Quick Post Workout Fuel

Since I work out until about 9:00pm or later most days, having a full blown dinner is not always an option given that means I'm often eating dinner at 11:00pm. I wanted something quick and healthy with the proper balance of protein and carbs to refuel from a hard workout. Note to self: sprinting laps while suffering work-related angst = legs in pain next day. I had let some jumbo shrimp defrost in the fridge overnight, and a quick scan of my fridge showed I had the makings for Pesto Shrimp Linguine.


I set some water to boil for the linguine, which I made by slicing some leftover eggroll wrappers thin. While that was getting ready to boil, I took about 1 tsp of olive oil, 1 TBSP jarred pesto (which is the best thing to keep on hand... its great for easy pasta, to smother in sandwiches, everything), 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1 heaping tsp minced garlic (again, I use the pre-minced stuff that comes in a jar when I'm short on time) and sauteed everything in a skillet for about 3-4 minutes.

I threw a handful of string beans in to cook on medium high heat for a couple minutes. I put them in first because shrimp takes little to no time to cook and is awful when overcooked. Always put in shrimp last. When they were almost done, the water was boiling and I threw in the pasta. Since it was fresh pasta, it takes about a minute to cook and even then, you want to undercook the noodles since you'll finish them in the skillet. I threw the linguine in the strainer, ran cold water over and a lil olive oil to prevent sticking.

Then I threw in about 8-10 jumbo shrimp into the skillet. I love the frozen bags of raw shrimp which are already deveined. The ones that split the back and keep the shells on are my favorite because I think having the shell during cooking helps keep the juices in, but it does make it a bit of a pain in the ass to eat. Pumped the heat up to high and then right after the shrimp turned mostly pink, I threw in a tiny pat of butter, the linguine, and a couple teaspoons of water to deglaze the bottom of the pan as I tossed everything together. Throw on a plate, garnish with parmesan and cracked pepper, and voila. Instant happiness on a plate.