Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Shrimp

Mike and I celebrated our two year anniversary by renting a little (very little!) garage apartment in Galveston. It was fun and we had a great time together but, not the best time to go to the beach!! On Sunday it was about 40 degrees and pouring raining! We wanted to get out of the garage apartment so we went to eat lunch at a restaurant on the sea wall and then went to go see the new OZ movie. Our plan was to cook dinner on Sunday night so we went and bought fresh shrimp on the pier. This is the best shrimp I have ever had!! It tasted so fresh. Mike even taught me how to peel and devein shrimp.
This is a great recipe for a romantic night in or to make for a dinner party. Serve with some warm french bread to soak up the extra yummy sauce!

Pasta with Shrimp and Vodka Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole wheat bow-tie pasta

1 large can Multiglen or other good organic whole tomatoes

½ cup vodka

1 cup plain greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

4 cups spinach

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¼ tsp salt

1/3 lb. shrimp – peeled and deveined

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the shrimp, set aside. In a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and sauté for another minute. Now add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside. Add the whole can of tomatoes with their juices. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon so they will be easier to blend. Let cook for a few minutes and then pour into a large bowl and use an immersion blender to break up the tomatoes until smooth. Put the sauce into a pan, add vodka, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the greek yogurt and continue to simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente and drain.

To cook the spinach, use a large skillet and add either extra virgin olive oil or water. Cook on low until wilted.

Mix the pasta, shrimp, spinach, and sauce together. Serve and top with parmesan and basil.

The Best Smoothie Ever!

I am on spring break this weak so I had extra time this morning to play around with smoothie ingredients. I usually make a smoothie every morning using Carnation Instant Breakfast because it has a great source of protein and vitamins and the flavors are tasty! I bought a lot of smoothie ingredients at the grocery store yesterday - bananas, frozen blueberries, ground flax seed, almond butter, almond milk, and a box of variety flavors Instant Breakfast. I was in the mood for chocolate this morning but, also in the mood for blueberries. I decided to just throw it all together, hoping for the taste of chocolate covered blueberry. It came out tasting like a chocolate blueberry pie milkshake. SOOO GOOD! And....don't forget the sprinkles. I didn't get a pic this morning because I drank it too fast. I will add the picture soon.

Health Benefits:


*Flax Seeds- If you buy whole flax seeds, make sure you ground them first to get the health benefits. If you don't grind, the seeds just pass through your body without your body being able to absorb all their nutrients. Also, make sure you store flax seeds in the refrigerator.
- Fiber - which helps your body with digestion
- Omega - 3's- These are healthy fats that are great for your heart!
- Protein- helps build muscles, builds and  repairs tissues, makes your hair and nails prettier, fights off yucky diseases, and gives you energy
- Flax seeds have also been found to help clear breakouts

*Blueberries -Blueberries are packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, antioxidants, and Fiber. They also help with brain health and can improve your memory. Studies have also found that blueberries help fight high blood pressure.

*Almond Butter - Almond butter is heart healthy, lowers blood sugar, and has 7 grams of protein per 2 tbsp serving.

*Almond Milk - One cup of almond milk offers 50% daily value of the antioxidant Vitamin E - which helps your heart, 50% daily value of Vitamin B12, protein & calcium, and no cholesterol or saturated fat.

Dark ChocolateBlueberry Banana Almond Butter Smoothie

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Protein Powder – I use the prepackaged InstantBreakfast

½ frozen banana

1/3 cup frozen blueberries

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 cup almond milk

1 ice cube

sprinkles to top - optional but makes your morning a littlehappier : )

Directions:

Using a blender or magicbullet, ground your flax seed if it is not already pre-ground. Add theremaining ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Top with sprinkles : )