Healthy Pesto-Avocado Shrimp Zucchini Pasta + DIY Slime | New Orleans Lifestyle Photographer

This weekend was one for the books in the littlest of ways. There weren’t crazy adventures or breathtaking sights, but there was lots of genuine, soul-fulfilling girl time, big-bellied laughs, and the best food to fill these taste buds. I’ve truly been embracing this slow season of life, letting myself soak in the mundane moments, meditate on the why behind certain feelings, and cultivating a heart open to change and growth, even when it feels uncomfortable or scary.
As this weekend was so fulfilling for me, I thought I’d share a few of the recipes that contributed to it. From healthy, delicious meals to crafts and educational events, it was a jam-packed, yet relaxing weekend. I always get lots of positive feedback from sharing healthy recipes on here, so I thought I’d share one of my recent favorites that we indulged in this weekend!

I try to stay away from pasta, so it’s always fun to find alternatives that are both healthy and tasty. Friday night I made Pesto-Avocado Shrimp Zucchini Pasta and it was SO delicious! Here’s the recipe…

HEALTHY PESTO-AVOCADO SHRIMP ZUCCHINI PASTA

3-4 Zucchini

3 lbs fresh shrimp

3 TBSP Grass Fed Butter

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Lemon

1 Jar Basil Pesto

2 Avocados

Feta crumbles (optional for topping)

Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

DIRECTIONS: Peel fresh shrimp. Melt butter + olive oil in pan on med-high heat. Once butter is melted, add shrimp and seasonings. Saute until shrimp is fully cooked. Mash two avocados and add to pan along with jar of pesto. Squeeze lemon over all ingredients.

Clean off zucchini and cut off ends. Using a vegetable spiralizer (I use a VERY simple one similar to this), create veggie noodles with the zucchini. Simply add shrimp-pesto toppings and feta crumbles (if that’s your thing) and enjoy!

I was recently introduced to the world of slime on Instagram by a friend and had NO IDEA of how viral the slime trend is right now. In efforts to get my hands dirty with a light-hearted and fun craft, I bought the ingredients and decided to give making slime a whirl. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the slime craze, it’s essentially what you may have played with if you ever partook in the Gak or Silly Putty phase as a child. As with all things in our Pinterest-driven 2017 though, slime has taken a whole new world compared to the simplistic nature it came in years ago. Now, people are adding tons of beautiful colors and textures to it to create an ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) aka “sounds that feel good” aspect to the fun. It’s actually pretty cool!

I had my good friend Lauren and her daughter Emma over for dinner Friday and Emma had endless fun with the slime and rainbow beads we added to it.

If you have children (or even if you don’t) and want to try it out, here’s the recipe I used:

EASY 3-INGREDIENT SLIME

1 cup Elmer’s Glue (white)

1 cup Shaving Cream

1/2 cup Purex StaFlo Concentrated Liquid Starch

Food Coloring (optional)

Glitter (optional

Rainbow Foam Beads (to add in for fun after slime is made)

DIRECTIONS: Mix glue, shaving cream, and starch together in a large mixing bowl. The shaving cream makes the slime fluffier. You can also add food coloring + glitter to get different colors.

If you add too much liquid starch to your slime it gets a little stiff. If this happens, just add a little water – a tablespoon at a time, until the slime puffs up again. Knead and mold the slime until it’s the consistency you like. That’s it!

You can store it in jars, plastic bags, or lidded containers to keep it from drying out.

What new projects or recipes have you tried recently that have enriched your life? I’d love to hear about them!

Happy Tuesday, friends!