Recipes
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Ashley’s Grocery Store Hack
Buying and Cooking Sustainable Shrimp
Grocery Store Hacks:
- When buying shrimp, remember that it most-often arrives at your store previously frozen and is then placed in the case to sell over ice. This means it is getting less fresh by the hour while it gradually thaws. In most cases, buying frozen shrimp is generally better if you cannot be certain it is literally fresh off the boat!
- Have you ever noticed the numbers on the packaging? I had seen them before and always meant to look it up, but it took me years to do so! The numbers actually tell you the number of shrimp in 1 LB. So, that means, the higher the number, the smaller the shrimp. This is how you can determine if shrimp is small, medium, or large (often called: jumbo.)
Now, you have to figure out if you can buy “smart” shrimp. Since wild shrimp has a cleaner, sharper taste, it is generally preferred for the flavor.
When Buying Wild Shrimp:
There are 4 most notably sustainable kinds of wild shrimp (out of thousands!) Seafood Watch https://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-recommendations/our-app, a very resourceful app that walks you through the seafood sustainability and seasonal availability options, named pink shrimp from Oregon their best choice. There are also spot prawns from the Pacific Northwest, brown, white and pink shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, and any shrimp from U.S. and Canadian waters in the northern Atlantic. You want to see the Marine Stewardship Council certification label. (https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/what-does-the-blue-msc-label-mean)
When Buying Farmed Shrimp:
There are two logos to look for on farmed shrimp to ensure they were farmed sustainably- the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s blue fish logo or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
Nutrition Shout-Outs for Shrimp:
- Shrimp is one of the leaner options in animal proteins when it comes to calories per serving. With 1 cup having 132 calories and 25 grams of protein- it is a lean seafood choice that also happens to be a great source of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.
- When not air-frying, and you have to peel the shrimp, it is forcing you to slow down your eating. This enables you to have a better mind-body connection while eating, giving your brain time to stay in tune with your belly. You will inevitably eat less because you are allowing your brain to send the signal to your belly when you are actually full and not after over-eating. Think about that kind of mindfulness because all too often we speed eat (imagine your mouth as a Hoover vacuum people,) and we over-fill ourselves with excess food.
Cooking Tips:
- For the most flavor, obviously not when air-frying, but other times, is to keep the shell on and ideally, also the head. I know, I know, sometimes you don’t want to look at it…but trust me, you want that full flavor!
- You can bake this recipe if you do not have an air-fryer! I suggest placing them under the broiler for a quick 1-2 minutes/side to get the yummy browned crispiness.
- I do use my most beloved (I am legit obsessed) small kitchen appliance, the Cuisinart Air Fryer – Toaster Oven. It has 7 functions: 7 Functions: AirFry, Convection Bake, Convection Broil, Bake, Broil, Warm, Toast and only costs $199!
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Recipes
HEALTHY AND COLORFUL GREEK CHICKEN GYRO BOWL
MEAL PREP TIPS:
I love these flavors and the ease of having this dish in your meal prep routine because you can chop the veggies, prep the Tzatsiki sauce, and marinate the chicken during meal prep and then cook the chicken at meal time for a 10-minute quick meal.
You can also skip the Tzatsiki and just have the hummus and feta or even just the feta to simplify the dish, save on calories as well as money on groceries.
makes 2 servings
For the Chicken + Marinade:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ LBS skinless, boneless chicken breasts; sliced
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
TO MAKE:
- Mix the marinade together in a bowl + pour over the sliced chicken. Let if marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Cook the chicken over medium heat in a skillet until done- roughly 4-5 minutes/side.
To Complete the Bowl:
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 1 cucumber, sliced + cut into quarters
- ½ cup red onion, minced or thinly sliced + pan-grilled
- Mediterranean mixed olives or kalamata olives, pitted + sliced
- Mixed greens or watercress
- ½ cup hummus, flavor-of-choice
For the Cucumber-Yogurt (Tzatsiki) Sauce:
makes 12 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
2 TB is just 50 calories!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 TB sour cream or mayonnaise
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks – place them in a paper towel + squeeze to get out excess moisture that will water down the flavor
TO MAKE:
- Simply mix it all together in a bowl, chill for an hour, then serve with the bowl and use extra for veggie dipping!
Recipes
Make the sauce first + then build a bowl with a grain-based or grain-free noodle, lean protein, + extra veggies!
It’s all about the sauce!
For Ashley’s Nut-Free Pad Thai Sauce:
- 1/8 cup lime juice, fresh
- 3 TB sunflower seed butter, organic
- 1/4 TB tamarind paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 TB Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 1 TB coconut nectar
- 3/4 TB Sriracha sauce, organic
- filtered water, to thin out
Pick a Protein:
Simply prepared, pick 1 cup of lean protein
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Lean Steak
Add Volume + Make it Filling with Raw Veggies:
1-2 cups of veggies
- Scallions
- Mung bean sprouts
- Shredded cabbage
- Radishes
- Shredded carrots
- Cucumber, chopped
- Avocado, diced
For the Noodles (or “un-noodles”):
1/2 cup of grain-based noodles mixed with 1/2 cup “un-noodles” or 1 cup of the un-noodles
Un-Noodles
- Kelp noodles
- Spiralized zucchini
- Spaghetti squash
- Spiralized Daikon radish
- Shirataki noodles
Grain-Based Noodles:
- Lotus foods gluten-free ramen
- Wheat-flour free soba noodles
- Black bean noodles
Recipes
You could literally put ANYTHING in this slaw recipe and it would be good! I raided the produce aisles for in-season, winter produce filled with nutrients + color to give my plate a healthy base with a light citrus dressing. Feel free to add any simply prepared grilled or baked lean protein on top like chicken breast, salmon, shrimp, white fish, or a lean steak.
WINTER SLAW RECIPE
Makes 4 servings
For the slaw:
- 1 cup of shredded red beets, cut into matchsticks
- 1 large apple, sliced
- 1 cup of shredded golden beets, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup of watermelon radish, cut into matchsticks (or sliced regular radish)
- 1 cup of shredded fennel
- 1 cup of shredded carrots
- 2 cups of shredded lacinato kale
- 1 cup of shredded red cabbage
For the citrus dressing:
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 4 TB champagne vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- pinch of Himalayan salt
- pinch red pepper flakes
To Make:
- Simply prepare all the veggies as indicated + mix them together in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the dressing. Coat the veggies with it + let it sit for 15-20 minutes before eating so it soaks in + softens the veggies.
