Shrimp & Veggies with fitness update on the side

Do you ever get so busy that you draft a blog post and never publish it?!? Okay, so maybe it’s just me. We had an exciting time in the sun last week. The weather was amazing and we enjoyed every opportunity to be out in it. While most of our adventures are sitting in blogger “draft” mode, an update of my exercise goals are ready to publish.

Previously I shared some New Year “goals” that our family was making to transition to a healthier diet, and my personal goal to exercise regularly. I have to confess I did not immediately jump into a regular routine of exercise. Initially I was very hit and miss. I recognized quickly that I lacked core strength. Apparently five babies and years at a desk job have that effect. Who knew, right!?!

Not long after recognizing my lack of physical fitness, I consulted my doctor for a routine exam. Once all test results confirmed no major health problems, I approached exercise with new determination. The last several weeks I’ve focused my workout to target core strength. I’ve chosen to measure overall inches opposed to pounds. This weeks measurements reflect an overall loss of five inches. I have to be honest, I really wanted to say just five inches. I’ve been getting trapped in thinking about weight loss. The facts are I feel stronger and am seeing an increase in energy. My goal is to improve health!!

The family diet has improved greatly. I confess it has not always been an easy change as we have experienced some dinnertime struggles. We implemented a three no thank you bite rule for the littles, and it’s helped. I think even dad needed to adhere to no thank you bites when brussel sprouts were on the menu. Overall, everyone is currently more willing to eat their veggies!!

With the recent warmer weather in our area, our family can be found outside. Being outside means grilling. Last summer I found an amazing marinated grilled shrimp recipe at comfy in the kitchen. I recently took that recipe and made some changes with vegetable additions, for a wonderful grilled dish.

I cut the original recipe mostly in half:

2 lbs of peeled raw shrimp

¼ cup melted butter

1/8 cup olive oil

½ cup orange juice

3-4 cloves minced garlic (or as desired – I like garlic!)

½ tsp lemon pepper (I was out so just substituted about 1 tsp lemon juice)

Shrimp aside, whisk all ingredients together. Add shrimp and marinated in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (The mixture will turn into more of a solid when chilled)

Additionally:

5-8 cups chopped veggies of choice

olive oil

Old Bay seasoning

Prepare vegetables by washing and chopping. Just prior to grilling rinse well so they are wet, and drizzled with just enough olive oil to coat them lightly.

Heat a grilling basket over medium heat. Cook the shrimp in the grilling basket and stir often until done. About 5-8 minutes. Once done, remove the shrimp from the basket and set aside. Place the veggies in the grilling basket and stir often. You are done when the most crisp vegetable is hot through, but the least crisp vegetable is not mushy. (mine was heated carrot slice to non-mushy yellow zucchini squash) Add the shrimp back to the grilling basket with the vegetables. Stir to mix the flavors and warm the shrimp. Once everything is heated through, empty the basket into a bowl and season with Old Bay.

Have you heard of Old Bay? I think this original recipe was what introduced me to it, and I now use it for just about everything. Really!!! Be sure to check out the original recipe if you just want shrimp. I think I may try a recent post by Comfy in the Kitchen on roasted brussel sprouts. Maybe I can get dad past three no thank you bites…..I can dream!!