"Breaded" Grilled Salmon

I'm on a salmon kick.  When my hubby wants to say "I love you," he will bring me a salmon.  Okay- we aren't bears.  But, if he happens to be at Costco, he will pick one up for me.  He doesn't like fish, so he brings it to me knowing that I will cook it for dinner and he will have to cook for himself.  So I think that he brings me a salmon to show me he loves me.  :)

Anywhoooooo, he brought me a beautiful looking fillet the other day.  I wanted breaded, fried, yummy fish.  I also really do want to eat healthier and get the waistline back to my version of perfect.  Dipping a fish into a vat of fat doesn't seem like the best way to accomplish those two goals.  But I like food! A Lot!

I decided to grill my fish, but also to lightly bread it.  The result?  Wonderful.  I do love a good salmon!

So the recipe I used for seasoning the salmon is here.  I made this Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon last year and blogged it for you then, but I didn't put the ingredients into an easy to read form.  Shame on me!  That is so rude.  So here you go.  I hope this is a little better.  :)

Spices:
 juice from 1 fresh lemon or 1 Tbl. lemon juice
Old Bay (you will just sprinkle on top- so no real measurement, but I'd guesstimate 1 tsp.
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 1 tsp. garlic salt (reducing the sea salt if you use this)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
Pepper (again, sprinkle it over- not a real measurement)
Salt (see above)
1 Tbl. splenda or honey
1-2 Tbl Olive Oil

Drizzle Olive oil and honey (or sprinkle splenda) over your fillet.  Then drizzle the Lemon Juice over the salmon.  Next, sprinkle all other ingredients on the fillet, making sure to cover the entire fillet.

To bread the fish:

Sprinkle 3 Tbl. panko on top of fish.  That is all, just 3 table spoons.  Heat that grill up to between 375-450 and place your fillet on  a piece of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking oil.  Place on the grate.  Cook until the meat is opaque and flaky.  (Should register 145 on a meat thermometer.)

I spiced and breaded both sides and sprayed with a little Pam before setting on the grill.  I did not need to turn the meat.  It got a nice brown crispness without turning. It tasted like a yummy breaded fish fillet, with hardly any actual breading. Nice for someone watching their carb intake. Clean-up was a breeze too. 

Fresh Spring Rolls

I love Pad Thai Fresh Rolls.  They are Ah-Mazing!  They are also really diet friendly.  I like diet friendly.  You get to eat a lot of food for not too many calories.  It's a definite win.  They don't make fantastic left-overs, so if you make them, you should plan to eat them, or just know that tomorrow they will be good- but not great.  They aren't difficult to make, but they do take some time.  If you have a spouse that likes to spend time with you in the kitchen- or you are looking for a good date idea, these would be fun to make together. :)

I'm going to give an ingredient list, but you put in what you like.  These are adaptable to suit your tastes.

Fresh Rolls
1 pkg. rice paper wrappers (look in the Asian foods section of your local grocer)
1 pkg of mung bean noodles (these are dry in the Asian foods section)
2 carrots peeled and julienne cut
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and julienne cut
4-5 large leaves of lettuce Chopped (try romaine)
4-5 pieces of cooked bacon, cut in half and then sliced into thin strips
1 green onion
1 small bunch cilantro or mint leaves
1 avocado

Sauce
2-3 Tbl. Rice vinegar
2-3 Tbl. Sesame Oil

1 Tbl. Soy Sauce
1 Heaping Tbl. Peanut butter
2 tsp. honey
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 Tbl. minced garlic
dash of red pepper flakes

Method

Place the bean noodle in a bowl of cold water for 10 min.  Then drain and transfer to a bowl of hot water for 4-5 minutes, Drain.  (I do the soaking while I'm chopping my veggies.)

Line up all your ingredients on the counter assembly style.

Place hot water in a bowl.  Next to that place 2 paper towels.  Take your rice papers out of the package.  Take the first paper and dip it into the bowl of water.  Don't wait for it to get soft.  If you do, it will break when you try to fill it.  Just dip it in and set it on the paper towels.  Now place a few pieces of mint or cilantro on the bottom 1/3 of the paper.  Add some carrots, cucumber,  bacon, onion, and the noodles. Now you add the  lettuce and the avocado.  Fold each side in and then roll the paper around the ingredients.  (Think of wrapping a burrito).

Set on a plate and do the next one.  You can really only do one at a time, because you don't want wet rice paper waiting around for you.  It would get too soft.  This recipe should make about 12, so that is four servings.

For the sauce:
Just combine all the ingredients and wisk.  Taste it.  If you need more sweet add sugar or honey.  If you need more salt, add soy sauce.  You can use fish sauce, but I don't usually have that on hand.  :)

For fun you can crush some peanuts to serve with the rolls.  You dip first in the sauce, then in the peanuts.  It's super yummy.  :)

Taco Salad Too

 

I know that I have already posted my favorite Taco Salad recipe, but I thought I would add another that I also enjoy.  

Taco Salad
1lb. ground beef (Or Turkey or chicken- whatever makes you happy)
1/2 fajita seasoning packet
1/2 ranch seasoning packet
2 Tbl. Ketchup (I know, back with the ketchup, but this is a kid friendly recipe)

Cook your meat till it's all nice and brown. Drain. Add 2/3 cup water and the seasoning packets and ketchup. Cook until the liquid has reduced. Set aside.

Shred a head of Romain Lettuce and place in bowl. Add any of the following:

Tomato
Black Beans/kidney beans
green onions
1 c. cheddar cheese
1/2 c. pepper jack cheese
1 can corn, cooked and cooled
1 avocado

I also added some "Mexican" rice. Meaning, I had cooked rice in the fridge, so I added some salsa to it and heated it up and added it. Honestly delicious.

I also had pity on my family. I took 1 bag (the size you put in sack lunches) of Doritos. I crushed them and added to the salad. I mean the small bag- the really small bag. This is supposed to be healthy but easing a family into it is easier than all that change at once. ;)

Mix it all up and serve. Makes a delicious salad, and not delicious leftovers, so if you want left overs, keep everything separate and allow people to load their plates buffet style. :)

Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts
your favorite Asian marinade. I used Yoshida's Sweet and Savory
Marinade for 24 hrs. Don't skip this step!

After 24 hrs. cut into bite sized pieces and cook on the stove top.
toward the end of the chicken cooking, I added water chestnuts. I am not sure if they should be eaten straight out of the can, so I cooked them.

While the chicken is cooking I put some Olive oil (I have also used wok oil and it is yummy) in a pan and heat it. Then I throw in some raw almonds. (By some, I mean 3 1/2 of my handfuls. I have small hands. That is the best measurement I can give you.)

I sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper and a few dashes of paprika. You might be able to skip the paprika. I like it. I cook until golden and shiny. (Okay, I taste one.)

When done, set aside.

Dressing: (I realize the quantities aren't precise- but the fact that I remember them all is a miracle, so go with it.) :)

about 1/4 cup rice vinegar (this is the most important ingredient and no other vinegar will work)
about 3 Tb. soy sauce
about 2 Tb. Honey
1 tsp ginger (or less)
You can add some orange juice, I'd say 2-3 Tb.

Wisk together and set aside.

When ready to eat lay your lettuce in a bowl, add all the yummy veggies that you want, carrots, snow peas (okay I hate snow peas, but Seth likes them) green onions etc. Peel and slice oranges and lay on top and then add your almonds. Now put your meat over the top, (and your water chestnuts obviously). Give your dressing another quick wisk and drizzle over the top.

Delish. 

I also serve with some chow mein noodles, because everyone seems to like that. :)

Another Meal Option

Time is short for me these days and keeping a food log is hard.  Still worthwhile though.  At the same time, since I have a shake almost every morning and the same things for lunch every day, it is a little repetitive to post here.  I still want to show what meals are helpful to my sugars though.  I also find it helpful to my own nutrition goals to keep posting, so although I may not post full days of food logs here, I will still post meals and options that have helped me.  :)

A few weeks back I told you that a friend of mine has the most amazing recipes.  Last night I used one of her most delicious.  It is a version of Caesar Salad, that does not have fish in the dressing.  This is really important to me since one of my family members is allergic to certain types of fish.  It is a little like Russian Roulette to find a Caesar dressing for him, and yes it is his favorite.

This is not a low cal food, but it is good for a diabetic or someone following the South Beach diet (which happens to be the diet that 3 doctors have recommended that I live on and the lady at the Diabetes Center also recommended).  The marinade for the chicken does not have sugar, and the dressing, while made with mayonnaise, also is low on the sugar scale.  Additionally, if the croutons are too much for your sugar levels, they are easily removed.  The meat is grilled, not fried and the cheese is Parmesan so a little goes a long way.  It is my family's favorite salad.  :)  We had it with sugar-free jello.

Back Again

I took a break last week.  It was a rough week, and blogging just wasn't in the cards for me.  But I am back this week. My sugar levels were pretty good yesterday and this morning, so even though the end of day snack was a bit high in sugar, it was still alright.  Here is yesterday's food log.

I tried the vanilla Attain for the first time.  Sooo delicious.  I love this stuff.  I used coconut milk and a banana and it was a little tropical happiness in a glass.  And sugar levels stayed low and hunger stayed low.  Nice, huh?

Don't let the picture fool you.  I had a nice big helping of strawberries.  I did not add more cream, as I am getting used to eating without adding sweetness, but I did have triple this amount of strawberries.

Watermelon.  It is so hot where I live.  I seem to want fruit and that is it.  Watermelon is that fruit that hydrates and satisfies.  It is very sweet, but hasn't affected my sugar levels thus far, so I happily chow down.

Okay- when you only have strawberries and watermelon for lunch, you will get hungry very quick.  About an hour after lunch, I had some yummy potato salad. Only about a cup.

My sweet hubby bought me Rolos.  Because they are individually wrapped I can have just 2-3.  I get my chocolate/sweet fix and don't eat a whole candy bar.  It is a nice compromise.

Thanks to Pinterest I learned that you can bake potatoes in the slow cooker.  It was 108 degrees yesterday.  Being able to make dinner in the slow cooker was awesome!  I had one potato with broccoli, (actually, I ended up adding more broccoli after taking this photo- it was so yummy).  I also topped it with cheese, ham, gravy and yes, some sour cream.  It is an odd thing, but baked potatoes turn to sugar in the body really fast, so if you are going to eat one, putting fat on it is a GOOD thing.  Weird huh?  But the fats slow the absorption of  the sugar by slowing the digestion process.  It is also a small potato with lots of broccoli.  As a diabetic, you can eat anything- but you must understand what the food does in your body and how to compensate for undesirable effects. 

It is vanilla ice cream and raspberry soda.  No I did not opt for sugar free this time.  I could have, but it isn't as good.  Plus, I have a theory, that at some level, sugar is better for our bodies than substitutes.  It gets back to that whole moderation thing that I keep bringing up.  One soda float, once in a while, will not hurt me.  Seconds are not an option.  It also can't be a daily occurrence. 

Summer Dilema

Hey! Are you ready for another food log?  You've been waiting, haven't you?  Do Some of you stop taking care of yourself during the summer, because you are taking care of kids instead?  Are you running to swim lessons and trying to find fun activities for the kids?  Do you look at the clock and realize it's 3:00 and you still haven't had lunch?  Do you then decide that you might as well wait for dinner?  Well, stop it!

Do you know why this is so bad for your body?  You allow your blood sugar levels to drop, and you start to feel tired and maybe a little sick.  Then you over-eat, when you finally sit down, and you elevate your levels beyond what is good for your body.  Plus, you tend to eat what is fast and easy.  That is not always, and I would guess is actually rarely healthy.

Here is the thing, you can keep a small package of nuts in your purse, or in your car.  When you feel a little hungry, but can't stop, eat a handful of nuts.  Or grab a cheese stick as you walk out the door, so that you have a little protein snack.  This seems to be the one thing that can keep me on track- I have to eat.  I can't skip. I have noticed that if I am diligent with my snacks, I can even eat things that are "naughty" without having it effect my sugar levels or my weight in an extremely negative way.  Part of that is that I am never "starving" so I don't over-indulge.  I am satisfied with a bit.  Usually.  I have my days- and if you have been following this blog, you know that.  But overall, I am doing so much better than I ever have.

That being said, here is yesterday's less than stellar food log. lol

Peanut butter cup smoothie.  My kids Love this. I actually, think this is the one I added blueberries to, so it's not the right photo, but its a smoothie. :)

Lunch was pretty good.  It looks small, but I was full.  Tuna on whole wheat, fresh cherries, no-sugar-added mandarin oranges on cottage cheese and a light yogurt. Just water with some fresh lemon to drink.

I had 1 1/2 cookies and a sliver (about 2 bites) of cake. This cake was dangerous for me.  I gave it away today.  It was delicious, but I don't need to eat it by myself.  I got a taste- that is enough.

I love this for a snack. 

Tortellini.  Pasta sauce and some Parmesan.  Yum.

Okay- and seconds, with some salad.  No dressing- I just didn't feel like it.

about 1/4-1/2 cup of this.  I also had one orange cream bar.  Too yummy to pass up- but no seconds. :)

Low Fat Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

I don't have a normal food log today.  I do, however, have some meal ideas for you.  Coming up with something new for dinner can be a real drag when you are diabetic or dieting.  I have a few standards that I always go back to: Stir-Fry, Taco Salad, Chicken with Salad, Soup, and then I'm out of ideas.  While there is nothing wrong with this menu, it does get a little monotonous. This weekend I made a homemade Mac and Cheese that was WAYYYY lower in fat and pumped up in nutrition with the addition of broccoli, (FAMILY LOVED IT.) I also made a pork loin roast and celery with peanut butter.  I stuffed my fridge with fruits and veggies so that is mostly what we ate this weekend.  Snacks were cherries and strawberries. We ate watermelon until we were covered in red sticky juice, and we piled our plates with avocados and tomatoes.

This is pasta boiling in skim milk instead of water. Well actually only simmering.  If you let it boil, bad things can happen to milk.  Cooking the pasta in the milk allows the mac and cheese to get creamy without the standard white sauce.  (This is 3 cups uncooked pasta and 3 1/2 cups 1% milk.)

I didn't use the cream cheese photographed here, because the pasta was creamy enough and I didn't want to add any extra calories.  I only used about a cup of the cheddar cheese and then I used a few slices of reduced fat swiss cheese.  I am not a swiss cheese fan, but in a recipe like this, a bite of strong cheese is really helpful for adding taste with just a small amount of cheese. Yes I do add mustard, and that is some onion powder in front of it.

This is for the top of the casserole. It is a little less than a cup. You can skip this step.

I ended up adding double this amount of broccoli.  Just line your pan and spray it with cooking oil.  I used olive oil. Then add bite sized portions of broccoli.

I added the swiss cheese directly to the noodles and milk and stirred.  It is only 3 thin sliced pieces.

Then I added the cheddar and the mustard and the onion powder. (about 1 Tbl mustard and 1/2 tsp onion poweder.)

See how creamy.  You could serve it like this, but I wanted the broccoli in there.

So I dumped it over the top of the broccoli and then added a tiny bit (about 1/4 cup) milk over the top, to make sure there was enough liquid to cook the broccoli.

Crush a few of these.  I only used a very small few.  One handful is enough for the whole top of the casserole, and of course, you can leave this off.  You can also use toasted bread crumbs or panko.

I also added the last of the cheese.

bake at 375 for about 20 min. until the top is golden.

Lower Sugar Cafe Rio Style Chicken

I love the Cafe Rio style chicken and pork.  However the two dominant recipes that I have seen call for either tons of brown sugar, or tons of brown sugar PLUS cola!  That is so much sugar for a diabetic or dieter to contend with.  The easy solution was to replace the sugar with Splenda or some other sugar replacement, (and I have done this in the past with great results) but I didn't want that.  I really wanted something that just used basic ingredients.   I used a can of pineapple for the sweetener.  It worked like a dream.  It added just enough sweetness to balance the salsa, without overpowering it.  Intrigued? Try it yourself.  You don't need tons of sugar to have tons of flavor- and a natural sugar, well that's just icing on the cake. :)

Yummy Chicken Burrito - that won't make your sugar levels sky rocket!

This is what you need for the meat- 5 ingredients. 

I added a little over 1/2 the bottle of salsa to 4 large chicken breasts.

Then I added the entire can of crushed pineapple including the juice.

add 2 Tsp. minced garlic along with 3 Tbl Worcestershire and 2 tsp. liquid smoke.

Cook on low for 8 hours.  Prepare to be hungry all day because it smells divine while it cooks.

I was going to use all of this for the dressing- I didn't.  I only used Mayo, 1/2 pkg ranch dip and the salsa Verde packets from Taco Bell.  okay- I love the salsa Verde from Taco Bell.  I collect the dumb little packets.  You can use any salsa Verde you like, but if you happen to go to Taco Bell, ask for a few of these babies and add them to your ranch dressing.  I promise that you won't regret it. 

Mix up the ranch dressing according to directions on your package and then add Salsa Verde. Mmmmnnnn. 

cut tomato, 2-3 green onions, including the white part. You can also add avocado. And I forgot to photograph the cheese, but don't forget that.

Black beans, drained and rinsed. I also forgot to photograph the corn.  I'm new at this photographing while I cook.  I'll get better. :)

shred the chicken.

Serve with lettuce on tortillas.

Or serve as a salad without the tortilla.  Both are delicious!

The Chicken was Great

Yesterday I told you that I was going to make a Cafe Rio style chicken only I would modify it and let you know the results.  Um- it was yummy!  I'll post the recipe separately and link it here.  But I was pretty happy.

Now for the rest of the day. :)

My yummy morning shake.  I actually used coconut milk instead of the the chocolate silk, it was really good.  I made 2 for myself, because I was really really hungry.  :)

This is what everyone else had for lunch- Pizza

This is what I had for lunch.  At first glance, not as fun, but I felt really good and I was satisfied, so there ya go.  :)

snack time

My yummy burrito

I was still hungry, so I made a small salad with the burrito ingredients.  It was just as delicious.

These little sandwiches are really good. 

It doesn't look like it, but that is only 1/2 cup of ice cream.  A serving size.  At first I was disappointed to look in my bowl and only see 1/2 cup. (hubby scooped for me.) But it really was enough and I got an ice cream fix and my sugar levels were only 86 this morning, so it was perfect. Thank you honey!