Pasta with Shrimp and Peppers

Sara here, As I prepared last night's meal I thought about how glad I was to have a plan, and how easy meal prep had been the last week. I also thought about the fact that my family had enjoyed nutritious, unprocessed food all week, and I felt pretty proud of myself.

I thought all my self-congratulations would backfire as my husband looked at the pasta on his plate and groaned. "I hate oily pasta, feel like I need a shower afterward," he moaned. "We have to try new things before we say if we like them or not," I replied as I nodded toward kids in an effort to get him to curb the negativity. So, we ate, and one of my most favorite things happened, he had to apologize. My husband loved the supper, as did my oldest and youngest.

I prepared the pasta according to the recipe except for the banana peppers which I did not have. I also put a little garlic in with the peppers. I was nervous about the salami but went ahead with it anyway - I was glad I did as it was my oldest's favorite part. He and my youngest avoided the shrimp, but loved the dish as a whole. My middle ate toast, no surprise there.

Certainly one of my favorites of the week and I will put in the frequent rotation!

Erika here, I had to run errands on my way home with my child in tow, so he needed some snacks to make sure he didn't lie down screaming like a G20 protestor in the middle of Dominion. That basically ruined any chance I had of tempting him to try this pasta. That being said, my husband and I both enjoyed it, and once I realized my kid wasn't going to try even a bite, I threw in the banana peppers. I had bottled ones we use for nachos and they did add a great spicy hit.

Overall I was pleased with the week's menu like Sara. I enjoyed all the meals. I was able to do dinner in a jiffy. They were healthy and Weight Watchers flexible and I felt the grocery bill was reasonable and I didn't waste a pile of food either. Many of the meals made enough that my work lunches were covered too, a bonus. As we move forward I think these things will be my priorities. Oh, I also learned a new technique - steaming the spinach with the rice!