Baby it’s…(already kinda) cold outside

It is officially soup & stew season and we have got you covered. The FITgals LOVE The New York Times Well blog for healthy recipes. Tom and I whipped up this delicious dinner last weekend. Best kind of recipe: light, easy, and delicious. And there were leftovers!

A Meal in a Bowl: Salmon, Shiitakes and Peas

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ounce (about 10) dried shiitake mushrooms
• 6 cups kombu stock, chicken stock or vegetable stock
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 pound fresh English peas, shelled
• 6 ounces Japanese soba noodles, cooked and tossed with 2 teaspoons sesame oil or canola oil
• 12 to 16 ounces salmon fillet without skin, trimmed of fat and cut in four equal pieces
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, light and dark green parts kept separate

PREPARATION

• Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Bring the stock to a simmer, and pour over the mushrooms. Let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl, and squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer. Slice the mushroom caps, discarding the hard stems. Set aside.
• Return the stock to the saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding soy sauce or salt as desired. Add the peas, and simmer five minutes. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a strainer and dipping the strainer into the simmering broth. Then distribute the noodles among four deep soup bowls.
• Add the sliced mushroom caps, the salmon fillets and the white and light green parts of the scallions to the simmering stock. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for five minutes without removing the cover. The salmon should be just cooked through.
• Place a piece of salmon on top of the noodles in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, taking care to evenly distribute the peas, mushrooms and scallions. Sprinkle on the dark green part of the scallions, and serve.

Gluten free: use a gluten free grain like rice or rice noodles, or skip them all together and add extra veggies! We added daikon radishes and regular radishes, but brussel sprouts, broccoli, or any leafy green would work. We also added seaweed to our prepared meals. Yum!

Stay warm this weekend!

Diet-Busters on Menus!

We can’t look at every menu in the world on this little blog to help you determine what to order, but we are still here to help! Look for these words to help you identify diet busters on menus:

1. Aioli, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream, butter, butter cream, cheese…you get the point. If you can’t live without the aioli, get it on the side to control the amount you use.

2. Fried, breaded (9 times out of 10, breaded means it is fried). Look for baked, broiled, and steamed. Sauteed is a tricky one because sauteing at home, is usually good – but at a restaurant, it can mean sauteed in copious amounts of oil and butter. If you feel comfortable, just ask the server how something is prepared.

3. Sauces: alfredo, vodka, bechamel, hollandaise…simply avoid ordering these if items if possible.

4. Dressings – Caesar, french, ranch, thousand island, creamy vinaigrette…ALWAYS GET DRESSING ON SIDE. Even if the dressing is a diet buster, if you put it on the side, you can control the amount.

5. Double Starches: fried chicken and waffles, burger with bun or sandwich and fries/chips, fish and chips…if you want the burger, do it! Take off one piece of the bun (or both) and get a salad or steamed veggies on the side instead of the fries.

Any burning questions about whether your go-to item has been thwarting your weight loss? Just ask!! We are here to help.

Great Blogs and Even better FOOD!

If you follow our blog, you know that we like to share the love…with other blogs! Gotham Bandit is another great blog devoted to living a healthier lifestyle. It is a little stylized, (and a little geared towards New Yorkers) but the tips, links and posts are great!

Here are some highlights:

1. Exercises for when you can’t make it to the gym: Jumping jacks, push-ups and leg lifts are my go-to when I know I only have 15 minutes and no time to shower.

2. Meal prep for 30,000 feet: GREAT tips for our frequent FIT-flyers.

3. 9 Clean-Eating Myths You Should Know: We have highlighted all of these on this blog, but this serves as a nice reminder. I know I keep HOPING that honey isn’t really going to be “sugar” one of these days…

What blogs are you loving these days?

Inspired by the clean eating posts, I wanted to share a delicious, nutritious and very clean side dish I made last week. Butternut Squash and Cauliflower mash…yummmmm

This recipe seemed to good to be true…but it really turned out to be just good!!

Creamy Butternut and Cauliflower Mash (NO BUTTER OR MILK!)

Ingredients:

– Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 2 cups of cut butternut squash
– 1 head of garlic
– chopped chives for garnish

tools: immersion blender or food processor

Preheat the oven (for the roasted garlic) to 375 degrees F. Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Prepare the roasted garlic by cutting off the head, drizzling the garlic with olive oil and wrapping the garlic in aluminum foil. Place in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Click this link for more specific instructions if you don’t understand.

Once the garlic is in the oven, cut the cauliflower into large florets. Then, split it in half. Pour half of the chopped cauliflower along with the butternut squash into the pot of boiling water. Boil until the cauliflower and butternut squash is easily pierced with a fork (about 15 minutes). Set aside.

While the butternut squash and cauliflower are boiling, saute the second half of cauliflower at medium high heat in the olive oil until the edges are brown. Set aside.

Once the garlic is roasted, puree the boiled butternut squash and cauliflower with the roasted garlic until it is smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the mash into a separate bowl and add in the sauteed cauliflower, but keep a few aside to top off the mash. Mix until the mash becomes nice and chunky. Top off with cauliflower and chives.