Well, Winter Storm Q delivered and the powers that be granted us another snow day!  Nothing like working a 2 day week, only to have it followed by a 2nd four day weekend in a row!  AND huge props to ME for staying tame with my eating today!  Seriously, I actually ate the foods I had prepped earlier in the week, whaaaat?!?  I’m pretty darn impressed with myself.  Plus, since I wasn’t eating random garbage all day, I’ve actually been pretty productive as well!  I got a TON of dishes washed, did some school work, got my laundry going, worked out, and shoveled my front steps and walkway.  Why didn’t I shovel the entire driveway, you ask?  Well that would be because little brother woke up at 5 AM and got the snowblower running!!!!  Then he cleared the whole driveway!  Today, he’s winning the award for best roommate ever.  I should be a nice landlord and bake him something….hmm, gonna have to think on that!

All of that being said, I’m completely OVER winter.  I want spring desperately.  I’m tired of nasty dry winter skin, chapped lips, having to wear socks and coats, and gross cold wind.  I want green, refreshing rain, thunderstorms, farmers markets, and SUN!!!  Seriously, I can’t wait.  The saving grace in all of this is that it is starting to stay lighter later into the day.  In fact, I generally feel better about life when I can walk out of the gym after my 4:30 workout and still see daylight!

Productivity aside, I can’t quite bring myself to cook dinner yet.  I’m still full from my awesome lunch.  I made homemade Paleo mayo, which is an exercise in patience.  Let me tell you!  You better be SUPER patient and completely in a calm place with your life or your general frantic aura will destroy that mayo, and quickly.  Mine turned out awesome…on the second batch.  I bumped the bowl on the first batch and accidentally poured in WAY too much oil at once!  So yeah, that was ruined.  But hey!  Even Meister makes mistakes, no big deal.  I just threw it away and started over.  My second attempt turned out perfectly!  So I used it to make some delicious tuna salad and baked up some kale chips to go with it!  I have an addiction to kale chips that cannot begin to be described.  I made 2 baking sheets of kale chips…..then ATE 2 baking sheets of kale chips.  I’m out of control.  Clearly.

The discussion of food addiction shall be saved for another day!  In the mean time, this recipe is a favorite of mine.  It is also a “go-to” for me because it is SUPER quick and easy to make.  The longest part is boiling the potatoes to mash them.  It’s stupid how easy this is….but it’s also STUPID delicious!  Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

For your potatoes:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 can full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes in a pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes.
2. Bring potatoes to a boil.
3. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until they are fork tender.
4. Drain your potatoes and put them back into your hot pot.
5. Mash your potatoes.  Work out your aggression until they are completely mashed.  I like mine a little chunkier, so I don’t go too crazy on them!
6. Mix in your coconut milk and spices until you get a creamy consistency.
7. Set them aside to be topped by your delicious shrimp! (or stuff your face with them now….your call)

**If you are wanting to top these with the shrimp scampi, you can just leave the drained potatoes in the pot and hold off on mashing and mixing them until your shrimp is finished!  Just pop a lid on them and they will stay warmer.**

For the shrimp scampi:

• 2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large or 2 medium red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 – 1 pound of raw, deveined tail-on shrimp
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on spice level you want)
• 1 spoonful ghee (or clarified butter)

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
2. Add veggies (onions, garlic, and peppers) to your skillet and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. While veggies are cooking, pull the tails off of your shrimp and set them aside. Be GENTLE!!  Don’t rip your shrimp to hell….that would be terrible.  Respect your protein!
4. Add your spices and red pepper flakes to your veggies and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Or until veggies start to soften up a bit.
5. Now, add your shrimp to your skillet and saute 3-5 minutes, being sure to turn your shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
6. Just for fun, when the shrimp are cooked, finished with a spoonful of ghee.  This is not a necessary step, but it will take the flavor to an outrageous level!!  And seriously, can it really be considered scampi without butter? I think not.
7. Plate it up over some of those mashed sweet potatoes and enjoy!  Try to exercise some self control and not eat the entire pan…

Ok, just typing this up has made me hungry enough to start cooking dinner!  Thanks blog!! Much love.

-Meister