Hi Blends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I really enjoyed the guesses y’all had of what my RMR/BMR is, and as promised, here’s the answer:
One online bmr calculator: 1304 calories
Another online bmr calculator: 1181 calories
ACTUAL, tested bmr: 1570 calories
That’s a big difference, don’t you think?! Especially once you calculate in my lifestyle factors, because it means I should be eating just under 2000 calories each day to maintain my weight. That’s a lot of delicious goodness I’d be missing out on (not to mention lack of energy) if I tried to eat 1200 calories a day.
If you live near Charlotte, NC and are interested in having your metabolic measurement taken, let me know! For December it’s only $75.
www.mymetabolicmeasurement.com
OK… moving on! I had a fabulous weekend that included a filet mignon that melted in my mouth,
SNOW!, finding the perfect Christmas tree (that still needs a star..),
a gorgeous, exotic fruit basket from our realtor, Diane,
and some quality grocery shopping (only had to visit 2 stores!).
I went to Davidson’s Healthy Home Market because I needed some saffron and I adore their bulk spice bins… and luckily I scooped up the last package!
Do you find it as comical as I do that that pinch of tiny strands costs $3.29. Craziness.
But I needed saffron because paella just isn’t paella without it… and I was in the mood to make some paella!
…although I couldn’t find a recipe I liked exactly, so I used a few different ones as reference and forged my own path to paella goodness.
Shrimp, Scallop and Clam Paella
First, ‘don we now our gay apparel’…
and then, gather your ingredients:
- 6 cups of broth (I used 1/2 vegetable and 1/2 chicken)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (or the squeeze kind!)
- 1 1/2 c short grain brown rice
- 1/3 c parsley
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped (or 2 minis!)
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp saffron
- 1 can baby clams
- 1 lb bay scallops
- salt & pepper
- frozen peas (unpictured)
in a medium saucepan, bring your broth to a boil. Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to your pan and cook your peppers, onions, garlic and saffron over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
It was at this point I realized my pan would not suffice, and split the dish into 2 pans as I added the frozen peas.
I cooked them for another minute or two, then added the rice, tomato paste and diced tomatoes.
Since I was using 2 pans, I just divided the ingredients equally among them, and wrapped up the rest of the unused tomato paste to freeze for future use.
I mixed up each pan well, and cooked for another 5 minutes. Then I slowly added about 1 cup of broth to each pan and mixed well, as the mixture slowly absorbed the broth.
I covered both pans and over the next 30-45 minutes, slowly added the remaining broth as the mixture was able to absorb it.
After about 45 minutes, my mixture looked like this:
I added in my seafood, mixed well, covered it and let it cook for an additional 7 minutes.
The result was beautiful, especially after being sprinkled with parsley.
The taste? It was pretty good. My only complaint was that it was a little bland. However, a splash or two of hot sauce, and we were good to go!
Hearty, warm and satisfying! A great meal for a cold night 🙂
Did you eat anything delicious this weekend?
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
Oh your paella looks GORGEOUS!!!!
Rachel says
I made Mama Pea’s “chicken and rice” dish. (Actually quinoa and chickpeas.) It was really good…. and I also made Jenna’s (ELR) focaccia bread with pears instead of grapes. That was amazing, definitely check it out!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston says
We sauteed shrimp last night and had it with “sticky rice” — John’s favorite!
TheHealthyapron says
mmm paella looks great and I love the apron…ps love your kitcehn too! Ate stuffed lasagna rolls this weekend, completely indulgent but worth every bite!
melissa says
Wow that BMR is such a BIG difference. I definitely need to look into having that done. I have always considered myself to have a slow metabolism, but now I want to know the real deal. And the paella looks yummy! I ate delicious fried seafood, but it made me feel sick after eating it. I won’t be having that again for a very long time.
Corey @ the runner's cookie says
You are too cute in your boots and apron! The paella looks incredible – that was one of my favorite things about Spain 🙂 I’d love to try making a veggie version.
Scott says
Was at a wedding in Newport this weekend and had an awesome filet. So good.
The Linz (Destination 26.2) says
Love love love the apron! So cute and festive! 🙂 I have been wanting to make paella forever now. Thanks for posting this! And yes, I always find it ridiculous how $$$ saffron is. It’s like $20.00 for a bottle. Crazzzy!
Maria @ Oh Healthy Day says
Again, there you go with taking complicated recipes and making them look SO EASY! I love it! You are my go-to source for seafood and chicken recipes 😉
I had dinner out on Friday night. We have Cajun shrimp, skirt steak with wine reduction and sweet potato fries. And oh yeah, peanut butter pie!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
I’d love to have my BMR tested!! Good to know it’s possibly higher than all the estimated ones. 😉
Sherry says
You are adorable in your apron & boots—and the paella looks delicious. I am surprise the TV cooking shows haven’t scooped you up for your own show!
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish says
Loving this post! The tree is gorgeous, the apron is cute and the paella looks absolutely delicious. And I agree–saffron is ridiculously expensive! I lived in Spain for a summer and brought loads of it home to give as gifts because it was so cheap there.
Best food this weekend was filet mignon as well! Accompanied by roasted sweet potatoes. 🙂
Brittney says
Dear Brittany, you look adorable in your Christmasy apron, and please make me some paella ASAP! Love, the other Charlotte Brittney 🙂
Deeann Guziak says
Thanks for that! My father recently harvested a garden full of tomatoes before the winter really set in, and I find myself the owner of two or three buckets worth! Of course I couldnt eat them all like that, but I did find a website full of lots more tomato recipes there. A website dedicated the topic!! Crazy what you can find on the internetz these days!!
christina says
i want my metabolism tested so bad! it’s expensive here! 🙁
Shizuko Eismont says
Hello! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects? Many thanks!