Healthier Shrimp Fried Rice

This was really born out of a need to find a meal that I could eat on Meatless Friday's, that had a decent amount of protein, was still "light" and tasty. There was no clear plan when I set out to make this dish, but it turned out great and I didn't really get sick of eating for the 2-3 days that I did. And it was perfect for a lunch or light dinner.


Ingredients:

Steamed Brown Rice
Cooked & Peeled Shrimp
Broccoli (chopped)
Carrots (diced)
Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
Egg Whites
Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Steam the rice, sauteed the shrimp (in a pan with some PAM), whipped up some egg white scrambles, cut the shrimp up, and then mixed everything together.

Between the Shrimp and the Egg Whites there is a good dose of protein. This mean worked really well for me pre-workout!

Aside from trying to make "lighter" more protein filled meals, I'm looking to make things that will stretch to more than 1 meal, even if only a lunch. While I'm trying to avoid carbs (the rice) after 5pm, I try to gauge what I've eaten for the day crossed with what my workout for the night will be and make my decision based on that.

Spinach and Chocolate and WHAT?!?!

One of the things that was recommended to me was to start drinking protein shakes. I had some chocolate protein powder mix still at home, so I figured might as well try it. Only problem is, there was not way I could JUST mix it with water or milk. YUCK.

I began to look at other options and at saw that a lot of people were recommending a “Green Monster.” At first, I swear, I thought it was an energy drink or something similar. Turns out I was wrong (take note, I admitted I was wrong, this never happens).

So I did some more research, headed to this website (http://greenmonstermovement.com/) and read up on the idea, the recipes etc. Why do they call it the green monster? Well, that would be because you put Spinach in your smoothie. Yep, that is correct, I said you put Spinach in your smoothie.

I found a recipe that would appeal to me, and put my chocolate protein powder to use. Here is the recipe for what I have come up with for myself:

Ice (4-6 cubes)
1.5-2 cups of Organic Spinach (not steamed)
1 cup of Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
1 tablespoon of Natural Peanut Butter (no salt)
1 Banana
1 teaspoon of Walden Farms Chocolate Sauce (fat/calorie/sugar free)

Throw in blender and pray for the best.

Literally I prayed it wouldn’t suck. It was by no means pretty to say the least. Everything I put in should have been good, except for the Spinach, which did leave it with an ominous green tint. I tentatively took my first sip and then my second and I was sold.

Below is a picture of one perched happily in my drink cup holder on my way to work. Sorry the picture is poor quality, blame Steve Jobs and his iPhone.

3 Months down...

During the last few months I have been on a journey. Where to, you ask? To a lot of places, I say! First and foremost was to get healthy, and be more active. Second was to continue to work towards getting my hunting license. Neither were as simple as a short sentence, but I’m happy to report that since the journey began sometime in November, I have made a lot of positive changes and am steps closer to where I want and need to be.

In November I cut out watching TV. I still do turn it on occasionally for the news, traffic and weather in the morning, and also at night while getting ready for bed, but I no longer watch all the primetime television that used to watch. And while I was never a big time TV watcher, cutting out that 1-2 hours a night has given me the time to get back on the treadmill, to start running (yes, you read that right, I said running) and get in some solid workout time. That has all prompted me to change the way I eat, when I eat and how I eat. Thanks in no small part to a wonderful friend/trainer/attorney who has given me some amazing advice and other friends who have passed on techniques, exercises, food options etc. I have officially lost 21 pounds.

Aside from the running, walking, and stretching I have also incorporated weights, lots of upper body and core strengthening exercises and I make sure that I get out and hike the property whenever I am home during daylight hours. In a million years I’ve never thought I would run. I’ve always wanted to try, but I just never did and now, I love it. To be fair, I hate it about as much as I love it. I’ve also added push ups, planks and some other crazy moves that I was never a fan of and the difference I can see is amazing. My clothes fit better, I feel better and I have more energy. How can this not be a good thing? And the motivation that it continues to give me is priceless.

Being unhappy and not feeling good about myself was just part of the reason I started it all. The second part of my journey was to work towards getting my hunting license. More so than passing the safety course (which I take in mid-April) and more so than studying and learning things, I realized I needed to be in better shape. For one most hunting requires you to sit on your butt in the woods somewhere for hours at a time in varying temperatures. While that sounds easy to do, I’m here to tell you that if you are not in good shape, it’s not as easy as it is for someone who is in great shape. On top of that, I NEEDED to get my upper body and core in better shape in order to be able to support my bow and/or gun. So I set out on a course of different training methods that would hopefully help in that. And again, am happy to say that all the upper body training has really helped with my bow hunting. My bow is currently set at just about 40 #’s and I can easily fire 12 arrows at the target before my arm gets tired.

Passing my test in April, and getting my license are of course just some of the major stepping stones to hopefully getting my first deer come fall. At the end of the day, I’ve worked hard to get where I am today, but I have a lot more work ahead of me. “The best way to get something done is to begin.” And so I’ve begun.

And I’m here to share it all with you.