Lean and Green Meal - Scallops and Palmini Pasta

 Lean and Green meals don't have to be time consuming or complicated! I make variations of this often with different proteins, and sometimes adjusting the amount of Palmini to allow for a side salad too. 

Complete Lean and Green - Scallops and Palmini Pasta

This took me less than 10 minutes to prepare - sautéed scallops (seasoned with pepper) in a cast iron skillet for 3-4 mins per side, and rinsed the palmini angel hair pasta then tossed it in another cast iron skillet while the scallops cooked. I seasoned the palmini with basil and oregano, and 2tsp olive oil, then tossed it all together with the scallops.

73g of palmini pasta (heart of palm) is 1 green. This is three servings (219g) so 3 greens.

7 oz scallops is 1 LEANEST, so I needed two healthy fats (1tsp of olive oil is 1 healthy fat).

Together, it is a complete lean and green (and completely YUMMY!)

Shrimp and Grits - Complete Lean and Green Meal Recipe

Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits - Complete Lean and Green Meal (makes 1 portions)

 

I adapted this from the Optavia recipe here. 

Ingredients:

12 oz peeled and deveined frozen shrimp = 7 oz cooked shrimp (1 LEANEST)

1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (a mix of paprika, garlic, cayenne, pepper, oregano) (1 CONDIMENT)

1/4 c water

1.5 tsp butter (1 HEALTHY FAT)

1.5 c riced cauliflower (3 GREENS)

1/2 c unsweetened almond milk (1/2 CONDIMENT)

1/8 tsp salt (1/2 CONDIMENT)

2 Tbsp sour cream (1 HEALTHY FAT)

1 wedge Laughing Cow Creamy Aged White Cheddar (1 CONDIMENT)

Directions:

1. Thaw and rinse the shrimp, pat dry. 
2. Add shrimp and cajun seasoning to a bowl or plastic bag, and mix or shake until coated.
3. Heat shrimp in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through (3-4 minutes per side usually, shrimp will be pink and opaque when cooked).
4. Add water to skillet with shrimp, scrape the bottom, simmer for 1 minute, and remove from heat.
5. In a separate skillet, heat butter until melted.
6. Add riced cauliflower to butter, and stir frequently for about 5 minutes.
7. Add milk and salt, and continue to stir frequently for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove cauliflower from heat, and stir in sour cream and laughing cow cheese until melted. 
9. Serve shrimp atop cauliflower grits, and enjoy! 

Lean and Green - Scallop Stacks

 Today I adapted a recipe for Shrimp Stacks for my Lean and Green, and it was delicious! I cooked 1.25 cups of cauliflower rice, diced .25 cups of cucumber (3 servings of my green), mashed 3 oz of avocado (2 servings of healthy fat), and cooked 7 oz of scallops (1 serving of leanest). Then I layered the cucumber, avocado, scallop, and rice, in that order, in a small measuring cup (1/4c and 1/3c both worked) and flipped the cup over onto a plate, tapped the bottom, and had a really amazing looking scallop stack on my plate! I topped with a tiny bit of Walden Farms chipotle mayo (1 condiment). You could top with 1T of soy sauce (1 condiment), or 1 tsp sesame seeds (1 condiment), or another creamy spicy sauce (check nutrition info and amounts) as well. 

The original recipe calls for shrimp, but this would easily work with any seafood - tiny bay scallops would be good also, but so would sushi-grade salmon or tuna (in the proper amounts). 

This satisfied my sushi craving too!

Scallops Stack Lean and Green