Hi, You’re New Here, Aren’t You?

Restaurant Reinvention: Salmon Piadine

Recreating restaurant  is an enjoyable tradition in my household. And I’ll be the first to admit that the first attempt is not always successful. But that’s half the fun. You keep trying till you get it right. And soon, you’ll end up with a dish that’s even better than the original!

Sometimes a restaurant makes is easy by putting the ingredients list right on the menu – you then have to figure out the right quantity of each to make a delicious finished product. Such is the case at Tomatina, a Bay area restaurant. I already shared my recreation of a caprese piadine with chicken a while ago. Today, I’ll shave my favorite — a salmon piadine.

A piadine is defined on their menu as: a unique sandwich on freshly baked original or wheat flatbread and topped with cool salads, ready to fold and eat. This assumes, of course, that one can make a perfectly proportional flatbread that folds neatly into a sandwich. Since mine rarely, if ever, look that perfect, I eat mine with a knife and fork.

Ingredients you’ll need

• 1 pound of salmon
• 1 lemon
• Capers
• Arugula
• Red onion
• Fennel
• 1 Zucchini squash
• Pizza dough for one large pizza (home-made or store bought)
• Pesto (home-made or store bought)

Pantry items

• Mayonnaise
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Make the caper aioli

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tsp capers, drained and chopped
• 1 tsp chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
• 1 TBSP chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and set aside. Can be made ahead of time.

2. Make the lemon vinaigrette.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and set aside. Can be made  ahead of time.

3. Combine salad ingredients

• 3 cups arugula
• 1/2 fennel, shaved
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
• 1/2 zucchini squash, julienned

Combine and set aside until you add the dressing.

4. Cook the salmon

• 1 pound salmon
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Add the seasonings to the fish and cook for about 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Vary cooking time according to thickness of fish. I like my salmon to be slightly pink in the center.

5. Add dressing to salad mixture.

Add the aoili and vinaigrette to the salad in a ratio of 1:2. I used about half of what I made, but you can tailor to your tastes and save the leftovers for another salad.

6. Prepare flatbreads.

Break pizza dough, prepared ahead of time, into 2-3 separate balls. Roll out the dough, prepared ahead, to the size of a dinner plate, creating a thickness that suits your taste. Then place on stove at medium heat, and cook about 1 minute per site. I like to season mine with olive oil, salt and pepper. Once cooked, spread a bit of pesto on top. (You can buy prepared pesto or make your own. I reduce the strength of the pesto by “cutting” it with olive oil.)

7. Assemble.

On top of each pesto-prepared flatbread, add greens and salmon on top. Note that at Tomatina, they use cold salmon broken into bite sized pieces and mixed with the greens. I like mine heated and placed on top when I make at home.

Serving Size: This recipe is enough for 2-3 piadines. When we make it, I create two and have enough salmon and flatbread to feed my little one, too. As great an eater as he is, he does not like dinner salads!

Subscribe to RSS | 1 comment | Tweet this post

If you are enjoying these posts, and want more, subscribe below, and I’ll send them to your inbox

Eating Healthy on a Budget

According to research by Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters®, Americans still struggle with the economics of eating well.  In fact, low-income families claim that cost is the biggest barrier to eating healthy foods.
You don’t have to break the bank to eat well! To help shed some light on this subject matter, I am providing a three-part series this week as follows:

Tuesday: 9 Smart Strategies to Cut Down Your Grocery Bill

Wednesday: Seven Cheap, Healthy Foods

Today: Eating on a Healthy Budget – guest contributor, Penny Minding Mom

Thanks to Elizabeth for her helpful hints and wisdom!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive.  While some people believe this can’t be true, I firmly believe that by shopping smarter and a little pre-planning you can eat healthy without busting the bank.

Here are my top 3 ways to eat healthy and not spend more:

Use Coupons and Store Specials

Clip those coupons.  By using coupons for everyday items like toilet paper, toothpaste and shampoo you can use the savings to put back into your food budget.

Look for coupons for frozen vegetables as well.  Many times these veggies are fresher than the ones found in the produce department.

Look for store specials.  I regularly set aside some time each week to look at the flyers to see what specials are on and then plan my meals accordingly.  If there is a sale on bananas, then I may make banana muffins and freeze them.

Shop in Season

Here is where a little pre-planning comes into play.  My husband loves smoothies, in fact he eats one every day at work.  Frozen berries are expensive so we buy them during berry season and freeze them ourselves.  We freeze blueberries and strawberries every year.

Store: 2.5 cups blueberries = $4.99
Farmers’ Market: 2.5 cups blueberries= $2.50

Cook at Home

We love potato chips. Where I live 1 bag of potato chips here (220g) is $2.50 plus 15.5% tax = $2.88 while making  1 similar size serving  of homemade chips = $0.35.

Doughnuts are another fan favourite.  At our local shop a single doughnut costs $1.15 while our homemade baked version is a measly $0.35.

By baking my own versions of these snacks I am able to save a significant amount of money per serving. Not only are they better for you since they are baked, they are simple to make and I get to make some special memories with my daughter.

Eating healthy is a choice we all have to make, by using a little creative thinking we can eat healthy and not drain your wallet.

About Elizabeth AKA Penny Minding Mom:

Elizabeth is a stay-at-home coupon clipping mother of two little monsters.  She is always looking for creative ways save money on the household budget.

Elizabeth’s Simple Recipe for Baked Potato Chips:

Slice a potato very thin.  I use a carrot peeler.  Lightly grease each chip with a touch of olive oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F oven for30-40 minutes or until ”chip” like.  Sprinkle with seasoning of you choice.  Season while still warm.

I use Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes to yield the best result.  You can eat them while they are still warm or cool and eat later.

Photo courtesy of Dil Se….

Subscribe to RSS | 0 comments | Tweet this post

Seven Cheap, Healthy Foods

According to research by Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters®, Americans still struggle with the economics of eating well.  In fact, low-income families claim that cost is the biggest barrier to eating healthy foods.

You don’t have to break the bank to eat well! To help shed some light on this subject matter, I am providing a three-part series this week as follows:

• Yesterday: “9 Smart Strategies to Cut Down Your Grocery Bill”
• Today: “Cheap, Healthy Foods”
• Thursday: Guest Post with Penny Minding Mom, “Eating Healthy on a Budget”

The low-budget theme was even popular back in my college days when I studied nutrition. For one class, we were required to visit local grocers and determine the least-expensive healthy foods available for purchase with cash, food stamps, or WIC (Women, Infants and Children) coupons. You can actually carry out this same exercise yourself by comparing costs of various food items (by the ounce or pound), then checking out their nutrient content.

If you don’t have time, WebMD has a great list of nutritious foods for $2. Or, of course, you can check out this list of some of my favorite inexpensive and nutrient-packed foods.

Sweet potatoes/yams—Not only are sweet potatoes inexpensive, but they are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. In 1992, when the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables, these little gems came out on top. Kids often like them, too, because they are naturally sweet. Check out my baked sweet potato fries recipe!

Dried beans—Even the Learning Channel made a declaration on this one. “If you were stuck on a desert island and had to pick one food to take, it would be beans.” And though beans will make you gassy, their benefits far outweigh the smells and sounds. Beans are low in fat and high in quality protein, and they also contain soluble fiber, which helps lower LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol in your blood. I made three delicious meals from one bag of dried black beans!

Soybeans/edamame—One of the most widely grown legumes in the world, soybeans are an excellent source of high-quality protein. They also contain high levels of essential fatty acids, numerous vitamins and minerals, isoflavones, and fiber. You can buy a bag of the frozen edamame already shelled so it’s easy and affordable. And it’s another healthy treat that kids love, too.

Tofu—Tofu may not be dirt cheap, but it is often more cost-effective than organic meats. Tofu, a soybean product, is rich in protein, unsaturated fat, and is a good source of calcium, iron, and phytoestrogens, or dietary estrogens. This tofu enchiladas recipe from Healthy, Happy Life is delicious!

Brown rice—Brown rice is a whole, natural grain with a nutty flavor. Unlike its white counterpart, which will more abruptly spike your blood sugar level, brown rice contains a whole host of nutrients, including B vitamins, manganese, selenium, iron, and fiber. In addition, brown rice is known to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and decrease the chances of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

Spinach—Spinach is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, including iron and calcium. It also contains vitamin A (and lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. With a list that long, how could you not eat it? Be sure to note that the health benefits of spinach are more heartily gained when steamed or eaten fresh.

Quinoa—This grain may cost as little as $1.50 per pound if you’re lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s nearby. (I’m still hoping!) Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source for a plant. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. It cooks faster than rice (in about fifteen to twenty minutes) and lends itself to some tasty, healthy combinations. Check out this quinoa with leeks and herbs recipe from A Couple Cooks.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO WIN FREE BOOKS AND A JOURNEY GYM (VALUE OF $249)!!.
Book Giveaway: To win one of five books, all you have to do is comment on this blog post or “like” my new Facebook page!
Journey Gym Giveaway: Follow me on twitter (@melindaneely) and send out the following tweet to the Twitterverse: Just entered to win a #Free Journey Gym – Follow @melindaneely for #healthyeating tips & retweet this link http://bit.ly/yTBDsg.
Contest Eligibility: Applicants must reside in the Continental US and over the age of 13 to be eligible.
More Information: Click here!

Photo courtesy of A Couple Cooks.

Subscribe to RSS | 1 comment | Tweet this post

9 Smart Strategies to Cut Down on Your Grocery Bill

According to research by Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters®, Americans still struggle with the economics of eating well.  In fact, low-income families claim that cost is the biggest barrier to eating healthy foods.

You don’t have to break the bank to eat well! To help shed some light on this subject matter, I am providing a three-part series this week as follows:

• Today: “9 Smart Strategies to Cut Down Your Grocery Bill”
• Wednesday: “Cheap, Healthy Foods”
• Thursday: Guest Post with Penny Minding Mom, “Eating Healthy on a Budget”

To get you moving down the right track, here are nine smart strategies for cutting down your grocery bill.

Make your favorite takeout dish at home. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina, more kids are eating calorie packed takeout foods, thus fueling the obesity epidemic. A healthy and less expensive approach is to make those same takeout meals at home.

Whether you more frequently take out pizza or burgers, the pleasure comes with a hefty price tag in dollars and calories. Boise is loaded with great pizza joints, for example, but the average price for one of favorite large pizzas is $19.30 (without tax). At home, we make delicious pizza with our high quality ingredients (e.g., chicken pesto pizza with capers, caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella cheese) for less than half that cost – about $8-9 at most. And we’ll cut out calories, too, by limiting how much cheese we use.

Buy food that’s in season. Not only are vegetable and fruits in-season less costly than the alternative, they taste much better, too. In fact, since fresh produce and even fish are more flavorful, you don’t need fancy preparation techniques or lots of added ingredients to make them taste good. When olive oil, salt and pepper are all you need to spice up a dish, that means less money spent on the meal in its entirety.

And when summer arrives and selections like berries are plentiful, stock up! If purchased in large quantities, you can wash and freeze them, yielding a low-cost and tasty freezer-full of berries for winter.

Buy frozen. If you find yourself throwing costly produce away, you might check out the freezer section. Though I still think fresh broccoli, asparagus and spinach taste far superior when fresh – and are more versatile to prepare, too – frozen veggies give you more leeway to eat as you go, saving money and reducing waste in the process.

In some cases, frozen vegetables may actually contain more nutrients than their fresh counterparts which may have been stored for weeks and months.

Buy in bulk. If eat chicken and/or meat, these are great products to buy in bulk and freeze. The cost of beef tenderloin can be as low as $8.99 per pound at Costco (compared to $15.99/pound at Albertson’s and as much as $25.99/pound at my local organic market). You simply have to use a little elbow grease to trim the beef yourself.  The cash outlay for an entire tenderloin is nothing to scoff at, but the filets freeze well and last for a long time.

Another product I buy in bulk is cheese. We love fresh mozzarella and goat cheese in our family, and they are far less expensive at Costco. They usually come in double rolls, so I use one package and freeze the other. After thawing in the refrigerator, it tastes as good as new.

Ditch the soft drinks. Soft drinks are high are sugar and calories, and low on nutritional value. And though diet beverages won’t cause any weight gain, there is debate about the safety of various artificial sweeteners. Though the average price of soda varies according to where you live, it’s not arguable that drinking soda costs much more than not drinking it. Treat yourself with the occasional Coca Cola, but otherwise, ‘just say no.’

Plan ahead. One of the best things you can do to save money is plan ahead. If you know what you are going to prepare for lunches and dinner ahead of time, you can buy the exact quantities of what you will need in the upcoming week or two. No last minute trips to an expensive store to pick up a needed item, and more importantly you, you won’t be throwing away food you didn’t need in the first place.

Visit multiple stores. When your time is limited, shopping at multiple stores simply may not be an option. But if you plan accordingly and are familiar with what bargains can be found at which markets, you can save all kinds of money. Just ask all those Trader Joe’s addicts!

Shop local. Can you purchase meats, cheeses and even diary products from local farmers? Not only will you support the local economy, but you may save some money in the process. And even better, there’s a good chance you’ll be eating higher quality and more sustainable products.

Use coupons. I wrote a post about saving money with coupons a long time ago, and one of my biggest objections from readers was that coupons can’t be used for healthy, whole foods like fruits and vegetables. While true, pretty much everyone needs items like paper towels, toilet paper, clothes detergent and even cereal. If you use coupons on paper products and other packaged goods your family likes to eat, that’s more money leftover to save or use on something else that might be over your budget.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO WIN FREE BOOKS AND A JOURNEY GYM (VALUE OF $249)!!.

Book Giveaway: To win one of five books, all you have to do is comment on this blog post or “like” my new Facebook page!

Journey Gym Giveaway: Follow me on twitter (@melindaneely) and send out the following tweet to the Twitterverse: Just entered to win a #Free Journey Gym – Follow @melindaneely for #healthyeating tips & retweet this link http://bit.ly/yTBDsg.

Contest Eligibility: Applicants must reside in the Continental US and over the age of 13 to be eligible.

More Information: Click here!

Related articles:

• http://foodformyfamily.com/the-kitchen-sink/money-saving-tips/eat-well-spend-less-herbs-with-dinner
• http://www.simplebites.net/tag/eat-well-spend-less/
• http://kingdomfirstmom.com/tag/eat-well-spend-less
• http://lifeasmom.com/category/eat-well-spend-less
• http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/tag/eat-well-spend-less/
• http://food.yourway.net/tag/eat-well-spend-less/

Photo courtesy of Daily Money Saving.

Subscribe to RSS | 2 comments | Tweet this post

National Nutrition Month: Eat Right to Feel Good

Today marks the start of National Nutrition Month! What better time to start eating well so you feel good?

Here are a few ideas to kick-start healthy habits and “get your plate in shape!”

Eat to feel good. Not to be skinny. An hourglass figure or abs of steel is not the pinnacle of health and well-being. Despite popular belief, looking razor thin is not the key to the kingdom. Moreover, measuring yourself against models and movie stars will get you nowhere but depressed. Wholeheartedly and permanently embracing better eating habits is the right path to energized days and your optimal weight.

The less you worry about taking off the pounds, the more that food becomes a conduit to a fitter and happier you.

Understand the basics of nutrition. You don’t have to be a food expert to be smart about what you’re eating. But make sure you know how to read food labels, understand food claims and can differentiate what organic foods might be worth the investment. There are plenty of healthy options that won’t break the bank.

Books, classes and registered dieticians are few beneficial resources if you wish to learn more.

Learn how to cook. You never know what you’re putting into your body unless you make it yourself. How could you possibly monitor calories, fat and vitamins if you’re always eating out or grabbing something on the go? In addition to eating higher quality foods, another benefit of cooking at home is reducing waste and saving money.

If you don’t know how to cook, read a book, watch TV, take a class or watch some videos online. Even if you are a more seasoned chef, these same tools are great refreshers.

Eat a balanced diet. It’s important to consume a recommended mix of macronutrients – carbohydrates, protein and fat – to stabilize insulin levels and maintain a more consistent level of energy throughout the day. The USDA provides a loose set of guidelines:

• 45% to 65% of calories eaten should come from carbohydrates
• 20% to 35% of calories eaten should come from fat
• 10% to 35% of calories eaten should come from protein

Even if you don’t want to count calories and grams, make sure you are not teetering on the macronutrient seesaw by having too much or little of a needed thing. And also make sure you are getting your carbs, fat and protein from nutritious sources.

Eat your greens! And fruits, too. One way to get eating habits on the right track is to consume adequate vegetables and fruits throughout the day.  Add berries to your breakfast cereal, slice up an apple at lunch and throw pears on a salad at dinner. Eat raw vegetables with hummus for an afternoon snack instead of chips and salsa or crackers and cheese.

The USDA loosely recommends 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit each day.  Are you getting your daily dose?

Choose healthy, whole foods. If you can grow your own veggies, you’ll enjoy the tastiest and healthiest treats around. Farmers’ markets are another great way to sample home-grown food that’s in season, while also supporting your community. A local grocer offers good products, too.  Just be sure to buy wholesome ingredients and make the dish yourself.

Though processed foods aren’t always unhealthy, many contain unwanted preservatives, fillers and sugars. So play it safe – and go whole.

Cook in season. One of the easiest things you can do to prepare a delicious meal is to buy, prepare and eat food that’s in season. Foods that are in season are fresher and more flavorful than those which aren’t.  Even looking at a display of colorful, fresh produce can inspire creative menus!

Vegetables and fruits that are in season have a wonderful taste, so complex preparation techniques are not necessary. In fact, you don’t have to add loads of ingredients to boost the flavor of a food product that tastes scrumptious on its own. That also means less work and less stress in the kitchen, and usually fewer dollars from your wallet, too.

Plan your meals. Planning your meals ahead of time has a number of wonderful advantages:

• saves time with fewer last minute trips to the store
• saves money by buying only what you nee
• avoids waste by using everything you buy
• alleviates stress by knowing what you are going to prepare, when

Try to find a short period of time once/week, perhaps on a weekend, when you can plan out meals for the upcoming week. Take a look at magazines, cookbooks or websites for inspiration. Ask your family if they have any preferences. Then layout the plan and create your grocery list.  Here’s a Meal Planner and Grocery List that might help.

Celebrate meals. It’s so easy to eat fast, often while multi-tasking, and rush to the next commitment of the day – without even acknowledging the flavors you have just savored. Mindful eating is a way to enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life – good food! Eating more slowly and with greater awareness satisfies your senses, fills your belly and nourishes your soul.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO WIN A FREE JOURNEY GYM ($249 VALUE) OR ONE OF FIVE FREE COPIES OF EAT IN, NOT OUT. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!

Related articles

• Are You a Calorie Counter? (thetreeofhealth.wordpress.com)
• 9-Tips to Successful Menu Planning: http://www.simplebites.net/9-tips-to-successful-menu-planning/
• Vegetables In Season: February http://www.simplebites.net/vegetables-in-season-february/
• Eat Well, Spend Less: http://foodformyfamily.com/the-kitchen-sink/money-saving-tips/eat-well-spend-less-herbs-with-dinner
• Monday Menu: Keeping it Interesting http://foodformyfamily.com/menu-planning/monday-menu-keeping-it-interesting-2

Subscribe to RSS | 0 comments | Tweet this post