Some friends of Mark’s were in visiting this weekend and they commented on how long it takes kids to eat meals, particularly our Shea bug. She has always eaten SOOOO slowly. I love this about her because 1. It’s a healthy habit (a habit I don’t have) and 2. It gives me time to see and talk to her.
But…sometimes I feel like all I do is feed my kids. On the weekends when I’m preparing, feeding, and cleaning up from 3 meals a day, never mind snacks in-between (!), I feel like I’m just finishing up one meal and we’re on to the next. Rinse, repeat…and then it’s Monday morning.
Our friends were also impressed with Shea’s palate, as she inhaled a bowl of whole wheat pasta with homemade pesto, shrimp, and green beans. There’s no denying the girl has a pretty well-rounded palate. In fairness, I do believe my luck ran out after Shea and Piper will be a bit trickier in that regard, but it’s too soon to say for sure.
While I have certainly adapted recipes to better accommodate the little people in our house, I don’t often make too many adaptations. I may make things less spicy, for instance…just as I did in this recipe. As a rule, though – one meal. Everyone eats it.
I was struggling with what to pair with this meal to make it a bit more “complete” and I landed on frozen vegetable eggrolls. Don’t judge! Not the healthiest, but man did they hit the spot! Mark is not an eggroll fan (he has an issue with cabbage?) but Shea and I were happy campers, especially with the sweet and sour sauce for dipping!
This recipe is quick and easy, packed with flavor, and with the addition of shrimp, offers up some staying power from protein. A weeknight meal ready in minutes…because sometimes you don’t want to spend all day cooking/eating/cleaning up from meals!
- 12 oz whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp chili paste (sambal oelek)
- ⅓ cup cold water + 1 Tbsp corn starch
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; add spaghetti and cook 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add shrimp and cook 4-5 minutes or until pink and cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep hot.
- Return skillet to heat and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and chili paste; whisk and bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl whisk together cold water and corn starch. Stir into soy sauce mixture and bring back to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat.
- Stir noodles and shrimp into the sauce. Top with peanuts and green onions. Serve immediately.
Weekly Menu: July 9th – 13th
- Sunday: Shrimp Boil Foil Packets
- Monday: burgers and asparagus on the grill
- Tuesday: Mustard Maple Pork Tenderloin and mashed potatoes
- Wednesday: work dinner
- Thursday: Sweet and Spicy Lettuce Wraps
Be well,
This reminds me of my favorite Chinese dish I had when I lived in Albany, NY. They had Kung Pao Lo Mein. A perfect combo, if you ask me. I’ll have to try this. Thanks for the recipe!
Yum! What a tasty looking recipe to try, thanks for the share! Definitely trying this one out sometime this week.