You’ve been asking for a healthier variety of meal options versus the carb-packed meals I’m usually making so I went above and beyond and got someone who actually knows their stuff to give us a recipe with all the flavor, but less calories!
(Nutrition facts included!!)
I want to introduce you to Mica Dalton, NASM Certified Personal Trainer with additional certifications in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Bachelors Degree from Pittsburg State University. Mica is a Pitbull Mom who lives and owns Altered Personal Training & Lifestyle Company in Joplin, Missouri.
Coaching bootcamp style classes, personal clients, posting healthy lifestyle tips and meals on IG, you’ll want to give Mica a follow on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with her necessary tips. She has the science-y facts that make things click for those of us that don’t know the deeper reasoning behind some health topics.
If you watch my Instagram stories at all, you know I’m a Pasta Queen. Any kind of noodle, I love it. Pasta is my love language. I asked Mica for a healthier recipe, I didn’t even mention pasta…. But guess what, the Universe delivers pasta when you want pasta.
This recipe includes several of my staple foods: noodles, butter, garlic. Every meal I make includes one of these three, probably. Okay, I want to let Mica do the talking, as this is her recipe, and I’m just here to share all this goodness with you!
Spicy Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp Over Veggiecraft Pasta With Red Peppers, Parmesan Cheese And White Wine For A Healthy Take On The Italian Classic Pasta Dish.
Shrimp is a great protein to enjoy and it has a quick cooking time. It is an easy, healthy way to cook with classic flavors and bold ingredients.
I love Italian food and it’s one of the most difficult cuisines to enjoy and not feel weighed down or like you’ve overdone it. It is the carb/pasta/all things wheat centered foods of Italy. With the swap of healthier pasta substitutes, I’ve found that by using really bold flavors I am able to enjoy Italian comfort food without the guilt or stomach ache.
If you aren’t a fan of gluten free alternatives or just want something less carb/calorie dense, you could try spaghetti squash or another favorite veggie noodle of mine is zucchini. It has a great pasta feel too, and I definitely will cut pasta into it sometimes too to have the real chew of pasta but the bulk serving I’d want to enjoy.
For this meal, I used gluten free Veggiecraft linguini. If you are local to the area, Suzannes carries it. You can also find it directly on the Veggiecraft website along with many other variations of pasta. It is a great 3 ingredient carb source but also packs a protein punch of 13g per 2 oz serving. I will usually use something like this in a meal if I know I am lacking protein for the day. This is a week day favorite because it's quick but also breaks up the monotony of traditional meal prep.
How to peel and devein shrimp:
1. To peel raw shrimp, tear away at the shell above the first segment of the shell (the tail segment).
2. Take a paring knife and make a shallow cut along the spine of the shrimp (the back of it).
3. Using the paring knife or a fork, gently remove the black strip of intestines.
4. To remove tails just squeeze the shrimp out from the bottom of the tail segment.
If deveining shrimp is not your jam, you can opt for a brand that has already done it for you. You will just want to make sure they are thawed. Do this by running cold water over the shrimp in a strainer for 5-10 minutes and then remove excess water so that it does not dilute your butter/olive oil sauce when you heat them up.
Ingredients:
· 1 tablespoon grass fed unsalted butter
· 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
· 1 pound shrimp 16-20 count, peeled and deveined
· 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
· 1/2 lemon juiced and zested
· 1/4 cup white wine
· 1 package Veggiecraft linguini or noodle of choice.
· 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil, add 4 servings of Veggiecraft pasta.
2. Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet on medium high heat.
3. Pat dry the shrimp with a paper towel and add it to the skillet in a single layer.
4. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 1 additional minute.
5. Remove the shrimp from the pan.
6. Add in the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest and white wine.
8. Cook for 1 minute then add in the spaghetti squash and shrimp.
9. Toss well before serving and top with Parmesan cheese.
Yields 4 servings, 399.9 calories, 41.8g of protein, 35g of carbs and 10.3g of fat.
Be sure to follow Mica on Instagram here! Tag us both if you try this recipe.
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