Shrimp with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

/ Emily G.

A few friends and I decided to try out the 21 Day Fix after a very overly indulgent summer.

The 21 Day Fix is a meal and exercise plan that helps with portion control, clean eating and daily exercise promising that you will see weight and inches lost within the 21 days.

I have to admit I was hesitant because:  1) It was a lot of money,  2) I don’t believe in any fad diets because I feel the pounds just pack on right after, and  3) after I spend all this money will I be able to stick to the plan or would it just be a waste?

When your challenge pack arrives it is overwhelming.

Each kit comes with: A start guide,  an eating guide, exercise DVDs, color coded food portion containers, as well as a month supply of the Shakeology and a Shakeology cup.

Shakeology is superfood-packed protein drink that while trying to lose weight you can use as a meal replacement. It comes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and greenberry. Again, I was hesitant because I have never had a protein shake before and was worried it was going to be gross. I ordered the chocolate flavor and I am happy to say it is DELICIOUS! I make mine with either frozen banana and nutella or a scoop of natural peanut butter and I look forward to it each and every morning.

Although Shakeology is more expensive than store bought protein powders so I compared the ingredients looking for an alternative and could not find one as nutritious. It is worth the money to me because of how energized I feel all day after drinking it. It has replaced my morning coffee and truly does help reduce cravings. After only 13 days I can’t imagine starting my mornings without it. Besides, if you do the math is comes out to a little over $3 per day – I would spend more than that at Starbucks!

While we have a gym membership we have taken this 21 days to try out the daily 30 minute exercise DVD’s with celebrity trainer Autumn Calabrese –  read her blog she is adorable, funny and has worked so hard on this program! These DVD’s range from cardio, to upper and lower body toning, pilates, yoga and even a bonus 10 minute abs. After the classes we take at the gym I thought these would be easy and I was SO wrong. The first day of the challenge we did ‘Total Body Cardio Fix’ and I couldn’t walk for 2 days. Now we already feel stronger and can get through the tough parts of the workouts that we struggled with in the first week. Starting next week we are going to being incorporating our gym routine back in as well as we do our DVDs in the morning before work.

Who are we working out Saturday AND Sunday each weekend?? Never thought I would see the day 🙂

The part I love most about this program is the eating plan. I like to call it “Clean Eating for Dummies”. After looking up 21 Day Fix recipes on Pinterest I was saddened by the lack of creative and flavorful dishes that were out there – I can only eat so much salad and chicken in one week!

It has become my project these past two weeks to come up with recipes that work in the eating plan but have tons of flavor and don’t leave you hungry. You will be amazed how flavorful your food can still be while omitting salt, sugar and any kind of artificial ingredients.

The first day of the challenge you take your weight and measurements. Based off of that you are able to find out what calorie bracket you fall into so you know how many of each color food containers you get every day. When I first saw the containers I was shocked how small they are but if you fill them up and then put your meal on a plate I promise you it is a lot of food. It’s a good lesson in what actual portion control should be as well.

Each day I get the following:  3 green (vegetables), 2 purple (fruit), 4 red (protein), 2 yellow (carbs), 1 blue (fats and cheeses), 1 orange (seeds and oils), and 2 teaspoons (cooking oils and nut butters).

All spices (except salt), fresh herbs, vinegars, mustards, garlic, ginger, lemon and lime juices, tabasco and flavor extras are all considered “free foods” so use these as much as you want.

Working withing these guidelines and having a shake every day for breakfast I have been able to come up with some great recipes I am excited to share! I am shocked at how great I feel from eating clean and how much my energy has skyrocketed.

You are really supposed to cut out almost all alcohol which is VERY hard to do. While we have cut back we are still having a vodka soda here and there on Saturday night – we would go crazy if we didn’t have a social life for 21 days!

For my first 21 Day Fix recipe post I am sharing Shrimp with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese. My roommate came up with this dish and it has been our favorite dinner so far. I make this at least once a week.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to my coach Colleen who as kept us on track these past two weeks by creating a fun Facebook group where we talk about our progress and share recipes and tips. I am excited to say I was down 5lbs in the first week and am already looking forward to round 2.

EEEK!

Shrimp with Asparagus, Tomato and Goat Cheese

21 Day Fix: Shrimp with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Author: Emily Goodman
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces whole grain penne
  • 1lb large or jumbo shrimp, uncooked (fresh or thawed if frozen)
  • Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil)
  • 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
  1. Remove the shells and/or tails from the shrimp and season with Mrs. Dash seasoning.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente.
  3. While the pasta is cooking heat the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat.
  4. Add the chopped asparagus. Sauté for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the halved tomatoes, minced garlic and red pepper flakes (optional) and sauté for 1 minute.
  6. Add the shrimp and a squirt of lemon juice. Cook for 3-4 minutes until shrimp is pink and fully cooked, flipping the shrimp over halfway through.
  7. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet.
  8. Top with the crumbled goat cheese.
Serving size: 1.5 cups
Notes
21 Day Fix container equivalents per 1.5 cup serving: 1 red, 1 green, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 0.5 spoon

 

Shrimp with Asparagus, Tomato and Goat Cheese

 

See I told you it would be a lot of food!

35 thoughts on “Shrimp with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese”

    • Update: I have changed the recipe quantities to make enough to serve 4 people! Just wanted to give you the heads up and clear up any confusion since posting this recipe 🙂

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  5. This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. And I LOVE the way you put down how much of each container you used that really helps out.

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  6. This was really good! I bought asparagus and shrimp specifically to make this and am so glad we finally had it tonight! I roasted my asparagus first cuz it gives so much flavor and I was worried it wouldn’t cook enough in the time the recipe said to sauté. I didn’t have mrs dash so I used another spice mix…I tasted it and thought hmm this is missing something – omg I forgot to add the goat cheese in – the most important part! Ha definitely keeping this recipe. Thank you for giving us an idea for something other than chicken!

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  7. I added balsamic vinegar to it. AMAZING 🙂
    I also seasoned my shrimp with old bay seasoning because i didnt hve mrs dash

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  8. This was so yummy!! I added a couple turns of sea salt also to add a little bit more flavor. I almost forgot the cheese also. Thanks again for the recipe!!

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  14. Hi! I am sorry, I am a little confused. Your serving amount in your receipe says 4 but the comments say it’s only for i person. So does the receipe make for 4 serveing or 1?

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  15. Hi! I am sorry, I am a little confused. Your serving amount in your receipe says 4 but the comments say it’s only for i person. So does the receipe make for 4 serveing or 1?

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    • The recipe makes enough to serve 4 people. Originally when I posted this recipe it was for 1 person but I since tweaked it and changed the quantities to serve 4 so you can disregard that comment 🙂

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    • Hi Jennifer – all that info is listed right on the recipe card. The serving size is 1.5 cups and it equals: 1 red, 1 green, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 0.5 blue. Hope this helps!

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  17. Does anyone by chance know how many calories this dish per 1 person serving would be? I love this this dish could literally eat it every night but I’m wanting to track this on my Fitbit
    TIA!

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    • Hi Shawnah! Unfortunately I do not count calories with the nutrition plan I follow because it used to drive me crazy! I know what calorie bracket I am in for the day and I use a color coded portion control container system where I am allotted multiple of each containers every day that fit within my calorie bracket. I eat really clean, whole, non-processed foods and if they fit within my containers for the day I know I fall within my calorie bracket (I also have a food list I can use for reference for each container). I would love to chat more with you about this meal plan so feel free to shoot me an email at emily.goodmanBB@gmail.com or a friend request on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/emily.goodman.52 🙂

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  18. Hi! I am new to the portion control containers. I am wanting to make sure I understand everything correctly. You said the serving size is 1.5 cups. So when I have every thing cooked and ready to eat, I just measure out a cup and a half and that will equal the 1 red, 1 green, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 0.5 spoon? Or do I do 1.5 cup of each(pasta, shrimp, veggies, etc.)?

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