What I Eat When My Hubby Is Away On Business x2 Gluten Free & Flexitarian

Tuna boats with Parmesan cheese shavings and smoked paprika

Hi loves! I am back again with another gluten free and Flexitarian post. I recently did a post in January about what I eat when my husband is away on business.  There are many times that I prepare my own meals for one when he is working late or on business trips. In some instances he might come in late from a business dinner and still want what I made so sometimes I make two plates.

I recently started identifying my specific diet as a Flexitarian diet this year, but I have been eating this way for years. I will be sharing today some more of my simple meals that are low calorie, low cholesterol, gluten free, non GMO, organic, and in a lot of cases meatless. If you guys are interested in a full definition of what a Flexitarian is you can find that here, and I usually have less than 18 ounces of meat a week, and I eat mostly seafood or veggies, legumes, and grains.

Sauteed shrimp with Parmigiano Reggiano rice

Zucchini zoodles with shrimp and Alfredo sauce

DINNER:

One thing I keep in my freezer all the time is peeled, deveined, pink shrimp. They are easy to thaw and you can pretty much put them with anything and it will taste great and be quick and easy. On this night I wasn't sure what I wanted for dinner, but I had shrimp and kale as you can see. So I just start by lightly sauteeing the shrimp while I think of what I want to do  next. I basically made a white wine and lemon reduction and then cooked my shrimp in it and then made wilted greens in the same pan.

Sauteed shrimp with Parmigiano Reggiano rice and wilted greens

DINNER:

So, when my husband is away I tend to buy those microwavable dinners by Udis - the penne Mac and cheese. The last time I bought it I realized they changed their recipe and it's not that great so I started thinking maybe I should just make my own stovetop Mac and cheese. I was raised on baked Mac and cheese and it will always be my #1 choice, but for a simple meal for one I chose to give this a try. I was even more interested in it because I have never made Mac and cheese with a roux or Béchamel sauce. Despite varying opinions, not everyone does that, but I was interested in trying it. This was easy to make, I did not follow one single recipe I just did it by ear for the most part. You may notice I have yogurt in the bowl on the left... that is Greek yogurt that I used in lieu of milk and cream because I did not have any. As long as you water down to Greek yogurt it tastes and acts no differently than milk and cream and is lower in calories and higher in protein.

You guys know I am all about the Parmigiana Reggiano and because I used this cheese I did not need to use much. However, I want to note that Parmigiana Reggiano is aged for 2 years so it's drier so you have to add more liquid. Overall, the recipe I used to guide me with portions made way too much. This is about 6 servings in that bowl and I had to freeze most of it. It was so flavorful and creamy. Using a roux was weird for me and that may be because I have to use gluten free flour which has a distinct flavor, but I read online that tasting the presence of flour in the Mac and cheese is a normal and good thing, so I maybe just need to get used to it. I certainly would rather make this than microwave a frozen meal when he is away! This was a score! It looks super cheesy, but I used less than a cup of cheese thanks to the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Parmigiano Reggiano stovetop mac and cheese

A simple one egg omelette with asparagus is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast and asparagus is great for detoxing the liver.

Asparagus omlette

LUNCH: I make so many variations of these noodle soups based on what I have in my fridge and pantry. At this time I was craving bamboo shoots, baby corn, and watercress so I made this soup. I rarely post the recipes, but I do write them down in case anyone sees a particular soup creation that they like. All of these are made with meat broths ( I have only made 2 with a veggie broth and mushroom broth).

Baby corn and bamboo shoot spicy soup

DINNER:

Italian white bean (cannellini) soup with scallops and shrimp with fresh garlic chives from my garden

My omelettes are always kind of messy, but oh well. One of my favorite ways to get my daily protein is with eggs and I love to add in the sliced ham to get an ounce of meat into my daily diet. I am a fan of the Applegate Farms organic gluten free black forest ham or if you have a Publix near you the Boar's Head black forest ham is also GF.

DINNER:

I guess by now you guys see the trend in seafood. Frozen fresh fish is my best friend. In this case tonight was baked Tilapia with capers and sauteed kale greens and a little rice with peas and onions.

Lemon butter caper Tilapia with kale and white rice

Fresh or frozen tilapia filets
half a can of capers without the water
butter
oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder

combine all of this in a baking pan and cook for 25 minutes at 400 degrees (if your Tilapia is thicker then you will need to adjust the time). The butter and oils and capers will create their own yummy sauce. You can pair this with any side.

salad greens with carrots (spiralized) black olives and just a pinch of ranch dressing and red wine vinegar.

STARTER SALADS

AN OLD FAVORITE! HOLIDAY DETOX SOUP WITH GREEN LENTILS

Green lentil and tomato soup which is also great to detox after heavy meals.

DINNER OR LUNCH

RICE
1 serving of Basmati rice by Lundberg seasoned with a 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, and cumin)

TOMATO SOUP
2 cans of diced tomatoes (don't use the tomato chunks and if you do you have to use a blender to make it smooth).

2 cups chicken broth

-salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste)

-cayenne pepper

-2 cups water

-cilantro (without the stems) optional

-half of a white onion

-4 garlic cloves

-2 tablespoons evoo

LENTILS
Cook the garlic and onion in the pan in the evoo once it is brown add the tomato, water, and cilantro and let simmer (with the lid on) for about 30 minutes.

If you cook the lentils in cast iron it will reduce your cook time to 20 minutes. Be sure to add salt at the end. 

-1 cup of green Lentils (which for me was about 6 servings)

- Cumin (at least 1 tblspn)

- Coriander (at least 1 tblspn)

2 cloves diced garlic

-onion diced 1/2

-salt (to taste)

-pepper (to taste)

-garlic powder (to taste)

-chicken broth 1 cup

-water 2 cups

-1/2 tablespoon of butter

****This week I was working on a special post for Fabletics (as a brand Ambassador) I would really appreciate it if you call could stop by my Instagram second post here also or Facebook ( second Facebook post here) to like/comment/ or share my post. I am not sure I will even win anything, but I would love to promote it and the positivity that it projects up until the 25th! I got to collaborate with 1 trainer and 2 yogis this month and I had a great experience! Thanks again!****