Brittany makes Shrimp with Mango-Black Bean Salsa.

The rundown:

Difficulty Moderate
Health-wise Yes, healthy...just like the other shrimp/rice/veggie recipes...
Time-wise 45 minutes

Okay. Let me just preference this by saying that this recipe is my most favorite that I have posted so far. I really, really hope someone else makes it so that you can enjoy it as much as I did. It came about due to my love for mango, and that extra lime and cilantro in my refrigerator. And of course, my ever-present ingredients, shrimp and black beans. A little bit of searching and I find a recipe for mango-black bean salsa. I altered it just a bit and came up with this:

(per one serving)

8 shrimp (peeled and de-veined, of course)

Marinade:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c fresh lime juice

Salsa:
1/2 c diced mango
1/4 c coked black beans
1 tbsp onion, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp brown sugar
pinch of salt

1. Combine marinade ingredients and mash together with a spoon. Add the shrimp and marinade for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2. Toss together ingredients for salsa and chill.
3. Cook shrimp on a grill, under the broiler, or, like me, using the trusty George Foreman.
4. Serve with brown rice.

Brittany makes Southwestern Omelets.

Then rundown:

Difficulty Moderately easy
Health-wise Light and full of protein
Time-wise 15 minutes

You may notice a common theme in my recipes. This is partly because my income does not allow me to be incredibly diverse with the ingredients in the kitchen, but mostly because there are certain healthy foods that I absolutely love. In this case, I absolutely love black beans. So much so that I have incorporated them into my breakfast.

2 egg whites
1 tbsp milk
1/4 c black beans
2 tbsp salsa
1/4 c mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

1. Spray non-stick butter spay on a small pan and turn on medium heat.
2. Vigorously mix egg whites and milk; pour into pan.
3. Mix black beans, salsa, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat in the microwave.
4. When eggs begin to bubble, pour beans over half the eggs. Fold the other half over the beans.
5. Top with cheese and keep on med-low heat until melted.

Brittany makes Pesto Shrimp and Vegetable Pouches.

The rundown:

Difficulty Easy, so long as you can chop and stir.
Health-wise Can't get much healthier than seafood and veggies.
Time-wise 45 minutes

I'm not so sure about that picture. Truth is, I was so hungry, I just snapped a few shots and dug in. I realize it sort of looks like shrimp rolled in dirt. Or Thai food. Anyway, none of that matters because this stuff tastes good. I have a soft spot for shrimp and pesto so my goal was to fuse the two in some sort of way that did not involve heavy cream and butter. Success? Yes sir.

18 shrimp (only because that's all I had left...but I think it's a pretty good number, still)
1 medium size yellow squash
1 medium size zucchini
2 cloves garlic
a few slices of onion
2-3 tbsp. olive oil (I used 1/4 cup...it was a little too much)
1 package pesto mix

oven: 350 degrees

(PS - This is for two servings. Leftovers for lunch!)

1. Chop squash and zucchini into bite-size quartered pieces. Combine in a medium-size bowl.
2. Dice garlic cloves; add to vegetables.
3. Chop onion; add to vegetables.
4. Add shrimp, olive oil, and pesto mix. Stir until it's all covered in olive oil and pesto.
5. Using two large pieces of foil, divide mixture into two. Roll each piece of foil to create two pouches.
6. Bake on a cookie sheet (in case you don't know how to make a foil pouch and they leak) for 30 minutes.

I served it with brown rice. I imagine you could add other vegetables like carrots and bell peppers, but the only carrots in our refrigerator are scary looking and I don't like bell peppers...but you might. Enjoy!

Brittany makes Better Than Sex Cake.

The rundown:

Difficulty So easy. But it sure doesn't look or taste like it was easy...those are the best.
Health-wise Seriously? I'm not going there.
Time-wise 1.5 hours
Rating PG-13

You may have heard of this cake before and if so, let this be a happy reminder. I made this cake for my roommate's birthday and the whole thing was gone by the end. No doubt, I had a lot to do with that in the fact that I ate a lot of it. But happily, I wasn't the only glutton. I'll post the original recipe, but I used crushed Oreo cookies instead of Heath Bars.

1 box devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 (1.4 ounce) Heath Bars, crushed
1 (8 ounce) container whipped cream

1. Bake cake to package directions. Cook for five minutes. Make slits in cake, making sure not to cut through the bottom.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, combined sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour topping over the cake, then sprinkle the Heath Bars over the cake (leaving some bits to top the cake).
3. Once cake has completely cooled (a few minutes in the freezer will do the trick if you're in a rush), top with whipped cream. Decorate the cake with swirls of caramel topping and chocolate bits.
4. Make sure there are plenty of people around to help you eat it. All self control goes out the window with this one.

Brittany makes Shrimp Salad with Lime and Cilantro.

The rundown:

Difficulty Easy!
Health-wise Very healthy...as long as you don't douse it in Ranch as the Texans do
Time-wise 30-45 minutes

So lately I've developed a taste/craving for lime and cilantro. They compliment each other well and smell and taste so fresh! It's the perfect flavor for spring. I've got quite a bit of each left, so I'll have to experiment more with it. I'll keep you posted.

8 shrimp
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 small limes
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
lettuce (not iceberg...I use green leaf)
chopped walnuts

1. Cook onion, garlic, and cumin in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add shrimp. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes on each side.
3. Combine all ingredients with one thinly sliced lime in a foil pouch. Close pouch and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
4. Wash lettuce; toss with shrimp, cilantro, and juice from one lime (I left the onions, garlic, and baked limes in the pouch, but do what you will).
5. Add walnuts. I also sprinkled some parmesan cheese (told you I liked cheese) and a little Italian dressing on top.