JoAnn suggested I post a few of the healthy meals we've been making lately.  So here's what we had for dinner tonight.

Thai Vegetable Stir Fry and Fresh baked Salmon with Creole Seasoning over Brown Rice

Melissa started the rice first as it takes so long to cook.  I prefer Minute Rice but since we are working towards changing habits to the more healthy options, we went for the long cooking brown rice. Caylee and I started chopping the veggies.  Here's the recipe. (We usually ad-lib it to suit our taste each time we make it and what we're in the mood for.)

1 can (14 oz) light coconut milk (we used fresh)

2 cloves of garlic chopped up

dash of lemon peel to taste

dash of lime peel to taste

1 cup sliced mushrooms (we skipped these tonight but not every time we make this)

2 cups asparagus tips

1 can baby corn

1 red pepper sliced

1 small head of bok choy stems sliced & leaves left whole

1/4 cup unsalted peanuts (Caylee doesn't like so she skips these)

red pepper flakes per taste buds

1 tbs light low sodium soy sauce

1 tbs fresh lime juice

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

fresh basil slivered

We throw the coconut milk, garlic, lemon and lime into a large wok and add heat. Then we add the veggies, peanuts (if I'm cooking, lol), and red pepper flakes.  Simmer for ten minutes or so.  Add the soy sauce, lime juice, lemon juice and basil, simmer while stirring constantly for a few minutes.  Skip the red pepper flakes if you don't like spice.

After the veggies were chopped, I prepared the fresh salmon by rinsing and patting it dry then lightly coating it with olive oil.  Tonight's choice of spice was creole seasoning so I sprinkled it on the fish then slipped the salmon into the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.  You know it's ready when it flakes nicely.

I served this on my small retangular Oriental plates. A small portion of Salmon next to a small portion of rice covered in the Thai Vegetables dribbled with the coconut sauce.  Yum! George ate his with a side of fresh Sushi.  Caylee just wanted the Thai Vegetables with a small nibble of salmon. Melissa doesn't eat fish or anything else that sounds Oriental, so she had a chicken breast with baked beans cooked with pineapple. Grandma ate a heaping normal dinner plate loaded with everything.  ( I mention this as Grandma isn't holding weight yet she eats huge amounts. I'm just the opposite.) And for those who are wondering, my spouse is on duty so he gets leftovers tomorrow if he wants to try it.  I didn't think about pictures till after the kitchen was all cleaned up. 

WOW!

Are they serious?

My spouse is a Lt. Firefighter/EMT so taking blood pressures is second nature.  Since our daughter is planning on following him in this profession, he figured she ought to learn how to, too.  Shoot, we all need to know as Grandma is in declining health at 82 and has been living with us since she had a stroke near two years ago.

Well today blood pressures were taken and needless to say, one was higher then it should be, one higher then normal (I had just finished my fifth cup of coffee!  Give me a break!  Lol, I was awake, though!   And it's still in a healthy range!)

Needless to say, my spouse figures it's time to get serious about being 'middle aged' (Lol, doesn't that sound like a history lesson?) so it's time to take this blood pressure thing serious and go on a 'heart healthy diet'. 

YIKES!! & YUCK!!

So below is the punishment diet that we started to 'improve our health'.  I guess I upset my spouse when I said that I'd rather die at fifty then live to one hundred by eating the same thing day in and day out.  I was exaggerating a bit, but get real!  No eggs and toast for breakfast ever again?  I mean no more Tomato and Sausage Gravy over Golden Layered Biscuits, ever again?

To NEVER taste a BLT on Rye?  No more pasta?  No more nachos?

AND THE WORST!! NO MORE STEAK!!!

I think I've already died....or might as well...Why didn't they tell me that growing old would mean the end of wonderful foods?  What's to be done about this?  I'll support my spouse and share his punishment diet to get his BP down.  I'll even give up all these foods because he's worth it.  But NOBODY better get mad at me when the Thanksgiving table is all nice clean veggies with no special mouth watering sauces to make them melt in your mouth.  No more savoury sides.  No more delicious desserts.  No more hot chocolate by a roaring fire...

Please Pray for me!  I'm gonna need it!

One day down and counting...

DIET

Foods to purchase and eat during your diet

Butter – I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light

Meats – Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts, Lean Boneless Butterfield Pork chops

Lunch Meats – Chicken, Turkey (Healthy Choice)

Fish (White Only) - Tuna Albacore in water only, Haddock, Halibut

Cottage Cheese – 2%

Cookies – Sugarless

Cereal – Special K, Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios

Bread – 100% Whole Wheat (Arnolds is the best)

Crackers – Ritz Reduced

Mayonnaise – Helmans Just To Good (Green Top)

Vegetables – (Raw) Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Baking Potatoes

Salad – Fresh Greens

Salad Dressing – Low Fat type or Oil and Vinegar (Oil must be Virgin Olive Oil)

Starches – Reduced Fat Noodles, Rice

Fruits – Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Apples, Bananas, Honey Dew Melon

Sugar – Sweet and Low or Splenda only

Peanut Butter – Reduced Fat

Jelly – Reduced Fat

Cooking oils – Pam spray only

Snacks – Sugar Free Popsicles, Sugar Free Fudgesicles

Drinks – Water, Juice, Milk 2%

No Chips, Pretzels, Soda, or Candy

*********************************************************************

Breakfast – Cereal with 2% Milk and glass of Juice or Milk

10am Snack – Fruit (Small container) or 1 Apple, and a few Ritz Crackers

Lunch – Lunch meat or Tuna Sandwich, or Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, or Salad with raw vegetables, and Cottage Cheese. Juice, Water or Milk

Afternoon Snack – Vegetables with small amount of Crackers

Supper – Any meat or fish listed (cook in Pam only, no oil/butter), Salad with vegetables, and your choice of Baked Potato, Rice, or Noodles, and Cottage Cheese. Juice, Water, or Milk

* Note: If you eat a sandwich at lunch you can not have a Potato, Rice, or Noodles with Supper.*

Night Snack – Sugar Free Popsicles, Sugar free Fudgesicle, Sugar free cookies, or Honey Nut Cheerios (no milk)

• You Must walk at least one mile a day
• Eat small portions at each meal and snack
• No Ionized Salt, Sea salt only
• Drink at least 64oz. of water a day

NO CHEATING

Another fun quiz for summer from the food network.

Home > Entertaining > Gatherings > Grilling

Expert People consider you a grilling expert and you have the advanced skills (and tan) to prove it! Shake up your regular repertoire by trying our top 10 grilling menus and brush up on your skills with some grilling primers.

To take this quiz visit:   http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_sl_grilling/text/0,1972,FOOD_9872_20825,00.html

Which is hotter?  Left or right?

 This is a well loved meal around here. The firefighters love it, too!

Best Baked Beans Ever

Tonight I made the best baked beans ever.

Problem is the recipe went missing.

Oh, I'm sure it may one day be found

unless it accidently made it to the trash bin.

But as Grandma is near in tears over it,

I figure I better write down what I did.

Besides, I never follow a recipe anyway.

Take one can of pineaple chunks,

one green pepper diced in similar size pieces,

and one onion also chopped in like size pieces

grill them, turning them so they grill even.

(I just tossed them all on a cookie sheet and broiled them)

Mix one 16oz can of baked beans (I used pork-n-beans)

1/3 cup of brown sugar

Some of the pineapple juice

and the just grilled ingredients

(bacon is optional, I didn't have any.)

Bake all this (according to the lost recipe)  for 30 minutes

(Once again, I didn't, I just threw it in till the rest of dinner was done.)

Or until sauce is thick.

I served this with a chicken I cooked in my rotisserie oven

and a cold pasta salad made with broccoli, cherry tomatos and

twisted noodles, with a spiced mayo dressing.

I made a pineapple upside down cake,

with a can of crushed pineapple mixed into the cake mix

for dessert.

Yummy.