Sorry about the delay in sharing this post with you. I truly meant to post it last week but had a bad case of the blahs. That’s life. The good news is I’ve got more pep in my step again, like the Max Man does 24/7, and have several food posts in the hopper and ready to go. Yup, I got ambitious last weekend. It’s why I no longer resist blah days or weeks and just roll with them. They always eventually pass. Thank you for your patience and this is a recipe worth the wait!
There are lots of areas that I need to work on when it comes to food, but meal planning is something that I got nailed. In fact, I’m a bit of a nerd. Tuesday is when the store flyers hit my mailbox and I’m always a little too excited to see what’s on sale. However, I recently realized that all the meal planning in the world isn’t going to make a difference on those days where I’m running behind schedule and don’t have the time or the inclination to cook.
Some days I’m in the zone, where everything is just clicking, and lose track of time. Suddenly, my belly starts rumbling and I realize that it’s way past dinnertime. And I’m a hungry, hungry hippo who is too hungry to wait an hour or so to eat. And a hungry Tanya will make a poor decision around food 110% of the time.
If I’m lucky, there are leftovers to reheat. But there is no guarantee that my busy days will fall on leftover days. This is why I’ve decided to set aside a few hours every month to prep some freezer meals. Now I can just pop something delicious and healthy in the oven and keep working without missing a beat.
Make-Ahead or Freezer Meals to the Rescue!
Even better, one of my favorite chefs, Ellie Krieger, just released a new cookbook on make-ahead meals. I like Ellie because she focuses on clean ingredients, but the recipes aren’t fussy and don’t taste like diet food.
If you are eating mostly nutrient-rich, whole foods, there is room for some butter in your mashed potatoes, some brown sugar in your oatmeal, or even a slice of rich chocolate cake once in a while.
Can I get an amen?
This is a philosophy I wholeheartedly support. We need to eat good-for-you foods the majority of time and strike a balance with the more indulgent items, like dessert, versus outright banning them or at least I do. This is doable for me, especially when eating healthy doesn’t taste like punishment. Because sometimes it does, which only makes it harder.
One thing I really appreciated about her cookbook was how many of the meals could go straight from the freezer to the oven. It does me no good to have a freezer stocked full of meals that requiring thawing before heating. This is going to be a lifesaver for those days where I planned to make something else but ran out of time. Now I have no excuses!
Easy, Delicious and Good-for-You Meals
There are a ton of dishes on my to-make list from black bean veggie burgers, blueberry-chia overnight oats, garden penne bake, tuscan seven vegetable soup, chili-spiced sweet potato wedges to grilled chicken with cherry bourbon BBQ sauce.
Admit it. You’re hungry now too. And all those dishes are good for you.
One dish that I did make is her cajun shrimp packets in foil. These are so good and flavorful, thanks to the cajun spice and andouille sausage. She recommends serving the dish with brown rice, which I don’t really enjoy, so I used quinoa instead. It paired beautifully and soaked-up all the tasty sauce. It was also super easy to assemble, and I love having a few of these packets in my freezer for those hectic days.
Cajun Shrimp and Sausage in Foil Packets
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salt-free cajun or creole seasoning*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/4 cleaned and deveined large shrimp
- 2 fully cooked andouille sausage links (6 oz. each), thinly sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 large red peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 3 cups frozen corn
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cajun seasonings, salt and pepper. Add shrimp (pat dry first) and toss to coat.
- Place 8 large (10 x 18-inch) pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil on your counter or a flat surface.
- Place equal amounts of sausage, zucchini, bell peppers and corn in the center of each foil piece. Top with shrimp (about 5-6 each) and top with 1 tablespoon of parsley and basil. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of wine and 2 teaspoons of olive oil over shrimp and veggies. Fold foil into a tightly sealed packet with just a little room inside for air to circulate so it steams properly. Repeat with remaining packets.
- If using immediately: preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange packets on a baking sheet and bake until shrimp is cooked through and veggies are crisp tender, approximately 13 minutes. Open carefully due to hot steam.
- If freezing: place uncooked packets into a ziploc bag, keeping them level and upright. Freeze for up to 2 months. You do not need to thaw packet before baking. Place a frozen packet on a baking sheet in a cold oven. Set temperature to 425 degrees and turn oven on. Once the oven comes to temperature, continue to cook for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve with lemon wedges and brown rice or quinoa.
Notes
I did not use a pre-made cajun seasoning mix but made a homemade version from Behind The Bites. Because it does have salt in it, I did not add any additional salt to the recipe.
I cut my zucchini a little too thick the first time, so it was crisper than I would have liked. So depending on how crunchy or tender you like veggies, adjust how thickly you cut your red pepper and zucchini.
Normally I would say use whatever size shrimp you like and/or is on sale. However, because shrimp cooks fast and overcooked shrimp is rubbery and chewy, I do recommend using large shrimp (26-31 pieces per pound or larger).
Enjoy!
Tanya
Oh my gosh Tanya, this recipe looks so good! I will have to show this recipe to my husband because he will love this 🙂 Since he is doing low-carb, he will omit the rice, but hey, more for me! 😉
It is delicious, Mackenzie. I’m planning on enjoying one of these bad boys this week. Your husband will love it, even if he can’t have the rice or quinoa (and I like your more-for-me attitude about it). He has better willpower than me. I just can’t do low-carb without turning into a big meanie!