Recipes to help you recommit to your health

This week has been all about re-commitment. I am re-committing to myself and taking a little more time for me and doing my best for my well-being. My resolution for this year was to take more time to plan and prep meals for myself and my partner. That way we have quick, healthy options when we are hungry, which seems to be all the time. It is easy for me to push this resolution to the wayside, but I choose not to. I am choosing to re-commit again to something that I know is really good for me and even my relationship. 

I am not perfect and neither is anyone else. Now that I have accepted the fact that I might not eat super, healthy foods 100 percent of the time, I feel less pressure to be this perfect person. So why not re-commit? Not only to your resolution, but to doing the absolute best you can everyday to strive for a healthier you. Re-commit to being better, not perfect. That is something we can all work towards. 

I wanted to share a few of my meals/recipes that I made this week. Enjoy.  

Shrimp Tacos with Black Beans

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

4 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated

2 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound peeled and deveined small shrimp

1 large egg white, beaten

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cornmeal

corn tortillas, warmed

Serving: avocado, salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, sour cream, and lime wedges

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the beans, ¼ cup water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens.Toss the shrimp with the egg white in a shallow bowl,. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.Heat the remaining ½ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the shrimp, in batches, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side.Serve the shrimp in the tortillas with the avocado, salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, sour cream, and lime wedges, alongside the beans.

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs

1 large egg, beaten to blend

¼ small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1½ pound ground turkey

1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed in paper towels to remove excess moisture

½ cup finely grated Parmesan

½ cup plain dried breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lrg jar Marinara Sauce

Preheat broiler. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick spray.  Using your hands or a fork, gently mix egg, onion, garlic, turkey, spinach, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, fennel seeds, and salt in a large bowl just until combined. Scoop out turkey mixture by the ¼-cupful and form into balls (you should have about 20). Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2” apart; brush with oil.  Broil meatballs, turning often, until browned all over and cooked through, 15–18 minutes. While meatballs are cooking, heat Marinara sauce in a medium saucepan on low heat until warm.  Add meatballs to marinara sauce.

Liz Whalen is a personal trainer and health fitness specialist who lives and works in Libby. She also blogs at lizwhalenhfs.com.