Busy Weekend

Today I have been thinking through all the recipes in my head and I realized that not many of them are healthy. Though, to be honest, I've known that for a while. I grew up in the South, we don't really do healthy very well (even though my mama is a yankee). Everything is coated in flour and either deep fried or pan fried, including the vegetables. And if the vegetables aren't fried you will find them in a gloriously ooey gooey cheesey casserole. There is always a starch and that starch tends to make up a good portion of your plate. Think 2 or 3 serving sizes. And then you smother the entire plate in gravy. Fruit? That is for the jello mold. You'd think I was talking about Thanksgiving or Christmas. That sounds like a holiday meal, right? At my grandmother's, every meal was a holiday meal.

Seriously, the woman knew how to cook. And she loved to cook. She always made sure she had a pound cake ready for me, a chocolate cake ready for my brother, and a caramel pecan cake ready for my father when we arrived at her house. Sometimes we were down there every weekend. That is a lot of cake. She had a dining room table that sat 8 people and the table was always full of food for lunch and dinner. I mean, no space left available. There was barely enough room for our plates and silverware.

So, in all of this I was trying to plan out my weekend meals. At least for dinner. Then I remembered that it is Queens Feast in Charlotte and I have reservations at the Melting Pot. Ok, not a huge problem. Yes there will be wonderful cheesey fondu and a fabulous chocolate fondu which isn't the best when it comes to heathly eating, but it's not like I go to dinner there every week. Then I was reminded by a call from one of my moms (anyone I babysit for is one of my  "families" or "moms") seeing if 8am Saturday was good for the overnight sit I had completely forgot I had booked. Well crap. There goes the weekend. I am still trying to figure out how to make the dinner I had so desperately wanted to make on Saturday without it being a big to do.

I first found this recipe during Lent last year. (FYI, I hate Lent. I am a bad Catholic that way.) I always have trouble finding good things that aren't expensive and aren't a PB and Mayo sandwich (I'm from the South, remember?). And then, I found this little gem on Pinterest. I heart Pinterest like whoa. It is a wonderfully flavorful and surprisingly easy to make shrimp and pasta dish. I might even be adventurous and make it with whole wheat angel hair pasta.

Well, wish me luck! I have a feeling I am going to need it in more ways than one this weekend! I hope you all have a wonderful three day weekend!

Amy <3