Asian Inspired Shrimp with Vegetables

Every Wednesday at the appointed hour I sit myself in front of my TV to watch the ABC Wednesday night line up. So tonight as I prepared to began my normal routine of laughing at the antics of the ABC families my stomach growled which brought me back to reality I still need to cook dinner. Looking for a quick meal to fix I had some shrimp so I decided to whip up a stir fry which some how parleyed into something else... but  i'll stop my yammering and get to what you came here for the food.


Asian Inspired Shrimp with Vegetables

Total Cooking Time: 45 minutes         

Prep Time: 30 minutes 

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients 

1 whole yellow onion

1 half of a red onion

2 whole bell peppers ( I used 4 halves of 4 different colors of peppers)

1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp

1 cup of chopped carrots

1 whole zucchini

1 whole squash

6 cloves of garlic

2 cups of broccoli 

Cooked brown rice

1/4 of a cup of low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons of sugar ( I used raw sugar)

1 cup of broth

1 tablespoon of flour ( substitute with cornstarch) 

3 tablespoons of water

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil ( for stir fry)

1 tablespoon of Sesame oil (optional) 

*Tip* Prior to starting the actual cooking have all your prep done. The process of cooking goes really quickly if you have all your prep work done before hand. That means all the chopping and peeling should be done.

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar set aside.

2. In another small bowl or cup, stir together the tbsp of flour (or cornstarch) with the 3 tbsp of water and set aside. ( this is added later to help thicken the sauce) 

3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok; add onions and garlic cook briefly, and then add vegetables while continuously stirring. ( it’s a stir-fry after all, lol)

4. Stir-fry vegetables for approximately 5-6 minutes (just long enough to cook the veggies but allow them to remain firm), then add the shrimp.

5. Cook the shrimp 1 minute or until it barely curls and turns slightly pink.

6. Add the sauce mixture and cook 5-7 minutes more; then stir in the thickener (briefly stir first) and stir-fry until mixture thickens, about 1 minute.

7. Serve with hot cooked brown rice.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product:

This meal was delicious, and satisfying. it healthier than your normal take out, much less sodium, no msgs, and brown rice ( triple threat)  The beauty of this type of dinner is that it packs perfectly for lunch tomorrow. Tonight dinner combined with the laughs of ABC's Wednesday night shows equaled a blissful evening for me. Are there any quick fix meals you like to make on weeknights? Have you ever tried to make your favorite takeout at home? Comment below

xx. Toya

Breakfast Really is the Most Important Meal of the day.

It's a saying we have all heard time and time again as children "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," however it wasn't until I was older that I began to under how very important breakfast really is. What we eat for breakfast determines two very important things at the start of our day. The first is how we we feel for the rest of the day. If we eat a breakfast that is too laden with one food group such as carbohydrates, fats, or sugars we will notice that our energy levels are down and usually by 3 o'clock p.m. we are exhausted and hungry.  What we eat fuel's our body much like gasoline fuels our cars. Have you ever put some bad gasoline in your car and notice the car reacted negatively? A similar principal exist for our bodies.The second thing our breakfast decision determines is what food choices we make for the rest of the day. Sometimes if we make pour food choices at breakfast we think "well I've already started off bad there goes my day, might as well have that double bacon cheese burger and chili fries for lunch."Which of course isn't the case, after having a less than balanced breakfast lunchtime is the perfect opportunity to get back on track. I'm all about enjoying food but I believe the key to that is balance.  I usually have granola with milk or yogurt or eggs with spinach and maybe sausage or bacon. What do you think? Are you a breakfast eater? What do you typically have?

xx Toya