As many of us struggle to find a back to school routine, cut yourself a bit of slack and recognize how much easier it can be if you have a handful of quick, healthy, fun meal plans on hand to feed your family without having to stress about how to make it happen. In honor of everyone trying to keep juggling everything without skipping meals, we're featuring a few fast, healthy meals that can be assembled in about a half hour. And, if that's not enough, check out archives for the Weeknight Shorts features - simple meals that get you in and out of the kitchen quickly.
We begin with a fun shrimp fajitas dish that uses one pan for the cooking and a couple of bowls for holding shrimp and veggies prior to adding them to said pan. If you have a particular favorite fajita seasoning mix, feel free to use it. We love the blend carried by Penzeys. Fajitas traditionally include sautéed peppers and onions, but you can choose different varieties than I've indicated here to change the spice levels or the color palette ... or just to use what's on hand.
Sometimes I have this meal alongside rice and sliced melon. Sometimes I have tortilla chips on the table to dip into extra salsa and guacamole. Sometimes I will put together a super simple green salad. And sometimes I just have another taco and call that my meal! Keep it simple and find that routine.
One Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- 1 lb. medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tsp. Penzeys fajita seasoning
- ½ yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
- ½ orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 2 T. cooking fat of your choice, divided (I used bacon fat)
- Flour or corn tortillas - for serving
- Hot sauce, salsa, guacamole, etc - for serving
Toss the prepared shrimp with the fajita seasoning and allow to rest in a bowl while you prepare the vegetables for cooking. When the vegetables are ready, place them in another bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking fat in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until the flesh is pink and the seasoning is evenly distributed. Remove the shrimp from the pan and keep warm.
Add the other tablespoon of the cooking fat to the same skillet over medium-high heat and add the peppers and onions. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Using a spatula, slide the vegetables to one side of the skillet and return the shrimp to the other side of the skillet, allowing them to warm briefly before serving with the tortillas and condiments of your choice.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes