June Food Challenge: SEAFOOD

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Fish cooking

OK, so the cedar plank did catch fire, but the dish came out awesome despite a little set back on the grill.

I got a jump-start on my June Food Challenge. Last night I made a macadamia crusted Mahi-Mahi with cauliflower mash and sautéed mustard greens. I had no idea what I was doing when making the crust. It really was on a whim and not thought out. I ended up topping it with a pesto sauce just in case the crust didn’t come out.

Why A Fish Challenge?
I’ve always hated fish. Always. When I was a kid I’d go fishing with my best friend’s family. I just remember being repulsed by how slimy the fish were and the whole cleaning process. Heck, to this day I still refuse to put bait on a fishing hook. The whole process is just icky to me.  And that pretty much drives most of my aversion to fish.

Most, but not all. Let’s not forget the fishy taste. Canned tuna always made me gag. And salmon…don’t get me started.

However I started rethinking the whole fish thing a few years ago when I tried sushi.  Yep, I ate raw fish…and loved it. No fishy flavor. I didn’t even mind the texture so much. Of course all that dang Wasabi may have had a hand in it, but it got me thinking.

Plus the health benefits. There is no way around that. I’m missing out on Omega-3 because of my aversion to fish. Taking fish oil just isn’t the same.

Finally my husband loves seafood. And it isn’t fair that he rarely eats fish because his wife is grossed out by it.

But eating fish is always hit or miss. Freshness is really important for a fish hater trying to become lover. I’ve had amazingly good Chilean sea bass and god awful salmon (Yes, I’m a bit like Ahab…but salmon is my Great White).

So June I’m making a serious effort to add fish to my diet. This month, twice a week, I’m eating seafood. Ultimately I want to be able to enjoy fish once a week after this challenge ends.

Fire In The Hole
My first attempt at grilling fish exceeded my expectations…despite the fire. The crust was a bit mushy going on but got pretty crispy (not burnt). Rather than chopping the macadamia nuts, I mistakenly pulverized them in my herb grinder. I basically turned the nuts into mush. In an effort to firm up the nut mush, I added my homemade salt seasoning (pink Himalayan salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder and paprika) and some Parmesan cheese.

I ended up patting the crust mix on top and sides of each filet before adding them to the cedar plank.

Keep Calm & Eat Fish
Adding the pesto sauce was done out of panic. Again, this wasn’t planned out. I saw the fish at my grocery store earlier that afternoon and decided to pick up 3 fillets. The pesto sauce was just in case the crust or fish tasted bad.

The panic was for naught. The crust was yummy as was the pesto. And as for the fish…it was delicious. Mahi-Mahi was a good first choice for this challenge. My Wegman’s fishmonger recommended I start my challenge off with a mild white fish before working my way up to the dark and oil rich fish.

Apparently there are 5 types of fish.  So for the first few dishes I’m focused on milder white fish. That should help me get over hangups regarding texture and eating the skin before moving towards stronger flavored fish and eventually wild salmon.

As for the recipe, I tracked how much food I ate, but didn’t calculate the nutrition value of the fish dish. I’m working on that today and will post it later today.

I was too excited (and nervous) about starting this challenge to do some calculations. But I’ll make sure to have it ready to go when I post about my next dish: Steamed Muscles & Bacon-Wrapped Scallops.

Our Drive For Convenience Is Killing Us

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water 2

Yep, my grocery store is now selling their own water with a few slices of cucumber. Are we really that hard up for convenience? Why do we resist making things for ourselves?

I was in the grocery store the other day and something caught my eye at the checkout counter. Next to the tabloids and junk food, my store also has a few refrigerators with cans of soda and bottles of water. It was the fridge that caught my eye…or actually something floating in the bottles of water.

Cucumbers!

That’s right, my grocery store is now selling cucumber water. You can have all 12 ounces for $2 just bucks.

Cucumber water certainly is healthier and far better to drink than the store’s homemade pure fruit juices it sells (fruit juice is just sugar without the fiber).

It reminded me of the story the Washington Post ran about the reasons why millennials are not eating cereal — too much clean up.  Of course, Livescience.com tries to debunk this saying that people are now avoiding carbs. Yet, in the same article, they claim that pre-made breakfasts and breakfast sandwiches are all the rage (great way to avoid carbs in those breakfast delights, right?). Read More

Plateau From Hell: Battling My Body’s Set Weight Point

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weekly weigh in april 30

Not the progress I was expecting this week. I’m up a pound. Time to rethink my tactics.

Bleh! I was expecting a loss this week and instead I’m up a pound. What’s really frustrating is I’ve been bouncing between 182-185 pounds for a year. One. Freaking. Year.

Rethinking Tactics
I recently finished reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Regular readers know I love Dr. Fung’s blog and his online lectures. A review of his book is coming soon (hint, you should read it!), but right now I’m looking at shaking up my intermittent fasting tactics for one simple reason — changing my body’s set weight point.

It’s believed that our bodies have a set weight point. When a healthy person’s weight goes above or below that set weight, the body compensates — slowing or raising metabolism, increasing hunger or satiety hormones — and works to get back to that person’s set weight point. Read More

Loose Skin Triggers Belly Button Infection

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belly button

Thanks to lots of loose skin around my stomach my belly button is infected. Keeping the moisture out is going to be a challenge this summer.

This weekend I got a nasty surprise – a yeast infection in my belly button. I didn’t notice until Saturday morning when my belly became very itchy. When I looked to see what was going on I discovered an infection.

If you have an innie, fungi love them. They provide a warm, moist crevise to grow in.  What they love more is lots of loose skin. Moisture getting trapped between the folds is a big problem. That’s how it start.

Since last summer I’ve dealt with an inflamed belly button a couple of times. After a run, if I forgot to dry it out after a shower, I’d find a very pink belly button in a day or so. This time was different.

After some soap and hot water it was time to dry my belly button. Here’s where I think my problem lies. Simply using a soft towel isn’t working anymore. My belly button is pretty deep and I have a lot more loose skin around my abdomen, making it difficult to get in there with a towel. Read More

Battling Resistance To A Healthy Life

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turning pro

April just started and I’ve already read 2 books for the month! In Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art and Turning Pro you’ll find lots of motivational gems to help you with not just health, but with anything you want to achieve.

“The amateur tweets. The pro works.”
— Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro

When visiting low carb high fat forums online, many of the most vocal commenters for LCHF eating think it’s a simple matter of eating the right foods. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen on forums, Facebook pages, Twitter or other social media feeds where low carbers talk about how easy it is to eat low carb and have the pounds melt away.

That simply isn’t true for everyone.

You have to put in the work. Eating low carb, high fat does melt away the pounds, but only if you view it as a lifestyle and not a diet. Meaning you:

  • Eat when hungry and only when hungry
  • Give up the silly idea of “cheat days or cheat meals”
  • Can’t go back to eating like you use to once you reach your goals
  • Can still eat too much (protein, carbs, nuts, dairy and even fat)
  • Understand that those fattening temptations (candy, cookies, ice cream, donuts, chips) don’t go away because you are eating LCHF

That’s why I always say that weight loss is 100% eating the right foods and 95% mental. We face hundreds of food choices everyday. That’s why it’s important to build good habits. Read More

Man vs. Fat

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fork and measure

My husband has finally committed to getting healthy. So Mondays he’ll post about his weight loss escapades. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and Mister CG.

Let’s face it, the overwhelming majority of weight loss products and information target women — 85% in fact. But what about men? It feels like with all the news about Oprah buying into Weight Watchers and the latest weight loss gimmicks (lose weight eating chocolate), it seems like men are getting left out in the cold.

Well here at dot2trot I’m an equal opportunity type of gal. I recognize that guys who want to lose weight also need some TLC and encouragement. So every Monday my hubby, author John L. Monk, will document his weight loss journey. Yep, he’s committed to openly discuss his temptations at work (all the donuts!), bad eating habits (eating off the wife’s plate!), and finding motivation to get off of his butt for evening walks.

Something tells me you’ll enjoy his trials and tribulations more than he does.

Skipping Breakfast Doesn’t Lead To Weight Gain

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eating same thing for breakfast to lose weight

I now eat “breakfast” after noon. Why? because that’s when I actually get hungry, not when I first wake up.

Since I was a child I believed in importance of eating a big breakfast first thing in the morning. It helps keep weight off, gave you energy and keeps you focused mentally. But is there any truth to eating in first thing in the morning or is it a myth to get us to keep eating?

The New York Time’s Well health blog recently tackled the question of whether skipping breakfast leads to weight gain. Now lots of studies show that breakfast eaters are leaner than folks who skipped the “most important meal of the day.”

But, as Well points out, the problem is that these were observational studies. Meaning none demonstrated a clear-cut cause and effect. Observational studies by definition cannot state a “finding” as an actual fact.

As with most nutritional observational studies, there are hundreds of other factors that contribute to what makes people thin or fat. You know, like what someone actually eats during the day rather than when they eat. Read More

Happy St. Patrick’s Day…Or Is It?

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irish

Learn the awful truth behind St. Patrick’s Day! Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto.net and Rattikankeawpun.

I’m Irish but have yet to make some low carb fare from Ireland. That changes today. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’m attempting a delicious batch of corned beef and cabbage. A low carb version of course. But I’m worried. The corned beef isn’t cooperating. It’s suppose to become more tender as you slow cook it. I’ll know in a couple of worrisome hours if this really is a “happy” St. Patrick’s Day.

And of course I’ll post all the gory details.

Anyway, I thought I’d post the real, ugly reason we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Indy author John L. Monk (full disclosure…that’s my hubby) discovered the truth behind this drunken celebration.

 

Diabetes Crisis In California

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Scary piece from the LA Times. Researchers estimate that 55% of Californians are either diabetic or pre-diabetic. While pre-diabetes is preventable (70% of pre-diabetics develop diabetes) more than 90% of pre-diabetics don’t know they have it. This is a wake up call if there ever was one. Too bad the reporter failed to pick up on a significant fact.  The article states: “Rates of diabetes have increased more than 175% nationally since 1980 (emphasis mine), according to federal data.” Sure enough that’s the same time the obesity epidemic started.

Hmmmm…..maybe it had to do with the introduction of this:

Read More

Weight Loss & Wedding Rings

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new ring

A new ring to rule them all…yep I got my new wedding band for Valentine’s and lost nearly 4 sizes in the process. Yay!

My husband surprised me on Valentine’s Day with a new wedding band. I haven’t worn my wedding band or engagement ring since April 2013. That’s when I tried to dry my hands by frantically waiving them in the air the rings flew off my finger. Thankfully I was home at the time and found them.

After that incident, I put my rings up for safekeeping thinking I can resize them once I hit goal. Turns out, resizing was out of the question due to how the stones were set within the band. Grrrr!

So nearly 3 years later, I’m down 145 pounds and have 30 more to go, but the husband thought enough time passed and I needed a new wedding band.

I settled on a band similar to the original — sapphires and diamonds (stones not embedded into the band) but with white instead of yellow gold. The big shock came when measuring my finger. I went from a size 10-1/2 to 6-3/4.

Yikes! I was so busy focusing on losing weight in the obvious places — stomach, thighs, bat wings arms, and butt — I never expected fat loss from my hands.

But I’m not complaining. All weight loss victories are welcome.