Seafood Soup

I can eat soup almost everyday. There was a time in my life where I only wanted thick, creamy soups. Now, I cannot even digest that and certainly don't dream about eating it. I like clear broths, with homemade stock and lots of vegetables.

Scallops, shrimp, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, wild rice and homemade chicken stock.

Mmmmm

I actually made this at the spur of the moment due to a timing error with the family's meal. So, I had to throw together something at the very last minute. I had made chicken stock so I knew that would be the base.  I searched in the freezer and found a bag that had three very small scallops in it and one that had 5 plump uncooked jumbo shrimp. Bingo!

Into a small pot I placed the chicken stock, and all the vegetables cut into bite sized pieces. They were already cooked, it was Sunday and I had cooked a bunch of vegetables for lunches. Asparagus, mushrooms and zucchini. They warmed in the broth as I cooked the seafood.  I added one ounce of cooked wild rice for some texture.

I ran the shrimps and scallops under cold water and they quickly thawed, then I sprinkled the shrimp with chile powder. I heated my skillet and added a very small amount of coconut oil and then quickly seared the scallops and shrimps.

The scallops cooked first, I pulled them out and placed them in the serving bowl.

The shrimps still had the shells on and took longer, I added a splash of water to keep them from drying out and sticking as they finished cooking.

When they were done, I pulled them off, took the shells off and cut them into smaller pieces. I added them to the bowl with the scallops, then poured the broth and vegetables over.  A couple squirts of sriracha sauce and it was ready to enjoy!


Soup is so easy to make, just use your imagination! If you can make your own stocks it's a bonus as you don't have to worry about sodium and what may or may not be in it, and the flavor is phenomenal. 

How far ahead are you thinking?

I am prepping for another competition, and when I get home and I am starved! Time for meal number 5 and it cannot be fast enough. I had my red snapper, brown rice, asparagus and mushrooms.

David and Cooper are feeling a little slighted about now, as they usually do when it gets this close to competition time and my diet is really rigid, so I made a very tasty pasta sauce for them with Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano. Topped with pecorino cheese, they enjoyed it.

I sit with them while they eat.

Talk got around to school and how we, as parents need to help Cooper make the right decisions and keep him on track, so he will grow into a responsible, successful, happy adult.

He didn't think we had to do that, he said "If I cannot figure it out right now myself, then I never can!", but I beg to differ.

I told him that he really shouldn't be able to right now, he is only 16. I said "You are probably thinking about as far ahead as tonight, and what you and your friends will be doing after dinner". He smiled, then laughed and nodded his head.

He looked at David and asked how far ahead he was thinking. I said "I bet you are thinking about as far ahead as the weekend, when you can relax a little".

  Again, I got a smile and agreement.

They both looked at me and were a bit afraid to ask, but they asked me how far ahead I was thinking. I was fast to answer because it's really been on my mind quite a bit.

6 months.

I am thinking about 6 months from now. I am planning how I will have changed in 6 months and wondering what I will look like and how I will feel.

I have been planning to take a break from competing for a while, at least 6 months. But that doesn't mean stopping the weight training, oh not at all. In fact, I am attending an Olympic weight lifting class Saturday at Catalyst Athletics in Sunnyvale. They have a weightlifting team, I am thinking of joining them.

I have already spoken with them, my skill level will need to be evaluated. I have done some Olympic lifting with SC, he  competes himself, but I haven't done enough to excel. I just may though, with a bit of private one on one coaching. I want to take time off from the rigid diet and see how much muscle I can add in 6 to 8 months, that means serious weights and serious food. I will have to get past the mental block of gaining weight, that's the hard part, but I think I can do it.

That means, I will be able to actually eat some of that pasta I make for them next time!

The only thing that may hold me back is a little problem called work. Training starts every night at 4:00, I may have a difficult time adjusting my schedule. 

The class was great- here is my new shirt. No one will know what this means unless they are familiar with Olympic lifts, I think it's pretty funny.