Spicy Shrimp Pasta

This pasta has become a staple in our house. The recipe is straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. The edition I have is for Breast Cancer and there is a recipe section in the back called "Recipes for Life." This healthy recipe is delicious and easy. If possible, the leftovers are even better than the initial dinner. Try it out!

12 oz. fresh or frozen large shrimp
8 oz. dried whole wheat linguine (I use spaghetti)
2 Tb olive oil
1 or 2 fresh jalepeno chile pepper, finely chopped (as you can see in the pic, I didn't "finely" chop. Nate and I like it a little spicier)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 cups chopped tomatoes (4 medium)
shredded Parmesan (optional)

** As with all recipes, I add more garlic and more freshly ground black pepper, cause that's the way I roll

1. Thaw shrimp if frozen. Peel and devein (if needed). Rinse shrimp; pat dry. Set aside. Cook linguine according to package directions; drain. Keep warm.

2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add jalepeno pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add shrimp; cook about 3 minutes more or until shrimp turn opaque. Stir in tomatoes; heat through.

3. Toss linguine with shrimp mixture. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

To make it easy, I use frozen shrimp I get from Costco, they are deveined and peeled for you. If you want to make it real easy on yourself, use already cooked shrimp. Make sure not to burn your garlic. Oh, and if you're worried about the spiciness, don't be. It's nothing you can't handle, believe me. Hope you enjoy!

Walk On!

I realize I haven't been updating.. It's a little hard to write about my fitness when I'm continuously getting larger and it's a good thing. My main exercise throughout the pregnancy has been walking. I walk just about every day and do weights 2 or 3 times a week (just 5 pounders). I am by no means over-exerting myself; I do enough to stay healthy and keep the baby healthy. All the books say that you should exercise so that you feel invigorated when you are done, not exhausted, and I happily comply.

Recently, a celebrity Mama talked about how she watched her weight while she was pregnant. She has received a lot of flack for this, and many say what she was doing was unhealthy. My doctor and the books I have would completely disagree with such put-downs. My doctor monitors all of her pregnant patients' weight closely. The idea is that if you gain too much too fast, you are putting your baby at risk for things such as diabetes and other complications in their lifetime. The famous "Pregnancy Bible", What to Expect When you are Expecting, claims that exercising while pregnant helps you in numerous ways, such as benefiting your health, mood, sleep, back, labor and postpartum recovery. How does it help baby? Many ways, by benefiting baby's fitness, sleep, and even intelligence (yep, there is research that shows that working out during pregnancy even helps baby's brain power). So while I don't over-do exercise, I do keep it a regular part of my schedule. The way I see it, only good can come from it!

All in all, I love pregnancy. It's such a happy and exciting time. I continue to try and keep my body in it's best health (not an easy task when your craving cheesy goodness and ice cream). And while I do slip-up here and there, I always just try and continue to make healthy choices.

Here I am at 27 weeks in my walking gear (this is for you, JuJu):