I’ve officially been logging my food into My Fitness Pal for 36 days. That’s a huge accomplishment for me! The first week I started, it felt cumbersome and time consuming but by my 5th week it’s become a breeze. Most of the food I eat regularly is already there and I’m finding I try to eat a lot of the same or at least similar meals (I’ve read that eating similar “predictable” meals each day is a habit of fit people – I agree!). I’m down about 5lbs and feeling really good.

One meal I have in rotation this past month are these Sriracha Shrimp and Hummus Lettuce Wraps. They are pretty basic and easy to put together, and quick! You can use frozen cooked shrimp that you’ve defrosted (that is what I’ve been doing) or roast up a bunch of shrimp and eat in salad or wraps like this over a couple of days. I’ve been loving lettuce wraps like this lately as a change up from my usual salad.

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For the past month I’ve been on a ‘quest‘ to lose some weight that I put on during the second half of last year. My quest (which can be appropriately defined as a journey towards a goal) is not only to lose weight, but to lose body fat, gain muscle and basically become the fittest version of myself that I’ve ever been. I like being active, and I want to feel fit and strong (and good) while being active. Especially with my family. I have 3 incredible kids to keep up with and I want to feel good while keeping up with them.

I’ve never had a problem getting motivated to workout, but I found myself in a bit of a rut so I signed up with a personal trainer I know from my previous gym, Jeff Higuera, last month. I started training with personal trainers 2 years ago and it’s been the best investment I have made for myself. Working out is just part of the equation and since I’ve made a goal to get in 5 workouts at the gym (sometimes I only make it to 4 and I’m okay with that) and hit 10k steps daily my activity level is covered. What I’ve been struggling with (ironically) is nutrition. Obviously I enjoy healthy food, my biggest problem is I enjoy too much of it. I also enjoy pizza but that’s another story. Two weeks ago Jeff challenged me to track my meals in My Fitness Pal for 31 days. That’s all I needed to hear so here I am 15 days in and down about 5lbs. The first week of tracking was the hardest, but now that I’ve got most of my everyday foods logged in and I know what to stock my fridge with each week I’m in a good groove. I’ve read and agree that a big part of weight loss is eating the same type of foods every day. It doesn’t mean it has to be boring, but sticking to the same types of structured meals has helped me stay on track.

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I asked Bev, from Bev Cooks over today to cook for you. If you don’t know Beverly yet, then you must get to know her. This girl makes me smile each and every day…she’s hysterical and can cook her butt off. I’ve been hanging out on her blog a lot the last few months and have enjoyed the heck out of it. Her cooking style is very similar to mine and I think you are going to really enjoy her Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups. I can’t wait to make them myself…the photos alone are making me drool.

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When the fabulous Aggie came to me about being a guest poster on her blog, I: A) Immediately ran down the street singing “What a Feeling” at the top of my lungs. B) Shaved my legs because in my head, IT TOTALLY MATTERS FOR THIS. And C) Threw on a red sequin gown and stilettos so high, I could give you a separate weather report.

So I got a teensy bit excited. What?

Thank you, Aggie.

. . . . .

It’s the end of summer and we’re all desperately clinging to the last bits and pieces of the relaxing, sun-soaked days of the season. The pool has closed. Pencils are sharpened and the smell of notebook paper wafts through the hallways at school. Echoes of the high school marching band and football team make their way through our windows in the early hours of the morning. New sitcoms prepare to air and entertain us weekly throughout the chilly months. And best of all, comfort food will be flying through our mouth holes for approximately the next 6 months. This time of year RULES IT, YOU GUYS.

With that in mind, I decided to post a light, end-of-summer meal with a kick. And when I say, “with a kick,” I mean go ahead and set up the sprinkler system to blast your eyeballs every 5 seconds. No, I mean it.

I love this type of meal because anything shrimp makes me giddy, anything with spicy, fiery, blow-your-face-off heat makes me sing love songs, and anything in the form of a wrap makes me dance the cha-cha.

I do hope I haven’t frightened you.

Please, try it!

Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups:

Here are the roasted peppers. You can’t see it with the human eye, but they are secretly plotting all kinds of sexy hotness for your taste buds.

The toasted cumin and coriander. Seriously, scents so beautiful you’ll forget your own name.

This is where it gets dangerous. And awesome. And you might need to open a window. Or stick your head in the freezer.

This is where it gets pretty. And even more awesome-er. You can pull your head out of the freezer now.

Toss the spicy, fiery hot-as-a-mama marinade with the shrimp for a few minutes.

Crisp lettuce cups. You just wanna pet them, don’t you?

Aaaand the finished dish. Go ahead, wave to your fans. They’ll understand if your face is melting off and your head is back in the freezer.

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Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups and a visit from Bev Cooks

• Author: Bev Cooks
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: Fish
• Method: Oven/Stovetop

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Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups – you will love EVERYTHING about these flavorful low carb, shrimp lettuce wraps.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated
•  4 jalapeno peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 Tbs. coriander seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 Tbs.
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 lime

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers with a little oil. Roast for 20 minutes, or until pretty charred on all sides.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Give them a rough chop.
4. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the toasted cumin seeds and coriander until finely ground. Add the minced garlic, and toss in a pinch of salt. Grind away, until it becomes slightly pasty. Toss in the peppers and grind grind grind again. It become a firey paste that will blow your face off. Add the cilantro and olive oil and grind more. Seriously, so hot. So awesome.
5. Toss the marinade with the shrimp and let sit a few minutes.
6. Heat skillet over medium-high. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and sear 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Add a little more oil if needed and add the red bell pepper. Saute 2 minutes.
8. Stuff each lettuce cup with shrimp, red bell pepper and diced avocado. Spritz with lime and  get ready to cry. And I mean, from the heat. Seriously, have that sprinkler system ready and aimed.

Thank you so much, Aggie, for letting me blab my face off on your blog today!

The post {Guest Post} Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups and a visit from Bev Cooks appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.