Mango Coconut Shrimp

Why Eat This Dish?

I made this dish because I love coconut shrimp from Red Lobster but I feel guilty after eating it so I wanted to make a healthier version with hardly any fat or calories. First of all the coconut shrimp from Red Lobster is deep fried so of course we are not going to deep fry but panfry. Also, instead of using regular coconut milk I used light coconut milk. This dish is also very healthy because shrimp really packs a powerful protein punch and is great for dieters because it is so low in calories. With each individual shrimp coming in at only 3-10 calories depending on the size, these are extremely easy to add into any diet.

Ingredients:

·        1 mango

·        ½ cup of light coconut milk

·        I small can crushed pineapple

·        1 lime

·        3 fresh basil leaves

·        Few cloves of cilantro

·        Tsp. Cinnamon

·        Tsp. Ginger

·        Tsp. Honey

·        2 cucumbers

Directions:

·        First start by steaming mango, pineapple and basil in steamer.

·        Next fry shrimp with non-stick cooking spray with ginger and cinnamon

·        Once everything is steamed put all ingredients in a blender & add coconut milk, cilantro and honey.

·        Blend for about 10 seconds to keep the ingredients from getting too pureed.

·        Peel cucumbers into long strips  and toss in lime juice & salt

·        Place the mango coconut shrimp on top of cucumbers.

 ******Instead of using cucumbers you can substitute rice ******

Tomato & Basil with Zucchini Pasta

Tomato & Basil with Zucchini Pasta

How does this dish benefit you?

I came up with this dish because I love pasta as much as the next person but I cannot eat it every day because of the carbs (I’m not on Atkins). So instead of using pasta I peeled long strips of Zucchini to sub for pasta and wow it’s so much tastier and lower in carbs. What’s great about Zucchinis is they have a high water content (over 95%) and they contain a very low amount of calories. In fact, one medium-sized zucchini has just 25 calories in it, making it an ideal stomach-filler for those trying to lose weight. Zucchini is also rich in vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant that can provide protection against cardiovascular disease.

Ingredients:

• 3 Roma Tomatoes

• ½ cup white onion

• 3 Zucchini’s

• 4 Fresh Basil Leaves

• 2 Cloves Garlic

• Pinch of Salt

• Tsp. of Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 lime

• 1 cut of Italian Parsley

Directions:

Zucchini Noodles:

·      Use a potato peeler and strip zucchini in long skinny strips

·      Put them in a bowl and mix olive oil, salt and lime juice

·      Next fry them in a pan for about 5 min

For the Sauce:

·      Put tomatoes, garlic, onion and fresh basil in a steamer and cook for about 10 min.

·      After steamed put in blender. If you have a bullet that works great. Don’t over blend there should still be some chunkiness to the sauce.

·       Poor sauce on top of zucchini noodles and add chopped Italian parsley on top.

·      Add some fresh Parmesan cheese if you’d like it’s low in carbs.

·      Enjoy!

Turkey Bacon Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

8 ounces young spinach

2 large eggs

8 pieces thick-sliced Turkey bacon, chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon splenda

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup avacado, sliced

3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Place Spinach on plate
2. Fry Turkey Bacon
3. In a seperate pan fry the red onions with some non-stop cooking spray
4. Place eggs, avacado and onions on salad as well as dressing
5. Enjoy!

Why Eat This Salad?

This salad is very nutritious and loaded with iron & protein but skips the fat.  Using turkey bacon still gives the salad a smokey flavor without hurting the waistline.

Strawberry Watercress Salad

A Light Salad With a Taste of Spring!

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

8 cups watercress

1 1/2 cups strawberries

1/3 cup avacado

 1/3 cup radishes     

  For Strawberry Vinegar                                                

3 cups strawberries

2 tablespoons splenda

2 cups balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup of bacon to sprinkle on top

Why Eat This Salad?
This salad is delicious and low-fat. It's good to incorporate salads if you have 4-5 small meals during the day. It's even a good substitute for a dessert because of the strawberries and gives a good crunch.

A Little Info on Bloggs with Collinessi

 I came up with the name Collinessi  from my son's name Collin and my nickname Nessi (my husband gave it to me because it ryhmes with {messy+ tessie= Nessi

                A Little About Us!                   

We have been married for almost three years and together for close to seven. We have an amazing son named Collin Daniel Cooler that is now 5 months. We met each other when we both lived in Wisconsin. Dan is originally from Woodstock, Illinois but was going to college in Kenosha and Tessa was going to college in Milwaukee. We met each other at Rosie’s on Water when Dan was in town watching the Milwaukee Bucks play. Shortly after meeting we started dating  and after two years of dating Dan popped the question. Dan proposed to Tessa in the Virgin Islands on the beach of Cinnamon Bay in St. John. We tied the knot on June 27, 2009 in our home state of Wisconsin. After, the wedding Tessa relocated to Laredo, Texas for Dan’s job.

Dan went to Carthage University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Criminal Justice & Spanish. He also furthered his studies in Spanish at the University of Malaga in Spain. Dan is also currently finishing paramedic school for his job. For a hobby Dan received his scuba certification and plans on traveling for deep sea diving.

Tessa went to the University of Milwaukee where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She is also currently furthering her education at LCC to get her phlebotomist certification & become a Registered Nurse. This year Tessa is also planning on going to the Yoga Institute of Houston to become a certified Yoga Instructor so she can teach at a local gym or college. For a hobby Tessa enjoys photography and would like to do it someday professionally.

One hobby we both enjoy is traveling. We have traveled to some really amazing places already such as the Virgin Islands, Miami, Florida Keys, San Diego, New Mexico, Chicago, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Tucson, The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas…etc. Other than traveling we also enjoy kayaking. We enjoy it so much that we purchased our own kayak and spend our downtime at the local lake. In the near future we plan on doing flying lessons together at the Laredo Airport.