All posts by NFI Nutrition
Make MyPlate Pinterest Challenge: peach-glazed salmon with raspberries from @CookingLight
We found out in early March that wed be moving from South Carolina to Texas for school and family, and on May 28, our whole home was packed up and shipped south. For the next four weeks, we hopped from hotels to homes of friends and family as we waited for our house in Texas to get ready and our things to be delivered. We were extremely fortunate to enjoy many good meals and memories with our loved ones, and hopefully didnt get in their hair too much.
Just a few days ago, I was finally reunited with a kitchen of my own and put unpacking the rest of the house on the back burner for a bit to get cooking. The second meal I made (the first was tortilla soup we are Texans now) was Cooking Lights easy peasy peach-glazed salmon with raspberries. I chose it because it only has five ingredients plus a couple spices and our kitchen isnt super stocked yet. What a sweet, simple meal to enjoy after a few fairly complicated weeks!
Posted by Jennifer McGuire MS, RD
San Diego Vacation: The Search for the Perfect Fish Taco
We recently returned from San Diego, where we met up with my husbands family for a weekend reunion. While catching up with family was priceless, we also had another mission: find the perfect fish taco in Encinitas (where we stayed) in North County San Diego.
First taco: Betys Tacos. Served on two delicious corn tortillas (I just ate one tortilla per taco to save a few calories), these tacos were made with fried red snapper, shredded cabbage, cilantro, pico de gallo and a drizzle of cream sauce. Even though the fish was fried, the tacos were still light and tasted divine and its not just because they were my first West Coast fish tacos of the trip!
Second taco: 3rd Corner. Once the kids fell asleep, my husband and I slipped out for a late dinner. (Living away from family, we have to take advantage of relatives watching our children every chance we get!) A hip little wine shop and bistro, the 3rd Corner dished up a spicy fish taco. Served with a black bean salad, the three grilled mahi mahi tacos were topped with cabbage jalapeno slaw and light jalapeno ailoli. A gourmet twist on the traditional fish taco, these were super-tasty.
Third taco: Kotija Jr. Taco Shop. We stumbled across this little gem of a taco shop on the way home from South Ponto beach. They served up the fish grilled or fried. (We went with the fried, as you can tell.) The tilapia tacos were served on two corn tortillas (again, I went with the one tortilla per taco) with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo and white sauce. Yes, these tacos were not low-calorie, but they sure tasted like the West Coast.
The winner? Hmmm thats a tough one. They were all delicious. But, I did love this sign at KotijaJr.: Hands Down the Best Fish Tacos In Town!! Not sure who voted them best in town, but they sure were delicious.
TELL US: What is the secret behind YOUR favorite fish tacosfried or grilled fish, cabbage or lettuce, avocadoes or tomatoes? Please tell us! Wed love to hear from you.
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS,RD
Make MyPlate Pinterest Challenge: mexican baked fish @allrecipes
I have been eyeing this Mexican Baked Fish recipe from @allrecipes on the MyPlate: Fish Entrees board for months. This week, I finally had the chance to make itwhich essentially means I had all of the ingredients on hand and the few minutes it took to make the dish!
This dish is a cinch to prepare, making it ideal for an easy weeknight meal. After thawing a pound of frozen cod in the refrigerator the night before, I placed the fish in the casserole pan and topped it with mild (for the kids) salsa, some shredded light Mexican cheese blend and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. (I used fewer chips than the recipe called forjust enough to cover the fishand it worked well.) After baking for about 17 minutes, the fish was flaky and cooked through. Served alongside sliced avocado, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, black beans, brown rice and steamed broccoli, this was truly a MyPlate meal, complete with all of the MyPlate categories:
- Protein (in the fish, beans and cheese)
- Vegetable (broccoli)
- Whole grain (brown rice)
- Unsaturated fat (in the fish and avocado)
- Low-fat dairy (low-fat cheese and nonfat Greek yogurt)
Seriously, this dish couldnt have been any easier, or tastier. My husband gave it his You-can-make-this-anytime stamp of approval. This is definitely another MyPlate Pinterest recipe-turned-mental cookbook recipe!
TELL US: What is your favorite Mexican-style fish dish? Wed love to hear about it!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
grilled mahi mahi in lemon butter sauce: the story of an anniversary dinner @bistrocacao
My husband and I recently celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. Footloose and fancy-free (in other words, sans kiddos) in Washington DC, we tried out a French restaurant called Bistro Cacao in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
It was a warm evening, so we sat outside on the large patio and enjoyed a glass of red wine while we waited for our dinner. If anyone had uttered even just one word in French, I would have believed I was in France.
Then, our dinners arrived. I ordered the Dorade Grille, Beurreau Citron, orif you willgrilled mahi mahi in lemon butter sauce served with fingerling potatoes and steamed green beans. I think my husband ordered the trout special, but Im not sure because I was so captivated by my meal. The fish was flaky and cooked just right. And, I ate every morsel.
Although I didnt do the math, Im pretty certain the lemon butter sauce was not low-calorie. Nonetheless, it was delicious and perfect for this occasion. In fact, I may have to find another reason to celebrate at this bistro just to enjoy that mahi mahi once again!
TELL US: What are your favorite mahi mahi dishes? Please share with us. Wed love to hear about them!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
myplate turns 2!
Happy birthday, MyPlate!
MyPlate celebrated its 2nd birthday on Sunday, June 2nd. Released after the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010 DGA), MyPlatewhich replaced MyPyramidprovides a visual for the five food groups that comprise a healthy diet. As you can see from the visual above, MyPlate promotes the make-half-your-plate-fruits-and-veggies philosophy. Grains and proteins make up the other half of the plate, along with a serving of dairy.
In celebration of MyPlates birthday, here is a breakdown of the protein food group and why seafood is the perfect protein for your plate.
Just Two a Week
The 2010 DGA advise Americans to select a variety of protein foods to improve nutrient intake and health benefits, including at least 8 ounces of cooked seafood per week. That may sound like a lot, but thats only about 2-3 meals per week. How do you know if youre eating enough seafood?
Average seafood servings look like this:
- 1 can tuna, drained = 3-4 ounces
- 1 salmon steak = 4-6 ounces
- 1 small trout = 3 ounces
Just two or three fish or shellfish meals a week will ensure that you meet the weekly recommendation for seafood.
Protein and More
Protein is one of three nutrients (along with fat and carbohydrate) which provide energy (or calories). Protein also works as building blocks in the bodyimportant for bones, muscles, skin, blood, enzymes, hormones and vitamins. Most men need about 5-6 ounces of protein per day, while most women and growing children need about 5 ounces of protein per day. (Children 3 years and younger need around 2 ounces of protein each day.)
In addition to protein, seafood also provides a boatload of other nutrients, including B vitamins, selenium, vitamin D and essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA. In fact, seafood is the primary food source of omega-3s EPA and DHA, which are vital to heart and eye health and optimal baby brain and eye development.
Getting More Seafood in Your Diet
MyPlate encourages Americans to vary their protein sources, which simply means to balance beef, chicken and plant proteins (like nuts, seeds and soy) with fish and shellfish. Here are five easy ways to up your protein and omega-3 intake throughout the week.
- Keep canned salmon, tuna or sardines in your pantry for quick weeknight dinners or lunches.
- Replace meat and chicken with seafood in favorite recipes, such as salmon burgers, tuna tacos or clams with whole-wheat pasta.
- Eat shellfish for dinner one night, fish for lunch one day and one snack or brunch that contains seafood each week to meet the recommendation.
- Add seafood to your salad or sandwich. Grilled scallops, shrimp and crab are great salad toppings and canned tuna or salmon make an easy sandwich filling.
- Fish pairs easily with meal go-to items. Add tuna to marinara sauce, salmon to stews and shrimp to stir-frys.
TELL US: How has MyPlate inspired you to eat more seafood? Wed love to hear from you!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
zesty tomato spaghetti with tuna and black olives from @greeneating
After seeing this pasta and tuna recipe on fellow RD Kate Geagans blog, I knew I had to give it a try. Some of my favorite ingredientstuna, olives, capers and tomatoesin a quick-cooking meal? Sold!
As Kate writes on her blog, the dish took less than 30 minutes from pantry to table. I used a spaghetti made with whole grains to up the fiber and some leftover fresh pizza sauce (instead of marinara sauce) from @TraderJoes. I also added chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce. It was incredibly quick to prepare and delightfully tasty!
In fact, it was so easy and delicious, that I immediately added this dish to my mental cookbook of easy weeknight meals. And to be honest, we’ve made this dish a few times over the past week. I used both canned and pouch tuna any kind of tuna will work well.
Its not always easy to find a nutritious recipe that my husband, toddler and preschooler ALL enjoy. This one was a hit with everyone!
TELL US: Do you have any favorite tuna and pasta recipes that your whole family loves? Please share with us wed love to hear about them!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
Make MyPlate Pinterest Challenge: grilled salmon with mango salsa inspired by @womansday
In my quest for a fish and fruit salsa MyPlate recipe, I came across this Grilled Snapper with Mango Salsa from Woman’s Day. The recipe looked yummy top grilled snapper with a mango, cucumber and red onion lime-infused salsa. It was almost exactly what I was looking for. So, I made my own version of the recipe using salmon, mango, lime, pineapple and avocado.
After rubbing the salmon with the chile powder and cinnamon mixture, we grilled it. While the fish was cooking, I tossed together fresh diced pineapple, mango and avocado with lime juice. Served alongside sauted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and a little feta cheese, this MyPlate-inspired dish was rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. And, it was refreshing, sweet and satisfying the perfect meal to welcome summer weather!
TELL US: What are your favorite seafood fruit salsas? Wed love to hear from you!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
easy tilapia with pasta and peas
Last night was one of those dinner’s-whatever-we-have-in-the-fridge-and-pantry nights. (I didn’t make it to the supermarket this week.)
After spotting a package of tilapia (seasoned with cracked pepper) in the freezer, I grabbed a box of whole wheat bow ties, summer squash and an almost-empty bag of frozen peas. While the fish baked and pasta cooked, I sliced the squash and added italong with the frozen peasto the boiling pasta water for about four minutes. The only thing the dish needed was a little olive oil, which I drizzled on top of the cooked fish.
Ill hop back on the Pinterest Challenge next week. But, I have to admit that I sometimes enjoy making dinner on-the-cuff no shopping list or recipe, no preconceived notions of what the dish should look like. Yes, some ad lib meals work, others not so much. This one was delicious, and much healthier than that take-out meal I briefly considered ordering.
TELL US: What on-the-cuff fish dishes have you made? We’d love to hear about them!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD
Make MyPlate Pinterest Challenge: lightened shrimp fried rice from @FoodNetwork
We wrapped up last week with homemade take-out. This shrimp fried rice did require a bit more work than dialing the phone. There was a little more chopping and assembling than I had in mind for a Friday night. But the final product was much better and fresher than what youd get in a cardboard carton. And we had perfect lunch leftovers on Saturday.
Posted by Jennifer McGuire, MS, RD
Make MyPlate Pinterest Challenge: grilled tilapia with smoked paprika and parmesan polenta @allrecipes
Im back on the MyPlate Pinterest Challenge wagon!
This week, I made a tasty tilapia dish from AllRecipes.com: Grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika and Parmesan Polenta. I must admit, however, that I took a few shortcuts and made a few additions.
For the tilapia, my husband grilled frozen fillets from Costco. For the polenta, I used premade polenta from Trader Joes that I had wanted to use for some time. I sliced the polenta and sauted in olive oil, sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese and dried parsley, and served it alongside chopped sauted zucchini.
It looked great on the plate, but I thought it needed something else (hmm, maybe the homemade polenta?). While it would be great with a tomato or fruit salsa, I had neither on hand. So, I quickly chopped up some tomatoes and sauted in olive oil for a few minutes, just long enough for the tomatoes to soften and release some juice. And, they were a perfect addition to the fish. Definitely an easyand tastyway to prepare tilapia!
TELL US: What are your favorite sauces or salsas for fish? Wed love to hear from you!
Posted by Rima Kleiner, MS, RD