrimp throw them into the food processor with some red or green onion, a tiny bit of mayo, and some yellow mustard.  Serve on bread (bacon added for Michael), and for me…perfect on some butter lettuce!  DELSIH!