So I am back to work after having time off to “renew and relax” after the new year. It was AWESOME! Fabulous! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it. I relaxed a bit, was productive around the house/errands, did some personal and professional development – basically recharged, both mentally and physically.
As predicted, I had a laundry of a “To Do List”. I am the queen of lists. I love making them and comleting them. Makes me feel so productive. For this week, my goal was to accomplish at least half of my “productive work items”. It was more of a wish list really. I knew I couldn’t do it all and still have time to relax and recharge. So, the compromise was at least half and I had to be okay with that. Normally, I would feel guilty for not completing it all and being a “slacker”, but my new way of thinking was to not feel that way and be present in what I am doing. Too much? Well, it worked.
I got a lot done and still had time to relax and mentally recharged. I practiced yoga all but one day (was getting over a cold), cleaned out the majority of my closets, cooked, hung out with friends, and most importantly was able to shut work out and not worry. I so needed that.
On a random note, have you heard of Shirataki Noodles. It’s a new little food craze. I read about them online a couple of weeks ago and with all the new year “healthy” recipes out there, I saw them featured a few times on day time talk shows – ooh, I love the Nate Berkus show btw. If you haven’t heard of Shirataki Noodles, I suggest you Google them (here’s a search for you). Supposedly they are almost ZERO calories and almost Zero carbs. I thought I would give them a try. They can be found usually in the refrigerated section of your store and the ones I bought were packaged in water.
After I got them home, I almost didn’t make them because when I turned over the package to read the preparation instructions, I saw that they were endorsed by Hungry Girl. You probably have heard of her, but I fundamentally disagree with her message on food and nutrition. Let There Be Bite did a great interview and blog post with her on the same subject. I know there are other brands out there, but I didn’t have the time to search. So I made a simple turkey sausage meat sauce and used the noodles as a replacement for the pasta. They actually weren’t that bad. Once you rinse them and cook the “smell” out or what the package called “natural aroma”. Texturally, they are definitely different then regular pasta. Slimy isn’t quite the right description, but it’s close – slick might be a better description. The directions say to dry them thoroughly and I didn’t exactly do that. Maybe that was my problem. I would make them again if I can find a truly organic, natural brand that has real nutritional value vs. one making a profit from endorsing them.
Basic Recipe:
1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 links hot Italian turkey sausage
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 gloved garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 – 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
3/4 tbsp fresh chopped basil and parsley
2 packages Shirataki Noodles
Directions:
1. Brown ground turkey and sausage in a pan till cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside on separate plate.
2. In the same pan, saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic untill soft – about 8-10 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add in tomato paste. Stir until heated through and mixed.
4. Next add in the entire can of tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Then break up the whole tomatoes into chucks with a spoon (they should be soft).
5. While the sauce simmers, cooked the Shirataki noodles per the package directions.
6. Add back in the ground turkey and sausage into the pan. Cook for a few minutes for the meat to warm back up and the sauce to marry with the meat. Then add in the cooked noodles to do the same. Finish it off by stirring in the fresh basil and parsley.
7. Serve in pasta bowls topping with parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Dominica