Happy Hump Day!

For some reason – this week has gone verrrrry slowly.  I, for one, am glad that this week is half over!

I was able to sleep in today – I was more tired than I thought.  I started the morning with Kashi blueberry waffles with a little light cream cheese and some strawberry jam.

For lunch, it was off to meet the hubby at a local Mexican restaurant – Rudy’s, downtown.  I think I made a pretty good choice – tortilla soup with shrimp.  Granted, there was cheese and sour cream involved, but not too much.  (And, I didn’t do too bad around the chips and salsa either!)

It was delicious – I get it every time I go to Rudy’s.  It fills me up and it isn’t too much food.

After lunch, it was off to the store to get some cleaning necessities.  I have to prepare for my *very small* apartment to be filled with high school girls on Friday.  (Why did I agree to that??)

Swim practice number one went well.  They’re getting shorter and shorter.  Saturday is the big day!!

Swim practice number two was crazy – I was coaching the little ones.  A 4 year old, five year old, 2 six year olds and a 7 year old.  Try watching them for an hour and fifteen minutes – while worrying about them all drowning.  I don’t get paid enough for that!  (They’re adorable, though!)

For dinner, it was Rachael Ray’s shrimp jambalya over grits.  The husband and I like to try a new recipe ever week – he chose this one this week.  I try to avoid eating too much shrimp because of my high cholesterol, but I guess I didn’t plan enough today.  Oh well – I’ll just avoid them for a couple weeks or so.

Sorry for the picture quality – I didn’t realize it was blurry until I actually saved it.

In case you were wondering, here’s the recipe – it can be found in the November issue of “Everyday with Rachael Ray”:

2 T flour

8 oz okra – thawed and patted dry

6 T butter (I reduced this to 2 – replaced two tablespoons with olive oil, omitted two completely)

3/4 C quick cooking grits

1 onion

1 green bell pepper

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 pound medium shrimp, chopped

1.) Coat okra with flour, salt and pepper

2.) Cook okra over medium-high heat (RR suggests cooking in one tablespoon of butter – I used olive oil) until golden brown – 3 to 5 minutes.  Take out of the skillet and set aside for later.

3.) Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add grits (I stir as I pour them in to prevent clumping) and cook until thickened – approximately 7 minutes.  Stir in 4 tablespoons of butter (I only used 2).  Season with salt and pepper.

4.) Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter (again, I used olive oil) and cook onion and the green pepper until brown – approximately 10 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and cayenne.  Bring to a boil and cook (while stirring) until mixture slightly reduced – approximately 5 minutes.  Lower heat to medium and add the shrimp until cooked – approximately 3 minutes.  Stir in okra and season with salt and pepper.

5.) Serve over grits.

Overall – it was pretty good.  The hubby said it was a keeper.  The onion I had on hand was moldy (gross!), so I had to omit it.  I just used some onion powder instead.  We also added some extra creole seasoning (approx 1 T) and some andouille sausage that needed to be used.  The recipe tasted good enough without all of the extra butter.  I couldn’t believe it asked for SIX tablespoons!  I loved the grits.  I need to remember to use them more often.  I’m still not sold on okra completely – it is a strange veggie (it’s a veggie, right?).  It’s all slimy.  Now I have to find another use for the rest of the bag…  :)

No green monster today – I did miss it!  I think I’m starting to see the benefits.  My hair feels better.  It might just because I have a new hair dryer that actually works.  :)

Alright – time to finish “Top Chef”.   Does anyone else hate when they put these reunion shows in the middle of a season??  G’night!!