Trying to balance school and work while trying to stay physically active can be really tough, especially when I used to be able to cook meals every day. Thankfully, my boyfriend has become a great cook in midst of my (kinda sorta) absence from the kitchen. I can’t stay away for too long because I start getting an itch to cook. I find joy and relaxation in cooking and experimenting with new flavors. When I do come across a night where I can squeeze in some time to make dinner, I always try to cook something that isn’t time consuming or complicated. With that being said, I tried out something new and did a light stir fry with a simple lemon sauce. This literally took 15 minutes!

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive/coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, season with a little salt, and cook until slightly undercooked. Set aside.

In the same frying pan, heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil and add the asparagus. Season with a little salt. Cook until they are a bright green color and are crisp and tender.

Add the garlic and ginger. Stir to combine with the asparagus and cook for another minute.

Add the shrimp back in to the pan along with the lemon sauce. Mix everything together and let it simmer for a couple minutes until the sauce is thickened. Now it’s ready to be served!

{Here’s what you’ll need:}

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. asparagus, cut in to 2″ pieces and ends trimmed

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of ginger, minced

4 tablespoons of olive/coconut oil, divided in half

salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Sauce

2/3 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

{How to cook:}

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients of the lemon sauce and set aside. In a large frying pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, season with a little salt and cook for about 3 minutes, just long enough to slightly under cook them. Remove them from the pan and set aside. In the same frying pan, heat the other 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and add the asparagus. Season with a little salt. Cook until they are a bright green color and are crisp and tender – about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir to combine with the asparagus and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp back in to the pan along with the lemon sauce. Mix everything together and let it simmer for a couple minutes until the sauce is thickened. Enjoy!

Makes 3-4 servings.