Shrimp Scampi Pasta

I've decided that I'm going to try and post at least one new recipe a week. I'm always up for trying new recipes and I always want to share-good or bad. I can always get tips on the bad ones right?

Tonight the fiance and I tried a new Weight Watchers recipe! This one is crazy simple but sooo delicious. You'll soon learn that I love simple and tasty and if its not a simple recipe but I make it, it is probably well worth the effort!

To get down to the nitty-gritty of this dish...with a few changes we made ;)

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of bottled minced garlic

1 1/2 pounds of peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 Lb box angel hair or spaghetti pasta

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Follow the directions on the box of the pasta as directed; when noodles are done stir in the butter till melted.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add garlic and cook for 1 minute
• Add shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes until shrimp are done, stirring occasionally, remove pan from heat
• Stir in parsley and remaining ingredients
• Spoon out about a cup of pasta onto plate and top with a serving of shrimp and enjoy!

(One serving is equal to about a cup of pasta and 5 shrimp. This makes 5-6 servings.)

What we did differently:

1. We added  about 1 more tablespoon of garlic, but we are big garlic lovers!!
2. Instead of 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp we went with 2 pounds since that was how big our bag was. Why skimp right?
3. I normally don't buy fresh herbs... I know, I know, I probably should BUT its cheaper if I don't. Broke college kid here remember? It usually just takes me a while to use them up and by then they have already gone bad so I just opt for dried spices and herbs when I can....and I may have forgotten that this recipe requires it. Oops.
4. Oh, and that red pepper up there-what a mess up did we have on this. Well, since I was trying to rush to get dinner cooked and trying to pick up a messy kitchen I quickly and completely read this part wrong. For some reason I turned 1/8 tsp of red pepper into 1/2 tsp of black pepper. There wasn't much I could do after dumping that all over the shrimp. So the solution? Add the correct amount of the correct ingredient! 

Did you notice the side salad? Well that would be just a simple green salad with a few cherry tomatoes topped with 1 oz. of feta cheese! Easy, simple, and healthy! 

Even though we had a little mix up, it was a good one! Taylor has already deemed this quick dinner as "Cook Book Material"

 Weight Watcher Points Plus:

Shrimp-3 pts a serving

Pasta-5 pts a serving

Salad-1 pt

Printable Weekly Menu Planner

This my friends, is the creation that started it all...well the blog that it! I have this love for printables but I always have to deal with layouts that I would like to tweak or colors that I just don't like, so I took things into my own hands!

I have really been wanting a menu planner that will help me not only plan meals, but will help me actually want to plan! Since Its just me in my apartment it always makes me feel like its a hassle cooking for one person, except on the weekends when Taylor comes over. I thought about making one of those that we've probably all seen on pinterest that hang on the wall or the fridge but I don't like having to sort through those cards or what happens if i change my kitchen decor? That baby ain't gonna match! And who in the world wants to have to redo something that they worked so hard on? Not this girl.

So, what did i decide? Well i thought maybe a printable, yeah that will work! Well after several minutes of research I learned a lot.

1. I hate monthly meal planners (the ones that look like a calendar) because it overwhelms me and you should not, should not, be overwhelmed when it comes to food!

2. I didn't like having the grocery list sectioned off into categories such as meats, veggies, dairy...just not my style.

3. I love cute just as much as the next person but i didn't want something over the top, just cute enough to get me by with pretty colors.

So I got on my computer and when to work and here is the end product:

• 2 title pages-"My Menu Planner" and "Our Menu Planner", just covering my basis for everyone on that
• 5 Weekly Meal Planner pages-they all contain a box for each day of the week, the date for the week, and a grocery list
• oh yeah, and in cute colors!!

That second picture you're looking at, that's my planner for a year! Yeah I said it, a YEAR! I took my cute-little-diy planner pages, printed 52 of them (13 of each color if you're curious) and the cover, took them to staples and got that bad boy bound for a little less than $5.00!

Now you can print as many as you want of each color but I like a little variety which is why I alternated my pages! Oh and when you go to Staples they punch the pages, give you a clear cover, and you can choose between a card stock or vinyl backing! If you're wanting to have your own copy of these just click here and go download my printables! :)

I hope you enjoy!

This ain't Rocket Science...or is it?

We all have those friends that give us these great ideas and when we try them out it doesn't go according to plan right? Well, thank you Brandi because that's where I'm at right now. 

Brandi decided that since I'm so crafty and I love to cook I should start a blog to share my creations with everyone (mostly her)....and that's what has landed me here. Ill let you know a little secret though...I'M CLUELESS ABOUT BLOGGING!!! This will be a learning experience for me and probably a rough one at that but if you will hang on for the ride, I'll try and make it worth your time!

Now a little bit about me:

I'm currently an Early Childhood Education major but I am finally graduating this December! The next challenge will be trying to find a job before I get married...oh yeah married? Yep, that's right I'm getting married to this handsome man! Everyone meet Taylor! ;) We have been dating for a little over 2 years now and have our wedding set for next May. He's been my rock and I couldn't have been blessed with anyone better!

---which leads me to the name of my blog...you might be wondering why my blog is called "From the Home of the Holland's"...Well I wanted to make something that involved both me and my fiancé and we only have 10 MONTHS left so why not just use my future last name. No harm in that now is there? And, most the things I cook or make hes right by my side so he's part of this blog too he just doesn't know it! Shhh don't tell :)

Okay, so here is the deal, I'm not sure what kind of blog you're looking for but I'm kind of one of those all over the place people. You can see anything from wedding planning stuff, printable's, new recipes--even weight watcher friendly ones, and crafts that I've made for our future home. But regardless of what it may be I hope you can find something you like :)