Monday, July 25, 2011 at 07:06 AM
Kalli is my Bloggie Friend from California. She writes Fit And Forty Something.
She is Kalli From California. My kids, by the way, think that is hilarious. You know the way that her name kind of rhymes with the state in which she lives. Ahhhh, grade school humor. Anyhoo, Kalli posted this Savory Salmon recipe a week or so ago, over on Fit and Forty Something, and it looked so easy – and I happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry. I also had a piece of salmon that I needed to cook. So, I whipped it up.
Kalli says, and I agree, that you really could try this with any fish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt ( I used Greek yogurt): NuVal score of 93
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used grape): NuVal score of 96
- 1 cup chopped Greek olives: NuVal score of 10
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 tsp crushed or chopped garlic: NuVal score of 91
- Atlantic Salmon: NuVal score of 87
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with foil
- Place the salmon on the cookie sheet
- Combine the ingredients (except the salmon in a bowl)
- Layer mixture on top of the salmon
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and then finish it under the broiler for a few minutes.
The yogurt mixture keeps the fish so moist!
Delicious! When I tried this recipe out, I was in the middle of one of my Cooking Blitzes. I was working on Catherine’s Shrimp Pasta Primavera recipe, I was making a crock pot recipe for the week ahead, and I was marinating chicken for the next night – all at the same time. I was a hot mess! So, that’s why I opted for the oven method instead of adding the outdoor grill to my endeavor. But next time, I will definitely see how this works on the BBQ. I think it will be very tasty, indeed. Thanks Kalli, for sharing!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Blog Friends, Fish, Fit Friends at Forty, Salmon
Tags: fitandfortysomething, savory salmon
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 08:17 AM
I spend a lot of time talking about Big Trade Ups here at A Better Bag of Groceries. I feature whole recipes with high-scoring items. I’ve made over whole breakfasts and lunches for people, trading up many different foods to round out an entire meal. But today, I introduce a new feature: Little Trade-Ups. Little Trade-Ups is when you make just one small change to improve the overall nutrition of a meal or snack. Just one. And maybe it’s not a huge multi-point jump in the NuVal score, either. It’s just a Little Trade-Up, but it’s one that you can make without feeling any sacrifice whatsoever.
That is what I discovered just this Monday night.
It was so exciting!
So, here’s what happened. I was making Fish & Fries, like I do every Monday night. Oh – and it was crazy!! My daughter needed an antibiotic prescription filled, pronto! My son and I were prepping Tuesday’s crockpot dinner (which you will see tomorrow!) I was finishing my workday, and I was about to head out to teach Monday Night Pilates. So, this is why every Monday night I make Fish & Fries. Everyone likes it, clean-up is easy – great for my husband to whom I pass the baton as I dash out to teach my beloved Pilates class.
Now, I must confess, I know that there are great breadcrumb options out there. Heck, I’ve blogged about them! There are Ian’s Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs which score a 50. Or, I could make my own, like my friend Heather does. But, I admit, I’ve thrown some Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs into my cart. I’m so ashamed! They score a 5on the NuVal scale. 
I can’t help it. I grew up on them. They say “home” to me.
So, this past Monday, I found myself with these 4C 100% Whole Wheat Seasoned Bread Crumbs in my cupboard. I had purchased them for a special Easter recipe that I was working on for the blog.
These bread crumbs score a 25on the NuVal scale. Much better than my old standby, Progresso. So, I used them to bread my cod.
I use a very simple method for my baked cod:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs cod (or haddock, halibut or other white fish) (NuVal score of 81)
1 T canola oil (NuVal score of 24)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Nuval score of 25 for these 4C Whole Wheat Crumbs)
1 lemon (or 1/4 cup lemon juice) (NuVal score of 99)
1/4 cup white cooking wine
cooking spray
Directions:
Take out 2 dinner plates. Place the Tablespoon of oil on one plate. Spread the breadcrumbs on the other plate. First dredge the fish in oil, coating both sides. Next, dredge the fish in bread crumbs to evenly coat. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cooking wine. Spray evenly with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until fish is white and flaky.
We have this with Cascadian Farms Shoe String fries (NuVal score of 81). I typically opt for a baked potato (NuVal score of 93) with a dollop of non-fat plain Greek yogurt (NuVal score of 94) in lieu of sour cream. Yum!
The Verdict
This fish was better than ever! I liked these bread crumbs even better than the Progresso and the score went up 20 points! So long Progresso, I am a 4C Whole Wheat Girl now!!
I forgot to take an after picture. So, I snapped it the next day when I brought some fish leftovers for lunch:
In my lunch:
Fish (Yum! Even better the next day!)
Jasmine rice (NuVal score of 57)
Steamed Green Beans (NuVal score of 100)
Cherry Tomatoes (NuVal score of 96)
Clementines (NuVal score of 94)
Chocolate Chips (Ghiradelli’s semi-sweet chocolate chips, NuVal score of 13)
Lemon, to squeeze on my fish (NuVal score of 99)
So that’s it: just one little trade up to make this a more nutritious meal. And I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed anything. I’ll be leaving my the rest of my Progresso crumbs out by the curb with a sign on them marked “Free”.
Question of the Day
Have you made just one little trade up that made you feel oh-so-good?
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #16 Tami. You’ve won the Pancake Giveaway! Please send me an email at abetterbagofgroceries@gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can get your prize out to you. Thank you to everyone who entered!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: bread crumbs, Fish, Little Trade-Ups
Tags: 4C, bread crumbs, Cascadian Farms, Fish, Little Trade-Ups
Monday, December 27, 2010 at 07:25 AM
Every Monday, we have fish for dinner. Of all the proteins you could choose (beef, pork, poultry, etc), fish gets the highest NuVal scores. After the holiday weekend we just had, I would say that this is a good Monday for fish!
You see, in my own personal, humble opinion (I’m not a registered dietitian and I don’t pretend to play one on my blog), you’re doing OK, if you look at a holiday as a “day”, not as ten. So, seeing that Christmas is over, it’s a good day to clean out the fridge (bye bye leftover lasagna!) and go buy some nice healthy fish for dinner.
Check out these NuVal scores for fish:
- Atlantic Salmon: 87
- Tilapia: 82
- Halibut: 82
- Cod: 82
- Swordfish: 81
- Haddock: 64
Yes, my kids do eat fish. How did I get that to happen? Well, I started them young (around age 4, once I felt it was safe) and I breaded it. So, I used a small amount of canola oil (NuVal score of 24) and then dipped the fillets in bread crumbs. Four-year-olds will eat anything if they think it’s like a chicken nugget! I’ve learned a lot about bread crumbs and their low NuVal scores, so these days we’re dipping in Panko, and I’m not getting any complaints. Actually, my daughter likes her fish plain.
The accompaniment is always Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries (NuVal score of 81!) – yes there are French Fries that score an 81! We all love them. Or the kids go for the fries while my husband and I have baked potatoes topped with non-fat plain Greek yogurt. Finish the dinner off with some steamed vegetables, and the Crown Roast or Prime Rib that you ate on Saturday will be a distant memory. You’ll feel like you went to Confession and said all your Hail Mary’s. Redemption.
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Fish
Tags: Fish
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 06:44 AM
Happy Ash Wednesday! Well, I don’t think “Happy” is really the appropriate word there, but you know what I mean. Today, marks the beginning of the Lenten season for many Christians. Now, my mom always taught me not to discuss religion or politics, and that’s a great rule for a blog too. But Fish & Chips during Lent is a cultural phenomenon to me, so I will try to do this in a non-polarizing way! If Lent is something unfamiliar to you, here are some FAQs that I found to get you up to speed.
Growing up in Rhode Island, it seemed that everyone was Catholic. I was one of about six Episcopalian kids in my school. While some Episcopalians do give up certain foods or luxuries during Lent, it is not Church Law for us – that I know of, anyway. However, during my childhood and teen years, I was surrounded by friends and neighbors who did give up certain things for Lent and who did not eat meat on Fridays. It was almost catchy, and so I have, from time to time, decided to give up something (chocolate, cursing) or to go meatless on Fridays as well.
In my hometown of Lincoln, RI, there was a small Fish & Chips shop that did only that: they made Fish & Chips. On Fridays during Lent, the line of customers went out the door and around the corner. It is interesting to note that the first Fish & Chips shop was opened in 1860 in London by Jewish proprietor, Joseph Malin.
Fast forward to today and you find me making a healthy Fish & Chips dinner every Monday night in our house. The reason it has become a Monday night tradition is three-fold:
- My kids like fish (I know, I’m lucky) so they eat it without compaint
- The clean-up is super-easy
- A plate re-heats nicely a couple of hours later
You see, on Monday nights, I dash out at the dinner hour to go and teach Pilates. It is not an easy hour to leave and it means that my husband has to oversee dinner, clean-up, bath and bedtime solo. But teaching this class is something that I truly enjoy doing, so we make it work.
Every Monday, I head to my local seafood store and choose one of the following:
- Tilapia (NuVal score of 82)
- Haddock (NuVal score of 64)
- Cod (NuVal score of 81)
To prepare the fish, I first wash it and pat it dry. Then, I use my Pampered Chef oil mister to spray a light coating of canola oil on the fillets, dredge them in bread crumbs, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, I drizzle some lemon juice on the breaded fillets. Finally, I spray the fish with cooking spray to make it a little crunchy. My daugher prefers her fish sans crumbs, so I put it in a little foil packet with just the oil and lemon juice.
As for the “Chips,” we always have Cascadian Farms Shoe String Fries which get an incredible NuVal score of 81. These too go in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
To round it out this nutritious meal, we complete it with a favorite vegetable such as broccoli (NuVal score of 100) and skim milk (NuVal score of 91). The only thing that scores low is the ketchup – it gets a 3. Ouch!
So, if you abstain from meat for religious reasons (or non-religious reasons!), try out this healthy option. I’m quite sure it is more nutritious than the deep fried Fish & Chips they were serving at the popular shop in my hometown!
Trade-Up Tuesday Winner
Congratulations to Commenter #7, Leena, of Living Leena Loca (love the name of her blog!). She has won my Fat Tuesday/Winter Olympic GiveAway!
Question of the Day
What, if anything, are you planning to give up for Lent?
or
If you had to give up something, what would be the hardest for you to give up?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Fish
Tags: Fish, Fish & Chips
