Summer Salads

Technically it's not actually summer. And given the temperature outside today, it doesn't really feel like summer right now, but last week it was pretty hot, and that's good enough for me. As a summer baby, I've always loved summertime. While other people run inside and blast the A/C, I want to soak up as many rays as possible (in a healthy, sunburn-free way, of course). But summer time means summer food, so for breakfast today I decided to make myself a summer salad. By the way, I've never really been much into the typical meal categories for different times of the day. I'll eat a salad for breakfast, meatloaf at lunch, and eggs for dinner. I don't particularly like eating sweet things for breakfast (unless it's some fruit, mmm), which also makes it easier to turn down donuts, pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls... you get the idea. I still think these things are delicious, but in small quantities, and not first thing when I wake up. And I'm obviously not eating them during this challenge.

So back to this salad. I had some shrimp in the freezer that had been gifted to me by a friend leaving town. I don't normally buy shrimp, because it's basically all farm raised, which means it's bad for the environment, more likely to have higher concentrations of toxins, and it may be hard to tell what sorts of chemicals have been applied to keep the shrimp alive. But I had these shrimp, so I thought I'd use them. These shrimp were pre-cooked, which if I WAS going to buy shrimp, I wouldn't get, because if you want them warm, they're pretty much guaranteed to come out hard and rubbery. But I thawed them, tossed them with some lime juice, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, and briefly sauteed them. 

I also picked up some salad greens and lots of wonderful fruits and veggies at the store yesterday. Avocados are the best. I can't believe that I didn't like them until I was in high school - so many lost years of wonderful California avocados. Today they were just a salad addition, but they can be used as a sandwich spread in place of butter or mayo, mixed with tuna to make a much healthier tuna salad, or just drizzled with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a delicious snack packed with healthy fat (and some carbs and protein!). Added to that was some grape tomatoes and a simple dressing made of lime juice, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of olive oil. 

Et Viola!

Shrimp Salad with Coconut-Lime Dressing (1 serving)

16 medium shrimp, thawed, deveined and tails removed

3 tsp lime juice, divided

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups mixed greens

6-8 grape tomatoes

1/2 avocado

1/2 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 tsp olive oil

1. Combine shrimp, 1 tsp lime juice, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Toss to thoroughly coat shrimp, then sautee briefly on both sides until flesh is pink (if uncooked) or warmed through (if pre-cooked). 

2. Slice avocado into thick chunks and cut grape tomatoes in half. 

3. Combine coconut milk, remaining lime juice, and olive oil. 

4. Toss everything and enjoy!

After this marvelous start to the day things got a little weird. I fully intended to go to the gym, but then two things happened: a friend of mine had a semi-emergency and I spent about half of the day in the hospital with her (she'll be fine), and my stomach decided it wasn't especially happy. So I decided to forego the gym for today but still eat healthy. I also made somewhat last minute plans to road trip down to Miami, then make my way back up via plane to DC, then by train to New Haven a few days later. So it'll be Paleo-on-the-Go starting on Sunday for about a week.